In February, the Avalon City Council will be looking at the following:
• The Housing Element of the General Plan. The Planning Commission on Jan. 19 recommend that the council approve the document. Among the state-mandated requirements is that the city plan for the construction of 27 housing units. Mind you, neither the city nor the state can compel anyone to actually build units. According to the Jan. 19 staff report submitted by Assistant Planner Susanna Guitierrez, as of last November, 16 units had been constructed, were under construction, or had been approved by the city. The city expects 1 accessory dwelling units a year to be built during the next eight-year cycle for Housing Units, according to the Guitierrez report. The report also cites three vacant properties owned by the Catalina Island Company that the Island Company considers near-term development projects. In all, 150 units could be built. That means the city can meet the requirement for 27 units.
• A Zoning amendment to comply with a new state law that requires cities to (one) allow any lot in a single-family zone to be split and (two) requires cities to let any lot in a single-family zone to be developed with two units. The Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve the state-mandated change on Jan. 19.
• Finance Director Matthew Baker will provide the council with a mid-budget review on Tuesday, Feb. 15.
