Lake County staff report RHNA progress, grants and General Plan milestones; no board action requested

Community Development Director Maria Turner told the Lake County Board of Supervisors on July 3 that staff was presenting the 2024 housing element annual progress report and the county’s General Plan annual progress report as required for state reporting, and that no Board action was being requested.

Senior Planner Laura Hall summarized housing production, permitting and planning work in 2024 and explained how RHNA — the Regional Housing Needs Assessment — frames local housing targets. “RHNA numbers are Regional Housing Needs Assessment numbers,” Hall said. “So every housing element cycle, which is a period of six years, the state decides how many dwelling units we should be able to build or accommodate within that next six-year period.”

The reports are annual updates the county submits to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to show progress toward housing-element commitments and General Plan objectives. Staff emphasized that the presentation was informational; the county is working with HCD to finalize and upload the annual progress reports.

What staff reported - Permits and occupancy: In 2024 the county received 28 entitlement applications, issued 85 entitlement permits, issued 81 building permits and granted 26 certificates of occupancy, according to Hall. - RHNA tallies: For the 2019–2027 RHNA period staff listed allocation targets of 332 very-low, 224 low, 207 moderate and 576 above-moderate units. Hall presented columns showing units met to date and remaining units required to meet the county’s RHNA allocation. - Housing units counted in the 2024 annual report: Staff reported meeting 16 very-low units, 13 low units, 14 moderate units and 38 above-moderate units in 2024; Hall noted these figures were being revised as the department finalizes the report with HCD. - General Plan and land-use actions: Staff recorded two General Plan amendment/rezone actions in 2024 — one to correct a property zoning and another to convert a firehouse to a single-family dwelling — and said 44 projects went before the Planning Commission during the year. - General Plan conformity and projects: Staff identified the Wolf Creek Bridge project and a vacation of Collier Avenue as General Plan conformity (GPC) matters reviewed under the California Government Code’s general plan conformity requirements. - Grants and planning work: The county received LEAP funds of $150,000 and REAP funds of $149,682 in 2024 to support General Plan work, including the Housing Action and Implementation Plan. Staff said the Housing Action and Implementation Plan will inform future housing-element updates. - 2050 General Plan update: Work reported for the 2050 General Plan update included General Plan Advisory Committee meetings, local-area plan advisory committee meetings and stakeholder focus groups. Staff said preparation of a draft environmental impact report for the 2050 update is scheduled to begin in spring 2025 and continue into spring 2026. - Geothermal oversight: The department drafted a request for proposals to retain consultant services to meet AB 1359 compliance related to geothermal projects and noted the county lacks in-house technical expertise to oversee such projects.

Questions and next steps Staff opened the item for public comment after the presentation. No formal motion or vote occurred; Maria Turner reiterated that no Board action was requested and that staff will continue coordinating with HCD to submit final annual progress reports.

The presentation and staff materials will be used to inform the county’s forthcoming uploads to HCD, and staff identified the need for consultant support and additional technical training for county planners on geothermal oversight as an implementation step.