Orange County Grand Jury • 2007-2008 • Agency Response
Response to: City of Garden Grove

City of Garden Grove Garden Grove William J. Dalton*

Published: July 21, 2008 3 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 4 findings

F1
The Housing Elements for the cities and County of Orange do not reflect that the number of affordable senior housing units in Orange County will not accommodate the projected population. Response: I agree with this finding. However, in the case of Garden Grove; it would not be appropriate to reflect a shortage. The City of Garden Grove has a large inventory of senior housing units and believes that with future development the needs of our senior population will be met.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
type, location and cost in the 2008 and future years' development of the Housing Element. Response: The recommendation has been implemented in part; the remainder will not be implemented because it is not reasonable. Table 24 of the Draft Housing Element lists the names and addresses of existing affordable senior rental units and ্যTable 39 lists the affordable senior rental units currently under construction. Addresses of these units are not included. Affordability is based on the median income of Orange County, as released by the Department of Housing and Community Development. As this number changes on an annual basis, it is impossible to project or include the affordability limits for future years.
F2
The Housing Elements for the cities and County of Orange do not focus sufficiently on or analyze the population growth and housing needs of the aging baby boomer generation. Response: I disagree wholly with this finding. Beginning on , the City's Draft Housing Element has an assessment of Garden Grove's senior population now and for the duration of the Housing Element planning period.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Include sufficient data in the Housing Element to acknowledge the imminent's growth in the county's aging population. This data is to include the current population and the growth trend of the aging baby boomer generation as well as the current median income and the income trend of the senior population. Response: This recommendation has been partially implemented. Beginning on , the City's Draft Housing Element has an assessment of Garden Grove's senior population now and for the duration of the Housing Element planning period. Additionally, Table 6 illustrates the income distribution of the City's senior population. The Housing Element does not discuss income trends. This portion of the recommendation will not be implemented because it is not warranted. The information contained in the City's Housing element is sufficient and in compliance with the State Government Code Section 65583 (a)(7).
F3
Not all Housing Elements are available online for easy access by the public. Response: I disagree partially with this finding. Garden Grove's Draft Housing Element is currently available for public review on the City's website. The final Housing Element will be available on the City's website once it has been approved and adopted. I am unaware of what is available on the County's website or other city websites.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Put all Housing Elements online on each city's website. This recommendation has been implemented. Response: The Draft Housing Element is currently available for public review on the City's website. The final Housing Element will be available on the City's website once it has been approved and adopted. Honorable Nancy Wieben Stock July 21, 2008
F4
Municipalities are not proactive enough in encouraging the development of affordable senior housing. 11222 Acacia Parkway • P.O.Box 3070 • Garden Grove, CA 92842 www.ci.garden-grove.ca.us Honorable Nancy Wieben Stock July 21, 2008 Response: I disagree partially with this finding. The City's General Plan proposes significant intensification in densities along the City's major corridors. The high densities in these areas (up to 42 units per acre) will provide opportunities for senior housing developers. The City recently adopted a Density Bonus ordinance, which allows for a 20% density bonus for senior housing projects. Further, Policies 1.3 and 1.7 detailed in the Draft Housing Element encourage and promote the rehabilitation of existing housing to maintain the existing housing stock. Specifically, the City has a Senior Grant Program available to low income seniors to make exterior improvements, interior repairs to address safety issues, and mobility and accessibility issues. Making low-income seniors' existing homes accessible diminishes the need for new development. RECOMMENDATIONS Include the current and projected affordable senior housing inventory by
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
Confer with developers to establish the needs for affordable senior housing and to encourage investment in future projects. Response: This recommendation has been implemented. The City's General Plan proposes significant intensification in densities along the City's major corridors. The high densities in these areas (up to 42 units per acre) will provide opportunities for senior housing developers. The City recently adopted a Density Bonus ordinance, which allows for a 20% density bonus for senior housing projects and development Additionally, City staff meets with developers who propose dense incentives. projects and encourages the development of senior housing through the incentives available via the density bonus ordinance. Further, Policies 1.3 and 1.7 detailed in the Draft Housing Element encourage and promote the rehabilitation of existing housing to maintain the existing housing stock. Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the Grand Jury's report. Should you require any additional information, please contact Senior Project Manager Allison Mills at (714) 741-5139. Sincerely, William J. Daiton Mayor .

* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.