• Commissioner MacCracken Jain is now also a member of the City’s Public Arts Advisory Committee.

III.  PUBLIC FORUM - None 

 
IV.  DISCUSSION ITEM
A. Housing Element / Housing Needs Analysis / Housing Production Strategy

Mr. Goldman outlined the core aspects of the Housing Element of the City’s Comprehensive Plan, the 2021 Housing Capacity Analysis (HCA), and the 2023 Housing Production Strategy (HPS). He related how the Housing Element guides legislative development and spending priorities to address the community’s housing needs, while its goals and policies are designed to foster a diverse and sustainable housing market, ensuring affordability and inclusivity to meet the evolving needs of the City.
 
Mr. Goldman detailed the scope of the HCA, which included an assessment of the City’s housing needs, its buildable land inventory, and identified various strategies to ensure that the City has an adequate land supply to accommodate its housing needs over the next 20 years. The HCA projected that the City would gain 858 new dwelling units between 2021 and 2041.
 
Mr. Goldman described how the HPS was initiated to assess the City’s housing inventory and to identify various strategies the City could undertake to increase needed housing. In doing so, the HPS identified four main strategies the City could implement; 1) encouraging development of low- and moderate-income affordable rental housing; 2) increasing opportunities for affordable homeownership; 3) encouraging development of income-restricted affordable housing units; and 4) preserving the existence of low- and moderate-income affordable housing. Mr. Goldman briefly outlined the specific actions that could be taken to achieve these goals, as well as their implementation timeline over the next several years (see attachment #1).
 

DISCUSSION
The Commission discussed available housing and various strategies to increase housing in the City, including guidelines allowing building height increases in CFAs, strategies to incentivize development in the City, and nearby areas that could be annexed into the City in the future. Councilor Hyatt noted that some residents outside the city-limits had entered into irrevocable consent to annexation agreements when they are connected to City facilities.
 
The Commission discussed the importance of attracting middle-income residents while still providing necessary affordable housing. Commissioner Knauer commented that disincentivizing unwanted development could be important to encourage higher-density housing developments instead of larger single-family homes that require exceptions or variances to be approved. The Commission discussed building and environmental considerations with regards to wildfire protection.


V.   OPEN DISCUSSION

Chair Verner asked if any members of the Commission were interested in assisting staff with any long-range items on the Community Development Work Plan for 2024. Commissioner KenCairn asked how staff would be handling the potential implementation of a manufactured-home park zone and how the Commission could assist with that project. Mr. Goldman responded that the City had applied for a grant for technical assistance from the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD), and that staff was in the process of developing an implementation timeline. He added that Commissioner KenCairn and Chair Verner had provided valuable insight during the development of the HPS as members of the advisory committee. Commissioner KenCairn expressed interest in assisting with the development of a manufactured-home park zone.
 
Commissioner Knauer noted that he had offered to assist with the upcoming Economic Opportunity Analysis (EOA) project. Mr. Goldman commented that staff is expecting to receive a contract from the DLCD regarding the City’s proposed scope of work for the EOA within the next week.


VI.  ADJOURNMENT 
Meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m.
 
Submitted by,
Michael Sullivan, Executive Assistant