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Atascadero staff says city is ahead on RHNA goals; wastewater capacity and funding remain constraints
Summary
Assistant planner Sam Mountain told the planning commission the city has exceeded low- and moderate-income RHNA targets early and outlined pipeline projects and permit totals; staff warned wastewater capacity constraints and said a new plant is roughly five years out pending funding.
At its March 17 meeting, Atascadero planning staff presented the city—annual general plan and housing element update, reporting the city is ahead on several Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) targets but faces challenges delivering very-low-income units and expanding wastewater capacity to serve future growth.
"We have exceeded our RHNA goals about 3 years early by 1 unit for our low income housing development goals, by 56 units for moderate income, and we are well on our way for market rate," said Sam Mountain, assistant planner in the community development department, summarizing the annual report the city is required to send to the state.
Mountain reviewed several pipeline projects, including Emerald Ridge (72 units under construction), Del Rio Marketplace (114,000 square feet of commercial space and 40 apartments), Dove Creek (hotel, commercial space and about 71 condominiums), Barrel Creek (planned ~60 units plus commercial space), Del Rio Ridge (projected 41 affordable units for extremely low, very low and low incomes) and an ECHO expansion adding roughly 30 beds. He also reported 1,676 construction permits were issued this year, 88 of which were for new homes (the 88 figure includes single-family homes, accessory dwelling units and multifamily)."These are all counts we report to HCD and to the regional council of governments," Sam Mountain said during the presentation.
Commissioners questioned how RHNA credit is awarded; staff replied that credit is recorded at final occupancy, not at entitlement or permit issuance. The commission also pressed staff on water and sewer constraints. "We have started the process for our wastewater treatment plant upgrade," staff said, but added the city has not secured funding. On the timeline, staff stated, "I believe that our plan for our new plant is about 5 years out," and noted significant underground infrastructure work will also be required.
Staff said very-low-income unit production lags because those projects typically require specific grants and funding sources that are difficult to obtain without disadvantaged-community status. The general plan update and code revisions are being prepared to accommodate higher RHNA numbers for the next cycle and to provide clearer objective standards that will allow some projects to be reviewed at the staff level rather than requiring commissions or council hearings.
The commission took no formal action on the general plan at the meeting; staff said the EIR for the general plan is expected to be posted in the coming weeks, which will start the public review period and push adoption timelines further out.
The commission closed the public-comment period after noting no in-person speakers were present and moved on to other business.
