Affordable Housing

As a city councilor, I will fight to ensure that the city is provided the necessary funding and resources by the state to address state-mandated housing requirements. It is not economically feasible or practical to assume that private entities will build the required affordable housing units out of the good of their own hearts. It will require a partnership with the city, supported by state and federal housing funds, to make this happen. And this is what I will fight passionately for - to ensure that the city is financially supported to provide affordable housing for all of its citizens.

Some additional background on the history and requirements surrounding housing issues can guide the framework on how we, as a community, can work toward this shared goal of providing housing for all of our community members while maintaining our community’s unique character and also rising up to address the housing crisis.

Since 1969, the state of California has required that local governments plan to meet their community’s housing needs.
Regional housing needs are determined by gathering and evaluating data related to demographic trends and housing conditions.
Once the regional needs are assessed, (in our case, Solana Beach is in the San Diego region), the housing needs are further allocated to each city in the region.
In 2020, SANDAG completed this process, and allocated 875 housing units, varying from very low income to above moderate income to the City of Solana Beach. This is referred to as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA.
The city unsuccessfully appealed this allocation to SANDAG. The city also sued, appealed, and lost in the California courts. SANDAG’s housing allocation to Solana Beach was upheld.
In 2021, the city updated its Housing Element (a portion of the city’s General Plan) to identify how it would meet its mandated allocation of housing.
The city submitted its updated Housing Element to the state, and that document is still under review.

These requirements are firm and the housing allocation is no longer something we have the option to revisit, appeal, or fight. Let’s save money and start working on how to make this work for all of us here, now, and in the future.