SCH Number 2023040560

Project Info

Title

Cypress Housing Element Implementation Project

Description

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 a programmatic update to the City’s General Plan, Lincoln Avenue Specific Plan (LASP), Cypress Town Center and Commons Specific Plan 2.0 (CTCC Specific Plan), Cypress Business and Professional Center Specific Plan (CBPC Specific Plan), and Zoning Ordinance and would not directly result in physical development. 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. The proposed project would update the City’s General Plan and Zoning Ordinance, and the Lincoln Avenue Specific Plan to be “internally consistent,” meaning any and all conflicts must be acknowledged and resolved. In order 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. The proposed project divides the City’s RHNA between the CTCC Specific Plan, CBPC Specific Plan area and LASP area. Under the proposed project, the allowable residential density within approximately 42 acres of the CTCC Specific Plan area would increase to up to 30 dwelling units per acre to accommodate a maximum of an additional 676 units and the existing unit cap of 1,250 units would be revised to allow development up to 1,791 total residential units. The zoning in the remainder of the CTCC Specific Plan would remain unchanged. With these proposed changes, an estimated 1,791 units could be accommodated within the CTCC Specific Plan area, in addition to the 135-unit Belmont project currently under construction. Cypress currently has the capacity to accommodate the development of up to 1,946 new housing units, which includes 504 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 4,260 units, representing an increase of 2,314 units compared to the City’s existing planning and zoning documents.

2 documents in project