Santa Barbara County releases Draft Housing Element Update
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - The Draft Housing Element is now live on the County's website, kicking off the first of a 30-day public comment period.
People living and working in the region that spans Carpinteria to Santa Maria can expect to see major changes in housing development in the coming years and public input is wanted.
The County's Draft Housing Element encompasses 2023 to 2031.
For those who are unfamiliar, the Housing Element falls under the County's General Plan and is compiled every eight years. It is a way of balancing jobs and the housing supply.
In the County's case, sufficient housing has not been built in 30 years.
"In the last five to six years, the state has grown more and more impatient with jurisdictions not building housing to meet the need in our state," said Lisa Plowman, Santa Barbara County's Director of Planning and Development. "And so, they have been passing law after law after law to make it easier to build housing in communities."
For the first time ever, the state is requiring 73 percent of the units be developed in the south county, between western Goleta and Carpinteria.
"South county is jobs rich, housing poor and north county is housing rich and jobs poor," said Plowman.
"The way it's broken down, we have a total number of 5,664 units that have been assigned to the unincorporated areas of the county. And, the north county got 1,522 and south county has 4,142."
Plowman said that the overall number is eight times larger than the county's last cycle. She added that Santa Barbara County is not the only region in California struggling to meet housing needs.
"They are demanding that local jurisdictions house their population and their employees."
She also delved into local home and rental prices.
"Rents have been skyrocketing and COVID did not help that. Housing prices have been climbing. Right now, the median home price in the County of Santa Barbara is about $670,000 -- that averages out across the north and the south."
The median prices for South county is well over $1 million dollars.
"In order to be able to afford a home in our county, with ten percent down, to not be "cost burdened" as the State defines it -- that means, you're paying more than 30 percent of your gross income -- you would have to make $328,000 a year."
Plowman said at the end of the 30 days, the County will look at the public comments and identify where to make changes in the Housing Element, then submit it to the State. It is anticipated that the State will take 90 days to review that document.
This is a major, ongoing process for the county; outreach started last summer. Your News Channel team will continue to report on this issue with more in-depth information.
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