Frequently Asked Questions

  • RHNA stands for Regional Housing Needs Allocation and refers to a local government’s fair share of housing needs. Since 1969, the State of California has required cities and counties to adequately plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in their communities. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) first determines how much housing at different affordability levels is needed for each region in the state. Then, regional governments develop a methodology to allocate that housing need to local governments. Finally, local governments adopt a Housing Element to show how they will meet that housing need. For more information about RHNA, click HERE.

  • Mandated by the State of California, the Housing Element is one chapter of the City’s General Plan. It analyzes housing conditions, where and how people live, the cost of housing, and what barriers households face to live in Costa Mesa. The Housing Element establishes goals, policies, and programs to address these challenges to make sure there are enough housing opportunities for everyone, across housing types and income levels. The Housing Element identifies Housing Element Opportunity Sites to be zoned with adequate capacity to address the RHNA if developed. The City’s Housing Element was adopted by the City Council in 2022.  Implementation of its programs, as required by state law, is in progress. For more information about the Housing Element, click HERE.

  • In 2016, Costa Mesa voters passed Measure Y, which established voter approval for development projects involving a zoning code or General Plan amendment and adding more than 40 homes, over 200 additional average daily trips, and other thresholds. Housing development decreased, likely due to the risk and expense of holding an election for a development project. 

    In 2022, Costa Mesa voters approved Measure K, a ballot measure to allow the City to update the zoning of select commercial and industrial sites without being subject to a Measure Y vote of the public. As approved, Measure K allows the City to implement a significant program of the City’s Housing Element – zoning sites to create residential development opportunities in commercial and industrial areas. Allowing new housing opportunities in those areas will create more housing options while preserving existing residential neighborhoods. Neighborhoods Where We All Belong will include a public visioning and outreach process to help determine appropriate heights and other features of residential development, as required in Measure K and in the Housing Element. For more information about Measure K, click HERE.

  • Neighborhoods Where We All Belong is a comprehensive effort by the City of Costa Mesa to address housing needs and comply with state housing law. We have named this effort “Neighborhoods Where We All Belong” to reflect the goal of planning new housing options for all people.  The Neighborhoods Where We All Belong effort will feature a variety of City actions to encourage and facilitate high quality housing to meet the needs of current and future residents.

    Residential Development Opportunity Programs

    To accommodate the City’s mandated fair share of Orange County’s housing needs (also known as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA), the City was required to identify sites to be zoned for residential development in the Housing Element. The City’s Housing Element was adopted by the City Council in 2022. The Housing Element is a state-required part of the City’s General Plan that guides how the City plans housing opportunities to encourage and facilitate housing for different income levels.. The Neighborhoods Where We All Belong effort will update the zoning on Housing Element Opportunity Sites to meet specific densities and capacities in the adopted plan.

    Additional development potential was facilitated by Measure K, a local ballot measure approved by Costa Mesa voters in November of 2022. As approved, Measure K allows the City to update zoning on Measure K sites without a vote of the public. The Housing Element Opportunity Sites, except one State-owned property, are within the boundaries of Measure K and are in commercial or industrial areas. The updated zoning will create opportunities for new homes close to jobs and amenities, while preserving existing neighborhoods. Neighborhoods Where We All Belong includes a public visioning process to help determine appropriate heights, scale, and other characteristics of residential or mixed-use development.

    For a map of sites that are part of Neighborhoods Where We All Belong, click HERE. For more information about ballot Measure K, click HERE.

    Zoning Code Amendment Programs

    The Housing Element identifies sections of the City’s zoning code to be updated to comply with state and federal requirements and streamline the housing development process. In addition, the City will also prepare new objective design standards for residential and mixed-use development to enable well-designed buildings and places.

  • Neighborhoods Where We All Belong reflects the City’s ongoing commitment to promote housing opportunities to meet the needs of current and future residents. Many Costa Mesans face challenges such as overcrowding, overpayment, and deficient housing conditions. The high cost of rental housing and home ownership is burdensome to many local families. By prioritizing housing on Housing Element Opportunity Sites and properties in commercial and industrial areas, Neighborhoods Where We All Belong will allow the City to increase housing options and comply with state housing law.

    Additionally, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) requires cities and counties in California to have a certified Housing Element. To obtain certification from the state, appropriate zoning must be in place to allow housing at specific densities and capacities identified in the adopted Housing Element. Without a certified Housing Element, the City is at risk to various consequences, such as fines, loss of local permitting controls, and loss of state funding. It is imperative that the City implement the changes to zoning described in the adopted Housing Element and obtain certification.

  • An objective design standard is a design regulation that is certain, measurable, and predictable. Objective design standards are defined by recent state housing law, such as Senate Bill 35 (2017) and SB 330 (2022), as standards that “involve no personal or subjective judgement by a public official and are uniformly verifiable by reference to an external and uniform benchmark or criterion available and knowable by both the development applicant or proponent and the public official prior to submittal.”  Examples of objective design standards include a minimum setback of X feet from a building to a property line and a minimum of X percentage of common open space per dwelling unit. This creates a more efficient and predictable path in the design, review, and approval of projects, which can reduce time and cost in the permitting process. Objective design standards, consistent with the community’s vision, will be prepared for new residential and mixed-use projects in Costa Mesa as part of Neighborhoods Where We All Belong. For more information about objective design standards, click HERE.

  • Neighborhoods Where We All Belong is being conducted by the Planning Division of the Economic and Development Services Department, supported by the City Manager’s Office, and a consultant team. The consultant team led by Dudek and supported by Kearns & West and Pro Forma Advisors includes professionals in planning, urban design, economics, environmental review, and community engagement.

  • Neighborhoods Where We All Belong is informed by an inclusive, accessible, and transparent community visioning process. You can get involved by any one of the following methods:

    In addition to study sessions and other public meetings with the City Council, there will be several outreach events. For more information about these events, click HERE.

  • All outreach and engagement materials for this effort will be provided in both English and Spanish. Project events will be staffed by both English- and Spanish-speaking translators. Please contact the City Clerk at (714) 754-5225 to request additional language interpreting services for City meetings. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make arrangements.

  • In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in a meeting, please contact the City Clerk at (714) 754-5225. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.