Housing Element Update
Goals and Policies
This section provides the goals and policies for the Housing Element, organized by the topics listed below.
HOUSING AVAILABILITY
The State recognizes that housing availability is an issue of “vital State-wide importance.” The County places particular emphasis on providing housing opportunities to low and moderate income households and those with special needs, such as seniors, persons with disabilities, the homeless, and those in transitional living situations because these groups do not have the necessary resources to participate in private sector housing. Accordingly, the following policies are designed to guide future development toward the production of a diverse housing supply to meet the varied needs of the population as a whole.
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| Goal 1 |
A wide range of housing types in sufficient supply to meet the needs of current and future residents, particularly for persons with special needs, including but not limited to low income households, seniors, persons with disabilities, large households, single-parent households, the homeless and at risk of homelessness, and farmworkers. |
| Policy |
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| 1.1 |
Make available through land use planning and zoning an adequate inventory of vacant and underutilized sites to accommodate the County’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation. |
| 1.2 |
Mitigate the impacts of governmental regulations and policies that constrain the provision and preservation of housing for low and moderate income households and those with special needs. |
| 1.3 |
Coordinate with the private sector in the development of housing for low and moderate income households and those with special needs. Where appropriate, promote such development through incentives. |
| 1.4 |
Assist housing developers to identify and consolidate suitable sites for developing housing for low and moderate income households and those with special needs. |
| 1.5 |
Advocate legislation and funding for programs that expand affordable housing opportunities and support legislative changes to state housing programs to ensure that the criteria for the distribution of funds to local governments are based, in part, on the housing needs as reflected in the RHNA. |
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| Goal 2 |
Sustainable communities with access to employment opportunities, community facilities and services, and amenities. |
| Policy |
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| 2.1 |
Support the development of housing for low and moderate income households and those with special needs near employment and transit. |
| 2.2 |
Encourage mixed use developments along major commercial and transportation corridors. |
HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
To accommodate the housing needs of all economic segments of the population, the County must ensure a housing supply that offers a range of choices. A variety of mechanisms should be explored to enhance affordability.
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| Goal 3 |
A housing supply that ranges broadly in housing costs to enable all households, regardless of income, to secure adequate housing. |
| Policy |
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| 3.1 |
Promote mixed income neighborhoods and a diversity of housing types throughout the unincorporated areas to increase housing choices for all economic segments of the population. |
| 3.2 |
Incorporate advances in energy and cost-saving technologies into housing design, construction, operation, and maintenance. |
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| Goal 4 |
A housing delivery system that provides assistance to low and moderate income households and those with special needs. |
| Policy |
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| 4.1 |
Provide financial assistance and ensure that necessary supportive services are provided to assist low and moderate income households and those with special needs to attain and maintain affordable and adequate housing. |
NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING PRESERVATION
The preservation of sound, quality neighborhoods and the revitalization of deteriorating neighborhoods are essential to maintaining an adequate and decent housing supply. The State considers “decent housing and a suitable living environment for every California family a priority of the highest order.” To this end, the following policies seek to ensure the general health, safety, and welfare for all economic segments of the population.
The improvement and conservation of existing housing will serve to meet the overall goal of maintaining a healthy and diverse housing supply. These efforts are especially important with regard to the preservation or replacement of housing for low income households. Future development and preservation efforts must also consider environmental, physical, and economic constraints.
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| Goal 5 |
Neighborhoods that protect the health, safety, and welfare of the community, and enhance public and private efforts to maintain, reinvest in, and upgrade the existing housing supply. |
| Policy |
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| 5.1 |
Support neighborhood preservation programs, such as graffiti abatement, abandoned or inoperative automobile removal, tree planting, and trash and debris removal. |
| 5.2 |
Maintain adequate neighborhood infrastructure, community facilities, and services as a means of sustaining the overall livability of neighborhoods. |
| 5.3 |
Enforce health, safety, building, and zoning laws directed at property maintenance as an ongoing function of the County government. |
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| Goal 6 |
An adequate supply of housing preserved and maintained in sound condition, and located within safe and decent neighborhoods. |
| Policy |
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| 6.1 |
Invest public and private resources in the maintenance and rehabilitation of existing housing to prevent or reverse neighborhood deterioration. |
| 6.2 |
Allocate state and federal resources toward the preservation of housing, particularly for low income households, near employment and transit. |
| 6.3 |
Inspect multi-family rental housing (with five or more units), contract shelters, and voucher hotels on a regular basis to ensure that landlords are maintaining properties, and not allowing them to fall into disrepair. |
| 6.4 |
Maintain and improve community facilities, public housing services, and infrastructure, where necessary, to enhance the vitality of older, low income neighborhoods. |
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| Goal 7 |
An affordable housing stock that is maintained for its long-term availability to low and moderate income households and those with special needs. |
| Policy |
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| 7.1 |
Conserve existing affordable housing stock that is at risk of converting to market-rate housing. |
| 7.2 |
Preserve and, where feasible, provide additional affordable housing opportunities within the coastal zone. |
EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY
The opportunity to obtain adequate housing without discrimination is an important component of a diverse housing supply.
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| Goal 8 |
Accessibility to adequate housing for all persons without discrimination in accordance with state and federal fair housing laws. |
| Policy |
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| 8.1 |
Support the distribution of affordable housing, shelters, and transitional housing in geographically diverse locations throughout the unincorporated areas, where appropriate support services and facilities are available in close proximity. |
| 8.2 |
Enforce laws against illegal acts of housing discrimination. These include housing discrimination based on race, color, ancestry, national origin, sex, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, age, disability, source of income, or any arbitrary reason excluding persons from housing choice. |
| 8.3 |
Promote equal opportunity in housing and community development programs countywide. |
| 8.4 |
Encourage housing design to accommodate special needs. Designs may include: units with multiple bedrooms; shared facilities; universal design; onsite child care; health clinics; or onsite job training services. |
IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING
Monitoring, enforcement, preservation, and innovation in housing should be established and maintained as an ongoing function of the County government.
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| Goal 9 |
Planning for and monitoring the long-term affordability of adequate housing. |
| Policy |
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| 9.1 |
Ensure collaboration among County departments and other agencies in the delivery of housing and related services. |
| 9.2 |
Enforce and enhance the housing monitoring system to ensure compliance with funding program regulations and compliance with local, state, and federal laws. |