On Tuesday, July 12, the Signal Hill City Council approved the reclassification of four property sites to fulfill a state-required obligation to make room for 517 affordable housing units in the city by Oct. 15, 2022.
Every eight years, California cities undergo a Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) from the state, which requires cities to make room for housing to accommodate demand. Signal Hill was allocated 517 housing units based on the City’s population. Signal Hill is currently in its 6th cycle housing element.
Initially, the City needed to submit a final revised draft by February 2022 to Housing and Community Development (HCD), but Gov. Gavin Newsom extended the deadline for the Housing Element Update till Oct. 15, 2022.
During that extension, the City received comments from the HCD on their review of the first draft of the HEU, but no changes were required, according to Community Development Director Colleen Doan.
Some adjustments were made to clarify the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) policy, which is a data-gathering research program used to combat discrimination that overcome patterns of segregation and “fosters inclusive communities free from barriers,” according to the AFFH document.
With the third draft currently in the process of assessment, Signal Hill must present it to staff by Aug. 15, 2022.
Planned housing developments in Signal Hill will move city closer to state housing goals
Heritage Square Site will accommodate 60 housing units for above moderate-income residents based on the site’s lower expected development density.
Town Center Northwest will accommodate above moderate-income residence and is expected to construct 267 housing units. Mayor Keir Jones said that the site is adjacent to Rose Avenue and Crescent Heights Historic District, which will provide a pedestrian-friendly restaurant zone. Doan said the space has many residential amenities, including restaurants, bars, tasting rooms and outdoor dining.
Orange Bluff will accommodate the 290 units for extremely low-, very low-, and low-income residents and, in Walnut Buff, will accommodate 90 moderate-income units required by the 6th Cycle RHNA allocation.
Oil and gas wells will be removed or repurposed for construction
Ahead of the date to authorize the final revised draft of the HEU, the four property sites will see a few of their oil and gas wells repurposed to accommodate the new construction.
Orange Bluff, located on Orange Avenue between 27th and 28th streets, has one active well, which will remain in the interior landscape area. The eight idle wells will be abandoned to allow for the development of the proposed residential project.
Walnut Bluff, located on the corner of Walnut Avenue and Willow Street, will abandon seven oil and gas wells, but the two active wells will remain, and the two idle wells will be abandoned to allow the development of the proposed residential project.
Town Center Northwest is a planned 8.3-acre mixed-use commercial and residential development at the northeast corner of Walnut Avenue and Willow Street. It has 15 oil and gas wells, but all seven idle wells will be abandoned, along with two active wells. One of the four abandoned wells will be re-abandoned to accommodate development. Two active wells will remain on site.
Heritage Square, an 8.8-acre mixed-use residential and commercial site along Cherry Avenue between Crescent Heights and Burnett Street, has 20 oil and gas wells on site. All nine idles and two of the active wells will be abandoned. Four of the eight abandoned wells will be re-abandoned to accommodate development. One active well will remain on site in a landscaped area in the southwest corner.
Councilmember Lori Woods questioned whether the multifamily units will be smoke-free.
Doan said that “under the goals and objectives of each of the specific plans,” the smoking ban would be supportive of developing the units designed as non-smoking to reduce the impacts associated with secondhand smoking.
Councilmember Tina Hansen recalled her first years in office that Las Brisas Apartments, one of the few affordable multifamily housing units in Signal Hill, were not enough.
“Having a job that pays you less than somebody else’s job doesn’t mean that you should live in a housing that substandard compared to other people,” Hansen said.
