Santa Barbara County on Monday completed its draft Housing Element Update.
Now begins 30 days of public comment.
You can find the draft at www.countyofsb.org/3177/housing-element-update and enter your comments there.
The Housing Element Update is one of the mandated components of the county’s General Plan.
County staff has been working with the community on this Housing Element Update for the past year, holding in-person, virtual workshops and individual meetings. According to the county, its goal is “to submit a high-quality Housing Element that has the unincorporated communities’ best interest in mind.”
For this cycle, the California Department of Housing and Community Development requires that Santa Barbara County identify land to accommodate 5,664 new housing units in unincorporated portions of Santa Barbara County between 2023 and 2031. That housing need allocation, the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, is further broken down to require 4,142 units on the South Coast and 1,522 units in North County. It also includes mandated affordability criteria.
The Board of Supervisors is expected to adopt the finalized Housing Element Update later this year.
— Dave Mason
