SOLANA BEACH — The Solana Beach City Council has approved new ordinances implementing housing density and zoning programs required in its Housing Element.
The 6th Cycle Housing Element, which covers the period 2021-2029, outlines housing production requirements for California cities and plans for implementing various programs to facilitate housing construction. Solana Beach is required to permit 875 units in this cycle and adopt 37 specific programs.
At its Nov. 21 meeting, the City Council adopted several amendments to its zoning ordinance, including 11 required Housing Element programs and an updated density bonus ordinance that more accurately reflects state law.
With these adopted changes, the city has checked off 21 of the 37 programs required in this Housing Element cycle, according to Community Development Director Joseph Lim.
“I think we’d all agree, given how challenging it was to get through the Housing Element process, it’s nice that we’re sticking to our guns and delivering what we’re supposed to be delivering and getting this done,” City Councilmember Dave Zito said.
The density bonus ordinance approved by the council adds language stating that the city adopts the California State Density Bonus Law by reference. Lim said there have been many state-level changes to the density bonus law and that this change is easier than repeatedly amending the city’s code.
One of the 11 changes in the zoning ordinance is an amendment to the city code to allow and permit manufactured homes and mobile homes in the same manner and zone as conventional housing structures, allowing them to be used as primary or accessory dwelling units.
The zoning ordinance also:
– Adds transitional and supportive housing as an allowed use in areas where multifamily and mixed uses are permitted
– Changes the city’s definition of employee housing to be compliant with state law
– Amends parking requirements for emergency shelters
– Allows group homes of six or fewer people in single-family residential areas
– Amends the definition of density to be based on gross acreage versus net acreage
– Clarifies the allowed height of buildings in the special commercial zone to include “up to three stories”
– Removes the requirement for a conditional use permit for group residential facilities and instead implements objective design standards
– Permits the development of low-barrier navigation centers in the general commercial zone and conditionally permits them in the public/institutional zone
– Amends city code better to accommodate approval of accessibility retrofit efforts for developments and allow reasonable accommodations for persons with physical and developmental disabilities (fulfills two Housing Element programs)
Lim said that as of 2023, the city had permitted 96 units. This amount does not include units in several other projects, including the 260-unit Solana Highlands Apartments (which will include 32 low-income units), 13 townhomes off Stevens Avenue, eight units within the Ida Avenue apartments, and several single-family dwellings and accessory dwelling units.
“There are several other projects that are in different stages of obtaining entitlements, building permits or being constructed that are not included in the above unit count which will be recorded on future annual reports as they are completed,” Lim said.
Of the 875 units allocated to Solana Beach in the Regional Housing Needs Allocation process, 316 must be for extremely low and very low-income households (those making less than 50% of San Diego County’s median fixed income, or MFI); 159 units for low-income (51-80% of county MFI); 160 units for moderate-income (81-120% of county MFI); and 240 units for above moderate-income (120% or more of county MFI).
Solana Beach’s 6th Cycle Housing Element was certified in 2023 after two years of back-and-forth with state housing officials. The city initially pushed back against the assigned number of units from the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, joining three other cities in a lawsuit arguing that the San Diego Association of Governments had issued allocations inequitably, but the suit was dismissed in 2021.
Before Nov. 21, the city had adopted 10 other required programs related to accessory dwelling units, affordable housing development on city-owned land, public education, water and sewer resources, and energy conservation.
“The staff has been working diligently to move forward the various programs that are contained in the Housing Element,” Lim said.
