Cypress Housing Element Implementation Project

Cypress Housing Element Implementation Project

The City of Cypress (City) recently updated its General Plan Housing Element for the 6th Cycle Planning Period from 2021 to 2029. Although the City’s 2021–2029 Housing Element identifies several adequate sites that are able to accommodate the development of up to 1,946 new housing units, Cypress has a large unaccommodated housing need of 1,990 units to meet its Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation of 3,936 units. The 2021–2029 Housing Element outlined several sites that are candidates for future housing development (Opportunity Sites) and identified two potential rezoning scenarios, which are described below. However, the 2021–2029 Housing Element did not actually amend the City’s planning and zoning documents. Instead, the 2021–2029 Housing Element includes a program that requires that the City rezone identified parcels in the sites inventory within 18 months of the 2021–2029 Housing Element’s adoption date to ensure the provision of adequate and appropriate sites for future housing development (Housing Program 12). The proposed project is the implementation of Housing Program 12, based upon one of the two rezoning scenarios in the City’s 2021–2029 Housing Element. The proposed project includes amendments to the City’s Zoning Ordinance and an update of the City’s General Plan to reflect the 2021–2029 Housing Element adopted on June 27, 2022, and would not directly result in physical development. The proposed project would include amendments to the Lincoln Avenue Specific Plan (LASP), the Cypress Town Center and Commons Specific Plan 2.0 (CTCC Specific Plan), and the Cypress Business and Professional Center Specific Plan (CBPC Specific Plan). The proposed project would update the City’s General Plan and Zoning Ordinance and any relevant planning documents to be “internally consistent,” meaning any and all conflicts must be acknowledged and resolved. For the 2021–2029 Housing Element to be internally consistent with the Zoning Ordinance and Specific Plans, the proposed project would rezone sites and/or amend the General Plan to accommodate the City’s housing needs, as set forth in the 2021–2029 Housing Element. Under the proposed project rezoning scenario, the LASP and the CTCC Specific Plan would be amended to accommodate most of the additional dwelling units required to meet the City’s RHNA. The CBPC Specific Plan along Katella Avenue would also be amended to accommodate additional dwelling units. The CTCC Specific Plan would be amended to allow up to 1,791 dwelling units (it currently allows up to 1,250 dwelling units). The majority of the zoning in the CTCC Specific Plan would remain unchanged, with 109.9 acres allowing densities ranging from 8 to 15 dwelling units per acre. Densities within the other approximately 14.5 acres would increase to 45 to 50 dwelling units per acre. Any changes to the CTCC Specific Plan would require voter approval. Under the proposed project, several properties within the LASP would be zoned for 30 dwelling units per acre. One parcelwithin the CBPC Specific Plan would be zoned for 60 dwelling units per acre. Cypress currently has capacity to accommodate the development of up to 1,946 new housing units, which includes 484 housing units that are already entitled (approved or currently under construction). Therefore, the proposed rezoning action under the proposed project would increase the City’s development capacity to 3,756 units or an increase of 2,314 units compared to the City’s existing planning and zoning documents. The EIR will also evaluate an alternative rezoning scenario identified as Alternative 2 in the 2021–2029 Housing Element. The Alternative 2 rezoning scenario includes densities between 30 and 60 dwelling units per acre within the LASP and allows up to 60 dwelling units per acre at one property within the CBPC Specific Plan. In total, 21 parcels at the east end of the Lincoln Avenue corridor, closest to Cypress College, would be zoned for 60 dwelling units per acre. Other areas of the Lincoln Avenue corridor would be zoned for 30 or 50 dwelling units per acre. This scenario would not affect any of the existing zoning for the Los Alamitos Race Course, which was established by the voter-approved CTCC Specific Plan. The proposed rezoning action under Alternative 2 would increase the City’s development capacity to 3,845 units, or an increase of 2,403 units compared to the 1,946 new housing units allowed under the City’s existing planning and zoning documents. Table A below provides an overview of the existing unbuilt residential development capacity for the four housing opportunity locations and the proposed increase in residential development capacity and resulting unbuilt residential development capacity for the proposed project and Alternative 2.

Cypress

Orange

Southern California

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, South Coast Region 5 (CDFW), California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Planning (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Natural Resources Agency, California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Santa Ana Region 8 (RWQCB), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Department of Toxic Substances Control, Office of Historic Preservation, San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC), State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, District 8, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Rights, California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Department of Transportation, District 12 (DOT)

California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Department of Transportation, District 12 (DOT)

Residential (Units 2191, Acres 1000)

General Plan Amendment, Specific Plan, Rezone

Aesthetics, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Drainage/Absorption, Energy, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Hydrology/Water Quality, Mineral Resources, Noise, Population/Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Schools/Universities, Sewer Capacity, Solid Waste, Transportation