General Plan Amendment Application No. 2015-1 and Negative Declaration, dated January 6, 2016, related to the City of Reedley, 2015-2023 Multi-Jurisdictional Ho

General Plan Amendment Application No. 2015-1 and Negative Declaration, dated January 6, 2016, related to the City of Reedley, 2015-2023 Multi-Jurisdictional Ho

The proposed project is the adoption and implementation of the City of Reedley 2015-2023 Housing Element. California Housing Element law requires every jurisdiction in the state to prepare and adopt a housing element as part of its general plan. It is typical for each city or county to prepare and maintain its own separate general plan and housing element; however, the Fresno Council of Governments (COG) is coordinating the County of Fresno and twelve of its 15 incorporated cities in preparing a multi-jurisdictional housing element for the fifth round of housing element updates. The project provides an opportunity for countywide housing issues and needs to be more effectively addressed comprehensively at the regional level as opposed to individually, and without coordination, at the local level. This approach provides the opportunity for the local governments and the County to work together in accommodating the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) assigned to the Fresno County region. The Housing Element for the City has been prepared using the information and collaboration developed through this multi-jurisdictional effort. A Housing Element is one of seven required elements of a jurisdiction's General Plan. It addresses the existing and future housing needs of persons from all economic backgrounds and serves as a tool for decision-makers and the public in understanding and meeting housing needs in the local jurisdiction. The law does not require local governments to construct housing to meet those needs. State law mandates that the community address housing needs in its discretionary actions by creating opportunities for housing and facilitating balanced housing development through policy. State law requires that all housing elements address four key topics: 1) housing needs, 2) constraints to housing development, 3) housing resources, and 4) a preparation of a housing plan. Analysis of these topics provides the foundation for the preparation of a housing element. Article 10.6, Section 65580 - 65589.8, Chapter 3 of Division 1 of Title 7 of the California Government Code establishes the legal requirements for a housing element and encourages the provision of affordable and decent housing, in suitable living environments, in all communities, in working towards statewide goals. The 2015-2023 Multi-Jurisdictional Housing Element will become the policy document in the City of Reedley that will address current and projected housing needs within its jurisdiction, in relationship to the other participating jurisdictions. The Element identifies housing goals and policies to meet the broad, diverse housing needs at the regional level coupled with the programs and availability of land at the local level to implement the plan and reach those goals. The City of Reedley has conducted an environmental analysis for the above-described project, contained in the attached initial study. The lead agency proposes to adopt a negative declaration for this project. This negative declaration is tiered from the certified program environmental impact report SCH# 2010031106 prepared for the Reedley General Plan Update 2030. The project has been determined to be a subsequent project that is not fully within the scope of the certified Program Environmental Impact Report prepared for the GPU.

Reedley

Fresno