2020-09-30 City Council Special MEETING - Agenda PacketCity Council Chambers Menifee City Council
Via RingCentral (see below) Menifee Planning Commission
Menifee, CA 92586 Special Joint Meeting Agenda
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
6:00 PM Special Meeting
Bill Zimmerman, Mayor Randy Madrid, Chair
Greg August, District 1 Benjamin Diederich, Vice Chair
Matthew Liesemeyer, District 2 Robert P. Karwin, Commissioner
Lesa Sobek, District 3 Earl Phillips, Commissioner
Dean Deines, District 4 Chris Thomas, Commissioner
SPECIAL JOINT WORKSHOP AGENDA
AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19 VIRUS, AND RESULTING ORDERS AND DIRECTION
FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA, AND THE RIVERSIDE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, AS WELL
AS THE CITY OF MENIFEE EMERGENCY DECLARATION, THE PUBLIC WILL NOT BE
PERMITTED TO PHYSICALLY ATTEND THE MENIFEE MEETING TO WHICH THIS AGENDA
APPLIES. YOU MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETING BY:
VIDEO: https://meetings.ringcentral.com/j/3668649023
PHONE: (623) 404-9000, MEETING ID #3668649023
PUBLIC COMMENTS: SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENTS TO publiccomments@cityofmenifee.us
FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO http://cityofmenifee.us/621/Virtual-City-Clerk-Services, OR
CONTACT THE CITY CLERK DEPARTMENT AT (951) 672-6777.
SPECIAL MEETING (6:00 P.M.)
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
4. WORKSHOP
4.1. Housing Element Update
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Staff recommends the City Council and Planning Commission receive the report and
provide direction to staff as desired.
5. ADJOURN
Decorum Policy Notes
You may submit comments on any agenda item by emailing requests to
publiccomments@cityofmenifee.us prior to the item being heard. The Council anticipates
and encourages public participation at its Council meeting, both on agenda items and
during the public comments period. While we encourage participation, we ask there be a
mutual respect for the proceedings.
Menifee Mayor and City Council
Special Meeting Agenda
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Page 2 of 2
Staff Reports
Materials related to an item on this agenda, including those submitted to the City Council
after distribution of the agenda packet, are available for public inspection by contacting
Sarah Manwaring, City Clerk, at (951) 672-6777 during normal business hours.
Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act
If you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, you should contact Sarah
Manwaring, City Clerk at (951) 672-6777. Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will
enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to assure accessibility to this meeting
CITY OF MENIFEE
SUBJECT: Housing Element Update
MEETING DATE: September 30, 2020
TO: Mayor and City Council
PREPARED BY: Doug Darnell, Senior Planner
REVIEWED BY: Cheryl Kitzerow, Community Development Director
APPROVED BY: Armando G. Villa, City Manager
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Staff recommends the City Council and Planning Commission receive the report and provide
direction to staff as desired.
BACKGROUND
The Housing Element is a California (State)-mandated policy document within the Menifee
General Plan that provides direction for the implementation of various programs to meet existing
and projected future housing needs for all income levels within the City of Menifee (City). The
Housing Element provides policies, programs, and actions that accommodate growth, produce
opportunity for the development of new housing units, preserve existing housing stock, and
assist the existing population. The California State Department of Housing and Community
Development (HCD) is the agency responsible for tracking and determining compliance with the
State Housing Law.
The City’s current Housing Element (5th Cycle) was adopted by the City Council in February
2014 and covers the planning period of 2013 to 2021. This Housing Element update (6th Cycle)
will cover the planning period from October 15, 2021 to October 15, 2029.
DISCUSSION
To comply with State law, the City’s Housing Element must be updated to ensure the City’s
policies and programs can accommodate estimated housing growth need identified in the
Southern California Association of Government’s (SCAG’s) Regional Housing Needs
Assessment (RHNA) allocation for the 2021-2029 planning period. Updating the City’s Housing
Element from 2021 to 2029 ensures the City will comply with State law, but more importantly
provides a timeframe for the community to develop and integrate necessary housing goals,
policies, and programs into its General Plan in order to meet anticipated housing growth. An
updated Housing Element would also allow the City to become eligible for State housing grants
and other funding sources including community assistance programs. The 6th Cycle Housing
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City of Menifee Staff Report
Housing Element Update
September 30, 2020
Page 2 of 6
Element will be reviewed for compliance with state law by the California State Department of
Housing and Community Development (HCD). To meet statutory deadlines, the City of Menifee
must locally adopt the Housing Element no later than October 15, 2021.
