County of Santa Barbara Long Range Planning Division

Home > Comprehensive Plan > 2009-2014 Housing Element > Frequently Asked Questions

2009-2014 Housing Element Update Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of the Housing Element?
As one of the seven mandated elements of the County’s General Plan, the Housing Element provides a set of goals, policies, and programs to address the housing needs of all economic segments of the population, pursuant to State law. The State has identified the availability of housing to be a statewide priority.  As a result, a local jurisdiction’s Housing Element must be updated every five years and certified by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (SHCD). 

What County programs relate to affordable housing?
The Housing Element contains the specific policies and programs that seek to promote affordable housing opportunities and address identified needs.  These include the State Density Bonus Program, the Inclusionary Housing Program, policies and programs to encourage innovative design, financial programs, and support for the use of the County’s well-established community planning process.

How is “affordable housing” defined?
Affordability is calculated as a percentage of Area Median Income, often referred to as AMI.  AMI is updated annually by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (State HCD), and is specific to Santa Barbara County (that is, it not based on a statewide average). The State identifies four sub-categories of income:

Santa Barbara County Income Limits (2009)

Household
Size

Extremely Low-Income
(30% of Median)

Very Low-Income
(50% of Median)

Low-Income
(80% of Median)

Moderate-Income
(120% of Median)

 

 

 

 

 

1 Person

$16,350

$27,250

$43,600

$59,150

2 Persons

$18,700

$31,100

$49,800

$67,600

3 Persons

$21,000

$35,000

$56,050

$76,050

4 Persons

$23,350

$38,900

$62,250

$84,500

5 Persons

$25,200

$42,000

$67,250

$91,250

6 Persons

$27,100

$45,100

$72,200

$98,000

 

 

 

 

 

Source: California Dept. of Housing and Community Development, 2009.

How has the current economy changed the County’s housing needs?
The current downturn in the economy has changed the local housing outlook. Impacts on the housing market from the current recession have resulted in broad housing affordability in some communities throughout the County, particularly in North County communities such Orcutt and Lompoc. The market price of single-family homes within these communities has fallen significantly over the last three years. Despite this decrease in housing prices, other challenges such as increased unemployment rates have kept the attainment of housing a challenge for some segments of the community. The Housing Element takes into consideration and analyzes the affect the economy has on the region’s housing market, as well as the impacts that factors such as environmental and physical constraints have on the ability to meet the need for affordable housing.

What are the major changes to the 2009-2014 Housing Element and how will this Housing Element be different than previous updates?
The 2009-2014 Housing Element update has incorporated recent changes in State law affecting a variety of housing policies, including those related to density bonus provisions, farmworker housing, transitional housing, and emerging statewide policies on climate change and sustainable communities.

This Housing Element update also provides an opportunity for the County to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of existing housing policies and programs. The Housing Element will recognize three major factors that frame the existing policy environment: the current economy, changes to State law, and the County’s overall effort to increase customer service by providing a more clear, streamlined housing policy environment.

What is Santa Barbara County's Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)?
Every five years, the State Department of Housing and Community Development (State HCD) assigns a RHNA to Metropolitan Planning Organizations.  The RHNA identifies the minimum number of new housing units that are needed to address the projected growth of the local workforce and population throughout the region.

In Santa Barbara County, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) is the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization. Accordingly, it oversees the process whereby these units are allocated to each jurisdiction, including the cities and the unincorporated County. For the current planning cycle (2007-2014), 11,600 units were assigned by the State to the region; of that, 1,017 units were allocated to the unincorporated County, as illustrated by the table below.

2007-14 Regional Housing Needs Allocation
Unincorporated Santa Barbara County (Number of Units at Each Affordability Level)

Income Category

Total Units Allocated

Percentage of Total

Extremely Low*

128

24%

Very Low

107

12%

Low

172

8%

Moderate

160

10%

Above Moderate

450

46%

Unincorporated Area Total

1,017

100%

Source: SBCAG Final RHNA Plan 2007-2014, County of Santa Barbara and Economic and Planning Systems, Inc (EPS).

* Extremely low income and very low income distribution is based on proportion of those two income groups enumerated in this table. SBCAG Final RHNA allocation only identifies very low income need and above categories.

Will the County have to rezone land to accommodate affordable housing needs for the 2009-14 planning period?
Changes in State law shifted much of the RHNA to the incorporated cities, which substantially reduced the County’s current RHNA. As a result, the County should be able to accommodate its RHNA with existing sites, and no rezones are anticipated.

