The city is up for another state evaluation this summer and has been in the process of gathering input from the community and updating its housing polices.
With a population of about 80,000, Newport Beach has 191 units of affordable housing, according to the city’s General Plan.
The actual number of affordable units in Newport Beach today is about 345 units, according to the Newport Beach Planning Department.
State housing laws require every city to address regional housing needs, including housing for people of all income levels.
The state has several tiers of affordable housing. Newport Beach is required to provide affordable housing for families based on how much money a family makes a year compared to the average income in the surrounding community.
In Newport Beach, housing that is affordable ranges from a unit for a single person with an annual income of $32,550 to a home for a family of eight with an annual income of $133,200, according to city documents.
Darrell classified the city’s efforts to increase affordable housing in Newport as “pretty weak.”
The city is doing all it can to attract more affordable homes to Newport, said Newport Beach Planning Director David Lepo.
“I’ve been very impressed to the extent the city goes to provide affordable housing,” Lepo said. “Our general plan looks for there to be at least 15% of average units constructed to be classified as affordable.”
Although exact wording for the new affordable housing ordinance has yet to be released, the city is considering rules that would make developers pay fees or help the city address its affordable housing needs, Lepo said.
City officials have already gone through several drafts of the ordinance and hope to send it to the City Council some time this summer, he said.
