Harris & Associates Helps City of Irvine Complete 6th Cycle Housing Element and 2045 General Plan Update

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The City of Irvine selected Harris & Associates to assist with preparing their 6th Cycle Housing Element and subsequent General Plan Update. Led by Hitta Mosesman, Harris’ Vice President of Community Development and Housing, the Harris team provided a Housing Element Update that addressed local concerns and priorities while meeting the State’s level of scrutiny. The General Plan Update that followed ensured consistency amongst the General Plan Elements and intentional land use planning to promote mixed use, walkable neighborhoods in close proximity to goods, services, jobs, recreation and open space.

For the Housing Element, Harris and City staff identified opportunity sites for a total number of planned housing units that exceeded the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) requirement. The Harris team conducted research and analysis that demonstrated how the City’s Housing Element furthers fair housing in the community and contained policies related to new State laws around the identification of commercial redevelopment opportunities near transit and job centers for sustainable growth that aligns with the City’s climate goals.

“We worked with City staff to conduct stakeholder outreach and real estate analysis to identify opportunities for housing throughout the City in a way that meets new State requirements,” said Hitta. “Our work on the Housing Element Update required creativity and complex analysis around redevelopment opportunities near jobs and transit as well as affordable housing that would be competitive for the required State funding.”

The City’s Housing Element was the second certified in Orange County and the 13th certified in the entire Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) region.

Harris was also retained to lead the preparation of the 2045 Irvine General Plan Update (GPU). The Update involved amending the City’s zoning ordinance in accordance with the Housing Element, as well as updating the Land Use, Safety, Circulation, Open Space and Conservation and Noise Elements, creating a new Environmental and Climate Action Element, and developing a strategic implementation plan. The updated Land Use Element identifies Focus Areas in the commercial areas in the City, the Irvine Business Complex and the Irvine Spectrum, as well as the Great Park area where the City’s transit station is located. Updated land uses centered on creating “proximity villages” that are walkable to shopping, services, jobs, recreation and services to reduce traffic and further the City’s significant climate goals.

“With one of the largest Regional Housing Needs Allocations in the Southern California region, the City of Irvine was faced with the herculean task of developing a Housing Element that not only complied with State requirements, but also preserved the high quality of life standards expected by the residents, businesses, and visitors of Irvine,” said Marika Poynter, Chief of Planning and Policy, City of Irvine. “Harris provided creative solutions based on sound analytics to plan for future uses to support the residential units required by RHNA and the residential supporting uses to create sustainable communities. Harris was there every step of the way providing excellent project management, including budget and scheduling monitoring, and worked tirelessly to ensure Irvine’s 2045 General Plan Update and 2021-2029 Housing Element were completed on time and within budget in a way that balanced future growth with the unique characteristics of our community.”

The General Plan Update was approved by the Irvine City Council in August 2024.

About Harris

Harris is a 100% employee-owned company focused on helping communities solve today's complex challenges in planning, financing, environmental compliance, civil engineering, and construction management. Our offices and project sites span the West Coast in California and Washington with a staff of over 280 employee-owners. We focus on serving clients in the municipal, water, transportation, and education markets. www.WeAreHarris.com