6. HOUSING PLAN

Sections 2 through 5 of the Housing Element establish the housing needs, opportunities and constraints in the City of El Segundo. The Housing Plan presented in this section sets forth the City's goals, policies, and programs to address El Segundo’s identified housing needs.

A. GOALS AND POLICIES

This section of the Housing Element contains the goals and policies the City of El Segundo intends to implement to address a number of important housing‑related issues. With a very limited supply of land and limited public funding sources, El Segundo’s housing objectives are primarily to protect and preserve its existing housing stock. In addition to the small amount of new construction anticipated on presently underdeveloped residential land, the City will also provide an opportunity for private development of new units within the Smoky Hollow Mixed-Use district, on the Imperial School site, and in the Downtown and Neighborhood Commercial Zones.

The following five major issue areas are addressed by the goals and policies of this Element. Each issue area and the supporting goals and policies are identified and discussed in the following section.

· Conserving and improving the condition of the existing stock of affordable housing;

· Assisting in the development of affordable housing;

· Providing adequate sites to achieve a diversity of housing;

· Removing governmental constraints, as necessary; and

· Promoting equal housing opportunity.

Conserving Existing Affordable Housing Stock

According to the 1990 Census, about 68 percent of El Segundo's housing units are more than 30 years old, the age at which a housing unit will typically begin to require major repairs. This represents a significant proportion of the City's housing stock, and indicates that programs which assist with preventive maintenance may be necessary to avoid housing deterioration.

GOAL 1: Preserve and protect the existing housing stock by encouraging the rehabilitation of deteriorating dwelling units and the conservation of the currently sound housing stock.

Policy 1.1: Continue to promote the use of rehabilitation assistance programs to encourage property owners to rehabilitate owner-occupied and rental housing where feasible.

Policy 1.2: Encourage investment of public and private resources to foster neighborhood improvement.

Policy 1.3: Encourage the maintenance of sound owner-occupied and renter-occupied housing.

Policy 1.4: Continue to promote sound attenuation improvements to the existing housing stock.

Assisting in the Development of Affordable Housing

There is a range of household types in El Segundo that need housing to fit their particular circumstances. For example, about 35 percent of the population is between the ages of 25 and 44. This may indicate a need for affordable homeownership opportunities. The City seeks to expand the range of housing opportunities, including those for low- and moderate income first-time homebuyers, senior citizens on fixed incomes, very low-, low-, and moderate-income residents, the disabled, military personnel, and the homeless.

GOAL 2: Provide sufficient new, affordable housing opportunities in the City to meet the needs of groups with special requirements, including the needs of lower and moderate income households.

Policy 2.1: Provide regulations, as required by State law, to facilitate additional senior housing and develop programs to serve related special needs.

Policy 2.2: Facilitate the creation of affordable home ownership opportunities for low and moderate income households.

Policy 2.3: Provide an allowance in the City’s Zoning Ordinance, as required by State law, to permit transitional housing facilities in multi-family residential zones and emergency shelters in commercial zones.

Policy 2.4: Provide funding for the development of plans for a Community Center to provide expanded and consolidated services for seniors and large families.

Providing Adequate Sites

As described in the Constraints section of the Housing Element, historically, less than 25 percent of the land within the City has been used for residential development. The remaining land has been used primarily for a mixture of light and heavy industrial purposes and is not available for residential use. A total of 335 acres are designated residential/commercial mixed use in El Segundo. Limited land resources thus restrict the amount of residential development that could occur in the City.

GOAL 3: Provide opportunities for new housing construction in a variety of locations and a variety of densities in accordance with the land use designations and policies in the Land Use Element.

Policy 3.1: Provide for the construction of 78 new housing units during the 2000-2005 planning period in order to meet the goals of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA).

Policy 3.2: Allow property designated for multi-family use which currently contains single-family development to be recycled for multi-family residential development.

