TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Brian D. Bordona, Director of Planning, Building & Environmental Services
REPORT BY: Trevor Hawkes, Supervising Planner
SUBJECT: Annual Report to the Board of Supervisors, Office of Planning and Research & HCD Regarding the 2008 Napa County General Plan
RECOMMENDATION
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Receive and accept a presentation of the annual report regarding the status of the Napa County General Plan and progress in its implementation as required by Government Code Section 65400. (No Fiscal Impact, Mandatory)
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BACKGROUND
The Napa County General Plan was comprehensively updated in June 2008 serving as a broad framework for the planning the future of Napa County. Since the comprehensive update in 2008 the County has updated various elements of the General Plan including the Circulation Element (2019), the Safety Element (2023) and the Housing Element (2009, 2014 and 2023). All elements of the General Plan include goals, policies, and implementation tasks ("action items" and "programs") that collectively guide land use decision making for unincorporated Napa County.
The 2008 General Plan has a planning horizon of 2030. A comprehensive update to the General Plan will be initiated in 2024 beginning first with an update to the Napa County Baseline Date Report (2005) which will provide current fact-based foundation essential to inform the work of the General Plan Update and related EIR.
Section 65400 of the Government Code requires planning agencies to prepare an annual report regarding the status of their general plan and its implementation, and to provide copies of the report to their legislative body (i.e. the Board of Supervisors), the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), and the Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR). HCD provides a form that must be used for the Housing Element portion of the report which contains a Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) progress report section, and a section on implementation of Housing Element programs. Also required, but contained in a separate table, is a progress report on all other action items in the General Plan.
Regional Housing Needs Allocation Progress Report
On January 24, 2023, the Board of Supervisors adopted an amendment to the Housing Element of the Napa County General Plan, updating the element for the Sixth Cycle planning period, which covers the years 2023 - 2031. During this period the County has been assigned a RHNA of 106 total housing units divided among four income categories as follows: 45 very low-income units; 16 low-income units; 14 moderate-income units; and 31 above moderate-income units. Starting in 2018, submission to the State occurs electronically. HCD provides the Annual Progress Report (APR) form in an auto-populating, jurisdiction-specific spreadsheet. Attached to this report is a summary of the totals for this year.
The County issued 38 building permits to develop dwelling units in 2023, an increase of 14 from reporting year 2022. The 38 permits consisted of 14 primary (or ‘main’) single family detached (SFD) dwelling units, all of which are for traditional site built custom residences. For purposes of reporting to the State site built custom SFD’s count towards the County’s share of ‘above moderate’ income level dwelling units. 21 of the 38 permits were for Second Units/Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU's). Units where no rent, or below market rate rents will be charged qualify as non-deed restricted ‘low’ income, ‘very low’ income, and 'moderate' income units. For the 21 ADU’s issued permits in reporting year 2023, eight (8) qualify as ‘very low’, five (5) qualify as 'low', six (6) qualify as ‘moderate’, and two (2) qualify as 'above moderate'. The County also permitted three (3) modular units in the 2023 reporting year, which counts towards the county’s ‘moderate’ income level.
The RHNA reporting period for the Sixth Cycle occurs over an eight (8) year period between 2023 through 2031, with this APR representing the first year of reporting. The County is also allowed a one-time credit in this reporting window for units permitted since the start of the RHNA Projection Period. The projection period represents the period of time between the start of the projection period (the length of time the housing need is projected for) and the start of the housing element planning period. This covers the time period of June 30, 2022, through January 30, 2023. Provisions of housing element law state that jurisdictions may take credit toward the RHNA for units permitted during this period of time. HCD has reviewed past APR’s submitted for each jurisdiction and have provided pre-populated data for units with building permits that were issued during this period of time. The county’s progress on their Sixth Cycle RHNA is provided below:
• Above Moderate: 31 units assigned - 16 permits issued and 8 projection period permits; 7 units remaining
• Moderate: 14 units assigned - 9 permits issued and 3 projection period permits; 2 units remaining
• Low: 16 units assigned - 5 permits issued and 2 projection period permits; 9 units remaining
• Very Low: 45 units assigned - 8 permits issued and 2 projection period permits; 35 units remaining
Napa County issued 25 Certificates of Occupancy for dwelling units over the 2023 reporting period. Seven (7) of these were for SFDs, 15 for ADUs and 3 for manufactured homes. 33 building permit applications for dwelling units were received over this time period.
Staff anticipates that the 140 affordable units approved as a part of the Napa Pipe Specific Plan to be credited to the County during the Sixth Housing Cycle.
General Plan and Housing Element Implementation Tables
The attached General Plan and Housing Element Implementation Tables reports on the current status of the 159 (108 within the General Plan Implementation Table and 51 within the Housing Element Implementation Table) action items/objectives of the Napa County General Plan. This year’s General Plan Implementation Table includes action items adopted with the 2023 update to the Safety Element as well as actions items from the 2019 update of the Circulation Element. The Housing Element Implementation Table includes objectives adopted with the 2023 update to the Housing Element.
Public Input
Government Code Section 65400(a)(2)(B) requires the report to be considered at a public meeting where members of the public are allowed to provide oral testimony and written comments. While no action by the Board of Supervisors is requested, the Board should accept oral and written comments from the public, and Staff would be happy to answer questions.
Staff anticipates filing the reports with HCD and OPR on March 27, 2024.
Requested Actions:
1. Staff report.
2. Public comment.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
No |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Mandatory |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Consequences if not approved: |
The County would not be able to submit our annual report to HCD and OPR |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.