The City of Fountain Valley is a 9.75 square mile city located in northwest Orange County. Incorporated in 1957, the City is situated 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Fountain Valley is a predominantly built-out suburban community with good access to major transportation corridors, including Interstate 405 that runs east to west through the center of the City.
The Consolidated Plan includes a One-Year Action Plan that identifies the activities that the City will undertake to address the priority needs and local objectives with the anticipated program income and funds received during the 1995 program year of approximately $1.18 million. The majority of funding will be spent towards housing rehabilitation activities; public accessibility improvements; infrastructure improvements; paramedics equipment; and public services.
Fountain Valley published the Notice of Funding Availability on December 1,
1994 for FY 1995-96 Community Development Block Grant and started the
Consolidated Plan preparation process in January 1995. The initial step to
solicit citizen participation was in the form of preparing a Citizen
Participation Plan. A public hearings regarding the Citizen Participation Plan
were held by the Housing and Community Development Advisory Board on February 1,
1995. Two public hearings were held with regards to the Consolidated Plan. A
public hearing was held by the Housing and Community Development Advisory Board
on April 5, 1995, to obtain public input on the first draft of the Consolidate
Plan. At this meeting, the Board reviewed the Draft Consolidated Plan and made
recommendations to the City Council. The Draft Plan was made available for 30
day public review on May 5, 1995. The City Council held a public hearing on
June 6, 1995, for final adoption of the 1995-2000 Consolidated Plan.
The City of Fountain Valley is 9.75 square mile city with a population of 53,691 persons in 1990 as estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau. Of that total, 72.9 percent were White; 17.5 % with Asian American; 8.1 % were Hispanic; .9 % were African-American; .5 % were Native American; and .1 % were racially diverse.
Fountain Valley is a greying community. The median age in Fountain Valley increased by 16 % from 29.7 years of age in 1980 to 34.5 years of age in 1990. This is evidenced by the relative stability in the 0-4 years of age group, a 58 % decrease in school age children age 5-17, a 26 % decrease in those 25-44 years of age and a large increases of 40 and 68 % in the 45-61 and 62+ age group, respectively.
According to the 1994 CHAS, 1,290 households, or 7.3 % of the total
households, can be classified as middle income (earning 80-95% of the median
income) households. 1,319 households, or 8 % of the total households in
Fountain Valley, can be classified as moderate-income (earning 50-80% of the
median income) households. 2,942 households, or 11 % of the total households,
can be classified as lower-income (earning 0-50% of the median income)
households. There are no ethnic groups within Fountain Valley that have a
disproportionately larger amount of lower or moderate income households per
ethnic population.
Fountain Valley's housing stock is primarily in good condition. The Housing Element indicates that 640 units are in substandard condition and that 5 of these are not suitable for rehabilitation and need to be replaced. Of housing that is determined to be substandard, 51.7% (332) are owner-occupied and 43.3 % (308) are rentals.
Physical deterioration impacts the northeast neighborhoods the most. However, some substandard homes are being recycled through the private sector.
Fountain Valley has 78% of its total land area designated for residential use. Of that percentage, a majority is designated low density residential. Between 1980 and 1990, the total number of housing units grew by 1,274 units or 7.5%, to 18,019. The number of households increased by only 6% during the same time period. This figure represents that the overall housing stock remains sufficient for the City's existing household base.
While Fountain Valley has enough housing for the overall population, it is lacking one and two bedroom housing units for smaller families. Out of the 18,019 housing units, only 4,294 (24%) are one and two bedroom units with 14,739 (73%) of the households being four persons or less. A concern with this situation is that it may cause the price of one and two bedroom units to be inflated or force smaller families to choose a larger more expensive unit, because of the unavailability of smaller units.
Approximately 75% of all housing units in Fountain Valley are owner occupied (13,081) and 25% (4,326) are rentals. The Census reported an overall vacancy rate of 3.38 % for Fountain Valley in 1990. The rental vacancy rate was at 8 %, while less than one percent of ownership units were vacant.
Median monthly rent in 1990 was $846.00 per month, which was an increase of 124 % over the 1980 figure of $377.00. The City's 1993 Fair Housing Assessment reported an average rent of $777.00.
Median home values grew faster than rents at the rate of 133 %, from $123,300 in 1980 to $287,000 in 1990. During the same time, median family income grew at only half this rate. However, home prices have been declining steadily over the last three years. The National Board of Realtors reported a 7.6% drop in the median price of previously owned homes in Orange County during the second quarter of 1993. The 1994 CHAS reported that the median price had come down to $245,098. Despite this dip, Orange County still has the third highest home prices in the nation, behind Honolulu and the San Francisco Bay area.
