County of Orange

It was undoubtedly a busy month at the County Board of Supervisors. While homelessness and sanctuary status took top billing in the media, several other significant actions occurred impacting the Housing Industry. First and foremost amongst the actions was a resolution introduced by Chairman Andrew Do addressing the county's housing affordability crisis and the need for action. The resolution seeks the signatures of every mayor and city manager in the County with a call for increased production of housing at or below the $500,000 threshold via free market-based incentives. After amendments at the dais, the resolution was approved by the Board and sent to circulation.

 

At the same hearing, BIA/OC worked with County staff to hone new Indemnity language for deals done on County land. Through hard work and collaboration, language was altered to protect the development community and ensure protections on future growth. BIA/OC has also continued our engagement on the Tree Preservation Ordinance, Parking Standard adjustments as well as all the developments surrounding the homelessness issue.

 

For more information on all that is happening at the County, please contact Adam Wood at [email protected].

 

Tustin Inclusionary Zoning Push

On February 13th, BIA/OC, along with a Board Member and the NextGen Committee, stood up and stopped the advance of Inclusionary Zoning in the City of Tustin. Despite this valiant effort, six-weeks later, Tustin staff reintroduced an Inclusionary Zoning policy for adoption at the Planning Commission Level.

 

This reintroduction calls for a 15% Affordable Mandate on all housing projects that seek (1) a rezone from industrial or commercial to residential, (2) to change a property's zoning designation from one lower-density residential district to another higher-density residential district, or (3) develops residential uses within the Red Hill Specific Plan Area, the Downtown Commercial Core Specific Plan Area or any other specific plan area that has a provision for Residential Allocation Reservations.

 

After several hours of intense debate, we are happy to report that the Planning Commission voted 3-2 to deny the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance with no further direction to staff. This action transmits the Ordinance for final consideration at the Council level some time in the next few weeks. It is with great trepidation we report an alarming level of support at the Council level for this policy so the effort to protect Tustin from bad housing policy continues.

City of Anaheim

Anaheim continues to grab attention with a number of issues that are in play. Of note, the City is discussing an Art Ordinance that could come forward in the next month. BIA/OC is engaged on this item and continues to advocated for voluntary mesaures. The City is also rumored to be presenting the findings of its Affordable Housing Working Group at an April meeting. Once again, BIA/OC has worked diligently on this matter and pushed for incentive based approaches that align with our Housing Future's Initiative. We are hopeful for a positive outcome on this front. The City is also considering an expansion of Notification Rings on development projects expanding from 300 to 500 feet. This represents a significant expansion of noticing with limited discussion on the need for such a change. Finally, there is talk of a comprehensive fee update occuring in the next several months at the City. BIA/OC will monitor this developing storyline and report back with updates as they become avaiable.

 

For more information on any of these actions, please contact Adam Wood at [email protected].

March Government Affairs Committee

The BIA/OC Government Affairs Committee hosted Councilman Jose Solorio and Planning Manager Vince Fregoso of Santa Ana at our March meeting. The Committee received an excellent outline of the significant projects moving forward in the city as well as an outline of Santa Ana's desired development future. With numerous infill opportunities and the recent adoption of the BIA/OC supported Small Lot Ordinance, Santa Ana appears to have opportunities coming online in the near future. The Committee also received updates on the political process at the Council level regarding a potential shift to a District election-based system for Santa Ana. Currently the city operates under a "ward-based" system but significant changes have been proposed. There is much to consider with this potential change and the process continues to unfold with significant repercussions for the November election at stake.  

 

For more information on this, please contact Adam Wood at [email protected].