New Housing Committee Formed
The Carlsbad City Council has appointed members to a new community advisory committee that will help the city update its plan for how to accommodate new housing required by the state.
Every eight years, based on demographic trends and other factors, the state allocates a certain number of housing units to each region. For the San Diego region SANDAG, an association of local governments, decides how to divvy up the units among the cities and unincorporated county areas.
Based on its draft allocation, SANDAG estimates Carlsbad will be required to find locations for approximately 3,900 new units. The plan to determine this and other housing matters, known formally as a Housing Element, will need to be adopted by the City Council and submitted to the state for final approval in early 2021. Among the issues to be determined during the update is how this state requirement affects the voter approved growth management plan in Carlsbad, which limits the total number of housing units in each of the city’s four ZIP codes, which are delineated by the intersection of El Camino Real and Palomar Airport Road. Housing caps have been challenged in court in recent years.
Other issues to be considered include where available land exists that could be utilized to accommodate the new housing units as well as issues like homelessness and senior housing.
The Carlsbad City Council will hold a workshop Jan. 21 on changes in state housing laws created in response to what has been described as a statewide housing crisis. The laws generally take discretion away from cities when it comes to approving new housing, with the goal of making it easier, quicker and less expensive for projects to get built.
The goal of the Housing Element Advisory Committee is to provide input to city staff and decision makers as they develop a proposed plan for the City Council’s consideration. Members were chosen to get a cross section of community perspectives, including residents from each of the four ZIP codes, referred to as “quadrants” by city planners, and members of appointed commissions. Committee meetings will be publicly noticed and open to the public, and the public will be encouraged to provide input through online surveys and other channels.
Each City Council member appointed one member of the public. The Planning, Housing, Senior, and Traffic & Mobility commissions each appointed one member, and the mayor appointed one member. The committee’s first meeting will take place after the new year, and the group is expected to complete its work in 12 to 18 months.
This Advisory Committee includes the following members:
David Barnet, NW quadrant resident representative
Diane Proulx, NE quadrant resident representative
Daniel Weis, SW quadrant resident representative
Terri Novak, SE quadrant resident representative
Carl Streicher, At-large (citywide) resident representative
Carolyn Luna, Planning Commission representative
Joy Evans, Housing Commission representative
Sheri Sachs, Senior Commission representative
Brandon Perez, Traffic & Mobility Commission representative
More Information
Scott Donnell, senior planner, scott.donnell@carlsbadca.gov, 760-702-4618
December 18, 2019
