Planning staff: Santa Barbara far short of RHNA target; commission presses for funding, zoning tools

On March 13, 2025, Dan Gillet, principal planner, presented a draft 2024 General Plan Annual Progress Report to the Santa Barbara Planning Commission that documents the city's progress — and gaps — toward state housing goals for the current RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Allocation) cycle.

Gillet told commissioners the city is required to plan for 8,001 housing units in the sixth RHNA cycle. “The total number of units that have been permitted in the sixth cycle thus far is 592 units,” he said, adding that 204 of those were permitted in 2024. Staff and commissioners described a substantial gap between required planning numbers and current production rates and discussed the range of regulatory and funding tools the city is pursuing to increase affordable housing production.

Why it matters: the General Plan APR is a state‑mandated annual report (Senate Bill 1333 reporting requirements were cited) used to track implementation of general plan policies and housing production against RHNA allocations. Shortfalls can expose jurisdictions to state streamlined review tools such as SB 35 and can affect eligibility for certain grants.

Key findings presented to the commission - Pipeline and permitting: Staff reported 163 new applications in 2024 covering about 1,521 potential units, including two large proposals that together account for a majority of units in the pipeline: a Macy’s site…