TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Tom Kisela, City Manager
FROM: Russell Bunim, Community Development Director
1. Subject
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General Plan Annual Progress Report to the State of California.
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2. Summary
California Government Code Section 65400 requires that cities submit an annual report on the status of their General Plan and progress in its implementation to the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation and the Department of Housing and Community Development each year.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
Receive and file the 2024 General Plan Annual Progress Report.
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4. Fiscal Impact
None
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Not applicable since this item is informational in nature and involves no action.
6. Discussion and Background
California Government Code Section 65400 requires that cities submit an annual report on the status of their General Plan and progress in its implementation to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and Department of Housing and Community Development. The annual report must be provided to the City Council for review and acceptance. As a procedural matter, staff took the annual report to the Planning Commission at its March 17, 2025, meeting (Attachment 1) for receipt and acceptance prior to the City Council action given the role of the Commission as advisory to the Council in planning matters.
General Plan implementation supports the quality of life objectives for the community that serve as the foundation for the General Plan Vision Plan (Attachment 2). Annual report and tracking activities enable the City and State to track progress made on General Plan implementation. The General Plan Implementation Report (Attachment 3) details the key implementation actions that the City accomplished or made progress on in 2024. Some highlights of the City’s accomplishments in 2024 include:
• Opened 1,199 code enforcement cases and closed 1,263 cases
• Completed one signalization project, with another under construction
• Improved the intersection at Chapman Avenue and Batavia Street
• Provided a Police storage facility through a Corp Yard Renovation
• Accomplished a Mobile Data Computer Replacement Program
• Established a Police Enterprise System (Axon & Central Square)
• Replaced HVAC at the Orange Public Library & History Center
• Continued annual public right-of-way and infrastructure maintenance including pavement patching and maintenance, slurry seal, 24,795 tons of asphalt concrete replacement, 1,832 linear feet of new or replaced curb and gutter, installation of 105 new ADA wheelchair access ramps, water meter replacement, street tree maintenance, pothole repairs, 6,860 square feet of sidewalk installation, fleet vehicle maintenance, and water lateral replacement
• Adopted an objective design standards ordinance, a transfer of development rights ordinance, an update to the homeless shelter ordinance, an update to the Density Bonus ordinance, and an update to the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance
• Continued work on ordinances to update the City’s sign and landscape standards
Housing Element
The method of reporting of Housing Element implementation is established by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) with the purpose of tracking overall housing production in a community, as well as a jurisdiction’s progress toward meeting its regional housing needs assessment (RHNA) allocation. The City’s Housing Element Implementation Progress Report is included in Attachment 4 and was submitted to the State on March 26, 2025.
In summary, the City issued 111 building permits which will result in 274 housing units, 166 of which are Low-Income Deed Restricted. 79 building permits were finalized resulting in 188 housing units, 112 of which are Very-Low or Low-Income Deed Restricted. As of the 2024 reporting period over half of the Very Low-, Low-, and Moderate-income units identified in the City’s RHNA have been issued permits or completed construction.
The City received 93 ADU applications, approved 94 ADU applications, and finalized the construction of 74 ADUs in 2024. More detailed information about the City’s progress in meeting its Year 2021-2029 RHNA goals is provided in Attachment 1.
The City also continues its efforts to implement the Policy Actions of its Housing Element. Furthermore, preparation of this annual report constitutes implementation of Policy Action 2A: Annual Review of Housing Element (Attachment 4).
At their March 17, 2025, meeting, the Planning Commission, in their recommending capacity, voted 7:0 to recommend that the report be forwarded to the City Council for receipt.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Attachment 1 Planning Commission Staff Report dated March 17, 2025
• Attachment 2 2010 General Plan Vision Statement
• Attachment 3 2024 General Plan Implementation Report
• Attachment 4 2024 Annual Housing Element Implementation Progress Report