Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the General Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City report: Santa Barbara has permitted 863 of 8,001 RHNA units; deep‑affordable production lags
Summary
Staff presented the 2025 General Plan Annual Progress Report showing that Santa Barbara has permitted 863 of its 8,001 sixth‑cycle RHNA allocation (about 11%), with very low‑income production at roughly 2% of the target. Council and public speakers urged focus on moving pipeline projects to construction and on funding tools for deeply affordable housing.
City planning staff presented the 2025 General Plan Annual Progress Report and the Housing Element APR at the March 17 meeting, documenting implementation efforts and housing production for calendar year 2025.
Long‑range planner Jillian Ferguson said the city’s sixth‑cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) is 8,001 units (2023–2031). As of 2025 the city had permitted 863 units, roughly 11% of that allocation. Ferguson noted that above‑moderate housing accounts for most permits (663 units), while very low income, low income and moderate production lag: "Very low income is at just 2% of its nearly 2,100 unit target, low income at 7% and moderate at 5%."
Staff highlighted several program and policy advances — adaptive reuse ordinance, permanent ADU program, objective design standards, a local housing trust fund and climate adaptation planning — but emphasized the execution gap between planning and finished housing.
Public commenters and councilmembers stressed that pipeline projects must move from approval to construction. Housing policy professional Mr. Fredericks urged prioritizing deeply affordable housing, saying the current trajectory risks failing the most vulnerable residents: "We are roughly 40% of the way through the RHNA cycle and we've only achieved 10.8% of our housing goal… market‑rate housing will not close the gap of what's most needed."
Councilmembers discussed regulatory tools and funding. Several called for more state advocacy, local funding mechanisms such as a dedicated housing trust fund, and exploring incentives for affordable ADUs. Councilmembers also flagged infrastructure constraints — wastewater capacity and water supply resilience — as practical limits on where and how much housing can be added.
Staff noted a buffer in the city's suitable sites inventory designed to absorb projects that propose fewer units than assumed in the RHNA inventory and reiterated that while the city must show land capacity, actual construction depends on market conditions and financing.
Council accepted the report; no formal action is required for submission to state agencies. The presentation framed policy priorities for 2026 including streamlining single‑family and ADU rules, inclusionary housing ordinance updates, and completion of major climate adaptation plans.
