HIGH-DENSITY housing on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach (Shutterstock).

By Jim Tortolano/Orange County Tribune

The tug-of-war between the State of California and the City of Huntington Beach over how many new homes should be built in Surf City resumes on Tuesday as the city council takes up the matter of its general plan housing element.

Continued from the March 21 meeting is a public hearing on the state-mandated ordinance that was followed by a 3-3 deadlock on the issue.

While the council now has a conservative majority that usually prevails on a 4-3 vote, Councilmember Casey McKeon recused himself from voting because of a potential conflict of interest.

Huntington Beach is already late on approval of the element and is facing legal action from the state. At issue is the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, commonly known as RHNA, in which the state has decided that the city of about 200,000 residents must zone for – but not necessarily build – 13,338 new homes over the next decade as a way of helping to alleviate California’s housing shortage.

Also on the agenda are:

• a report on mobile homes and a proposed space rent study;
• approval of the proposed 90-day homelessness plan;
• a proposed ordinance on speed limits.

The council will meet in its chambers at 2000 Main Street (at Yorktown Avenue) with a closed session at 4 p.m. and the regular business meeting at 6 p.m.