3B Public Hearing 2011 0321 - Laserfiche WebLink

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General Plan Amendments 8 March 21. 201 I changes to the City's Reasonable Accommodation policy' pursuant to the direction I-1CD staff gave the City in order for the City's I- lousing Element to be adopted. On February II, 2011 the California Department of I- lousing and Community Development certified the Housing Element. Applicable General Plan Policy Not Applicable Environmental Review Because this action is a General Plan Amendment, it is considered a "project" under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and is subject to environmental review. An Initial Study (IS) was prepared in December 2010. The Initial Study concluded that the environmental impacts of this Amendment were fully evaluated by the 2007 TOD Strategy EIR and the 2010 Housing Element Initial Study. No impacts above and beyond those previously evaluated in those documents would occur as a result of amending the General Plan for internal consistency. A Negative Declaration has been drafted for this action (Exhibit 13). Public notice of the City's intent to adopt a Negative Declaration has been provided in accordance with the Government Code. Sum man' of Public Outreach Efforts Housing Element Although the 2003 Housing Element was only five years old when this Update was initiated and its policies were largely viewed as still current, the City elected to extensively engage the community in this update. Public outreach began even before the Update was officially launched, as the City Council conducted work sessions in late 2007 and early 2008 to discuss housing issues and programs. The City Council identified community outreach as a top priority for the Housing Element Update and sought to make the process as inclusive as possible. In April 2008, the City established a website for the Housing Element and issued a series of press releases for the update. The San Leandro Times carried several articles, raising public awareness of housing issues and providing information on how residents could participate in the update process. The City prepared a four -page color brochure on the Housing Element, distributing hundreds of copies to interested residents, businesses, and agencies. Copies were also prepared in Spanish and Chinese, and distributed at City Hall. the Library, and social service organizations around town. The brochure was also posted on the City's website and sent to key housing stakeholders. The City conducted an initial series of community workshops on the Housing Element in June 2005 Publicity for these meetings was extensive, with newspaper articles, e -mail "blasts" to all major community organizations, letters to specific groups such as church and school officials. and flyers distributed to hundreds of residents at the City's annual Cherry Festival. The format of the meetings was highly interactive and gave residents an opportunity to ask questions about the project and voice opinions on housing programs. About 50 people attended. Each participant also received a "Comment Card" on housing issues to provide feedback after the meeting. Comment cards were provided in English. Spanish. and Chinese. Following the meeting, comment cards were mailed or e- mailed to interested residents who were unable to attend.