Yorba Linda faces major challenge in identifying housing sites to meet goal-setting state mandate

Yorba Linda's officials might face a major challenge identifying sites for 2,322 housing units, a mandate now under consideration by the Southern California Association of Governments.

That organization, most often referred to as SCAG, is charged by the state to require the 197 jurisdictions in six Southern California counties to make plans for 1,344,740 new units to meet the area's housing needs during the upcoming October 2021 to October 2029 planning period.

While Yorba Linda's 2,322 number is not final, the figure is coming close to adoption, given the outsized influence Los Angeles County has in determining housing numbers that will be assigned for planning purposes to cities in neighboring counties.

The timeline calls for SCAG to establish an appeals process for the assigned numbers this month, consider appeals in July and make a final decision in August. Cities are required to identify sites for the assigned numbers in a housing document due October 2021.

Yorba Linda's assignment includes 735 units for very low-income, 433 for low-income, 440 for moderate-income and 714 for above-moderate income levels. The city has objected to SCAG methodology in a four-page letter to the state Housing and Urban Development Department.

Income levels are based on “area median income,” or AMI, which varies by household size ($97,900 for a four-person household in Orange County). Very low is less than 50% of AMI, low is 50-80%, moderate is 80-120% and above-moderate is above 120%.

The city's appeal will need to outline specific criteria for reducing the final assignment and not just say, “We're built out,” according to officials, who will study the appeal process adopted by SCAG.

Last year, city officials responded to a SCAG survey seeking input on factors that could impact providing sites in the city's 20-square-mile territory to meet future housing needs.

One response noted: “The majority of land suitable for urban development...has already been developed and the city is nearing build-out conditions. As of today, there are approximately 15 vacant properties (totaling less than 10 acres) remaining in the city that have not been developed, entitled or are in the process of entitlement....”

Further, “The majority of these properties are undeveloped single-family parcels averaging 0.5 acres in size. The only remaining large vacant or underutilized property (is) a 26-acre...parcel that is restricted through a development agreement for public use purposes.”

Other limits mentioned were cost of converting from septic systems to sewers, already having more housing units than jobs, limited public transportation and restrictions on converting state and county parkland and oil production acreage to other uses.

Interestingly, before a last-minute revision, the city was facing a mandate to identify sites for only 207 units, with 66 very low, 39 low, 39 moderate and 63 above-moderate income levels.