Local government: transportation planning and land use: sustainable communities strategy.

(1) Existing law requires specified designated transportation planning agencies to prepare and adopt a regional transportation plan directed at achieving a coordinated and balanced regional transportation system, as described. Existing law requires the plan to include specified information, including a sustainable communities strategy prepared by each metropolitan planning organization, and requires each transportation planning agency to adopt and submit, every 4 years, an updated plan to the California Transportation Commission and the Department of Transportation. Existing law requires the sustainable communities strategy to include specified information, including an identification of areas within the region sufficient to house all the population of the region over the course of the planning period of the regional transportation plan, as specified, and an identification of areas within the region sufficient to house an 8-year projection of the regional housing need for the region, as specified. This bill would additionally require each metropolitan planning organization to include in the sustainable communities strategy the total number of new housing units necessary to house all the population of the region over the course of the planning period of the regional transportation plan, as specified, and the total number of new housing units necessary to house the above-described 8-year projection, as specified. By imposing additional duties on metropolitan planning organizations, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law requires the planning agency of a city or county to provide an annual report to HCD by April 1 of each year that includes, among other information, the city's or county's progress in meeting its share of regional housing needs, as described. This bill would require the annual report to also include specified information with respect to areas identified for residential or mixed-use developments in the applicable sustainable communities strategies or alternative planning strategies. By imposing additional duties on cities and counties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, with regard to certain mandates, no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.