Rosie Dyste, the Santa Barbara Housing Element

Let’s talk about housing, AUDs, ADUs and everything else relating to housing in Santa Barbara. My guest is Rosie Dyste, she’s a Project Planner within the Community Development Department, in the Planning Division, under that in Long-Range Planning. Their recent emphasis:

“On November 16, 2023, the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) informed the City that the 2023-2031 Adoption Draft Housing Element meets the statutory requirements that were described in HCD’s June 16, 2023 review.”

Rosie walks us through the Housing Element – download the PDF and follow along.

From the Executive Summary:

• The City’s first Housing Element was adopted in 1979 and has been updated periodically. Subsequent housing element laws require the City’s Housing Element to be updated in coordination with Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) every other Regional Transportation Plan update (i.e., at least every eight years). Housing Element planning periods are referred to as “cycles”. This Housing Element is for the 6th cycle planning period from February 2023 to February 2031.
• The housing needs for the City are determined through the Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA) process. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is responsible for determining regional housing need, segmented by income levels, for each the state’s Councils of Government, including SBCAG which comprises the entire County of Santa Barbara.
• For the 6th cycle RHNA, SBCAG received a regional determination of 24,856 units, which is approximately 125 percent higher than the 5th cycle (2014-2022) determination of 11,030 units.
• The City’s 6th cycle RHNA allocation (8,001 units) is 95 percent higher than the 5th cycle (4,100 units).
• In the 5th cycle, the total number of housing units that received a building permit up through calendar year 2022 is 1,832 units, or 45 percent of the total 5th cycle RHNA allocation
• In 2022, accessory dwelling units (ADUs) accounted for just under half permitted units that year.
• City government is not required to build the housing assigned through the RHNA process but it is responsible for ensuring that adequate land is zoned to accommodate the projected need and to adopt and implement programs that promote and facilitate housing at all income levels. The City must rely on infill redevelopment since there are very few vacant parcels.
• A notable addition in this 6th cycle Housing Element is the need to “affirmatively further fair housing” as a required objective for local housing elements statewide. The concept of furthering fair housing comes from the Federal Fair Housing Act. It means that the City must take actions to overcome historic patterns of segregation, promote fair housing choice, and foster inclusive communities that are free from discrimination.

In the News | November 17, 2023 | Santa Barbara Independent