Policy 3.3: Permit vacant and underdeveloped property designated as residential to develop with a diversity of types, price and tenure.

Policy 3.4: Encourage new housing to be developed within the Smoky Hollow Mixed-Use district, and on the Imperial School site.

Policy 3.5: Continue to permit a second dwelling on selected single-family lots when such lots abut higher intensity land use designations.

Policy 3.6: Continue to permit a second dwelling on the front of select single-family lots which have a small older dwelling at the rear of the lot.

Policy 3.7: Continue to permit a third and fourth dwelling on selected two-family lots when such lots abut higher intensity land use designations.

Removing Governmental Constraints

In addition to the private sector, actions by City and other governmental regulations can have an impact on the price and availability of housing. Land use controls, site improvement requirements, building codes, fees, and other local programs intended to improve the overall quality of housing may serve as a constraint to housing development.

GOAL 4: Remove governmental constraints on housing development.

Policy 4.1: Continue to allow second units, condominium conversions, caretaker units and second floor residential use in commercial zones as specified in the City’s zoning ordinance.

Policy 4.2: Continue to allow factory-produced housing according to the City’s zoning ordinance.

Policy 4.3: Facilitate timely development processing for residential construction projects and expedite project review process.

Policy 4.4: Facilitate provision of infrastructure to accommodate residential development.

Promoting Equal Housing Opportunities

In order to make adequate provision for the housing needs of all segments of the community, the City must ensure equal and fair housing opportunities are available to all residents.

GOAL 5: Provide housing opportunities including ownership and rental, fair-market and assisted, in conformance with open housing policies and free of discriminatory practices.

Policy 5.1: Disseminate and provide information on fair housing laws and practices to the community.

Policy 5.2: Promote governmental efforts to provide equal opportunity housing for existing and projected demands in El Segundo.

Policy 5.3: Monitor the lending practices of local lending institutions for compliance under the Community Reinvestment Act to evaluate lending activities and goals toward meeting the community’s credit needs.

B. EVALUATION OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS UNDER ADOPTED HOUSING ELEMENT

State Housing Element law requires communities to assess the achievements under adopted housing programs as part of the five year update to their housing elements. These results should be quantified where possible (e.g. the number of units that were rehabilitated), but may be qualitative where necessary (e.g. mitigation of governmental constraints). These results then need to be compared with what was projected or planned in the earlier element. Where significant shortfalls exist between what was planned and what was achieved, the reasons for such differences must be discussed.

The El Segundo 1992 Housing Element contains a series of housing programs with related quantified objectives for the following topic areas: Fair Housing Opportunities; Groups with Special Needs; Preservation of Existing Housing Stock; New Housing Opportunities; and Resource Conservation. The following section reviews the progress in implementation of these programs, and the continued appropriateness of identified programs. The results of this analysis will provide the basis for developing the comprehensive housing program strategy presented in the final section of this Housing Element.

GOAL H1: OPEN AND FAIR HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES

All El Segundo housing opportunities (ownership and rental, fair-market and assisted) will be offered in conformance with open housing policies and free of discriminatory practices.

Objective H1-1 (Fair Housing): Disseminate and provide information on fair housing laws and practices to the community.

Program H1-1A. The City will make information on “Fair Housing Law and Practices” available to all tenants, property owners, and other persons involved in the sale and rental of housing throughout El Segundo on an ongoing basis.

Progress to Date: The City continues to make information available on an ongoing basis.

Program H1-1B. The City will implement a program of referrals to the appropriate agencies for complaints on fair housing issues. These complaints will be monitored by the referral agency (Planning Division) as to the status of the complaint and will direct any action, if required, to the appropriate local, state, or federal agencies for further actions.

Progress to Date: The City has made information available as requests are received through a referral program that utilizes the services provided by the Westside Fair Housing Council. This program is funded through the City’s General Fund.

Program H1-1C (Low Income Referrals): The City will assure that information on the availability of assisted, or below-market housing is made available to all lower income and special needs groups.

