First published in the Nov. 3 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
Less than one month after submitting its housing element, La Cañada Flintridge staff informed the City Council that the California Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD, is in the process of reviewing the lengthy document and they already have some questions for city officials.
During a City Council meeting Tuesday, Susan Koleda, LCF’s director of community development, said the state updated her on the process and she anticipates getting “formal comments back soon, hopefully before the end of the 60-day [review] period.”
La Cañada Flintridge sent its updated housing element on Oct. 7, three days after the City Council approved the general plan amendment to adopt the 2021-2029 housing element, following an arduous journey that included multiple revisions and hours-long meetings with dozens of stakeholders weighing in on the subject.
The city had previously submitted a draft of the housing element that was rejected by the state sometime last year and was advised to modify its sites inventory list, which is a catalog identifying properties that could be considered for development and must be included with the document.
After reaching out to community members and businesses, city staff and consultants modified the document to create a housing element that they hoped would not only be compliant with HCD’s demands, but also be accepted by residents and stays true to the city’s character and aesthetics.
La Cañada Flintridge isn’t the only municipality awaiting word from the state as 52.04% of cities aren’t compliant with the sixth cycle of the housing element. Only 35 of 89 cities in Los Angeles County have had a housing element approved by HCD, and neighboring cities such as San Marino, South Pasadena and Glendale are in the same boat as LCF.
Much work still needs to be done by the city as it begins to update its zoning so that it aligns with the new housing element.
“There are a lot of us that have not been certified,” Koleda said. “We are all working with HCD. There has been a lot of coordination with the jurisdictions. We did have until Oct. 15 of this year to get our housing element certified and rezoning done. There [are] a lot of jurisdictions that are in the same boat that we are that aren’t quite there yet, but we are working diligently to get that done.”
