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Newman Council adopts sixth-cycle housing element, approves CEQA mitigated negative declaration
Summary
On Oct. 20, 2024 the Newman City Council approved a mitigated negative declaration and adopted the cityhousing element/general plan amendment required for HCD certification, making Newman eligible for certain state grants while preserving local review of individual projects.
Anastasia Aziz, a consultant with EMC Planning Group, presented the City of Newmanplanning the city's sixth-cycle housing element at the Oct. 20 meeting and recommended adoption of a mitigated negative declaration (MND) under CEQA and a general plan amendment to replace the previous housing element. The council voted 4-0 to approve the MND and subsequently approved the general plan amendment adopting the 2023housing element by a 3-1 vote with one council member noting a dissenting position.
Why it matters: Adoption makes the cityeligible for state grant programs that often require a certified housing element and aligns Newman with state housing law obligations. Aziz told the council that adopting the document and associated CEQA clearance is the procedural step that allows the city to submit the package to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for formal certification, after which Newman would remain eligible for certain infrastructure and housing-related grants.
What the council heard: Aziz summarized how the RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Allocation) process works and said Newman was assigned 1,048 units for the 20232023cycle and showed the proposed allocation by income: 197 very-low, 136 low, 218 moderate and 497 above-moderate units. She described the city's site inventory, which included units from the Northwest Newman master plan, the Matos Ranch project (phase 1 and phase 2), identified vacant and underutilized sites, accessory dwelling units (116 identified), and a small number of pipeline projects (12 units). Aziz also said the city has identified a city-owned site that could accommodate 24 lower-income units.
Council discussion focused on consequences of nonadoption. Aziz and city staff emphasized that the housing element is a planning document: adopting it does not force the city to approve any particular development; projects still require planning commission and council review. Aziz also explained the city must file an annual progress report in April documenting permits, entitlements and program activity. She warned that repeated denials of qualifying low-income projects could prompt HCD scrutiny; in extreme cases HCD has referred jurisdictions to the attorney general for enforcement, and noncompliance can make a city ineligible for certain state grants.
Representative quote from the presentation: "The 1,048 units were distributed according to income level: 197 units for very low income, 136 for low income, 218 for moderate and 497 for above moderate," Aziz said, explaining how the RHNA split was calculated.
Next steps: Because the council adopted the MND and the general plan amendment, staff will submit the housing element and environmental clearance to HCD for certification; Aziz said formal certification typically follows within two to four weeks after HCD receives the adopted documents. Staff said implementation of chapter 2 programs will proceed through city departments and recommended partners and will return to the council with program proposals and code amendments as needed.
