The Housing Element of the city of Santa Clarita’s General Plan is in the process of being updated and a public draft has been published for residents to review.

The Housing Element provides a framework to guide the future of residential development and ensures the city complies with any changes in State housing laws. It also allows the city to be eligible for state grants and funding sources and demonstrates the city’s ability to meet future housing needs.

The state of California requires local jurisdictions to adopt a General Plan, which is a comprehensive, long-term plan for its physical development. While most portions of the General Plan are updated every 20-25 years, the Housing Element is required to be updated every eight years. The current Housing Element is nearing the end of its 2014-2021 planning period and the city is in the process of planning for the 2021-2029 timeframe.

Since the update process began in March 2021, the city held a public workshop, conducted an online survey and conducted stakeholder interviews to solicit resident feedback. In June 2021, the Planning Commission conducted a study session on the update process. The draft Housing Element update is now available for public review and contains the following:

-Updated demographics and housing needs
-Updates to housing goals, objectives, policies and programs
-A review of suitable sites to accommodate the City’s regional housing needs allocation and a determination of adequate sites under existing zoning. Per state requirements, properties listed in the site’s inventory are currently zoned, available and suitable for affordable and market-rate housing proposals
-An assessment of fair housing as required by new state legislation
-Other mandatory Housing Element sections as required by state law
-Residents are encouraged to review the draft Housing Element update at santa-clarita.com/HousingElement.

The update is tentatively scheduled for a public hearing before the Planning Commission in January 2022, followed by a public hearing before the City Council in February 2022.

For more information about the City’s 2021 Housing Element update, please visit santa-clarita.com/HousingElement or email HousingElement@santa-clarita.com.