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Ventura staff seek pro housing designation to boost grant competitiveness
Summary
City staff presented a draft Pro Housing Designation application that would give Ventura priority points on certain state grants. The application packages housing-element policies, enhancement-factor projects and a public outreach plan; staff asked the subcommittee to provide comments for a council report in August.
Rachel West, a city staffer, told the Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee that the city is ready to submit a Pro Housing Designation application to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
"A jurisdiction must apply to the program, and if awarded, this gives the jurisdiction additional scoring points on certain grant applications," Rachel West said, outlining that the city’s submission includes seven appendices and a self-scoring sheet. She said Ventura’s base points and enhancement factors total 75 points; the state requires a minimum of 30 points for designation.
The designation does not replace the city's certified housing element, West said, but it can make the city more competitive for grants tied to housing and infrastructure. She cited the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention program (HAP) as an example of a funding stream that may require designation for future rounds.
Deputy Mayor Halter outlined the near-term schedule for design standards and related outreach: "We're gonna have another working group... We anticipate an admin draft being released that week," he said, adding staff will seek public workshops and Planning Commission review in the months ahead.
Staff highlighted enhancement-factor projects included in the application. West described Westview Village as a 100% affordable project of more than 200 units and noted market-rate mixed-use projects that included substantial affordable components — for example, a project described as 297 units with 104 affordable units. The application also references smaller supportive-housing projects that used Assembly Bill 2162 streamlining.
Andrea Palmer, the senior management analyst leading public outreach, said the city opened a 30-day public comment period and posted materials online. "We will present it again at the end of this presentation," Palmer said, noting in-person opportunities at Planning Commission on July 22 and a council presentation to follow; staff said the council report will come back in late August.
Council members asked whether adopting fewer proposed policies would trigger penalties. Staff responded there are no financial penalties for declining specific policies but that failure to meet commitments could lead HCD to rescind the designation. Staff emphasized that higher application scores beyond the 30-point threshold do not change prioritization beyond unlocking access to certain grant pots.
The subcommittee did not take formal action; staff requested feedback to incorporate into a council report scheduled for the August 25 agenda.
