
DCRE News: County Board of Supervisors Selects Sites for Future Housing
On Friday May 3rd, the Board voted to rezone 10 sites in the North County and 18 sites on the South Coast that can accommodate affordable housing units for low-, moderate-, and upper moderate-income households countywide. This is the final step in the Housing Element Update process and ensures the County remains in compliance with State Housing Law.
A Long Process
The selection of sites is the end of a long process that began in 2021 when the State Department of Housing and Community Development (State HCD) through its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process mandated how many housing units the County had to accommodate as part of the current Housing Element Update cycle.

For this cycle, State HCD required that Santa Barbara County identify sites to accommodate 5,664 new housing units in unincorporated portions of Santa Barbara County between 2023 and 2031.
The Board voted to rezone 9 of 18 potential rezone sites identified in the North County region. The majority of the North County potential rezone sites fall within Orcutt, with one site in Cuyama, and one site in Santa Ynez. The Board also voted to rezone one pending project in Vandenberg Village. The Board’s North County selections exceed the State’s requirements for lower-income affordable units plus a 15% buffer by nearly 200 units.
At the North County hearing on April 30, Supervisor Bob Nelson, whose district includes Vandenberg Village and Orcutt, began the North County selection of sites, noting, “The decisions that we make here are going to be lasting and impactful.”
In the South Coast region, the Board voted to rezone 16 of 18 potential rezone sites, nine Countyowned sites and two pending projects. The Board’s selections exceed the State’s requirements for lower-income affordable units plus a 15% buffer by 360 units and moderate-income units by just over 250 units. “This is a significant step to provide much needed lower- and moderate-income housing in our County,” said Lisa Plowman, Director of Planning and Development.

The County released an additional interactive map on May 8, showing the potential rezone sites and County-owned sites selected by the Board of Supervisors. The County Board of Supervisors adopted the 2023-2031 Housing Element Update (HEU) on December 5, 2023.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development (State HCD) found the County’s adopted housing element in substantial compliance with State Housing Element Law on January 22, 2024. The Adopted HEU can be found at: https://www.countyofsb.org/3177/Housing-Element-Update.
This is the 6th Housing Element cycle, covering 2023-2031.