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Council accepts 2024 housing‑element progress report; staff outline tools to address lower‑income shortfalls
Summary
City staff reported modest RHNA progress driven by ADUs and rezoning steps, and council directed follow-up work on inclusionary requirements, adaptive reuse and potential funding strategies.
Carpinteria city planners told the City Council on March 10 that the 2024 housing element annual progress report shows steady but limited progress toward the regionally required housing allocations (RHNA), with 42 new units credited in 2024 — the majority accessory dwelling units (ADUs) — and 18 completed units (certificates of occupancy).
"In 2024, we had a total of 42 new units approved with building permits in the city of Carpinteria," Senior Planner Cindy Sowder reported. She said 16 of those permits were ADUs or junior ADUs and one permit was for a mixed-use project that includes 24 rental apartments; three ADUs self‑reported rents that placed them in very-low-income categories.
Why it matters: The city’s certified housing element (approved Jan. 30, 2025) requires zoning, incentives and programs to accommodate the RHNA cycle. Council and staff discussed that meeting the very-low and low-income targets will require a multi-pronged strategy beyond ADUs, including larger multifamily affordable projects, inclusionary ordinance reform, and potential public–private partnerships.
Staff recommendations and progress: Planning staff highlighted the December 2024 ordinances that established the new Residential Mixed Use (RMU) zone and objective design standards to support housing production. The city is drafting ADU and density-bonus ordinance updates and supportive‑housing zoning changes to comply with state law, and staff reported steps to improve code-compliance tracking and rental-relocation assistance rules.
Council discussion and follow up: Councilmembers asked about the likelihood of reaching RHNA targets, grants for affordable housing, and the potential to update the inclusionary housing ordinance and pursue adaptive reuse options. Staff said the city will examine inclusionary ordinance updates, explore pro-housing designation pathways to improve grant competitiveness, and consider whether additional staffing or a housing-focused committee would accelerate implementation.
Ending: The council accepted the annual report and directed staff to return with implementation details, including potential inclusionary-or-district updates, funding strategies and options for adaptive reuse.
