Memorandum
Date: November 18, 2025
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Mireya G. Turner, Community Development Director
Subject: 11:30 A.M. - Consideration of Ordinance Amending Chapter 21, Articles 11 and 12 of the Lake County Zoning Code to Implement General Plan Sixth Cycle Housing Element Policy HE-58 Pertaining to Affordable Housing
Executive Summary: The Housing Element (HE) is a chapter of the Lake County General Plan. It is updated every seven years, as required by state law. The HE describes the County housing demographics, identifies obstacles to housing development, and lists policies and actions to take to lower these obstacles, and encourage housing development.
The Lake County General Plan Housing Element (Sixth Cycle, 2019-2027), was approved by the Board on March 26, 2019, and found to be in substantial compliance with Housing Element Law by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on September 16, 2020. The Element contained numerous policies and programs to support housing development in the unincorporated areas of the county.
Policy HE-58 reads as follows,
“The Zoning Ordinance shall be amended to allow housing projects with at least 20% of units affordable to lower income households to be permitted by right if they have been previously identified in the Housing Element as potential affordable housing sites for at least two update cycles, or if they are located in a High Density zone.”
Multifamily residential development is allowed in the “R2” Two-family Residential and “R3” Multi-family Residential base zoning districts. The attached draft ordinance reflects the addition of the above policy in the corresponding zoning articles, within the Uses Permitted section. The Uses Permitted section of each zoning article indicates that the use is a use-by-right, exempt from discretionary permit requirements.
Department Staff has been in ongoing contact with HCD regarding the implementation of a number of Housing Element policies and actions. Policy HE-58 is the first of six HE Implementation Actions to be accomplished within the next few months. HCD requested HE-58 be separated from the larger implementation project in order to lessen its timeline.
On November 13, 2025, the draft Ordinance was considered for recommendation to the Board by the Planning Commission. The remaining Implementation Actions are tentatively scheduled on the December 11, 2025, Planning Commission meeting for their consideration and recommendation to the Board.
Staff requests the Board approve the reading of the ordinance, in title only, and advance the ordinance to the next available Board agenda for adoption.
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☐ Fully Article X. <https://library.municode.com/ca/lake_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH2AD_ARTXPU_S2-38EXCOBI>- and/or Consultant Selection Policy <http://lcnet.co.lake.ca.us/Assets/Intranet/Policy/Policies+$!26+Procedures+Manual/Ch4_2021v2.pdf>-Compliant (describe process undertaken in “Executive Summary”)
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Recommended Action: Staff requests the Board approve the reading of the ordinance, in title only, and advance the ordinance to the next available Board agenda for adoption.