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Fortuna delegates PLHA funds to county and introduces ADU ordinance to conform with state law
Summary
The council approved delegating Fortuna’s remaining PLHA allocation ($149,769) to Humboldt County for administration and introduced an updated accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance to conform to state ADU law; public commenters raised concerns that ADUs are not necessarily affordable housing.
Fortuna — The Fortuna City Council adopted a resolution to delegate the city’s remaining Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) funds to Humboldt County for administration and introduced an updated accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance intended to bring local code into compliance with state law.
Planning staff explained Fortuna was eligible for PLHA allocations of $171,995 (2021), $83,242 (2022) and $66,527 (2023). The city missed the application deadline for the 2021 allocation and therefore did not receive the $171,995 award; staff said the remaining 2022 and 2023 allocations total $149,769. Because the city lacks staff capacity to implement a five‑year housing assistance plan, staff recommended delegating the full allocation to the County of Humboldt, which will administer the funds through the Housing Forward Humboldt program and use them for its first‑time homebuyer program.
Council voted to adopt Resolution 2026‑02 authorizing a joint participation agreement and delegating Fortuna’s PLHA allocations to the county.
Separately, staff presented an ordinance to repeal and replace Fortuna’s ADU regulations to ensure compliance with frequent state ADU changes and HCD guidance; the proposed language largely replaces local provisions with a streamlined ordinance that references state law and clarifies ADU definitions and short‑term rental language. Staff noted the California Department of Housing and Community Development now has enforcement authority for state ADU rules and that noncompliant local ordinances risk improper denials or delays of ministerial ADU applications.
During public comment, resident Orville Garrison said ADUs may not be affordable for the people the city hopes to serve and cautioned against assuming ADU availability equals affordable housing. "What we're discovering ... is that ADU housing that is out there and available is... it's not affordable," Garrison said. Council introduced Ordinance 2026‑782 on first reading and continued the public hearing to the next regular meeting for second reading and adoption.
The council’s actions permit county administration of the PLHA funds and begin the local code update process for ADUs; further hearings and staff reports will follow prior to final ordinance adoption.