The Housing Element update process will occur in seven main steps:
1. Assessment of Housing Needs and Opportunities, Resources and Constraints
2. Public Outreach
3. Creation of Goals, Policies, Programs and Objectives
4. Formal Preparation of the 6th Cycle Housing Element
5. Preparation of CEQA Environmental Document
6. Submittal to HCD for Review and Certification
7. Public Hearings and Adoption
The 6th Cycle Update will include several public outreach efforts, including public workshops and
a second joint City Council/Planning Commission Study Session, an online community survey
tool, a City-based informational website, and public hearings with the Planning Commission and
City Council to help shape future policy decisions. The Housing Element webpage will be
regularly updated with latest information on the Housing Element update process and progress.
Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA)
The RHNA is mandated by State law to quantify the need for housing throughout the State and
each city in the Riverside Region. This informs the local planning process to address existing
and future housing need resulting from projected State-wide growth in population, employment,
and households.
As the Council of Governments (or regional planning agency), SCAG is responsible for
determining the methodology for the allocation of housing units in the 2021-2029 planning
period and overseeing the RHNA process for the six-county SCAG region, which includes
Riverside County. The RHNA Methodology is the mechanism for how SCAG distributes the
1,341,827 housing units allocated by the State to all SCAG jurisdictions. More information on
the methodology can be found on SCAG’s website at:
www.scag.ca.gov/programs/Documents/RHNA/SCAG-Final-RHNA-Methodology-030520.pdf
RHNA Allocation
SCAG’s Regional Council adopted a Resolution on March 5, 2020 approving the Final RHNA
Methodology. From this methodology, SCAG distributed a final draft RHNA allocation on
September 3, 2020. The RHNA allocation is subject to an appeal process, which began on
September 11, 2020. After the appeals process concludes, SCAG’s final adopted RHNA
allocation will be issued in January/February 2021.
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City of Menifee Staff Report
Housing Element Update
September 30, 2020
Page 3 of 6
Menifee RHNA
For the planning period, the City is allocated 6,594 units to accommodate estimated growth
need at various income levels, of which 2,805 units are allocated for very low- and low-income
categories. As part of the 6th Cycle Update, the City must provide adequate sites to
accommodate the 6th Cycle RHNA allocation. The 6th Cycle RHNA allocation for Menifee is
shown below:
City of Menifee Final Draft RHNA Allocation: 6th Cycle (2021 – 2029)
Income Category
Income Range*
RHNA Allocation
(Housing Units)
Min Max
Very Low (31% to 50%
MFI)
-- $37,650 1,756 units
Low (51% to 80% MFI)) $37,651 $60,240 1,049 units
Moderate (81% to 120%
MFI))
$61,241 $90,360 1,104 units
Above Moderate (120%
MFI) or more)
$90,361 > $91,361 2,685 units
TOTAL 6,594 units
*MFI= Median Family Income. Income ranges are based on the 2020 HUD Median
Family Income (MFI) for Riverside County of $75,300.
The Housing Element must demonstrate the City’s ability to accommodate the RHNA either
through production of housing or the availability of properly zoned land that can accommodate
additional growth. If adequate sites cannot be identified within the existing zoning, the City is
required to rezone sites that can accommodate the remaining need. The City is not required to
build dwelling units to meet the RHNA allocation and is only required to identify potential sites
and create the framework to allow the market the opportunity to develop these units.
Very Low- and Low-Income Need
Sites designated to meet the City’s low and very-low income RHNA need must meet the
requirements pursuant to AB 1397. In summary, sites must:
• Be considered “available”. Sites must either be vacant (free of any improvement or
easements) or have a “realistic and demonstrated potential for redevelopment during the
planning period.” If more than 50% of the sites identified to meet the very low and low-
income RHNA need are non-vacant, HCD will consider it an impediment to development.
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City of Menifee Staff Report
Housing Element Update
September 30, 2020
Page 4 of 6
• Meet size requirements, with no parcels smaller than .5 acres and no sites larger than
10 acres. HCD may consider adjacent parcels that total >.5 acres as one candidate site
with additional justification provided. *
• Must be able to be served by water, sewer, and dry utilities.
• Sites may be re-used from previous housing elements but will trigger a provision which
requires by-right development and at least 20% of the total units to be affordable to
lower income households.
