If Goleta allowed all its mixed-use properties – mainly shopping centers and office complexes – to hold residences, as many as 7,400 additional housing units could be created. This was a good start, said Planning Manager Anne Wells, only half in jest. In theory, Goleta faces a potential requirement of 2,166 new dwellings, courtesy of the state’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), which doubled the city’s previous allocation.
Every eight years, California attempts to balance its burgeoning population with housing in its constituent jurisdictions. The allocations direct cities and counties to put in place the residential zoning that allows the housing to be built. The actual construction is up to private developers, but the zoning requirement clears one obstacle in their way. In fact, for municipalities that fail to certify a Housing Element with the state that outlines its numerical zoning compliance with the RHNA, pronounced “Reena,” in certain circumstances, the state could enforce a streamlined permit process. All nine jurisdictions in the county possess a Housing Element that satisfies the current RHNA cycle, said Mike Becker, director of planning at the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG).
For the state as a whole, the goal is 3.5 million units in 2023-2031, which is the next RHNA cycle, said Becker. SBCAG is coordinating with the California Housing and Community Development Department, which tripled the county’s number to 29,313 from 11,030. For the City of Santa Barbara, the estimated total is 9,435; for Santa Maria, it’s 6,390. The unincorporated area of the county south of the Santa Ynez Mountains – where 60 percent of county jobs are located — is allotted another 4,885.