State Mandated Affordable
Impacting and changing Yorba Linda foreve
A Little History
In 2005, the City Council, led by Councilman Ken Ryan, planned to build high density, affordable housing in our Town Center. Residents were outraged and successfully fought and defeated the plan.
Measure B
In 2006, Yorba Linda voters passed Measure B, the Right-to-Vote on Land Use Amendment. In short, Measure B requires that rezoning must be approved by voters.
The State Applied Pressure to Yorba Linda
In 2012, the state mandated that Yorba Linda designate properties for high-density affordable housing and if we did not, they could take over our Planning Department and approve these projects. With this information, residents approved Measure H (Savi Ranch, across the street from John Force Racing) and Measure I (west side properties). Measure H and I ballot details are listed below.
Savi Ranch, low-low, 30 Units per acre
As part of Measure H, low-low affordable homes (30 units per acre) were built at Savi Ranch by CORE, a non-profit organization. This temporarily took Yorba Linda off the hot seat until the next state mandated housing cycle.
Voter Approved- Opportunity Lost
Following the 2012 election and beginning in 2013, the majority Council of Gene Hernandez, Tom Lindsey and Craig Young allowed developers on the west side to build higher grade affordable housing. Voters had approved 30 units per acre in good faith because they were told that our city must comply. Not one single low-low unit was built.
Backs to the Wall, 2022
Fast forward to 2022. Yorba Linda is once again in trouble with the state and is now required to find space for 2,415 homes. Again the low-low units are the more difficult to achieve, especially in a city with high property values. In addition, developers don’t want to build low-low units, because they are less profitable. Therein lies the advantage of a non-profit developer such as CORE.
Some Council candidates can be persuaded by out of town PACs
With an election just around the corner, out of town political action committees (PACs) may again be eager to make donations to campaigns in order to gain favorable Council support for lesser density.
Public records can be obtained on all of the above information.
Editorial
Yorba Linda e-News
________________________________
2012 Measure H and I Ballot Measures
MEASURE H: "Shall ordinances be adopted amending the Yorba Linda General Plan and zoning requirements to allow the development of additional housing units and increased building heights within the Office Commercial and Support Commercial sub-areas of the Savi Ranch Planned Development zone in the City in furtherance of meeting state mandated affordable housing laws?"
MEASURE I: "Shall ordinances be adopted amending the General Plan, Town Center Specific Plan, and zoning requirements to allow additional housing units at specific locations, some with increased building heights, in furtherance of meeting state mandated affordable housing laws, at northeast corner Yorba Linda/Prospect, south side Bastanchury between Lakeview/Plumosa, northeast corner Lakeview/Altrudy, east side Lakeview south Lemon, southeast corner Yorba Linda/Eureka, east side Lakeview at Mariposa, and east side Plumosa south Avolinda?"
