The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors recently approved some changes and updates to the county’s comprehensive plan that will encourage the development of more affordable housing.
In a report presented to the board on July 1, staffers explained that the county has an adequate supply of housing for all income levels for the 2015-2023 planning period. A preliminary inventory shows that land zoned and available for residential use in unincorporated parts of the county totals 3,283 units, exceeding the county’s requirements for very low/low, moderate, and above moderate incomes.
However, an overview from the Planning Commission shows that housing needs in the county are expected to grow steadily from 142,600 households in 2015 to 183,600 in 2040.
In April, the Planning and Development Department launched a countywide outreach program that included public workshops in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara and a housing survey. Participants included affordable housing providers, developers, business owners, special needs service providers, and neighborhood advocacy groups.
The Planning Commission report included a long list of the comments made at the workshops that focused on such issues as a perceived lack of affordable housing and transportation for low-income families, seniors, and farmworkers.
“The cost of housing was unaffordable to the same segments of the population even during the housing market downturn in 2007-2010,” one commenter said.
“There is no available public transportation for the disabled in Santa Maria to travel to other parts of the county,” added another.
In February of this year, the board approved an application to rezone Key Site 17 in the Orcutt Community Plan area to allow for a designed residential project with a maximum 20 units per acre. The rezone increased the development potential of the site from 77 to 191 senior housing units.
The 2015-2023 housing plan also calls for the addition of several programs to promote affordable housing projects, including more designed residential and mixed-use zone modifications, and revised regulations for additional special needs and low-income housing and treatment facilities.
The plan will also continue to implement several existing programs that incentivize affordable housing, such as the affordable housing overlay, farm employee dwellings, permit streamlining, and impact fee reductions.
County staffers will now submit a draft 2015-2023 plan to the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
The deadline for final review of the plan is in early 2015.
This article appears in Jul 10-17, 2014.