The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires all recipients of federal funds to conduct an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (2020-24 AI), and to review and update the document every five years. This document outlines fair housing concerns, such as, discrimination in lending practices or governmental barriers to housing that disproportionately impact persons who belong to state and federally identified protected classes. These conditions may include laws, government policies, real estate practices, and local conditions that can result in impediments to fair housing choice. The 2020-24 AI process includes examining these impediments and determining what actions may be taken to lessen or eliminate their impacts.

In order to protect individuals from housing discrimination, communities must make efforts to affirmatively further fair housing by identifying factors in a community that contribute to housing discrimination, and take actions to mitigate these impacts. As a recipient of both Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) funds, the City of Garden Grove is required to undergo this process.

To help meet this requirement, the City of Garden Grove partnered with the following jurisdictions to conduct the regional AI: Aliso Viejo, Anaheim, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Niguel, La Habra, Lake Forest, La Palma, Mission Viejo, Orange, Rancho San Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Tustin, Westminster, and the County of Orange.

The 2020-24 AI identifies both local and regional goals and/or strategies to overcome impediments to fair housing choice.

The Local Goals and Strategies identified in the 2020-24 AI are:

1.  Update Density Bonus Ordinance – Garden Grove will update the 2011 Density Bonus Ordinance to comply with current State law. The update will streamline the approval process, increase feasibility, and facilitate future housing development at all affordability levels.
2. Create Objective Residential Development Standards to allow for streamlined housing development in all residential zones.
3. Create Objective Development Standards for Supportive Housing.  These standards would be for new construction of Supportive Housing.
4. Evaluate the creation of Objective Development Standards for Hotel/Motel/Office Conversion to Supportive Housing.
5. Review and amend Garden Grove’s current Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance to comply with State requirements and further increase housing supply.
6. Continue to invest in landlord and tenant counseling and mediation services, unlawful detainer assistance, housing discrimination services, homebuyer education and outreach, and local eviction prevention strategies.

The Regional Goals and Strategies identified in the 2020-24 AI can be found as Attachment No. 1.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION

All citizen participation requirements have been met via the following:

• October 2019 - Meetings were held with individual stakeholders throughout the County.

• January and February 2020 - Evening community meetings were held in Mission Viejo, Westminster/Garden Grove, Santa Ana, and Fullerton.

• February 2020 - A focus group with a wide array of non-profit organizations and government officials.

• Public notices regarding the 2020-24 AI, including an invitation to share comments at this public hearing, were published on Friday, May 22, 2020 in local English, Spanish, and Vietnamese language newspapers

• June 1, 2020 – The Neighborhood Improvement and Conservation Commission (NICC) held a Public Hearing to accept comments. The minutes from that meeting are found as Attachment 2.

There is no financial impact to the General Fund. The City’s total contribution for the production of the 2020-24 AI was $8,153.07 and funded with CDBG Administrative funds.

It is recommended that the City Council:

•  Conduct a public hearing to receive comments concerning the 2020-24 Orange County Analysis of Impediments and citizen comments to City Council for adoption; and

• Adopt the 2020-24 Orange County Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (2020-24 AI) and direct staff to post the document on the City's website.