To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: ELIZABETH HAUSE, COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR
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APPROVE THE ANALYSIS OF IMPEDIMENTS TO FAIR HOUSING CHOICE REPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY’S FIVE-YEAR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT CONSOLIDATED PLAN AS REQUIRED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City of Redondo Beach receives annual funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). A requirement of these funds is the completion of a five-year Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI) report and a complementary Consolidated Plan. These documents review current conditions in the City related to housing and community development and outline how the City plans to allocate it’s federal funding to better support these identified limitations. The current AI and Consolidated Plan cover the 2020-2025 fiscal years (FY). The new, five-year cycle, will begin in July 2025.
Attached is the proposed AI report that includes an analysis of community outreach, data, policies, procedures, and laws related to housing limitations in the City and goals to overcome these limitations. This report informs the development of the Consolidated Plan, which will be presented to the City Council for consideration of approval prior to the end of FY 2024-25.
BACKGROUND
The City of Redondo Beach is a recipient of CDBG funds from HUD. This funding is intended to support a wide range of community development activities ranging from infrastructure improvements, such as ADA curb ramps, to public service programs that provide assistance to residents in need. As part of the requirements to receive this annual funding, the City must develop and complete an AI report and a Consolidated Plan. These documents are complementary to one another and are required to be completed on a five-year cycle. The current AI and Consolidated Plan are for FY’s 2020-2025.
The AI report includes a comprehensive analysis of the City’s regulations, policies, laws, and practices related to housing inventory and how current conditions in both the private and public sector affect fair housing choice. It identifies barriers to housing and strategies to overcome them. The Consolidated Plan utilizes the results provided in the AI to develop a comprehensive report that describes the City’s housing and community development goals for the next five years. The Consolidated Plan will be developed following the adoption of the AI and will be brought to the City Council prior to the end of the fiscal year for consideration of approval.
The development of the AI includes an analysis of extensive demographic and housing data from the United States Census Bureau, an analysis of local and federal policies, engagement with Redondo Beach residents to collect qualitative and quantitative data, and strategies to address identified impediments to promote equal housing opportunities for all.
Community engagement is a critical component to the development of the AI. Staff and the City’s CDBG consultant, MNS Engineers, developed a community engagement plan that included: the distribution of a community survey; seven community meetings held at various dates, times, and locations throughout the City, strategic posting of flyers and announcements on the City’s social media accounts; interviews with seven identified stakeholder groups; and a 30-day public review period for comments. The public review period began on December 6, 2024 and closed on January 7, 2025. No public comments were received.
Following review of all collected data and a thorough analysis of information, the proposed AI identifies five goals, including:
• Goal 1: Support the costs associated with housing
• Goal 2: Support the cost of housing for low and moderate-income and special needs populations
• Goal 3: Support the prevention of housing discrimination
• Goal 4: Promote and develop affordable housing
• Goal 5: Support homeownership
Additional information describing each goal as well as strategies for achieving them are included in the proposed AI report.
The AI is only used as an analysis tool with no requirements to formally undertake the goals identified in the report. These goals are used to define how the City intends to allocate its CDBG funding to support identified limitations, which will be described in the upcoming Consolidated Plan. Many of the goals are already incorporated into the City’s affordable housing policies, so there is existing consistency in policy direction and resource allocation.
Staff recommends the City Council approve the proposed AI report. Following approval, staff will begin developing the five-year Consolidated Plan for FYs 2025-2030.
COORDINATION
The Community Services Department coordinated the preparation of the AI report and this Administrative Report with the Community Development Department.
FISCAL IMPACT
There are no fiscal impacts associated with this item. Preparation of the AI report and the Five-Year Consolidated Plan are part of the Community Services Department’s regular work program.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
• Proposed Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Report