Carmel-by-the-Sea housing element draft sent to state review; ADU ordinance to be aligned

The planning commission reviewed the full draft housing element and recommended the City Council send it to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for formal review. Staff member (planning department) said the city has been working with HCD for more than a year and a half and that HCD officials "are really enthused" and have suggested applying for planning awards.

Staff described the next steps: if the council accepts the planning commission recommendation at its next regular meeting, the city will submit the draft to HCD for the statutory 60‑day review. "It's a statutory 60 day review," the staff member said. After HCD’s letter returns, it will either indicate the draft is ready to adopt or list items that need to be fixed; the city expects to complete CEQA review and formal adoption afterward. Staff said a recommended timing could put HCD certification and completion of the process as early as April, with a worst‑case scenario stretching into mid‑January for initial HCD comments depending on submission timing.

Staff emphasized the relationship between the housing element and the separate ADU ordinance: the housing element draft relies in part on accessory dwelling units in the village to meet housing needs, so the city intends to refine ADU regulations to "manage the size of ADUs relative to the rest of the lot" and ensure the ADU ordinance complements the housing element. No formal adoption occurred at the meeting; the planning commission’s recommendation will go to the council for its next meeting.