Villa Park council adopts housing element resolutions, introduces rezoning ordinances amid Smith Basin opposition

The Villa Park City Council on Tuesday adopted two resolutions to readopt the city’s 2021–2029 housing element and to approve the housing-element implementation project, and introduced two rezoning ordinances that the city says are required for final certification by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

The council’s action, taken by a 5-0 vote, advances a package of land-use map changes, zoning amendments and regulatory updates that staff and consultants said are needed to demonstrate the city’s development capacity under the regional housing needs assessment (RHNA). Council members introduced, but did not adopt, two ordinances that will return for a second reading at the council’s June meeting.

The meeting marked the culmination of a multi-year process. Ray Pasquale, the city’s planner, and Brian Delatore of consulting firm Kimley‑Horn told the council the housing element itself does not approve housing projects but documents the city’s capacity to accommodate its RHNA allocation, which the consultants said is 296 units for the 2021–2029 cycle.

“These housing elements are updated just to show that we have sufficient capacity. We have, you know, sufficient zoning, development standards, regulations to, allow for development,” Brian Delatore said during the presentation.

City staff and consultants described the implementation package as four parts: a new commercial‑mixed‑use land‑use designation applied to three parcels (two commercial parcels near City Hall and a portion of the Smith Basin), corresponding zoning map changes, new development standards for residential uses on those parcels, and code updates to add definitions and standards for emergency shelters, employee housing and other residential types. The rezones include a state-mandated “by‑right” allowance for projects that propose at least 20% affordable units.

Rita Garcia, the project manager for the environmental review, said the city prepared an initial study and a mitigated negative declaration (IS/MND) that was circulated for 30 days. “The analysis found that the project would result in less significant impact with mitigation incorporated,” Garcia said, adding that the city prepared responses to six comment letters received during the review period.

Two members of the public—Bonnie Robinson and Leslie Manderscheid—addressed the council at length to oppose any change to the Smith Basin’s current open‑space designation. Robinson, who identified her address and neighborhood, told the council the basin contains riparian habitat and state and federal jurisdictional wetlands and argued that development there would “have a substantial adverse effect on riparian habitat, existing sensitive communities.”

“I am on your side,” Robinson said. “However, for the record, building any type of housing in the Smith Basin is not healthy, safe, or appropriate.”

Pasquale and Delatore told the council the parcel identified in the housing‑element map change is largely owned by the Orange County Water District and that the change on the land‑use map is meant to demonstrate capacity under state law rather than to approve a specific project. Mayor Jones and staff also noted a practical impact of delayed certification: City Manager Steve Franks said the state has withheld PLHA (Permanent Local Housing Allocation) funds while Villa Park’s element lacked final certification, increasing the city’s shelter costs this fiscal year from about $1,700 to roughly $37,000.

Council discussion acknowledged the difficulty for a largely built‑out city to meet RHNA obligations while preserving sensitive open space. “This has been something that has been very thoughtfully considered over a number of years and no one's happy about it, but we do need to comply with the state on this,” Mayor Jones said before the vote.

Action taken: by a 5-0 vote the council adopted Resolution No. 2025-3625 (adopting the housing element) and Resolution No. 2025-3626 (approving the housing element implementation project and final IS/MND) and introduced Ordinance Nos. 2025-635 and 2025-636 (zoning and map amendments) for second reading. The ordinances return for second reading at the council’s June meeting and will be sent to HCD for final certification after adoption.

What’s next: if HCD finds the adopted materials match the submissions, the department has up to 60 calendar days to issue a certification letter. Staff said the city has recently received similar certifications in one to two weeks, but the statutory window is 60 days.

Why it matters: state certification restores eligibility for certain housing grants and funding (including CDBG and PLHA) and reduces the city’s exposure to builder‑remedy applications under state housing laws. Opponents say the city’s map changes could put wetlands, wildlife movement corridors and flood‑control functions at risk if development were proposed on the Smith Basin; supporters and staff say the package is a legal step required to document capacity, not an approval of a specific development.