Housing Element Update Public Input Survey
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HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE PUBLIC INPUT SURVEY Aug. 27, 2020 Introduction The City of Carlsbad is committed to involving the public in the city decision making process, based on several key principles: Members of the public have a right to be involved in decisions affecting their lives. Adequate time and resources are provided to allow for meaningful public involvement. The public involvement planning process is begun at the earliest stages of decision-making. Opportunities for public involvement are clearly defined, including the decision or decisions to be made, the decision-making process and how the public has influenced the decision. It is the city’s responsibility to seek out and facilitate the involvement of those interested in or affected by a decision. The city errs on the side of reaching out to people who might not be interested, rather than potentially missing people who are. Diverse participation helps ensure a broad range of perspectives is considered. Public involvement processes are designed to enable members of the public to participate in ways comfortable and convenient for them. City staff provide balanced and factual information to the public and do not engage in advocacy. Public dialogue strives for a focus on values over interests and positions. Members of the public do not need to have technical expertise to provide valuable input. Their everyday experiences as members of the community have intrinsic value to even the most complex and technical decisions. Public involvement planning is coordinated across all city departments to ensure consistency and avoid process fatigue. Housing Element Update Since 1969, California law has required that all cities and counties demonstrate how they will meet the housing needs of everyone in the community. The state forecasts the need for housing based on population projections, and then each region must show how it will accommodate that need. When these forecasts are updated, housing plans, known as housing elements, must be updated too. To help ensure the community’s values, needs and priorities are reflected in the updated housing element, the city has developed several ways to gather input. This report includes the feedback from the first stage of this public input gathering process. Online survey The housing element online survey provided an opportunity for members of the public to provide input at a time convenient to them. Data gathering: Aug. 7 – Aug. 24 4,252 Respondents About the findings By providing multiple ways for the public to provide input, decision makers can hear from a larger and more diverse group of community members. Respondents were asked to disclose where they live, and the system prevented more than two responses per computer IP address (a computer’s unique address). However, unlike a scientific survey, the findings of this process cannot be generalized to the entire Carlsbad population within a defined level of confidence. Other limitations of an online survey include: • Little opportunity to provide context and background on issues. • Not as accessible for those without access to a computer or mobile device. • Not as accessible for those who are not comfortable using technology or did not find the survey format user friendly. • Limited ability to identify explanatory information, such as the “why” behind the answers. • Difficulty providing an accurate summary of verbatim comments without losing nuances. That’s why the input in this report should be considered with a similar weight as other qualitative forms of feedback that have always been part of the city’s decision-making process, such as comments made at City Council meeting or emails sent to the city expressing an opinion. Housing Element Update 2 Input Report Topics and questions The topics and questions in the survey were developed by staff based on the input most critical to the specific decisions that must be made related to the housing element update. To encourage broad participation, the survey length was limited, which also required focusing questions only on certain topics. An open ended question was included for those who wanted to share feedback on topics not included in the closed-ended questions. The verbatim responses are included in this report. Executive summary For the purpose of prioritizing the potential methods, following is a summary of the two questions most directly related to site selection: Housing Element Update 3 Input Report 8/26/2020 City of Carlsbad, CA - Report Creation Housing Plan Update Project Engagement VIEWS PARTICIPANTS RESPONSES COMMENTS SUBSCRIBERS 7,432 4,252 56,183 3,671 1 Please answer the questions below to help the city develop a plan that best reflects our community's needs, values and priorities when it comes to housing. Which best describes your current housing situation? 