Housing is considered affordable when a household pays no more than 30 % of its income for housing-related expenditures. According to the 1994 CHAS and the above listed criteria, an average of 76% of extremely low-income renters, 100% of low-income renters, 90% of moderate-income renters and 74% of middle-income renters overpay for housing. an estimate 74% of extremely low-income, 53% of low-income, 56% of moderate-income and 52% of middle-income owner households also overpay for housing.
Families that pay over 50% of their income for housing related expenditures ar considered severely cost burdened. For renters, 65% of extremely low-income, 78% of low-income, 14% of moderate income and 12% of middle income renters are severely cost burdened. To owners, an estimated 60% of extremely low- income, 52% of low-income, 27% of moderate income and 17% of middle income owners are severely cost burdened. The severely cost burdened figures were obtained form the 1994 CHAS Databook.
The 1990 Census counted three homeless persons in Fountain Valley on "S" night with none observed in street locations. The 1993 Orange County Homeless Task Force survey listed only nine homeless persons from Fountain Valley, with a sample size of over 3000 persons.
The four homeless organizations receiving funding through the City's CDBG program for FY 1995-96 reported serving 36 Fountain Valley residents during 1993-94. Of these, the majority were women and children who were victims of domestic violence. Since these organizations serve different populations, it is unlikely that the number was duplicated. Of the 36 reported residents served there were 20 Caucasian, 8 African-American, 5 Latino, 1 Native American, 1 Asian, and 1 Other.
Currently, there are no shelters in Fountain Valley. However, there are 46 shelters, transitional facilities and homeless related services in the surrounding area. As noted earlier, all reports show that Fountain Valley has a low rate of homelessness and that the existing service facilities are sufficient for Fountain Valley's needs.
Although Fountain Valley does not own any public housing projects, the city does contract with the Orange County Housing Authority to administer Section 8 certificate and voucher program. As of February 1995, 98 Fountain Valley households were receiving Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) through the Section 8 Certificate program. An additional 12 households were receiving Vouchers and 4 handicapped households receiving assistance through the Aftercare program. The average number of applications from City residents pending assistance is 283 households. The average HAP is approximately $527.00.
The current housing market creates both barriers and opportunities for affordable housing. Among the opportunities are a City Council supportive of affordable housing and the possibility to create a first-time homebuyers program.
Even though Fountain Valley is taking steps towards providing affordable housing, there are some barriers that hinder affordability. One barrier is that Fountain Valley is a predominantly built-out suburban community with limited land availability. Another barrier is that Fountain Valley is located in Southern California, which is characterized by very high land prices compared to the rest of the nation.
A third barrier is that Fountain Valley has been developed within the concept of a Master Plan. While the Master Plan helped create an organized growth pattern within the city, there are some aspects to the Plan that are restrictive to affordable housing. The first aspect is that approximately 75% of the residential zones are low-density single family zones that have larger land area requirements. Having a majority of the land zoned for larger residential developments prohibits more affordable higher density developments. Another limiting aspect of the Plan is that no special development standards were established for "Granny Flats" or senior housing.
The city contracts with the Fair Housing Council of Orange County to establish, maintain, and advance fair housing choices. The city is committed to achieving equal housing opportunities through the administration of Federal, State, and local programs.
More than three quarters of pre-1978 homes contain lead-based paint. Although a majority of Fountain Valley's housing stock is relatively new, 87 % of the dwellings were built prior to 1979 and 2 % were built prior to 1960.
By applying nationally recognized percentages to the number of units by age of building and income group, it is estimated that slightly over half of the housing stock (9,872 units) may have lead-based paint. While households with low incomes represent 19 % of the household population, they only occupy 6 % of the older units. Therefore, contrary to national statistics, low income households in Fountain Valley are at no greater risk of exposure to lead hazards than the general population.
There is a need to address infrastructure needs such as a storm drain enlargement in the La Terraza area, ADA accessibility improvements to bus stops, sidewalks and the community center, and increase paramedic service abilities to the northern section of the city.
The Housing and Community and Development (HCD) Division within Fountain
Valley's Planning Department was the lead agency in the preparation of the
Fountain Valley's 1995-2000 Consolidated Plan. The HCD Division city also has a
public board that acts as an advisory board to the City Council regarding all
Federal funds.