*A site larger than 10 acres or smaller than half an acre shall not be deemed adequate unless
the locality can demonstrate that sites of equivalent size were successfully developed during the
prior planning period for an equivalent number of lower income housing units.
Additionally, once sites are selected there are provisions relating to the unit capacity shown for
each parcel. This is determined based on the densities of existing and past low-income
development within the city.
The City will conduct an online community survey as well as community workshops to gather
community input to perform an initial site assessment for the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update
RHNA allocations that would be suitable in future development of housing units. These sites
would then be noted in as potential RHNA sites and included in analysis of the 6th Cycle
Housing Element Update.
Land Use Element Update
In coordination with the Housing Element update, the General Plan Land Use Element will be
evaluated to identify future growth and development patterns. The analysis will outline the
existing land uses with undeveloped and underutilized parcels to ensure adequate land for
housing. The analysis will help identify potential land use conflicts and will be an opportunity to
address amendments necessary as part of the Housing Element Update. This will ensure
consistency with the Housing Element Update.
Safety Element Update
The General Plan Safety Element will be updated to be consistent with Government Code
Section 65302 (g) and to address any relevant safety issue to reduce the potential short and
long-term risk to the public from fires, floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, climate
changes and other hazards. The Safety Element must identify hazards and hazard abatement
as well as methods of minimizing risks to guide local decisions related to zoning, subdivisions
and entitlement permits and economic disruptions. The Safety Element shall address at a
minimum, seismic, slope instability, flooding, fire, and climate change and create a set of
feasible mitigation measures.
Environmental Justice Components
Under Senate Bill 1000, cities are required to incorporate environmental justice goals and
policies into the General Plan if they have disadvantaged communities within their jurisdiction
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City of Menifee Staff Report
Housing Element Update
September 30, 2020
Page 5 of 6
and when updating/revising two or more elements of the General Plan. For disadvantaged
communities identified within the City, the City will analyze existing policies and programs to
help identify and develop policies directing resources to disadvantaged communities to improve
heath, recreation, and economic mobility through cleaner air, better access to transportation,
education and employment. This will help inform more equitable development and design to
improve community resilience. Environmental justice policies will be included in various
Elements of the General Plan, where appropriate.
Projected Timeline & Upcoming Public Engagement Opportunities
Community Outreach for the 6th Cycle Update will include a series of public workshops and
meetings as well as a variety of tools to help the community understand the 6th Cycle Update
process. The Community Outreach plan provides for community input as follows:
Community Workshops
Three Community Workshops will be conducted for the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update. The
workshops will be held in the coming fall, winter, and spring to encourage broad community
participation. The Workshops will provide opportunities for the community to identify issues,
opportunities and suggest policy and programmatic considerations.
City Council/Planning Commission Study Sessions
A second joint study session with the City Council and Planning Commission will be conducted
in early 2021 with the development of the draft Housing Element. The meeting will provide an
update on progress relative available sites for housing, HCD coordination, and policy and
programs considerations.
Digital Outreach Tools
The outreach process will be complemented by an online engagement presence including a
website and community survey tool. The website is currently available to view at
https://www.cityofmenifee.us/658/2021-2029-Housing-Element-Update. The website will provide
regular updates to the planning process, background information, draft documents, and
additional opportunities for the public to provide input through an online engagement tool. The
online community survey tool will allow the community to register comments and ideas through
a survey and open-ended questions.
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City of Menifee Staff Report
Housing Element Update
September 30, 2020
Page 6 of 6
Key upcoming dates, in addition to regular City Council meetings, include the following:
First Virtual Community Workshop Wednesday,
October 22, 2020
Community Survey Fall 2020
Second Community Workshop Winter 2020
City Council/Planning Commission Study Sessions Early 2021
Public Review Draft Spring 2021
Third Community Workshop Spring 2021
Public Hearings Summer 2021
City staff will continue to refine the schedule as the 6th Cycle Update process continues, and
keep the timeline posted in real-time on the Housing Element webpage
(https://www.cityofmenifee.us/658/2021-2029-Housing-Element-Update).
Environmental Impact
Environmental review in compliance with CEQA (Environmental Impact Report or Environmental
Impact Report Addendum) will be prepared for the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update, Land
Use Element, Safety Element and Environmental Justice Element Update (Project) to evaluate
potential impacts associated with the Project and will be circulated for public review and provide
to the Planning Commission and City Council for consideration at a later date.
FISCAL IMPACT
None.
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