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La Habra staff reports progress on general plan implementation; city has permitted 270 housing units toward RHNA allocation
Summary
City staff presented the annual report on implementation of La Habra’s general plan for 2024, noting the city has permitted 270 housing units this cycle — including 129 qualifying as low-income — and discussed how state laws (RHNA, ADU rules, density bonus) affect local control.
City staff presented the City of La Habra’s 2024 annual report on general plan implementation at the March 17 council meeting, saying the city continues to make progress toward its Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation while pointing to state laws that limit local land‑use control.
“RHNA stands for the Regional Housing Needs Assessment,” Community Development Director Kim told the council, and she said the Southern California Association of Governments’ current cycle allocated 804 units to La Habra. Kim summarized the city’s permitted output in the reporting period: 270 units have received building permits or are under construction; of those, 129 count toward the city’s low‑income allocation. She said the city has produced five very‑low‑income units, 12 moderate‑income units and 124 above‑moderate (market‑rate) units during the reporting period.
Staff and council members discussed state policy drivers that affect local control. Assistant City Attorney Britney Roberto told the council that density bonus law constrains municipal discretion for projects that use the bonus, including parking and some development standards: “Under density bonus law, you’re extremely limited in what you can impose on those projects,” she said.
Kim and staff also described how accessory dwelling units (ADUs), adopted under state law, have contributed materially to La Habra’s production of low‑income units: ADUs made the city’s low‑income numbers stronger in this cycle, Kim said. The city’s housing element, adopted on a separate schedule, remains subject to state reporting and possible streamlining provisions if jurisdictions fall short on progress.
A member of the public (a former planning commissioner) asked whether two projects later on the agenda would count toward RHNA; staff clarified that any units built and permitted on those sites would count toward the city’s RHNA totals even if they were not originally listed as candidate sites in the housing element.
After public comment, the council voted unanimously to receive and file the annual report and authorized staff actions under Government Code Section 65400.