Progress to Date: The City continues to refer requests for information on availability to the Los Angeles County Community Development Commission or the Los Angeles Housing Authority. The City refers low-income seniors to the Park Vista senior housing development located in El Segundo.

GOAL H2: GROUPS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Provide sufficient new, affordable housing opportunities in the City to meet the needs of groups with special requirements, including the needs of current military lower and moderate income households.

Objective H2-1 (Military): Provide funding through a Joint Powers Authority to subsidize market rents for military personnel employed at the Air Force Base in El Segundo.

Program H2-1A. The City shall provide a maximum of $50,000 per year for a minimum of two (2) years to a Joint Powers Authority to subsidize military personnel rents until new military housing can be provided.

Progress to Date: This program is no longer active, and is not considered necessary given the expansion of military housing at Fort MacArthur. Approximately 1,500 employees work at the U.S. Air Force base in the City of El Segundo. Currently, there are 574 units provided at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro for all ranks of air force military personnel and their families. These units include two, three and four bedroom units. Another 71 units are currently under construction at Fort MacArthur. In addition, there are 52 single occupancy units available in three dormitories. There are also leased units available for enlisted personnel located throughout Los Angeles County. All military personnel are required to check with the Housing Referral office at Fort MacArthur before searching for off-base housing.

Objective H2-2 (Senior/Elderly): Provide regulations to facilitate additional senior housing.

Program H2-2A. Establish Senior Citizens’ housing regulations that conform to the provisions of Government Code Section 65913.4 and 65915 (density bonus). Establish standards for location, parking, safety, recreation facilities, medical care, and other aspects of senior-orientated housing. Consider requiring all senior citizen projects to be approved under Conditional Use Permit. Establish appropriate monitoring and reporting procedures to assure compliance with approved project conditions.

Progress to Date: The City’s Zoning Ordinance has been revised to provide for senior housing in the Multi-family Residential (R-3) zone through a CUP process, and provides for use of a density bonus pursuant to State law. However, the City has not established specific development standards tailored to senior housing. To date there have been no applications for senior housing projects, therefore the City has not had the need to establish the applicable monitoring and reporting procedures. The 97-unit Park Vista senior housing development was built prior to the 1992 Housing Element.

Objective H2-3 (Community Reinvestment Act): Monitor the lending practices of local lending institutions for compliance under the Community Reinvestment Act to evaluate lending activities and goals toward meeting the community’s credit needs.

Program H-2-3.1A. The City will monitor and evaluate local lending institutions’ compliance with the CRA. Lending institutions which are deficient in meeting CRA lending responsibilities in areas such as multi-family construction and lending for affordable housing will be identified. The City will explore means to encourage greater lending activities in El Segundo.

Progress to Date: The City itself has not monitored and evaluated compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act. However, under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA), lending institutions are required to disclose information on the disposition of loan applications and the income, gender, and race of loan applicants.

Objective H2-4 (Housing Element/Annual Report): Ensure that the Housing Element retains its viability and usefulness through annual amendments, review, and monitoring.

Program H2-4A. To retain the Housing Element as a viable policy document, the Planning Division will undertake an annual review of the Housing Element and schedule an amendment, if required. Staff will also develop a monitoring program and report to the City Council annually on the progress and effectiveness of the housing programs. This monitoring program will be in conjunction with new State of California requirements regarding annual reports.

Progress to Date: The City is currently updating its Housing Element for the 2000-2005 cycle. State law requires that the City report annually to the City Council on the progress of its housing programs, and forward this report to the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

GOAL H3: PRESERVATION OF EXISTING HOUSING STOCK

Preserve and protect the existing housing stock with special attention to housing located in the City’s older neighborhoods.

Objective H3-1 (Neighborhood Improvement): Assist in the creation of a Neighborhood Improvement Program to provide local resident input and participation into neighborhood preservation and improvement programs.

