Bobkiewicz noted that “there’s currently not a lot of teeth” in the mandated housing allocations, although a bill linking funding to the housing performance of cities is again being considered. Implementation will depend on how strong law is, although “a lot of folks out there are not able to meet” their mandated housing requirements.“It’s a wish list” that doesn’t have impact on anything other than general planning, said Fernandez. Minsk noted that the allocations are “an expectation....”Councilman Dr. Gabino Aguirre noted that Santa Paula’s representatives countered with 1,200 housing units.Infill developments, including the 76-unit Comstock development on Hospital Hill and in other areas of the city, will count towards the allocation as long as they meet the SCAG imposed inclusionary guidelines, said Bobkiewicz. “We will work as hard as we can” to include all numbers, but “the devil will be in the details once the dust settles” in a few months.SCAG is already out of compliance with state law: “This should have been done two years ago,” he added, and now other counties are objecting to their housing allocations that could be shifted to Ventura County. “If we need to fight a battle in Sacramento” it would be vital that all 10 county cities are united, Bobkiewicz noted.
City Council: Housing allocations a new battle for Ventura County
January 12, 2007
Santa Paula City Council
There will be plenty of homes in Ventura County’s future if the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) gets its way, the City Council learned at the January 2 meeting.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesThere will be plenty of homes in Ventura County’s future if the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) gets its way, the City Council learned at the January 2 meeting.SCAG has been working on allocations that call for 28,481 housing units to be created countywide by 2014. “That means that the county and the 10 cities have to come up” with a formula on housing splits, Planning Director Janna Minsk told the Council.The starting point for discussion is Santa Paula’s allocation of 1,856 dwelling units, about 6.5 percent of the total countywide. Managers of Ventura County and city planning staffs have been going over the numbers preparing for a SCAG meeting. The deadline is looming and “Some cities are pleased” with their suggested allocation while others are “displeased,” said Minsk.City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz, the interim VCOG executive director, said that area cities believe that they can better judge housing allocations than SCAG.“What does this all mean to us?” asked Councilman Ralph Fernandez, who noted, “We are not builders, we are setting General Plan numbers. These numbers are dependent on the developer.” Fernandez also questioned cities not meeting mandated goals and whether or not infill development is counted. Minsk said that the numbers help in the preparation of the state required housing element.
