Yuba City planning commission recommends City Council approve amendment to 2021–2029 housing element

The Yuba City Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council approve an amendment to the city's 2021'2029 General Plan housing element after a staff presentation and a short period of commissioner questions. Development Services Director Doug Libby told the commission the amendment updates tables and site listings to reflect parcels rezoned after the housing element was adopted and certified.

"When we then went back to actually rezone the properties ... there was a change in the sites that were adopted in 2022 that were rezoned in 2023," Libby said, adding that the city rezoned 68 acres to multifamily while the minimum required rezoning for compliance was 10.4 acres. He also summarized the RHNA process and the local allocation: "for good old Yuba City, we got pushed down a number of 3,800 housing units we have to plan for," Libby said.

Libby told commissioners the housing element was adopted in March 2022 and certified by the State Department of Housing and Community Development on May 5, 2022, and that the city completed necessary environmental review earlier in the process (an addendum and a mitigated negative declaration tied to the prior rezoning). "For this exercise, the environmental impacts have already been analyzed," he said, noting no new CEQA review was required for the amendment.

Commissioners asked for clarification about annexation and the city's growth boundary. Libby explained Yuba City's sphere of influence and the practical limits on annexation for properties outside that boundary, saying annexation is possible for properties inside the urban growth boundary but infeasible in many outside areas because services and infrastructure are not available.

After the presentation and with no public speakers at the hearing, a commissioner moved to adopt a resolution recommending that City Council approve the amended housing element; the motion was seconded and passed. The commission did not introduce further amendments during the meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Approve minutes from the Feb. 25 meeting; outcome: approved (motion passed unanimously). - Motion: Adopt resolution recommending City Council approve the amended 2021'2029 General Plan housing element; outcome: recommend approval (motion passed unanimously).

What happens next: The commission's adopted resolution will be forwarded to the Yuba City City Council for its consideration. The commission record shows staff and the council previously completed the environmental review and HCD certification steps Libby cited, and the council will receive the recommended amendment and staff materials for final action.