Goleta’s planning staff are moving rapidly to finalize the city’s Housing Element, reviewing their latest version with the Goleta Planning Commission on Monday evening. California’s Housing and Community Development department rejected the initial draft in September, and the new version addressed the state’s comments and also employed language similar to that used by jurisdictions that had received certification. Though the planning commissioners accepted the draft with comments unanimously, it will be up to the City Council to agree to adopt the more specific terms set out in the document, which outlines where new housing is possible in Goleta. Building it, however, is up to developers and nonprofits.
For the state, California’s housing crisis was going unresolved, despite the Housing Element rules and Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) imposed for 40 years, which require zoning changes to allow residential development. Several new housing rules were legislated, looking to push cities and counties into action.
What the state demanded was specificity as to timing and effort by the city on a number of fronts, but mostly in the new Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing section. The city’s consultant, John Douglas, said the section increased a city’s commitment to house low-income residents, the elderly, and those with special needs or who were homeless.