Coronado Should Adjust to 912-Unit Housing Plan, HCD Says

Coronado should plan for its mandated 912 further housing items quickly or danger prosecution, state officers say.

After 18 months of noncompliance with town’s new housing allocation, the matter may very well be turned over to the state Legal professional Normal, warned a Dec. 14 letter from the California Division of Housing and Neighborhood Growth (HCD).

Potential penalties embody fines of as much as $100,000 monthly, lack of state funding, and lack of native land use. The letter gave metropolis officers till Jan. 14 to reply.

“The Metropolis will reply to HCD’s Discover of Violation letter shortly after the brand new 12 months,” stated Richard Grunow, town’s group growth director. “We are going to present HCD with an replace on our efforts to develop a compliant housing aspect, and we are going to invite HCD workers to satisfy with us in Coronado to debate how 912 new housing items might be accommodated, given Coronado’s distinctive geographic and regulatory constraints.”

California legislation mandates that jurisdictions adapt zoning to permit for extra housing, an effort to deal with the statewide housing disaster. The variety of items required in every eight-year cycle is decided by the San Diego Affiliation of Governments (SANDAG).

Within the present housing cycle, Coronado is slated to zone for 912 new housing items – no less than half of them for moderate- and low-income earners. This quantity dwarves earlier assessments: In 2010, Coronado was assigned simply 50 new items underneath SANDAG’s regional housing wants evaluation (RHNA).

The present cycle’s finish – and thus, Coronado’s deadline for the modifications – is in 2029.

“Given our small dimension, built-out parcels and geographic and regulatory constraints, growing the plan has been an intensive and iterative course of,” stated Tina Buddy, metropolis supervisor, who reiterated that Coronado intends to work with the state to develop a suitable plan.

Critics of the plan say that rezoning for that many items would change the character of Coronado, a metropolis of 20,000 individuals unfold throughout 32.5 sq. miles. After receiving its evaluation in 2020, Coronado tried to enchantment, however was struck down by a population-weighted vote by different members of SANDAG. By a tally vote, the enchantment would have been granted.

Coronado and three different municipalities sued, asserting that the weighted votes for the RHNA resulted in a biased plan that didn’t account for the constraints of smaller cities. SANDAG argued that solely lawmakers – not courts – might overturn RHNA. A Superior Courtroom dismissed the case in June 2022, saying SANDAG was immune from judicial evaluation.

In 2021, town submitted a plan to zone for 344 new items of housing relatively than the total 912, a proposal that the HCD rejected.

“Jurisdictions with out a considerably compliant housing aspect can not depend on inconsistency with zoning and common plan requirements as a foundation for denial of a housing undertaking for very low-, low-, or average earnings households,” the HCD letter said.

In reality, state legislation permits landowners to benefit from California density bonuses for low-income housing no matter whether or not their tasks align with metropolis zoning. The Coronado Metropolis Council is anticipated to revise its code to mirror these legal guidelines in its January assembly.

Coronado Metropolis Planning Commissioner Jon Ryan talked about within the fee’s Dec. 13 assembly that the U.S. Navy is a possible supply of assist for the problem. North Island Naval Station includes 5,000 acres, and Coronado hosts a number of navy housing communities. Nonetheless, that will not be possible.

“Whereas it’s theoretically attainable to satisfy a portion of Coronado’s RNHA of 912 items on Navy property, the Navy has not expressed any plans to develop new housing in Coronado within the close to future,” Grunow stated. “HCD would solely settle for housing on Navy property if it have been prone to be developed in the course of the present eight-year housing cycle.”

Low-income households are divided into low, very low, and very low earnings earners based mostly on how a lot of the world median earnings (AMI) they earn. SANDAG slated for 108,036 items whole in San Diego County, to be allotted amongst earners as proven beneath.

In San Diego County, the AMI is $106,900, whereas the median dwelling worth in Coronado is $2.6 million. Households qualifying as the assorted earnings incomes teams are labeled as follows: