Santa Barbara County South Coast Housing Crisis a Call to Action

Conclusions 4

• CL1
  Santa Barbara County and the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria own land that is surplus to their operational requirements, some of which could be used for affordable housing.
• CL2
  There are insufficient funds available to develop needed affordable housing.
• CL3
  The process for issuance of a permit for affordable housing development projects in the County and the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria is costly, time consuming, and complicated.
• CL4
  The affordable housing crisis on the South Coast remains a complex and urgent challenge, shaped by high land costs, state and local regulatory hurdles, and limited financial resources. The development process is often slow and fragmented, and affordable housing projects face competition for limited funding. Although the jurisdictions on the South Coast will meet the RHNA goals that require identification of suitable building sites, it is unlikely that the target of increasing the inventory of affordable and moderate-income housing on the South Coast will be realized by 2031. Ultimately, providing needed housing on the Santa Barbara South Coast will require sustained collaboration among local governments, developers, community stakeholders, and the broader public to build a more inclusive, affordable, and resilient housing landscape. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Finding 1: Santa Barbara County and the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria own land that is surplus to their operational requirements, some of which could be used for affordable housing. Recommendation 1a: The Grand Jury recommends that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and City Councils of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria identify publicly owned properties within their jurisdiction that could be utilized for affordable housing. Recommendation 1b: The Grand Jury recommends that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and City Councils of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria invite public and private developers to work with them to build affordable housing on the publicly owned land identified as available. Finding 2: The process for issuance of a permit for affordable housing development projects in the County and the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria is costly, time consuming, and complicated. Recommendation 2a: The Grand Jury recommends that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and City Councils of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria each create a position to be staffed by a qualified person who can coordinate and facilitate the application and approval processes for affordable housing projects, with the authority to bring together all interested parties to arrive at an expeditious resolution of any issue. 2024-2025 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury 9 Recommendation 2b: The Grand Jury recommends that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and City Councils of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria review their processes for development approvals to prioritize affordable housing projects. Recommendation 2c: The Grand Jury recommends that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and City Councils of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria apply the ministerial approval process to all development projects comprising seventy five percent or more of low- income housing. Recommendation 2d: The Grand Jury recommends that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and City Councils of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria conduct a review of all development and impact fees and find ways to waive, reduce or amortize fees for affordable housing projects. Finding 3: There are insufficient funds available to develop needed affordable housing. Recommendation 3a: The Grand Jury recommends that the City Councils of Goleta and Carpinteria establish dedicated housing trust funds, certified as Community Development Financial Institutions, to facilitate the building of affordable housing. Recommendation 3b: The Grand Jury recommends that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors increase funding to the Housing Trust Fund of Santa Barbara County to facilitate the building of affordable housing. Recommendation 3c: The Grand Jury recommends that the Santa Barbara City Council further increase funding to the City of Santa Barbara Local Housing Trust Fund to facilitate the building of affordable housing. Recommendation 3d: The Grand Jury recommends that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and the City Councils of Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria promote contributions to their housing trust funds by other non-governmental organizations, the philanthropic community, and the public. REQUIREMENTS FOR RESPONSES Pursuant to California Penal Code §933 and §933.05, the Grand Jury requests each entity or individual named below to respond to the findings and recommendations within the specified statutory time limit. 2024-2025 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury 10 Responses to Findings shall be either: - Agree - Disagree with an explanation - Disagree partially with an explanation Responses to Recommendations shall be one of the following: - Has been implemented, with a summary of the implementation actions taken - Will be implemented, with an implementation schedule - Requires further analysis, with an analysis completion date of fewer than 6 months after the issuance of the report - It will not be implemented with an explanation of why Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors – 90 Days Findings 1, 2, 3 Recommendations 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3b, 3d City of Santa Barbara – 90 Days Findings 1, 2, 3 Recommendations 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3c, 3d City of Goleta – 90 Days Findings 1, 2, 3 Recommendations 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 3d City of Carpinteria – 90 Days Findings 1, 2, 3 Recommendations 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 3a, 3d 2024-2025 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury 11

Agency Responses 5

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.