State law requires the City of Rocklin to submit an annual Housing Element Progress Report to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the State Office of Planning and Research (OPR). This report is due to the State each year by April 1st. The progress report (Exhibit A of the attached resolution) identifies how the City is meeting its share of the regional housing needs identified in the City’s 2013-2021 Housing Element. Also attached to the progress report is the FY 2018-19 Housing Successor to Redevelopment Agency Annual Report, per reporting requirements of Senate Bill 341 (California Health and Safety Code Section 34176.1(f)).
The progress report shows the number of building permits issued in calendar year 2019 for residential units which were affordable to various lower, moderate and above moderate income categories as well as the implementation status of the housing programs contained in the Housing Element.
Total Housing Units
Housing activity continued to stay strong in calendar year 2019 with a total of 439 residential building permits issued that can be reported as units within the City’s Housing Element Annual Progress Report. They consisted of 439 total units (436 Single-Family units and 3 Accessory Dwelling Units). There were 146 fewer building permits issued for housing units in 2019 than were issued in 2018. The total number of residential units receiving building permits that could be counted toward Housing Element reportable units in 2018 was 585 units (584 Single Family and 1 Accessory Dwelling Unit).
Affordability Determination
The affordability of each unit in this report was determined based upon marketing data, actual purchase prices associated with for sale products (when available) and published rental rates for all other products. The owners of two of the accessory dwelling units that were constructed in 2019 do not intend to rent the units out. The owners plan to have them occupied by family members, so staff assigned them to the extremely low income category as occupants in those living units will not be paying any rent. The owner of the third accessory dwelling unit that was constructed in 2019 was unresponsive to inquiries made by staff regarding planned occupancy and/or rental prices, so staff assigned it to the above moderate income category as there was no evidence to consider the unit for any other income categories.
Moderate Income Units
In 2019, building permits were issued for 82 for sale units within the moderate income category. These projects are helping to diversify the City’s housing stock and provide homeownership opportunities for many in the City’s workforce while maintaining quality development standards. Significant progress has been made overall in the moderate income category. In fact, the City has now exceeded its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for moderate income units for the 2013-2021 timeframe by 370 units (i.e., 709 unit allocation / 1,079 units actually constructed). Single family small lot subdivisions with purchase prices that qualify as moderate income include: Garnet Creek/Rocklin Trails, Spring Valley Phase 2 Village 4, the Villages at Civic Center, and the Wildcat Subdivision.
Above Moderate Income Units
Production of single family homes in the above moderate category also remains strong with 355 building permits issued for units in that income category. As of 2019, the City has now exceeded its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for above moderate income units for the 2013-2021 timeframe by 1,282 units (i.e., 1,335 unit allocation / 2,617 units actually constructed).
In conclusion,the City has made significant progress toward meeting our Regional Housing Need Allocations (RHNA) with units constructed in the extremely low, moderate and above moderate categories. Although units have not yet been constructed in the very low and low categories, there are two projects that have been approved and not yet constructed (Rocklin Gateway and Quarry Place) that would include rental units that are affordable to those income groups. The City continues to evaluate our inventory of available sites at densities providing the potential for lower income units to be constructed on an ongoing basis.
The Housing Element progress report complies with the submission requirements of the State law and is consistent with the guidelines set forth by the State HCD.