CC SR 20240903 03 - Housing Element SR_final
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 09/03/2024
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA TITLE:
Consideration and possible action to evaluate the Housing Sites Inventory of the City
Council-Adopted 2021-2029 Housing Element.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Evaluate Staff’s assessment of the Housing Sites Inventory of the City Council-
Adopted 2021-2029 Housing Element that could be removed from the inventory
list while still remaining in compliance with State Housing Laws and provide Staff
with further direction.
FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact, as the 2021-2029 Housing Element
Program implementation measures are budgeted annually in the
Community Development Department Planning Division budget.
However, any direction from the City Council on revising the Housing
Element and implementation documents may incur additional
contract scope of work costs for professional service agreements.
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Jessica Bobbett, Senior Planner
REVIEWED BY: Brandy Forbes, AICP, Director of Community Development
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
None – see links embedded in the agenda report
BACKGROUND:
On April 16, 2024, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 2024-16 approving a General
Plan Amendment for the City’s Revised Final 2021-2029 Housing Element, a General
Plan Amendment for the Land Use Element and Land Use Map, and a Local Coastal Plan
(Coastal Specific Plan) Amendment to effectuate the 2021 -2029 Housing Element. The
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RANCHO PALOS VERDES
City Council also adopted Resolution No. 2024-17 to forward to the California Coastal
Commission the amendments to the Local Coastal Program (LCP) Coastal Specific Plan
and zoning map related to the 6th Cycle Housing Element actions in the Coastal Zone,
consistent with State Housing Law. The April 16th City Council Staff Report for the
consideration of the Revised Final Housing Element is available for review.
Additionally, in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of the City
of Rancho Palos Verdes, on April 16, 2024, the City Council unanimously adopted
Urgency Ordinance No. 678U approving zoning amendments inclusive of Zoning Map
amendments and development standards for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and
Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs), to immediately effectuate the Housing
Element, including rezoning sufficient sites to accommodate the City’s regional housing
needs allocation (RHNA) by adopting the implementation actions to effectuate the City’s
Revised Final 2021-2029 Housing Element.
The City Council also initiated code amendment proceedings related to amendments to
Chapter 17.40 (Overlay Control Districts), Chapter 17.96 (Definitions), Chapter 17.76
(Miscellaneous Permits and Standards, Chapter 17.10 (Accessory Dwelling Unit and
Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit Development Standards) and other code sections as
applicable of Title 17 of the Rancho Palos Verdes Municipal Code to adopt the zoning
and code amendments that were adopted in Urgency Ordinance No. 678U by regular
ordinance.
On June 4, 2024, City Council adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 680U which amended
Title 17 (Zoning) to effectuate the Revised Final 2021 -2029 Housing Element,
incorporating non-substantive revisions that were recommended by the California
Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The City Council also
introduced Ordinance No. 681, which would amended Title 17 (Zoning) to effectuate the
Revised Final 2021-2029 Housing Element by regular ordinance.
On June 18, 2024, as part of the second reading of Ordinance No. 681, at the request of
Mayor Pro Tem Alegria and Councilmember Bradley, the City Council directed Staff to
come back at a future meeting date with an evaluation of properties that could be removed
from the Housing Sites Inventory while still remaining in compliance with State Housing
Laws. The City Council directed Staff to assess the Clipper Dr. property (Site No. 16 of
the Housing Sites Inventory), but not exclusively that site. This directive was in response
to a statement made by HCD’s Analyst Fidel Herrera that the City exceeded its RHNA.
DISCUSSION:
“Table No. 36: Housing Sites Inventory” of the City’s Housing Element identifies 31
properties throughout the City that are available and suitable for residential development
to accommodate the City’s RHNA during the 6 th Cyle planning period (2021-2029).
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Properties on the Housing Sites Inventory include both developed and undeveloped sites
along the City’s commercial corridors and arterial streets. The ‘Housing Sites Inventory’
Section on page 189 of the City’s Housing Element provides a comprehensive discussion
on the factors considered in the development of Housing Sites Inventory and the
coordination with HCD in their review of the City’s inventory listing. The key criteria for the
properties that were incorporated into the Housing Sites Inventory were:
• Physical Development Feasibility
• Within State-Recognized Opportunity Areas
• Outside of Local Hazard Zones
• Adjacency to Amenities
As directed by the City Council, Staff evaluated all the properties listed in “Table No. 36:
Housing Sites Inventory” of the City’s Housing Element to determine which sites may be
removed. Table No. 1 below identifies ten properties that could be considered for removal
based on the minimal number of units (15 of fewer) that are expected to be developed on
each site and their designation as ‘above-moderate’ income level units (category of
affordability where City exceeds the RHNA obligation).
Table No. 1 – Potential Sites to be removed from the Housing Element Sites
Inventory
Site
#
Address/APN Vacant
Y/N?
% of Site
Developable
Zoning
Designation
Above
Moderate
Inc.
