Planning commission recommends board adopt San Benito County 6th-cycle housing element after HCD compliance finding

The San Benito County Planning Commission voted 5-0 April 30 to recommend the Board of Supervisors adopt a general plan amendment that updates the county's housing element for the 2023'031 period after the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) found the draft met statutory requirements on April 1, 2025.

The housing element update, prepared with consultant Kimley-Horn, identifies how the county will plan for a Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) of 754 units across income categories and proposes several strategies to accommodate that need, including rezoning 12 candidate parcels, encouraging accessory dwelling unit (ADU) production, and counting pipeline and entitled projects. Consultant Brian Dela Torre said, "This document is a very large document, about 300 pages or so," and summarized the public outreach, HCD review and the site-selection process that produced the candidate sites inventory found in Appendix B.

The element covers demographic analysis, constraints (including infrastructure and utilities), affirmatively furthering fair housing obligations, and a policy program of actions in chapter 6. Abraham Prado, Director of Planning and Building and Housing Programs, told commissioners HCD issued a substantial compliance letter on April 1, 2025, meaning the county's draft "meets the statutory requirements of state housing element law" but still must be adopted and implemented before final certification.

Key figures and choices in the draft: - RHNA (2023'031): 754 units (a net decrease of 83 from the previous cycle). The allocation is broken down across very low, low, moderate and above-moderate income categories. - Candidate sites: staff identified 12 parcels proposed for rezoning to increase density (proposed densities cited: 20—5 dwelling units per acre; assumed up to three stories in development scenarios). - ADU projection: staff projected roughly 219 ADU units over the planning period based on recent averages. - Pipeline projects: staff counted entitled and under-review projects (examples cited include Santana Ranch, San Juan Oaks, Fairview Corners) that together contribute substantial above-moderate units; the consultant noted several projects are already approved but have not pulled all permits. - Santana Ranch update: staff reported the development had nearly completed single-family units and planned additional rental buildings; staff said four apartment buildings remain, two of 24 units and two of 16 units.

Commission discussion focused on site selection, the reasoning for a surplus in capacity relative to the RHNA, and how rezones and potential annexations would be handled. Staff said the rezones are not final approvals of development; rather, the rezones identify sufficient capacity and would be followed by development review and permit processes. Prado noted that rezones and any subsequent changes would have to be submitted to HCD if the commission or board modifies the draft; he cautioned that changes can trigger another HCD review cycle.

Public commenters during the housing element hearing urged the county to include labor and local-hiring preferences in implementation. Several union representatives and residents asked the commission to add encouragement language for developers and contractors to hire local labor, support apprenticeships and pay living wages. During motions, commissioners included direction asking staff to incorporate those labor-preference recommendations into the land use element as part of the general plan amendment process.

The commission motion to recommend adoption passed 5-0. The motion as recorded directed staff to include the language discussed (encouraging local hiring, apprenticeship support and living wages) in the land use element amendments and to return materials for public review; the commission also noted that rezones would be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for initiation and that staff expects to present rezones to the board on May 20, 2025.

Next steps: the Planning Commission's recommendation will be transmitted to the Board of Supervisors for final action and for the formal rezoning initiation required by Government Code Section 65585. The county remains eligible to seek HCD certification after adoption and demonstrated implementation of the housing element's programs and rezonings.