Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing And Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning director reports progress on general plan programs and housing element; county at 84% of RHNA target
Summary
County planning staff reported progress on the 2024 General Plan implementation program and the housing element APR, telling supervisors the unincorporated county has reached roughly 84% of its sixth-cycle RHNA production to date.
Resource Management Agency planning director Dave Ward briefed the Board of Supervisors on the county’s 2024 General Plan implementation programs report and the state-mandated Annual Progress Report (APR) for the housing element on March 18.
Ward said the county issued 207 building permits in 2024, representing approximately 218 dwelling units as counted by the state, and that total building-permit production to date stands at 1,063 of the 1,262-unit allocation for the county’s sixth-cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) — about 84% of the target. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs and JADUs) remain a core strategy: Ward reported 71 ADU/JADUs approved in 2024 and 349 ADU/JADUs since the start of the cycle, equal to about 62% of the county’s ADU target of 560 by the end of the RHNA cycle.
Ward highlighted notable completed and in-progress projects: the Finch subdivision (Williams Homes) with many units under construction and sales activity; the Somis Ranch farmworker housing development (about 360 units) completing construction and moving toward leasing to farmworkers; Mesa Farm tiny-home community (10 units) for transitional youth; Camino Del Sol supportive housing (49 units) in Ojai; and smaller projects and ADU conversions in Ojai and other communities. He said the county completed five housing-element programs in 2024 including a density-bonus ordinance update and an updated ADU ordinance.
On general-plan implementation, Ward noted the county’s new e-General-Plan tool that allows the public to search program status and that 7 non-climate-action programs were completed in the last year while dozens of others advanced. Staff described upcoming work in 2025, including the Local Coastal Program update (coastal resilience and sea-level rise), an energy roadmap phase 2, the El Rio Del Norte area plan, mining-ordinance updates, ag-tourism standards, and an effort to expand allowed housing types (tiny homes, co-housing and similar options). Ward said the county aims to pursue a “pro-housing” designation from the state after completing key zoning ordinance updates to increase funding competitiveness.
Supervisors pressed staff on water and infrastructure constraints in areas such as El Rio/Saticoy and asked how the county can help bridge utility and permitting gaps. Ward described infrastructure forums and regional coordination with water providers and city partners to address impediments to development.
The board received and filed both the General Plan implementation report and the APR; the motion to receive and file was moved by Supervisor Gurel and seconded by Supervisor Long and passed unanimously.