In an effort to utilize limited Federal and State resources in the most cost-effective manner, Fountain Valley has set out to develop projects and programs based on the following goals:
The 5-year Consolidated Plan sets forth the city's housing, homeless, community, and economic development strategies intended to respond to those issues identified in the needs assessment portion of the plan. Housing priorities and objectives reflect the desire to preserve the existing housing stock, promote home ownership and assist elderly and handicapped individuals maintain affordable housing.
Community Development priorities and objectives reflect the city's desire to provide the necessary services to the special needs populations, maintain and improve infrastructure in low income target areas, and provide the necessary improvements to public property to meet the standards wet forth in the American Disabilities Act of 1990.
The city has identified a number of strategies for addressing the housing needs of the community. They include:
Fountain Valley has identified a number of strategies for addressing the non-housing community development needs of the city. They include:
Fountain Valley recognizes the need to prioritize antipoverty programs over the next few years, and intends to support and promote programs that:
The resources available to implement the Strategic Plan are identified in the following table:
| SOURCE | YEAR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | |
| CDBG | $469,000 | $469,000 | $469,000 | $469,000 | $469,000 |
| Program Income | $16,600 | $16,600 | $18,000 | $18,000 | $18,000 |
| Carry-Over | $695,640 | $150,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
In addition to the above listed resources, the City may continue to pursue a variety of resources for the development of affordable housing, as well as continue to utilize the Section 8 Certificate and Voucher program.
Fountain Valley's Housing and Community Development Division will be the
lead agency in the implementation of the strategic plan. The HCD Division does
not have the capability to provide all the necessary services in-house and
therefore will be working in conjunction with the County, Fair Housing Agencies,
Non-profit organizations and private for-profit organizations as needed in the
implementation of the Strategic Plan.
Fountain Valley plans to spend approximately $1,181,150 in Community Development Block Grant funds for the following projects:
I. Program Administration; capped at 20% of the current year grant. Included within the program administration will be a contract with the Fair Housing Council of Orange County. Administration is based out of Fountain Valley City Hall, but is not site specific.
II. Housing Rehabilitation; Rehabilitation loans for low and moderate income single family home owners. This program will be city-wide.
III. Housing Cost Reduction; Financial assistance for use in construction of a senior center which also incorporates affordable senior housing. The site for the development is still undetermined.
IV. Code Enforcement; Funding for additional code enforcement services to assist in the elimination of slum and blight. Funds will be used for enforcement in low/moderate income target areas (census tracts and block groups with more than 18.94% low/moderate income households).
V. Mobile Home Program; Rehabilitation grants and loans for qualified owner occupants of mobile homes. This program will assist the two mobile home parks (Rancho La Siesta and Fountain Valley Estates) within Fountain Valley.
VI. Neighborhood Revitalization; Rehabilitation grants and rebates to low/moderate income owner occupants of single family homes. This program will be city-wide.
VII. La Terraza storm Drain Project; Design and enlarge a storm drain located at La Terraza and Los Encinos Avenues in a census tract that meets the first quartile threshold.
VIII. ADA Road Improvements; Modify existing bus stops and bus shelter locations, modify existing frontage curb ramp access, curb ramps at approximately 95 arterial locations, and construct sidewalk on west side of Euclid Street south of Talbert Avenue.
IX. Community Center ADA Improvements; Modify the first floor restroom facilities, construct an accessibility ramp to the main entrance of the community center and installation of lift/elevator for second floor accessibility. Community Center is located at 10200 Slater Avenue.
X. Paramedic Equipment; Fund supplies for paramedic staffed fire engine. The paramedic engine will service the north-east section of the City, which is an income eligible area.
XI. ADA Playground Retrofit; Retrofit of three City playgrounds to make them accessible to handicapped children. The three parks will be Plavan, Helm and Ellis park.
XII. Public Service Grants; Grants for non-profit agencies that provide services to services to low/moderate income residents. Total funding not to exceed 15% of total grant. Program will be as large as the immediate service area.
Fountain Valley's Housing and Community Development Division will be the lead agency in the implementation of the strategic plan. The HCD Division does not have the capability to provide all the necessary services in-house and therefore will be working in conjunction with the County, Fair Housing Agencies, Non-profit organizations and private for-profit organizations as needed in the implementation of the Strategic Plan.
Some highlights of Fountain Valley's housing goals for the first year include preserving and rehabilitating at least 20 homes, including single-family and mobile homes; survey existing open land for potential sites in which to develop a senior center with affordable housing for elderly renters; create a first-time homebuyers program; and expand the existing rehabilitation program to include rental units.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
TABLE (without associated map) provides information about the project(s)
