Ontario council adopts housing-element update to meet state mandates

The Ontario City Council voted to adopt updates to the city's housing element and approved related ordinances and a CEQA addendum after staff said the revisions respond to state requirements for the 2021–2029 planning period. Planning staff presented the draft element, explained state-determined allocations and income-band breakdowns, and described zoning changes intended to produce higher-density housing along transit corridors.

Mr. Murphy, the city's planning staff lead, told the council that the Department of Housing and Community Development and SCAG had identified large regional needs and that "what that means to the city of Ontario is our allocation is $20,854," and that the allocation is broken down into above-moderate, moderate, low- and very-low income categories. He said the city will use zoning changes, targeted corridors, and an affordable-housing overlay to create the densities HCD expects (about 30 units per acre in targeted areas) and to allow a portion of units to be set aside as affordable.

Councilmember Wagner congratulated staff on the timely submittal and warned of consequences for cities that do not comply: "If we don't do it, there's some very severe punitive actions taken against cities that don't submit the element," he said. Mayor Paul Leon said he preferred the phrase "workforce attainable" over "affordable" and emphasized the city's intent to create housing that working families can actually access.

The council moved, seconded, and took an electronic vote to adopt the CEQA addendum and approve the ordinances tied to the housing-element implementation; the motion passed in the meeting's public record. Staff and council emphasized that state requirements drive much of the document's content and that the city will pursue rezoning of selected corridors, objective development standards, and an affordable-housing overlay to meet HCD expectations.

The action now allows the city to move forward with implementation steps, including rezoning and updates to specific plans and development standards to permit higher densities and to streamline certain projects that meet the objective standards the council approved. Councilmembers said ancillary programs and existing local tools remain in place to support affordable and workforce housing.