City Council OKs housing element

June Casagrande

The City Council has finally formalized the city’s housing element, a

laborious and long-awaited document to satisfy federal, state and

regional housing requirements. But the uncertainty hanging over the

Lower Bayview Landing senior affordable housing project threatens to

undo state approval of the crucial document.

“I hope we get our senior housing project,” Councilman Tod

Ridgeway said during a presentation by city Senior Planner Tamara

Campbell at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

The housing element is a detailed look at the city’s housing needs

in the coming years as well as an accounting of efforts to provide

affordable housing. The city is about two years late in completing

the document and earning the approval of the state Department of

Housing and Community Development.

It’s important that the state certify the document because

otherwise the city is left vulnerable to lawsuits. City officials

were pleased to learn in May that the state Department of Housing and

Community Development had given initial approval of the housing

element based largely on the city’s work toward building the Lower

Bayview Landing project. But the state Coastal Commission rejected

the initial project, leaving council members to wonder whether the

state department could withdraw its approval.

“I’m not convinced that Housing and Community Development would be

that tough on us,” Asst. City Manager Sharon Wood told the council.

“They understand how hard we’ve tried to make that project happen.”

The housing element is part of the general plan, which the city is

now updating, but it’s the only part that serves the dual purpose of

accounting to state housing authorities.

“This ties in nicely with what we’re doing with the general plan

update,” Campbell said Tuesday.

Among the details in the voluminous document are the city’s goals

for new housing in the city that are based on projected housing needs

throughout the area. Newport Beach’s goal is to add 1,421 new units

with 86 of them for very-low-income residents, 148 for low-income and

83 for moderate-income households.

The few areas in town that could accommodate new homes include the

yet-to-be-annexed portions of Banning Ranch, the area near Macarthur

Boulevard at Avocado Avenue and the Lower Bayview site.

Redevelopment is also an option, making already developed areas

more dense to accommodate more homes.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].