Program H3-1A. Assist residents, especially in older neighborhoods, in the creation of a Neighborhood Improvement Program under which the City staff would: 1) promote organizations directed at fostering neighborhood pride and improvement; and 2) provide information on funding resources. Activities might include housing rehabilitation and repair, infrastructure maintenance and repair, weed abatement, abatement of code violations, neighborhood pride and awareness activities, charitable activities, and information outreach, among others.

Progress to Date: Although El Segundo has not established a formal Neighborhood Improvement Program, CDBG funds are utilized to support the City’s Minor Home Repair program. In addition, inspectors from the City’s Building Safety Division conduct a quarterly windshield survey to identify structures that are in disrepair or have other code violations. The Minor Home Repair and Code Compliance Inspection programs help identify structures in need of maintenance and repair as well as homeowners who may be eligible for assistance. Department staff for the Code Compliance program provide referrals to the Minor Home Repair program. Additionally, the Fire Department conducts an annual weed abatement program.

Objective H3-2 (Noise Mitigation): To improve the quality of living within the City of El Segundo by promoting sound attenuation improvements to the existing housing stock.

Program H3-2A. The City shall purchase and renovate an existing home, utilizing all modern sound attenuation devices. This home will serve as a model to citizens to illustrate the appearance and effectiveness of the sound attenuation devices. This program is primarily funded by the Federal Aviation Administration - FAA Part 150 Grant, Los Angeles Board of Airports.

Progress to Date: The City purchased and renovated a home which has served as a model for the sound attenuation process.

Program H3-2B. The City shall request funding from the FAA to renovate 707 existing homes with modern sound attenuation devices to reduce interior dBA ranges to acceptable levels.

Progress to Date: Through grants provided by the FAA’s Residential Sound Insulation program, the City has renovated 122 homes to date with sound attenuation devices. The FAA supports 80 percent of the cost to insulate the residence, with the remaining 20 percent provided by the homeowner. For income-eligible homeowners, CDBG funds can be provided through the Residential Sound Insulation Program to pay the owner’s 20 percent share of the cost.

Objective H3-3 (Condominium Conversion): Develop and implement a program to enforce the Condominium Conversion Ordinance and create a program to monitor conversions to condominium of those rental apartments which house primarily low and moderate income households and limit those conversions that reduce the supply of affordable housing for those income ranges.

Program H3-3.1A. Develop a program to limit condominium conversion when such conversions would reduce the number of low or moderate housing units available throughout the City.

Progress to Date: The City has received only two requests for conversion of apartment buildings to condominiums since adoption of the 1992 Housing Element. These projects were reviewed on a case by case basis, and were both approved for conversion based partially on a determination they did not reduce the availability of low or moderate housing units.

Objective H3-4 (Rental Stock Monitoring): Maintain a database of information on vacancy rates, rental rates, and physical condition of the City’s existing rental housing stock, and utilize this database to evaluate programs affecting rental stock.

Program H3-4A. The City shall develop and implement a program in which it will periodically collect information on the factors affecting supply and demand of existing rental stock within the City. This information will be used in analysis of rental housing to be contained in the annual Housing Element Report.

Progress to Date: The City maintains a current inventory of the physical conditions of existing rental stock through its Code Compliance Inspection program. As confirmed through the Needs Assessment of this Housing Element, the rental rates in El Segundo are reasonable compared to other nearby coastal communities, and the City has a stable rental market. Therefore, it is not necessary to include a program for analysis of the rental market in the current Housing Element.

Objective H3-5 (Rehabilitation): Identify and rehabilitate substandard and deteriorating housing.

Program H3-5A. The Building Safety Division will develop and implement a program to monitor and report to the Planning Division information on housing stock that is substandard and/or deteriorating. Identified structures will be reported to the Planning Division for assistance under the City’s rehabilitation and assistance programs.

