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Citrus Heights Messenger

City Updates Housing Element on Orbisculate Day's Eve

Jun 04, 2021 12:00AM ● By Story by Shaunna Boyd

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Most members of the Citrus Heights City Council were back in chambers for the May 27 meeting, which was still hosted via Zoom for the public. Mayor Steve Miller announced that the City has received the first installment of the federal relief funds (approximately $7.8 million of the total $16 million the City is expected to receive), so a revised budget incorporating those funds is expected to come before Council at an upcoming meeting.

The Council issued a proclamation celebrating May 28 as Orbisculate Day in an effort to support the Krieger family’s campaign to get the word added to the dictionary. The word “orbisculate” was coined by Neil Krieger, of Boston, MA, who passed away last April due to complications from COVID-19 at the age of 78 years old. The meaning of the word is when you accidentally squirt yourself in the eye with the juice of a citrus fruit.

Krieger used the word so often that his children, Hilary and Jonathan, grew up believing it was a real word. After his death, they decided to find an unconventional way to honor their father by sharing his word with the world. But getting a word into the dictionary requires that it be used as part of the lexicon, so the family have a list of 78 goals for bringing the word to the public: Goal 5 is a tribute from the City of Citrus Heights.

The City’s proclamation states that “the City of Citrus Heights is a community that celebrates resourcefulness and pragmatism – especially in the face of adversity,” so the tribute seeks to “celebrate the spirit of families, connectivity, creativity, and humor”—as well as to acknowledge the Krieger family’s “spirit and determination” after such a significant loss. The proclamation celebrates the word and urges all residents to embrace its usage.

Hilary and Jonathan joined the meeting via Zoom, thanking Citrus Heights for embracing the word and honoring their late father. For the family, the campaign has been a way to connect and “to have something positive in a dark time, and so being able to come thousands of miles through the Zoom screen to feel that we’re in Citrus Heights with you and that you’re with us in this campaign is really meaningful, and we’re so grateful,” said Hilary.

Councilmember Jeannie Bruins thanked them “for bringing some wonderful levity to us. … We are so sorry for the pain and loss you’ve experienced this last year, and it’s a very special tribute to Citrus Heights and to you that you’re able to reach through that and bring some joy and some laughter.”

The City Council also reviewed the updated draft of the 2021 Housing Element of the General Plan. The Housing Element analyzes the community’s housing needs across all income levels, while outlining strategies to meet those needs. California state law requires that the Housing Element be updated every eight years to reflect current housing and population data, and to ensure compliance with new state laws. One of the most significant changes in this draft document was the implementation of a plan for Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH).

Under the new AFFH requirement, the City must take deliberate actions to foster inclusive communities through fair and equal housing choice. Policies need to address disparity in housing need and access, as well as patterns of racial and ethnic segregation. The City’s analysis showed that fair housing issues in Citrus Heights are primarily related to small, concentrated areas of poverty within areas of high diversity. Barriers to fair housing include limited public and private investment in these neighborhoods and an abundance of single-family housing, which many low- and very-low-income families have difficulty accessing.

To address the disparity, the City has created various policies in the Housing Element to support investment in low resource areas such as Sayonara Drive, Auburn Boulevard, the New Sylvan Property, and the Antelope Crossing Special Planning Area.

Amendments and policy changes in the General Plan also address the need for a variety of housing options beyond the abundance of single-family homes, such as supporting transitional housing, allowing mixed-use residential development in commercial zones, approving the Small Lot Housing Ordinance, promotion of Accessory Dwelling Units and the development of the Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit Program, and development of the Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan.

The Council unanimously voted to approve the draft of the 2021 Housing Element, which has already been reviewed by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to ensure the City is meeting all state requirements. There is no fiscal impact associated with updating the document, but there is a financial benefit because numerous grant funding sources require a State-certified Housing Element to be eligible for funding.