Planning commission unanimously backs submission of 2024 housing element progress report

The Desert Hot Springs Planning Commission voted unanimously on March 11 to recommend that the City Council adopt the city's 2024 Housing Element Annual Progress Report and direct staff to submit it to state agencies.

Travis Clark, housing and community development staff, told commissioners the APR documents the city's progress toward its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for the sixth planning cycle (2021'2029). "It's actually due April 1st each year," Clark said, and the report tracks entitled, permitted and completed units by income category.

Clark reported 206 entitled units in 2024 compared with 475 in 2023; permitted units were largely unchanged at about 136 versus 133 the prior year; and completed units fell to 91 from 158. He said the commission and state use different definitions of "entitled," noting HCD counts an application that has started state review while the commission counts local planning approval.

Staff highlighted pipeline projects, naming Amitur Palms, Rancho Discono, Skyborn Village and Eagle Point among those with entitlements or partial approvals. Clark said 62 of the 136 permitted units were infill and that the city is seeing a rise in accessory dwelling unit (ADU) construction: 44 ADUs in the current report compared with 16 previously, with six built using the city's pre-approved plans to reduce design costs.

Despite those gains, Clark said the city has completed only 500 of the 3,873 units allocated for the sixth cycle (about 13 percent) and remains behind on the target for deed-restricted affordable housing. He identified affordable projects in review, including Green Day Village (entitled but awaiting water and sewer infrastructure), The Crossings at Camino Capanero (64 units) and Park Lane Homes (167 units behind the library), which together would add roughly 476 affordable units but still leave a gap against the RHNA total.

Clark also briefed commissioners on completion of a LEAP grant project to review and streamline Title 17 housing-related ordinances to ensure state law compliance. He described incentives for infill, saying the city maintains a web map of vacant lots and offers a fee discount zone for the original platted area to lower impact fees for infill development.

A motion to adopt a resolution recommending the City Council adopt the APR and authorize staff to submit the document to the Office of Planning and Research and the California Department of Housing and Community Development passed unanimously. The commission did not identify individual mover and seconder names on the record.

The Planning Commission's recommendation moves the report to the City Council for consideration; the council has not yet acted on the APR.