HomeMy WebLinkAbout5c_Draft Schedule for Updating the Housing Element_bmzA Draft Timeline for Updating the Housing Element (Assuming Greenlight Vote)*
Category Activity Start Date Duration
GP Update Steering Committee - November 6, 2019
Item No. 5c- Attachment 5
Timeline and RFP Drafting
District 3 Workshop being held at the Back Bay Science Center in District 41? The Mayor
announced workshops would be held at locations convenient to the residents of each district.
Since District 3 is generally west of the bay, it seems odd its residents are being asked to
journey to the east side of the bay to a different district, and to a only partially-City-owned
location close to none and inconvenient to all. Why would the City not be using one of its own
community rooms in District 3, namely the Jorgenson Room at the Mariners Library or the
Community Room at the Santa Ana Heights Fire Station? Other possibilities in District 3 might
be the Muth Center or Newport Harbor High (or, if schools were to be considered, the Kaiser
School – which, although technically in Costa Mesa, is the school most centrally located to
District 3). If private facilities were to be considered, the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club
(again, technically in Costa Mesa but facing District 3 homes) come to mind.
Item V.c. General Plan Update Timeline and RFP Drafting
This item, like the others, is presented without explanation (and, in this case, as a non-
computer-readable Timeline image).
It is very disappointing to me, in that appears the City is anticipating devoting very little time to
the actual revision of the General Plan, similar to what happened with the failed Land Use
Element “oil change” in 2013. According to the City’s archives, the Land Use Element
Amendment Advisory Committee first met on July 16, 2013, and as I recall by October 1, 2013,
were told the package of land use changes presented by staff at the first meeting had to be
finalized so traffic studies could be initiated for the environmental impact report, which was
made available for public review between March 17, 2014 and April 30, 2014, with responses to
comments completed some time later, and the changes to the land use maps and tables (only)
being presented to voters as Measure Y on November 4, 2014.
From this Timeline image, it looks like we are on a similar path. Is the plan to rush through a
revised Land Use and Housing Elements, and then later develop a General Plan to fit them?
As to the Timeline Image, based on the note at its bottom, the “Start Date”s listed are the
deadlines for the items minus the amount of time anticipated in the “Duration” column. But
readers are left to guess what date staff has worked backwards from. The last row, saying
“Submit Adopted Housing Element for Final HCD Review,” with a Duration of 3 months, is
particularly mysterious. Is the drop-dead due date to deliver the Council-adopted Housing
Element to HCD the “Start Date” listed (October 1, 2021)? Or is it 3 months later (1/1/2022)?
If it is January 1, why would the City wait 3 months after the election results are known to submit
the element to HCD? If it is October 1, what does the 3 months mean?
1 Or is it in District 5? The Back Bay Science Center is on land that is not colored on the current NB
Council Districts Map (which, curiously, says it is “December 12, 2018,” although I can’t guess on whose
authority. The City Council met on December 11 of that year, but I can see nothing on the agenda about
modifying the districts.). Whether the BBSC is closest to District 4 or District 5, it clearly isn’t in District 3,
or even close to it.
General Plan Update Steering Committee - November 6, 2019
Items No. III(a)(b)(c) and V(a)(b)(c) 2 Additional Materials Received
OUTREACH
Outreach Partners
The launch event on the City’s facebook was solely hosted by the City, which would only reach facebookers
who follow the City. Co-hosts are needed. So facebook will automatically notify and remind all co-hosts’
followers about the event. Some of co-hosts could be:
• Every City facebook, such as the library’s, council members’.
• Close partners of the City, such as the Chambers.
• Groups invited, such as SPON.
• Local institutions, such as museums, schools, hosting venues of the events.
Ask each of them to include the events in their newsletters and calendars. (Newport Beach Chamber of
Commerce didn’t do it. I assume they were not asked, than not understanding the importance of general plan
update.) And keep them involved by updating them how the events went, and future events.
Invitations
The only text of the launch event invitation I’ve seen is on the City’s facebook . It speaks from the City’s
perspective, naturally. But people are only motivated when they hear their perspectives. For instance,
community members like mom-n-pops want to know how they can get help to survive the competition,
though they may be happy about the extra population. By the same token, the BIDs should be involved.
It’s very hard for government matters, particularly as generic as general plan, to compete with all the fun
things people prefer. So the invitation has to be crafted to compete with those, ideally brainstormed with
other community experts. Media knows how to make the wording exciting to the public. The Chambers and
other groups know the language of their members’.
Sign-Up
At the launch event, people were asked to sign up on paper. Let’s go electronic. If it’s not possible to let
people type directly into something linked to the database, use Excel. It would save consultant/staff time from
data entry, save costs, and improve data accuracy.
Community Input at Events
It should also go electronic. Poll Everywhere is a commonly used interactive software. People can give input
even by texting. Inputs are instantly shown on the screen, which will trigger others’ engagement. We won’t
run out of time for public comments, won’t hear only from the not-shy few. Inputs are automatically stored,
can be conveniently transferred to database, reports, etc. I use the free version. Paid plans vary from
$120/year to $84/month.
HOUSING
Positive connotation is better when addressing something that has to be done. I just read Climate of Hope:
How Cities, Businesses, and Citizens Can Save the Planet by Mike Bloomberg and Carl Pope. Bloomberg talked
General Plan Update Steering Committee - November 6, 2019
Item No. IV and V(a)1 Additional Materials Received
about how Mayor Bloomberg went from a finance guy to "a crusader against climate change." I think it's a
very practical and uplifting read for GPU. He wrote every other chapter, so only 100+ pages. Here’s a glimpse:
"In 2005, the demographers in our city planning department projected that New York City would have
one millions more inhabitants in 2030 than it had had in 2000. . . How could we deal with another million
people? . . . This was a problem of success - the kind of problem every mayor wants to have. Cities are never
static; they are either growing or dying. . . But success creates a whole new set of challenges. It was easy to
envision the worst possible scenarios: Paralyzing traffic jams. Overcrowded buses and trains. Long lines for
park facilities. The electrical grid overloaded. Sewage and water systems strained. . . All of those issues
were intertwined and interdependent. A land use plan was clearly insufficient. . . How would we do it? At first
we weren't sure. So we held dozens of public forums and town hall meetings, launched an interactive website,
and held discussions with more than 150 advocacy groups to gather ideas and insights. We also brought on
scientific advisers by forming a partnership with Columbia University's Earth Institute. After gathering and
analyzing a wide range of ideas, we laundered PlaNYC (called "plan-y-c") at the city's Americans Museum of
Natural History on Earth Day 2007."
General Plan Update Steering Committee - November 6, 2019
Item No. IV and V(a)1 Additional Materials Received