82% Own 16% Rent 2% Others 4,208 respondents Which best describes your current living situation? 72% Single family home 18% Condominium/townhome 7% Apartment 3% Others 4,179 respondents https://publicinput.com/Reporting/ReportPreview/6399?embeddedreport=False 1/146 8/26/2020 City of Carlsbad, CA - Report Creation Please let us know in which area you live. 10 Toggle Clustering 8 17 2 2 454 724 18 8 197 63 597 550 148 2 11 Map data ©2020 Which best describes your household composition: 37% Living with children under 18 at home 34% Couple living together, no children 14% Multiple generations living together (adult children, parents, grandparents, etc.) 13% Single, living alone 2% Single, living with roommates 3,958 respondents Please rank the ideas below based on what you think are the best locations in Carlsbad overall for new housing. Housing should be located: At vacant industrial sites that have been converted to 76% Rank: 2.50 2030 residential use. Near commercial locations, creating "live-work" 73% Rank: 2.63 1962 neighborhoods. On lots that are underutilized (i.e., older buildings that have 72% Rank: 2.70 1929 additional potential). On vacant land that is zoned for housing development, but 74% Rank: 2.88 1972 not yet developed. On existing single-family properties as accessory dwelling 66% Rank: 4.07 1758 units (granny flats). In areas that are already developed but could be made denser Rank: 4.63 1640 61% by increasing the number of housing units allowed on each piece of property. 2,681 Respondents https://publicinput.com/Reporting/ReportPreview/6399?embeddedreport=False 2/146 8/26/2020 City of Carlsbad, CA - Report Creation There are a number of trade offs associated with different approaches to providing more housing in Carlsbad. New housing should be located where it will have the least 75% Rank: 2.66 1882 impact on the environment overall. New housing should be concentrated in smart growth areas 74% Rank: 2.79 1853 (areas where transit, shops and services already exist). New housing should be located where it will have the least 77% Rank: 2.79 1920 impact on traffic in Carlsbad. New housing should blend in with the character of 74% Rank: 3.08 1853 surrounding neighborhoods. New housing should be spread evenly across all parts of the 68% Rank: 4.01 1708 city. New housing should be located in areas that are already 66% Rank: 4.08 1649 developed. 2,505 Respondents Next, please rank the following programs and strategies that could address the city's future housing needs: Financial assistance programs for people who cannot afford 79% Rank: 1.76 1819 housing, such as subsidized rent and down payment loans. 81% Incentives for developers to build more affordable housing. Rank: 1.87 1885 Programs that help people experiencing homelessness find 77% Rank: 1.95 1793 permanent housing. 2,315 Respondents What types of programs would make you consider adding an accessory dwelling unit (granny flat) to your property? Please select all that apply. 55% Not interested/doesn't apply to me 1659 36% Easy permitting process 1082 33% Inexpensive permitting process 1003 26% Pre-approved building plans provided by the city 769 24% If it would increase the property value of my home 729 23% Rent would be a new source of income 682 20% Help with financing 589 9% It could make buying a home in Carlsbad attainable for me 260 2,998 Respondents https://publicinput.com/Reporting/ReportPreview/6399?embeddedreport=False 3/146 8/26/2020 City of Carlsbad, CA - Report Creation What is your age group? 35% 30 to 49 33% 50 to 64 29% 65 and older 3% 18 to 29 3,331 respondents Which best describes your annual gross household income? 37% $100,000 - $200,000 28% More than $200,000 22% $50,000 - $100,000 8% $25,000 - $50,000 3% Below $25,000 3,197 respondents https://publicinput.com/Reporting/ReportPreview/6399?embeddedreport=False 4/146 8/26/2020 City of Carlsbad, CA - Report Creation What else would you like us to consider when updating Carlsbad's housing plan? Pongan los apartamentos cerca de las escuelas o con rutas de bus publico porque he tenido que pasar de mudarme a apartamento con renta subsidiada porque no hay camiones para llevar a los hijos a la escuela y todo esta muy lejos. A donde yo vivo los ninos pueden caminar a la escuela e ir a sus extracurriculares sin que yo tenga que salirme de mi trabajo. 2 hours ago Traffic issues and ease of congestion. yesterday Preserving natural open space yesterday There should be areas favoring senior housing, which shouldn't have to pay for school fees and should be near bus routes. Overall traffic impacts should be kept to a min. for new developments. Developments should have incentives to keep the sales cost lower. Provide more parking for beach visitors. yesterday The wildlife that has already been pushed out of there habitat because of development in areas that they resided.