Comments
2 28041
Hawthorne
Blvd
No 100% Commercial
MUOD
9 units
12 27580 Silver
Spur
No 100% Commercial
MUOD
14 units Adjacent to Site #11
for possible
consolidation
13 7586-028-007
(Behind 430
Silver Spur)
Yes 30% Commercial
MUOD
4 units Adjacent to Sites #7
#8 #14, which are
adjacent to #9, for
possible consolidation
16 7573-006-024
(Southeast of
Clipper Road
and PVDS)
Yes 50% Residential
RM-22
14 units
18 7564-024-001
(West of
UCLA South
Bay Site)
Yes 90% Institutional
ROD
10 units Adjacent to UCLA
South Bay
19 30800 Palos
Verdes Drive
East
No 60% Institutional
ROD
6 units Adjacent to UCLA
South Bay
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Site
#
Address/APN Vacant
Y/N?
% of Site
Developable
Zoning
Designation
Above
Moderate
Inc.
Comments
26 29519 S.
Western
Yes 70% Commercial
MUOD
1 unit Adjacent to Site #25
and #27 for possible
consolidation
29 7557-039-017
(North of
29601 S.
Western Ave)
Yes 70% Commercial
MUOD
9 units Same property owner
as adjacent Site #28
for consolidation
purposes
30 29619 S.
Western Ave
No 70% Commercial
MUOD
8 units Adjacent to existing
multifamily
development on S.
Western
31 29701 S.
Western Ave
No 100% Commercial
MUOD
10 units Across the street from
existing multifamily
development on S.
Western
As demonstrated in the analysis above, each of the identified sites has beneficial aspects
for why it was included in the Sites Inventory Analysis, including the following:
• vacant site
• high percentage of the site is developable
• site is adjacent to another site on the inventory or another site that has multifamily
housing that would encourage lot consolidation and further the developability of
the site
For those sites that are adjacent to another site where lot consolidation is likely, Staff
recommends maintaining those sites in the Housing Sites Inventory to continue the
viability of developability of both those sites and the sites they adjoin. That then reduces
the sites for consideration to Sites # 2 and #16. Site #2 is almost an acre is size, and it
is expected that 100% of it is developable. The remaining site to consider is Site #16
(Clipper Road Lot).
As part of HCD’s review of the City’s 2021-2029 Housing Element, which includes “Table
No. 36: Housing Sites Inventory,” HCD Staff informed City Staff that the removal of the
Clipper Dr. property (Site # 16) from the inventory listing would not impact the City’s ability
to meet its RHNA obligation.
The Clipper Dr. property is a vacant site, where removing the site would reduce the
percentage of vacant property available for housing. However, this site has constraints
with drainage, layout, and open space requirements, where only 50% of the site is
expected to be developable. Additionally, this is the only site in the City’s Coastal Zone
and is located further away from commercial areas than most other sites in the inventory.
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Next Steps:
Although HCD has determined that the City would still be able to meet its RHNA obligation
if the Clipper Dr. property (Site # 16) was removed from the Housing Sites Inventory, it is
uncertain whether HCD would determine that the Housing Element would continue to
comply with all State Housing Laws. The process to determine such, while still
maintaining the current Housing Element that is in compliance with State Housing Laws,
would be as follows:
• City Council would direct Staff to prepare a draft amended Housing Element to
remove a specific site(s).
• Staff would prepare a draft amended Housing Element to remove specific site (s)
and revise any aggregate narrative or descriptions.
• Staff would submit the draft amended Housing Element to HCD for formal review
to determine if the removal of the specific site(s) would still allow the Housing
Element to be in compliance with State Housing Laws.
• Receive HCD’s determination. If approved, take the following additional steps:
o Prepare revised General Plan, Local Coastal Plan, and Zoning revisions to
reflect the removal of specific site(s) (returning them to prior classifications
and zoning), and environmental analysis of the revisions.
o Notice public hearing to property owners within a 500’ radius of the subject
property for Planning Commission to consider amendments to Housing
Element and related documents.
o Planning Commission to hold public hearing and adopt resolution with
recommendations on draft amended Housing Element and environmental
analysis.
o Notice public hearing to property owners within a 500’ radius of the subject
property for City Council to consider amendments to Housing element and
related documents, adopt amended Housing Element, General Plan
amendments, and Local Coastal Plan amendments and to consider
introduction of zoning returning site(s) to prior classifications, and
environmental analysis.
o City Council to consider second reading and adoption of zoning returning
site(s) to prior classifications.
Staff anticipates that this process would take approximately 6 to 8 months, depending on
the timeliness of HCD’s response.
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CONCLUSION:
Based on the analysis, Staff recommends that the City Council evaluate Staff’s
assessment of properties that could be removed from the Housing Sites Inventory of the
City’s 2021-2029 Housing Element and provide Staff with further direction.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Public Correspondence
To date, Staff has not received any public correspondence for this item.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff’s recommendation, the following alternative action is available for
the City Council’s consideration.
1. Take no action and proceed to receive and file this report.
2. Take other action, as deemed appropriate.
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