BACKGROUND
The Housing Element, a State-required chapter of the City’s General Plan, identifies programs and policies to further the goal of meeting the housing needs of existing and future residents for the production of safe, decent, and affordable housing for all persons in the community. This plan is required by State Housing Law and must be updated every eight years. Furthermore, the Housing Element must be certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
The Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) is mandated by State Housing Law as part of the periodic process of updating local Housing Elements of General Plans. The RHNA quantifies the housing need, for all income levels, within each jurisdiction. The City is currently in the 2021-2029 planning period, also known as the 6th cycle RHNA.
Garden Grove’s RHNA allocation for the 2021-2029 planning period is 19,168 housing units. The State of California requires the City of Garden Grove to plan for 19,168 future homes to accommodate population, employment, and household growth in the region. State Housing Law also requires cities to specify exact locations where new housing can feasibly be added – this is called Sites Inventory. In October of 2020, the City officially submitted two (2) applications to SCAG (Southern California Association of Governments) to appeal its RHNA allocation. Both appeals were subsequently denied by SCAG.
In August of 2020, the City launched a comprehensive public outreach and community engagement plan to educate and inform the public on matters related to the Housing Element and RHNA. The City identified key audiences and engagement methods to encourage participation from a broad cross-section of the Garden Grove community, representative of the City’s diverse cultural groups, income levels, ages, and interests, with a particular focus on reaching out to Disadvantaged Community (DAC) areas of the city. The City used a wide variety of public engagement tools and methods, which included:
- City Council, stakeholder, and focus group interviews
- Community forums and workshops
- Written surveys
- Online mapping surveys
- Study sessions, open to the public, with the Planning Commission, City Council, and Neighborhood Improvement and Conservation Commission
- Dedicated Housing Element Update website
- Social media
- Press releases
- Housing Element 101 video
- Email blasts
- Online and hard copy flyers
- Newsletters
Submission of Draft 2021-2029 Housing Element to HCD
On July 14, 2021, the City of Garden Grove submitted its initial Draft Housing Element to HCD for review. The City received informal comments from HCD Staff on September 8, 2021, and also received a report of findings on September 10, 2021.
City Council Adoption of the Revised Draft 2021-2029 Housing Element
The Garden Grove City Council conducted a public hearing and deliberated upon the Revised Draft Housing Element at its November 9, 2021 meeting, where a public comment period was made available. After Council deliberation, the Council unanimously voted to adopt the Revised Draft 2021-2029 Housing Element (the “Adopted Housing Element”), which had been revised in response to previous comments received from HCD. In addition to adopting the Housing Element, the City Council also concurrently adopted amendments to the Safety Element to reflect climate adaptation; adopted a new Environmental Justice Element; adopted revisions to the Land Use Element; adopted zoning text and map changes to address the changes to the Housing Element and Land Use Element; and certified the Environmental Impact Report.
1st Submittal - Formal Submission of Adopted Housing Element to HCD
Subsequent to the City Council’s adoption of the 2021-2029 Housing Element (the “Adopted Housing Element”), the City formally submitted the Adopted Housing Element to HCD for its review on November 12, 2021.
2nd Submittal - Formal Submission of Draft Revised Adopted 2021-2029 Housing Element to HCD
Following HCD’s formal review of the Adopted Housing Element submitted on November 12, 2021, the City received a formal response letter from HCD dated February 10, 2022. On November 18, 2022, the City formally submitted its Draft Revised Adopted 2021-2029 Housing Element to HCD for its review and to receive a report of findings. During HCD Staff’s review of the submitted Draft Revised Adopted 2021-2029 Housing Element, informal comments were provided to City Staff, which were, in part, related to Program 4 (Affordable Housing Construction). The City submitted a letter to HCD, dated May 4, 2023, responding to HCD’s informal comments regarding Program 4.
3rd Submittal – Formal Submission of Draft Revised Adopted 2021-2029 Housing Element to HCD
On June 20, 2023, the City of Garden Grove formally submitted an updated version of the Draft Revised Adopted 2021-2029 Housing Element, which included revisions and additions made in response to the informal comments received from HCD Staff as part of its review of the Draft Revised Adopted (November 2022) version of the Housing Element. HCD has sixty (60) days to complete its review and to submit a report of findings. Based on the City’s June 20, 2023, submittal date, HCD’s deadline for a response is August 18, 2023.
HCD Letter of Substantial Compliance - August 14, 2023
On August 14, 2023, the City received a formal response letter from HCD reporting the results of its review of the City's June 2023 Draft Housing Element submission. The letter, in part, states that HCD had found the City's submitted Draft Housing Element to "substantially comply with State Housing Element Law" and that it "meets statutory requirements" (see attached letter). The letter further indicates that the City must make specific findings related to non-vacant sites as part of the resolution adopting the Housing Element. Staff will include these findings in the draft resolution when it is brought forth for City Council consideration.