We are excited to announce that in 2022, the City of Lompoc kicked off the update to the City’s Housing Element to plan for housing through 2031. The update is scheduled for completion in early 2023, and throughout the process, we invite the public to be part of the planning process and provide input on how Lompoc should provide housing over the planning period (2023-2031).
Since 1969, every city and county in California has been required to have a Housing Element as part of their General Plan. Unlike other mandatory General Plan elements, the Housing Element must be updated every eight years and is subject to review and approval by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Major components of the Housing Element include a housing needs assessment, the identification of sites for housing at all income levels, a review of constraints to housing, and updated policies and programs to carry out the goals of the updated element.
The City’s current 2015-2023 Housing Element was adopted in 2015 and was part of the 5th Cycle of housing element updates in the State. This update for the 2023-2031 planning period is part of the 6th Cycle of housing element updates. Between the 5th and 6th Cycles, the State approved over a dozen of new housing laws, many of which aim to lower barriers to building affordable housing. The City will address these new laws and other community needs as a part of this update.
Another major addition to the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update is the inclusion of an analysis called the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) analysis. The AFFH analysis will examine housing practices in the city to identify any areas that may perpetuate housing inequities in the community. The Housing Element will then include policies and programs to help work towards more equitable housing practices.
In the process of updating the Housing Element, each jurisdiction is required to accommodate its fair share of the regional housing need. The Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) is the process used to determine housing allocations for each jurisdiction. As part of the RHNA, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) determines the total number of housing units needed across California over the next decade. This Statewide need is apportioned by HCD to each region in the state. The Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) is then tasked with developing a methodology to determine the number of housing units for which each jurisdiction is required to designate suitable sites. Under State law, the RHNA is assigned to the following four income categories:
The household income for each of these categories is based on a percentage of the Area Median Income (AMI). The breakdown of these categories is shown below:
|
|
Allocation
by Income Level |
|||
Jurisdiction |
RHNA Allocation |
Very Low |
Low |
Moderate |
Above Moderate |
Carpinteria |
901 |
286 |
132 |
135 |
348 |
Santa Barbara |
8,001 |
2,147 |
1,381 |
1,441 |
3,032 |
Goleta |
1,837 |
682 |
324 |
370 |
461 |
Uninc. (South Coast) |
4,142 |
809 |
957 |
1,051 |
1,325 |
Lompoc |
2,248 |
166 |
262 |
311 |
1,509 |
Uninc. (Lompoc Valley) |
521 |
209 |
72 |
54 |
186 |
Santa Maria |
5,418 |
1,032 |
536 |
731 |
3,119 |
Guadalupe |
431 |
3 |
24 |
77 |
327 |
Uninc. (Santa Maria Valley) |
721 |
262 |
118 |
118 |
223 |
Solvang |
191 |
55 |
39 |
22 |
75 |
Buellton |
165 |
55 |
37 |
30 |
43 |
Uninc. (Santa Ynez Valley) |
280 |
93 |
53 |
57 |
77 |
|
|||||
County Total |
24,856 |
5,799 |
3,935 |
4,397 |
10,725 |
Total
Unincorporated |
5,664 |
1,373 |
1,200 |
1,280 |
1,811 |
Housing Elements are typically organized into the following parts:
As a part of updating the Housing Element, the City will reorganize or add new sections to emphasize pertinent planning issues and respond to new State laws that have been passed since the current Housing Element was adopted. Following the adoption of the Housing Element, the Housing Element Team will:
Since 1969, California has required that all cities and counties plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in the community. California’s local governments meet this requirement by adopting housing elements as part of their “general plan” (also required by the State). General plans serve as the local government’s "blueprint" for how the city and/or county will grow and develop and include eight required elements: land use, transportation, conservation, noise, open space, safety, environmental justice, and housing (a ninth element, air quality, is required for cities and counties in the San Joaquin Valley). The law mandating that housing be included as an element of each jurisdiction’s general plan is known as “housing element law.”
California’s housing element law acknowledges that, for the private market to adequately address the housing needs and demand of Californians, local governments must adopt plans and regulatory systems that provide opportunities for (and do not unduly constrain) housing development. As a result, housing policy in California rests largely upon the effective implementation of local general plans and, in particular, local housing elements.
The Housing Element Update is being prepared by City staff with direction from the City Council and input from the Planning Commission and the community. The development of the Housing Element is being led by City staff from the Planning Department. To assist in the preparation of the Update, the City has also hired a team of planning specialists that include community planners and technical specialists:
The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) plays the critical role of reviewing every local government’s housing element to determine whether it complies with State law and then submits written findings back to each local government. HCD must certify the housing element before the City can adopt it as part of the General Plan.
Project Contacts
Brent Gibbons, Project Manager
(916) 446-0522