The Santa Barbara City Council received a progress report on the current eight-year Housing Element plan, which outlines how the city will accommodate the state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) of 8,001 units before 2031. This year marked the third year of the current cycle, from 2023 to 2031, and the progress report revealed the city has reached just 10.8 percent of the total target, with a severe shortfall in the lower-income affordable housing categories.
City Planner Jillian Ferguson provided the report on Tuesday as part of an update on the progress of the city’s General Plan and Housing Element. Ferguson’s presentation included a detailed breakdown of the 863 units permitted toward the state’s target goal, nearly 80 percent of which came from “above-moderate” or market-rate units.
While the city has met the state’s requirement of zoning enough parcels to accommodate the RHNA target, the actual production of units has lagged far behind. The city must accommodate the zoning for the units, but must rely on developers to produce the units. The highest performing category over the first three years has been above moderate, with 663 units proposed, accounting for 21 percent of RHNA target of 3,032 market-rate units…