SCH Number 2021020031

Project Info

Title

City of Menifee 6th Cycle Housing Element Update Project

Description

The City of Menifee 6th Cycle Housing Element Update Project includes updates within multiple elements of the City of Menifee General Plan (Menifee GP) including the Housing Element, the Land Use Element, and Safety Element along with the addition of new Environmental Justice policies and programs. The Housing Element Update (HEU) component proposes updates to the Menifee GP Housing Element in accordance with California Government Code (CGC) §§65580–65589.8 which requires the revision of housing elements every eight years. The HEU would align with the 2021-2029 cycle. The HEU will include revised goals and policies, and new, modified, and continuing implementation programs that result in maintenance and expansion of the housing supply to adequately accommodate households currently living and expected to live in the City. Per CGC §65584(d), the HEU will also address existing and projected housing needs through the accommodation of the City’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation. The RHNA allocates housing need based on future estimates of housing unit growth need over the RHNA planning period (2021-2029). The City was allocated a total of 6,609 additional units from the RHNA. The RHNA allocation is broken down into very low-, low-, moderate-, and above moderate-income categories based on the most current Median Family Income (MFI) for Riverside County (the County). The City’s RHNA allocation for each income category is as follows: · 1,761 very low-income housing units; · 1,051 low-income housing units; · 1,106 moderate-income housing units; and · 2,691 above moderate-income units. To accommodate its RHNA allocation, the City has identified 69 candidate housing sites which could accommodate up to 8,696 additional housing units within the City. The identified candidate housing sites would accommodate units for a 32 percent buffer beyond the 6,609-unit RHNA requirement. Eleven of the candidate housing sites will require General Plan land use amendments and rezoning as follows: · Eight parcels totaling approximately 55.02 acres to be rezoned from Economic Development Corridor (EDC) zones (EDC-MB, EDC-NR & EDC-CC) to the High Density Residential (HDR) Zone. This will also include General Plan land use amendment for this site from EDC to 20.1-24 du/ac Residential. · One approximately 9.27-acre parcel to be rezoned from the Economic Development Corridor McCall Blvd. (EDC-MB) Zone to the Medium Density Residential (MDR) Zone. This will also include General Plan land use amendment for this site from EDC to 8.1-14 du/ac Residential. · Two parcels totaling 10.12 acres to be rezoned from the Economic Development Corridor Newport Road (EDC-NR) Zone to the Low Medium Density Residential (LMDR) Zone. This will also include General Plan land use amendment for these sites from EDC to 5.1-8 du/ac Residential. The City does not propose any site development on a candidate housing site/parcel. Future housing development could occur on these candidate housing sites/parcels, according to the General Plan land use and zoning as proposed under the Housing Element and as local conditions dictate with timing at the discretion of each individual property owner. The Land Use Element Update (LUEU) component will include amendments to the Menifee GP Land Use Element for land use changes required for and consistent with the HEU candidate sites to be rezoned as described above. In addition, a General Plan land use amendment and rezoning is proposed for 48 parcels (approximately 66 acres) consisting of the Economic Development Corridor-Community Core island area bounded on the north by La Piedra Road, on the south by Haun Road, to the west by Stern Drive, and on the east by Sherman Road. General Plan land use for the forty-eight parcels (approx. 66 acres) within this area would change from Economic Development Corridor (EDC) to Rural Residential 1-acre minimum (RR-1). These parcels are also proposed to be rezoned from the Economic Development Corridor Community Core (EDC-CC) Zone to the Rural Residential 1-acre minimum (RR-1) Zone. The purpose of this amendment and rezoning is to provide consistency with the existing lower density residential character and pattern of this area, which is generally currently developed with single-family residential units on lots approximately 1-acre in size. The LUEU would also amend the City’s Economic Development Corridor (EDC) land use policies to include: · Removal the 15 percent limitation placed on the residential land use type, · Amending language to NOT allow stand-alone residential development and require residential to be vertically integrated with non-residential development, thereby ensuring no loss of EDC commercial, office and retail, and · Amend the EDC Subarea use descriptions and preferred use mix. The Safety Element Update (SEU) component is created in accordance with CGC §65302(g) and to address any relevant safety issues to reduce the potential short and long-term risk to the public from fires, floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, climate changes and other hazards. Fire hazard goals and policies of the SEU will include input from the Fire Department/CalFire and will identify Fire Hazard Severity Zones based on latest updated California Department of Forestry High Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps. Additionally, the SEU proposes climate change adaptability goals and policies based on a Climate Vulnerability Assessment conducted for the City. The Climate Vulnerability Assessment discusses hazards that the City may face as an effect of increased climate change. These effects include increased risks due to temperature changes, extreme temperature days, and increased wildfire risks due to the effects of climate change. New policies based on the conclusions of the Climate Change Assessment would be incorporated into the SEU to account for potential risks due to fire susceptibility, heat damage, and drought. The Environmental Justice (EJ) component would be implemented in accordance with Senate Bill 1000 (SB 1000) which requires cities to incorporate environmental justice goals and policies into the General Plan if the they have disadvantaged communities within their jurisdiction and when updating/revising two or more elements of the General Plan. For disadvantaged communities identified within the City, the City will analyze existing policies and programs to help identify and develop policies directing resources to disadvantaged communities to improve health, recreation, and economic mobility through cleaner air, better access to transportation, education and employment. This will help inform more equitable development and design to improve community resilience. Environmental justice policies will be located in various Elements of the General Plan, where appropriate. City of Menifee entitlements and approvals required for the Project include: Adoption/approval of the City of Menifee Housing Element Update Programmatic Environmental Impact Report as well as General Plan Amendment No. GPA PLN21-0022 and Change of Zone No. ZC PLN21-0021 as described below: General Plan Amendment GPA PLN21-0022 would adopt the proposed changes to the Housing Element, Land Use Element, Safety Element, and Environmental Justice policies in compliance with State law. These changes would also include land use amendments to accommodate the HEU RHNA, land use amendments to the EDC-CC island parcels as part of EDC amendments and updates to land use policies within the City’s EDC areas as described above. Change of Zone ZC PLN21-0021 would rezone of parcels required to accommodate the HEU RHNA and rezone of EDC-CC island parcels as part of EDC amendments as described above.

4 documents in project