Newport may have to plan for 2,300 to 5,300 new homes over next decade

Newport Beach may need to plan for as many as 5,300 new homes in the next decade to meet its share of the 1.3 million homes state housing officials say are needed to alleviate the region’s housing problems.

The Newport Beach City Council on Tuesday will review the housing needs assessment formulated for Southern California this summer by the state Department of Housing and Community Development and the local share of that amount.

Newport’s allocation could range from about 2,300 to 5,300 homes, depending on the methodology used, according to a city staff report.

The Southern California Assn. of Governments — which represents Orange, Los Angeles and four other Southern California counties — is developing an allocation method for the cities and unincorporated regions under its umbrella for 2021 through 2029.

Though the state doesn’t require the cities to build the homes directly, they must at least accommodate the need on paper through zoning for residential development. Potential sites for new housing development in Newport Beach would be outlined in the city’s general plan, which is in the first year of an expected three-year update process.

Homes will be further allocated by income level, from “very low income” to the open-ended “above moderate.”

Top-down housing mandates have encountered resistance in Orange County. Earlier this year, the state filed suit against Newport neighbor Huntington Beach over what state officials described as its failure to allow enough home construction to accommodate a growing population, citing restrictions the city placed on its development plans for the Beach Boulevard-Edinger Avenue corridor.

The suit, which is pending, came at the request of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said it was needed to address rising housing costs that threaten economic growth and deepen inequality.

Tuesday’s Newport City Council meeting will start at 7 p.m., preceded at 4 p.m. by a study session.

Davis writes for Times Community News.