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Home My WebLink AboutHigh Density Residential Development - Health & Safety Crite (2) ��TiNC7 ti 2000 Main Street, F fl 7i;;,'••, Huntington Beach,CA o ,e 92648 City of Huntington Beach € F APPROVED 7-0 File#: 24-893 MEETING DATE: 12/17/2024 Subject: Item Submitted by Mayor Pro Tem McKeon, Mayor Burns, and Council Member Van Der Mark - High Density Residential Development- Health & Safety Criteria Recommended Action: To ensure that high density residential development does not cause significant and adverse impacts to public health and safety, staff is directed to develop criteria to ensure these issues are addressed in future high density residential developments. Attachment(s): 1. Councilmember Item - High Density Residential Development- Health & Safety Criteria City of Huntington Beach Page 1 of 1 Printed on 12/11/2024 powered by LegistarTM 399 GF �spOTG 0 G1TY OF _ _ a a HUNTINGTON BEACH City Council Meeting - Council Member Items Report To: City Council From: Casey McKeon, Mayor Pro Tern Pat Burns, Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark, Council Member Date: December 17, 2024 Subject: HIGH DENSITY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT— HEALTH &SAFETY CRITERIA ISSUE STATEMENT Housing development projects often forgo necessary amenities that contribute to public health and safety in the design and construction of residential buildings and site planning in order to maximize profits at the expense of public health and safety. Significant adverse health and safety impacts occur as a direct result of development projects that perpetuate overcrowding and do not provide open space areas, access to public parkland,or access to public transit and reliable transportation options. Studies show overcrowding can affect mental health, stress levels, sleep and may increase the risk of infectious disease. In Huntington Beach, multi-family developments construct studio and single bedroom units with small overall square footage in order to maximize financial profits.This results in a lack of two bedroom,three bedroom,and greater sized units,thereby perpetuating overcrowding. Residential development projects often construct buildings upwards and outwards on a project site to maximize the quantity of building floor area while minimizing areas of private and common open space and recreational amenities, vegetation and trees, and public parks to accommodate the most profitable project. Inadequate access to open space and recreational parks coupled with reduced areas of vegetation and trees results in significant adverse impacts to public health, including mental health impacts, poor air quality,and chronic disease. Reliable,accessible,safe, and healthy public transportation options do not exist in Huntington Beach and residents are forced to rely on commuting by car. Drivers are contributing to increased GHG emissions while simultaneously absorbing the associated negative health and safety impacts. A lack of access to frequent, reliable public transportation results in increased traffic vehicle crashes, increased air pollution and associated respiratory illnesses, and decreased physical activity levels. When housing development projects provide neither a sufficient quantity of onsite automobile parking spaces,ADA compliant parking spaces, or electric vehicle charging stations for residents nor access to high quality public transportation, the residents suffer adverse health and safety impacts. RECOMMENDED ACTION To ensure that high density residential development does not cause significant and adverse impacts to public health and safety,staff is directed to develop criteria to ensure these issues are addressed in future high density residential developments. ENVIRONMENTAL STATUS 2000 Main Street,Huntington Beach,CA 92648 I www.huntingtonbeachca.gov 400 This action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2)(the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines,California Code of Regulations,Title 14,Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly. STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL Goal 5-Housing,Strategy A-Take action to maintain local control of land-use planning. • 2000 Main Street,Huntington Beach,CA 92648 I www.huntingtonbeachca.gov 401 From: Steven C Shepherd Architect To: CITY COUNCIL(INCL.CMO STAFF);5uoolementalcomnlaa surfdty-hb.orq Subject: Agenda Item#24:You"re kidding,right? Date: Tuesday,December 17,2024 8:15:08 AM In reading the memo meant to support Agenda Item #24, it's almost as though the authors of this document spent all their time in the City Attorney's office instead of consulting their own subject matter experts in HB Community Development. And while this might represent our new council's idea of"good politics," any document that is this overtly bias, inaccurate, and demeaning of the City of Huntington Beach Community Development staff and current zoning code should raise lots of questions among Huntington Beach residents. Here are my questions: 1. As that the express purpose of the City of Huntington Beach Zoning Code is "promoting and protecting the public health, safety, and general welfare of Huntington Beach residents and to provide the physical, economic and social advantages protect the health and safety of residents," why would HB residences be at risk from something currently addressed by our current zoning code? Is our current zoning code useless? Is our city staff failing to enforce our current zoning code? Why would there be a need for any additional standards? 2. Why does your characterization of"studies" on overcrowding make it sound like all new multi-family developments would resemble the tenement living of the late Industrial Revolution? Isn't this why zoning codes were established in the first place? (A couple of FYI's for you: a) Many of the people interested in new multi-family dwelling units here in HB already live and/or work here, and b) currently, overcrowding is most prevalent in areas where a variety of dwelling unit options (size and cost) are severely limited or completely unavailable.) 3. You state, "In Huntington Beach, multi-family developments construct studio and single bedroom units with small overall square footage in order to maximize financial profits," but in a community where over 70% of dwelling units are found exclusively in unaffordable single-family homes, isn't this type of development simply filling an obvious void in Huntington Beach's housing inventory? Isn't this simply appealing to the free market? There is an undeniable need for new housing in Huntington Beach. Without it, we limit opportunities and slowly strangle our community's future. On a related note, if you're really serious about limiting local GHG emissions related to transit, there is something you could do that would also improve public safety and quality of life for residents: embrace and fully fund pedestrian & bicycle infrastructure upgrades. Steve Shepherd SUPPLEMENTAL Huntington Beach 92646 COMMUNICATION Meeting Date: 12/17/24 Agenda Item No. 24 (24-893)