Over the past three years, Yorba Linda has been actively involved in the 6th cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) preparation process with the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), and has provided regular updates on the progress of this effort in previous issues of the Yorba Linda Connection. Yorba Linda Councilwoman Peggy Huang serves as the Chair of SCAG’s RHNA Subcommittee, which was the committee responsible for providing detailed analysis and recommendations to SCAG’s Regional Council on the RHNA methodology. Unfortunately, the RHNA Subcommittee’s recommendation for an equitable housing solution that was unanimously supported by SCAG’s Community, Economic and Human Development Committee was overturned through a last-minute decision by its Regional Council to redistribute significantly more housing into Orange County and Los Angeles County. This resulted in Yorba Linda’s draft RHNA allocation increasing from 200 to 2,415 units.
Despite numerous letters from City staff, the Mayor, the City Council and numerous individual residents (see below), the City’s efforts to lower its RHNA obligation have been ignored by SCAG and by the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
The City put together the following video for the RHNA Appeals Board outlining many of the same concerns that the City is hearing from the community about why it did not make sense to add 2,415 additional housing units into Yorba Linda.
City's Formal Appeal of RHNA
Mayor Beth Haney introduces the City’s RHNA Appeal
Additional City Efforts to Challenge RHNA Allocation
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January 2020 City Council Resolution Opposing RHNA Methodology
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September 2020 Letter from Mayor Beth Haney and Orange County Mayors
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December 1, 2020 Letter from Mayor Beth Haney and Orange County Mayors
Yorba Linda Resident Letters to SCAG Regarding RHNA