Senate Bill 375 (SB 375) Pre-Planning
Background
The passage of Senate BIll 375 has potential to influence the process and outcomes of local agency land use and transportation planning. This legislation has created a new planning paradigm which directly links regional transportation planning and services with state-mandated housing planning and allocations (RHNA). This new planning paradigm is intended to reduce GHG emissions that result from vehicle traffic by shortening the average commuting distance between residences and workforce centers. This goal is likely to be achieved by shifting housing allocations from rural regions, which have limited employment opportunities to urban areas and cities, which have established workforce centers such as large private businesses or public facilities. In an effort to facilitate this change in geographic housing distribution, the State has already taken actions to incorporate smarter planning priorities in RHNA distribution. For instance, the unincorporated ares of the County, which have large expanses of rural agricultural land but fewer large employment centers than incorporated cities, have already seen allocations fall from 36% of the regional total to 11% since the approval and implementation of SB 375. Additional local actions in response to SB 375 include the recommendation of SBCAG to change the County's housing cycle from a 5-year to an 8-year period. This will allow the County's regional transportation plan and housing elements to be updated concurrently, further underscoring the need to coordinate transportation and housing planning in a manner which reduces GHG emissions.
Contacts
Jeff Hunt, Director: jhunt@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
Holly Bradbury, Associate Planner: hbradbur@co.santa-barbara.ca.us