The Goleta City Council received a presentation regarding the Regional Housing Needs Allocation and how it is expected to affect Goleta at its September 15 City Council meeting. The Housing Element is one of the State-mandated elements of local General Plans and establishes City policies and programs for maintaining and improving existing housing, addressing the needs of persons and households of all income levels and those with disabilities or other special needs, and facilitating development of new housing for anticipated future residents of all economic levels. The process by which cities are allocated a share of housing needs is the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA. The State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) determines the housing need for each region for the planning period and the region apportions this housing need across local jurisdictions within the region. In Santa Barbara County, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) fulfills this role. Goleta’s current Housing Element covers the 2015-2023 planning period, which is also referred to as the “5th planning cycle”. The 6th Housing Element cycle will cover the planning period of February 2023 to February 2031. View the full staff report here: https://tinyurl.com/y3zumj9b.