City Council to Hear Report On State-Mandated Housing Goals

The Pasadena Planning Commission last week recommended that the city appeal its most recent (and significantly increased) state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Assessment allocation – and Monday afternoon, the City Council is expected to begin discussions on what, if any, next steps will be taken in that direction.

In its first meeting since Aug. 24, the council will hear a report from David Reyes, the city’s director of Planning and Community Development, detailing the latest RHNA allocation – numbers that became official on Sept. 3 and will require the city to update its local Housing Element to zone for an additional 9,409 housing units by October 2029, across a range of income levels.

The issue is expected to be a dominant topic at Monday’s council meeting, which begins at 2 p.m. and will be conducted by teleconference.

State housing law requires that at least every eight years cities and counties update the housing elements of their General Plans, to demonstrate they have adequate land use and zoning capacity to accommodate their “fair share” of current and future housing needs.

The upcoming update must be completed by Oct. 15 and cover the period between 2021 and 2029.

The RHNA target is based on a complex formula that incorporates, among other elements, projected household growth, along with job and transit growth, as determined by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG).

Job and transit growth are new elements to the formula, and as a result, Pasadena’s RHNA target increased to that 9,409 level. Comparatively, the 2014-2019 cycle required the city to plan for 1,332 units – a target the city still did not come close to meeting.

The city has until Oct. 26 to appeal the most recent SCAG numbers, and final determinations are expected by Feb. 4.

SCAG’s specific numbers for Pasadena call for the city to update its Housing Element to accommodate:

• 2,739 very-low-income units (up from the 340 mandated by the 2014-2021 RHNA numbers).
• 1,659 low-income units (up from 207).
• 1,562 moderate-income units (up from 224).
• And 3,449 above-moderate-income units (up from 561).

Reyes’s report to the council on Monday makes no recommendation other than, “that the City Council receive the following report … and provide any related direction to staff.’’

“If the City Council directs staff to appeal the Draft RHNA allocation, staff time will be devoted to the application preparation and process,’’ the report says.

However, in the past, Reyes has expressed concern that Pasadena – like many cities in the region – will be unable to meet the new RHNA numbers.  

“It will be a daunting challenge,” he told the City Council’s Legislative Policy Committee in August. “The planning won’t be challenging. It’s whether or not we are going to produce those units. The state is penalizing jurisdictions that don’t produce units. Before it was about planning, but now it is about producing.”

If the city does not meet the benchmarks, developers will be allowed to skip parts of the city’s development process and override zoning laws based on how far cities fall short in their RHNA numbers.

According to Reyes’s report to the council, a city with a non-certified Housing Element also will have “limited access to state funding programs, including CDBG funds, HOME Investment Partnership Program funds, and the newly established Senate Bill 2 and Assembly Bill 101 State planning grants to assist local jurisdictions with policies and programs to accelerate housing production.’’

“A city with a non-certified Housing Element also opens itself up for litigation,’’ the report says.

The Planning Commission last week urged the city to appeal the new RHNA numbers, with Commission Chair – and future District 2 Councilmember — Felicia Williams saying, “There was a clear direction to stand up to state encroachment on local control and allow Pasadena to plan for its citizens based on our needs and specific circumstances.”

Meanwhile, in a joint letter, the West Pasadena Residents Association, the Madison Heights Neighborhood Association, and the Linda Vista-Annandale Association also called on the city to oppose the RHNA targets.

“Many cities in the (SCAG) jurisdiction, including Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Cerritos, South Pasadena, Alhambra, and West Hollywood, have sent detailed letters of criticism to SCAG and appear ready to formally appeal and resist the new RHNA allocation numbers,” the groups said in their letter.

The letter also pointed out that, by not appealing, the city faces “another risk” – because if other cities’ appeals prove successful, Pasadena’s allocation could actually increase above the 9,409 level when final RHNA numbers are determined.

Monday’s council meeting will be live-streamed at www.pasadenamedia.org and www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/agendas.

— André Coleman contributed to this report