Planning commission forwards San Joaquin County sixth-cycle housing element to Board after HCD review

The San Joaquin County Planning Commission voted to forward to the Board of Supervisors a recommended adoption of the county's sixth-cycle housing element (General Plan text amendment PA230242), after staff reported that the state Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) has indicated the document meets statutory requirements once adopted and resubmitted.

Cynthia Walsh of PlaceWorks, the consultant on the update, provided an overview of the housing element process and HCD review. Walsh said, "the housing element is 1 of the 8 mandated elements of the general plan. It does need to be updated every 8 years," and described the current sixth cycle as running from December 31, 2023, to December 31, 2031. Walsh explained the RHNA-driven sites analysis, methodology (including using constructed/approved projects, vacant sites, accessory dwelling unit projections, and manufactured housing), and that staff had taken credits for past ADU trends and other capacity measures.

Walsh summarized the HCD review timeline: the county's first submittal was March 18, 2024; subsequent reviews and comment letters resulted in additional revisions; the county's February submittal received a letter indicating "you've met all of the statutory requirements once this has been adopted and resubmitted, it will be found in compliance." Walsh also said the housing element included a new fair-housing analysis, updated point-in-time homeless data, and expanded discussion of constraints such as service capacity (water, sewer) and cumulative impacts in commercial and agricultural zones. The staff report recommended the Planning Commission adopt findings and forward the amendment to the Board with a recommendation to adopt; staff also noted the housing element was prepared with a CEQA exemption, citing the common-sense exemption in Section 15061(b)(3).

Commissioners asked questions about Mountain House, which Walsh and county staff said was incorporated after the housing element work began. Walsh said the county will complete the RHNA transfer with Mountain House and then perform a focused update of the sites inventory and submit the smaller update to HCD for review and recertification. Walsh cautioned the commission that Mountain House's incorporation would require further amendment and resubmittal of the sites inventory but not a full rewrite of the entire housing element.

Jennifer Jolley, Director of Community Development, provided department updates after the hearing, noting Board actions on related items including a text amendment affecting mobile food vendors, the transfer of an abandoned vehicle abatement program from the Community Development Department to the Sheriff's Office, and acceptance of proposed fire fees which will be adopted with the budget. Jolley also highlighted an upcoming county project, the "San Joaquin Be Well" program, described as a grant-funded regional behavioral-health/addiction services initiative that will come to the Planning Commission tentatively on July 17.

After questions and no public speakers for or against the amendment, the commission voted to forward General Plan amendment PA230242 and the housing element to the Board of Supervisors with the staff-recommended findings. The recorded vote in the transcript was three in favor, none opposed, with one commissioner absent.

Next steps identified in the hearing: Planning Commission recommendation will go to the Board of Supervisors (staff mentioned a tentative Board adoption date of June 17), after which the county will provide a copy of the Board resolution to HCD and seek certification. A focused resubmittal to HCD will follow any RHNA transfer with the newly incorporated Mountain House.