Huntington Beach city leaders voted Monday night to appeal mandated numbers for new housing in the city. The vote to appeal the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allotment for the sixth cycle (Oct 2021-Oct 2029) was 7-0.
Huntington Beach joins Newport Beach, which voted unanimously to appeal its RHNA numbers on Oct 15. More Orange County cities are expected to follow.
Last year, the state said Southern California would need to plan for 1.3 million new homes during the sixth cycle. In turn, the Southern California Assn. of Governments shifted the number of mandated homes more toward the coast. Under the plan, Huntington Beach would have to zone for 13,337 residential units. Newport Beach would have to zone for 4,834. The cities say those numbers are too high.
On Monday, the Huntington Beach City Council also approved a contract with Kimley-Horn and Associates for the preparation of the 2021-2029 General Plan Housing Element Update.