What does it mean to "accommodate" the RHNA?
The County is not obligated to build all of the units assigned through the RHNA process. It is, however, required to demonstrate that conditions have been created to allow for and promote the appropriate number and types of units required by its RHNA. This is done through ensuring that land use policies and zoning regulations are in place to encourage housing that is “affordable by design” such as mixed use, infill, and rehabilitation of underutilized parcels. In addition, affordable housing policies that offer financial and other incentives can help ensure that a wide variety of affordable housing types are produced to address the needs of all economic segments of the population.

What are the recent changes to State law pertaining to housing?
Changes in State housing law and the State’s long term planning directive have pushed for a smarter policy framework that emphasizes the need to make the best use of limited land and resources. This new paradigm is one that mirrors many locally held planning traditions—those that help to preserve the County’s rural heritage, along with the values expressed in each of the County’s unique community planning areas.  Simultaneously, this new framework provides the basis for a growth scenario that can be used to preserve the regional quality of life as characterized by economic sustainability, service delivery capacity, and the preservation of open space and agricultural land. Recent changes to housing law include:

What is Senate Bill 2 and how does it affect housing in the County?
Senate Bill 2 (SB 2) is a recently adopted State law which encourages local jurisdictions to provide emergency shelter, when and where necessary, for special needs groups as defined by State law. Examples of special needs groups include the elderly, persons with disabilities, large families, the homeless, farmworkers, families with female heads of households, etc. These emergency shelters could consist of year-round facilities or seasonal facilities, such as “cool zone” shelters provided during peak summer temperatures. SB 2 seeks to provide these shelter opportunities by clarifying and strengthening housing law to ensure zoning encourages and facilitates emergency shelters and, under the Housing Accountability Act, limits the denial of emergency shelters and transitional and supportive housing. The County is able to address the requirements of this new State law through existing zoning standards.

How is the County working to address the housing needs of farmworkers?
Farmworkers and day laborers are an essential component of Santa Barbara County’s agriculture industry. Farmworker households tend to have difficulties securing safe and affordable housing, and this need is most prevalent in North County.  To address the housing needs of farmworkers and their families, the County Housing Authority has partnered with incorporated cities and unincorporated communities to fund affordable housing projects such as the Los Adobes de Maria project in Santa Maria and the Creekside project in Los Alamos. These agencies will continue to seek opportunities to address the housing needs of farmworkers.  In addition, the County continues to streamline permit paths for farmworker housing through its Process Improvement Team (PIT).

How does State law relate housing policy with efforts to address climate change?
According to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (SHCD), the Housing Element update process should provide a vehicle for local governments to adopt housing and land-use strategies to address climate change and the reduction of green house gas emissions. Most of the housing and land-use strategies adopted by local governments to meet their existing and projected housing needs also serve to effectively address climate change concerns. For example; promoting housing for low-income workers in close proximity to existing employment centers can significantly contribute to reductions in green house gas emissions.

For Santa Barbara County, these changes have provided a policy foundation that protects the prevailing rural and agricultural heritage of the region, while also guaranteeing that local norms and values, as expressed by our unincorporated communities, are preserved in our local community plans.

What is State Density Bonus Law, and how does it work?
State Density Bonus Law is intended to encourage affordable housing and special needs housing, such as senior housing. The program encourages these housing opportunities by providing incentives to qualifying projects. These incentives include extra density (effectively allowing more housing units on a given site), decreased parking requirements, and reduced open space requirements.

How does the County’s Inclusionary Housing Policy (IHP) work?
The Inclusionary Housing Program (IHP) is intended to provide more affordable housing throughout the County. Many new housing projects proposing to build five or more housing units are subject to the requirements of the program, whereby a portion of the new housing built thorough these projects must be sold or rented at affordable levels. In addition, land owners can choose alternative options in lieu of providing this affordable housing onsite. These include donating land to the County which can be used for the future development of affordable housing, or paying fees to the County which can be used to finance other affordable housing projects. Many housing types, including 100% rental projects, are exempt from the the IHP.

What is the timeline for the current Housing Element update?
The County’s Office of Long Range Planning submitted a Draft Housing Element to State HCD on August 31, 2009. Environmental review occurred during fall 2009, followed by adoption in November 2010.

The County will then submit a Final Housing Element to State HCD certification.