WHAT IS THE HOUSING ELEMENT?
State law requires each jurisdiction to adopt a General Plan, which is a comprehensive, long-term plan for its physical development. General Plans include several “elements” that address various topics. The Santa Clarita General Plan includes seven elements, including the Housing Element.
While most portions of a General Plan are updated every 20-25 years, State law requires the Housing Element be updated every eight years. Housing Element planning periods are sometimes referred to as “cycles.” The City’s current Housing Element covers the planning period extending from 2014 to 2021, which is referred to as the “5th Housing Element cycle,” in reference to the five required updates that have occurred since the comprehensive revision to State Housing Element law in 1980. All cities in the Southern California Association of Governments (“SCAG”) region are required to prepare a Housing Element update for the 6th Housing Element cycle, which spans the 2021-2029 period. The SCAG region includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, and Imperial counties.
WHAT IS THE REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT (RHNA)?
The Regional Housing Needs Assessment (“RHNA”) is a part of State housing element law that determines the projected and existing housing needs for each jurisdiction in the State. In its Housing Element, the City must demonstrate to the State that there are no unnecessary barriers to the housing approval process in order to meet the RHNA allocation for the City.
On March 4, 2021, SCAG released its final allocation of housing units for each jurisdiction in its region, which can be found here. The City has received a final allocation of 10,031 new housing units for this upcoming planning period. Additional information on RHNA can be found at Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and at California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
SCAG has prepared pre-certified housing data for the City, which can be downloaded here.
Final Housing Element