Progress to Date: As described previously, the City has a quarterly Code Compliance Inspection Program which identifies structures that may be in violation of code due to lack of property maintenance, including poor landscape maintenance, buildings in disrepair, peeling paint and abandoned buildings. These cases are referred to the Code Compliance program and the Minor Home Repair program (as appropriate), under which the property owner may be eligible for a zero interest deferred loan payable when the property changes ownership. This program is supported by CDBG funds.

Objective H3-6 (Rehabilitation Incentives): Provide incentives for the rehabilitation and preservation of deteriorating rental units which house lower income residents.

Program H3-6A. The City will develop and implement a program to provide processing incentives for the owners of lower income rental stock in need of rehabilitation and preservation. These incentives will include, but not be limited to, the waiving or reduction of planning and building fees and priority processing.

Progress to Date: The City’s programs and limited funding have been focused on the maintenance and rehabilitation of owner occupied residences. In the future the existing programs described below may be modified to accommodate rental units.

Objective H3-7 (Rehabilitation-Homeowners): Provide rehabilitation assistance, loan subsidies, and loan rebates for lower income households, persons of special needs, and senior homeowners, to preserve and rehabilitate deteriorating homes.

Program H3-7.1A. The City will develop and implement a homeowner rehabilitation program targeted to lower income, special needs (handicapped, low income large-family, etc.), and senior households that will consist of financial and processing incentives, such as low interest and deferred repayment loans, loan rebates, and priority processing.

Progress to Date: The City provides deferred zero interest loans due at change of ownership up to $7,500 for low income property owners in order to make repairs. In addition, grants of up to $1,500 are available to make handicapped related improvements. Grants of up to $8,000 are provided for sound insulation. The CDBG Minor Home Repair and Residential Sound Insulation Programs provide the funding for these programs. Approximately 30 loans have been financed to date.

GOAL H4: NEW HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES

To provide opportunities for new housing construction in a variety of locations and a variety of densities.

Objective H4-1: Permit vacant and underdeveloped property designated as residential to develop with a diversity of types, price, and tenure.

Program H4-1.1: New housing development in existing and potential residential zones will be achieved through private sector efforts. New development will be achieved through the auspices of State Planning Law and the City’s General Plan and Municipal Code. Although there is no special program for this overall objective, it is recognized that achievement of this objective will be heavily influenced by private sector marketing strategies; local, state, and national economic trends; availability of regional infrastructure and services; and other factors beyond the control of the City of El Segundo.

Progress to Date: The City’s Regional Housing Growth needs (RHNA) from the prior planning period were for 1,112 units, including 156 very-low income, 171 low income, 224 moderate income, and 561 upper income units. Like other cities in Southern California, El Segundo was hit hard by the recession in the early 1990's and has only recently recovered. During the 1989-1999 period, a total of 149 units have been developed or are under construction in El Segundo. These include 71 single family homes, 56 condominium units and 22 apartment units. Over half of this development occurred in 1989, with the last condominium or apartment unit developed in 1990. However, three condominium developments (a 10, 3, and 26-unit project) have been recently approved for construction, reflecting the upswing in the economy.

Objective H4-2: To allow new opportunities to be developed within the Smoky Hollow Mixed-Use designation as indicated by the 1992 Land Use Element.

Progress to Date: A 28-unit project was approved in 1993 for construction in the Smoky Hollow Specific Plan. While this project was never constructed, the application is still currently active. A second 28-unit project (Holly Park Townhomes) was also approved in 1993 but the application has expired. A new proposal for a 26-unit condominium project was approved for the site in August of 2000.

Objective H4-3: Continue to permit a second dwelling on selected single-family lots when such lots abut higher intensity land use designations.

Progress to Date: The City has adopted provisions within its Zoning Ordinance to accommodate second units where single family lots abut higher intensity uses such as multi-family, and commercial uses. The ordinance provides for a second dwelling unit on a single-family zoned lot that has a side lot line that immediately abuts a lot zoned for the following:

1. R-3, Multi-Family Residential;