Foster an inclusive community with a diversity of quality housing, affordability levels, and living experiences that accommodate Santa Ana’s residents and workforce of all household types, income levels, and age groups.
- Policy HE-2.1
Citywide
Designate adequate land in the General Plan Land Use Element and Zoning for the development of a range of housing types to meet the identified needs of all economic segments of the community while providing a high quality of life for all residents.
- Policy HE-2.2
Downtown
Strengthen Santa Ana’s core downtown as a vibrant mixed-use and mixed-income environment by capitalizing on the government center, arts district, historic downtown, transit-oriented housing, and diverse neighborhoods.
- Policy HE-2.3
Urban Villages
Create higher intensity, mixed-use urban villages and pedestrian-oriented experiences that access and support the office centers, commercial services, and cultural activities within District Centers and Urban Neighborhood designated areas.
- Policy HE-2.4
Rental Housing
Facilitate the construction of rental housing for Santa Ana’s residents and workforce, with a commitment to provide rental housing for extremely low-, very low-, and low-income residents as well as moderate-income Santa Ana workers.
- Policy HE-2.5
Diverse Housing Types
Facilitate diverse types, prices, and sizes of housing, including single-family homes, apartments, townhomes, duplexes, mixed/multiuse housing, transit-oriented housing, multigenerational housing, accessory dwelling units, and live-work opportunities.
- Policy HE-2.6
Housing Design
Require excellence in architectural design through the use of materials and colors, building treatments, landscaping, open space, parking, and environmentally sensitive (“green”) building and design practices.
- Policy HE-2.7
Affordable Component
Pursuant to the Affordable Housing Opportunity and Creation Ordinance (AHOCO), require eligible rental and ownership housing projects to include at least 15 percent of the rental housing units as affordable for low-income households; or 10 percent of the rental units affordable to very low-income households; or 5 percent of rental units affordable to lower income households (5 percent to low-income, 3 percent to very low- income, and 2 percent to extremely low-income households); or at least 5 percent of the units in eligible ownership projects affordable to moderate-income households. Implement various strategies using the in-lieu fees generated by AHOCO to provide a wide array of affordable housing options.
- Policy HE-2.8
Entitlement Process
Provide flexible development review and entitlement processes that facilitate innovative and creative housing solutions, offer a consistent approval process, and allow for appropriate oversight.
- Policy HE-2.9
Housing Authority-Owned Sites
Facilitate the development of affordable housing for very low-income and moderate-income families on Housing Authority–owned properties while keeping the properties under public ownership.
- Policy HE-2.10
Overcrowding Conditions
Facilitate the development of accessory dwelling units and additions and improvements to existing homes to alleviate overcrowded housing conditions.
- Policy HE-2.11
Surplus Land
Comply with the Surplus Land Act to promote affordable housing development on unused or underutilized public land.