2029-2037 Housing Element
The 2050 General Plan includes an update to the City’s Housing Element to address housing needs through 2037. The Project Team will post all information and notices related to the Housing Element Update here. Please check back regularly.
What is a Housing Element?
The purpose of the housing element is to identify and analyze existing and projected housing needs in order to preserve, improve, and plan for housing for all economic segments of the community.
A Housing Element consists of two parts: the Needs Assessment and the Policy Document.
- The Needs Assessment identifies and analyzes the existing and projected housing needs, provides a list of sites for housing development that are adequate to accommodate the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), documents constraints to housing production, and analyzes local and regional fair housing issues. In short, the Housing Needs Assessment provides the context for the City’s housing action plan.
- The Policy Document includes goals, policies, and programs that respond to the housing needs, constraints, and issues identified in the Needs Assessment and serves as the City’s housing action plan for the eight-year planning period (2029-2037.
Why update the Housing Element?
Since 1969, California has required that all local governments (cities and counties) adequately plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in the community. California’s local governments meet this requirement by adopting housing plans as part of their “general plan” (also required by the State). General plans serve as a local government’s "blueprint" for how the city and/or county will grow and develop and include seven mandatory elements: land use, transportation, conservation, noise, open space, safety, and housing, as well as environmental justice (if disadvantaged communities are identified) and air quality (based on geographic location). The law mandating that housing be included as an element of each jurisdiction’s general plan is known as “housing element law.”
California’s housing element law acknowledges that, in order for the private market to adequately address the housing needs and demand of Californians, local governments must adopt plans and regulatory systems that provide opportunities for (and do not excessively constrain) housing development. As a result, housing policy in California rests largely upon the effective implementation of local general plans and, in particular, local housing elements.
Who oversees the Housing Element process?
The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has the critical role of reviewing every local government’s housing element to determine whether it complies with State law and then submits written findings back to each local government. HCD must certify the housing element before the City can adopt it as part of its overall General Plan. More info on this topic is available on the HCD Website.
Housing Element Key Steps
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1. Project initiation and Community Engagement Strategy
Including: kick-off meeting and finalizing a community engagement strategy
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2. Administrative Draft Housing Element
Including: housing needs assessment, constraints analysis, housing resources and residential sites inventory, fair housing assessment, evaluation of the existing housing element, and policy document.
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3. Public Review Draft Housing Element
Including: 30-day public review period, study sessions with the Planning Commission and City Council, revisions in response to comments received, and preparation of the HCD Review Draft Housing Element.
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4. HCD Review
Including: Submission of the HCD Review Draft Housing Element to HCD for 90-day review, meeting with HCD to discuss comments, revising the Draft in response to HCD comments, and resubmitting the revised Housing Element for consideration in the review period.
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5. Review and Adoption
Including: Adoption hearings with the Planning Commission and City Council and resubmission of the Adopted Housing Element to HCD for 60-day review and certification.
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6. Certification!
Explaining the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)
The State of California requires each city and county to plan for its fair share of the regional housing need. This fair share is determined through a process called the Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA). Once a local government has received its RHNA, it must revise its housing element to show that the City has a sufficient inventory of vacant or underutilized residentially-zoned land to meet updated RHNA.
For the 2029-2037 planning period, the RHNA has yet to be issued. For the previous Housing Element cycle (2021-2029), the City’s RHNA was 212 units, including 50 very low-income units, 33 low-income units, 37 moderate-income units, and 92 above moderate-income units.
To provide capacity to meet the very low- and low-income RHNA, the Housing Element will need to identify vacant or underutilized parcels zoned for higher density multifamily development. Capacity for moderate- and above moderate-income housing goals should be addressed through identification of residential capacity in a variety of zones, including single-family and multifamily areas.
Why Should You Get Involved?
The Housing Element process provides all residents, property owners, and businesses with the chance to help guide the future of housing in the city. A successful Housing Element will reflect the community needs through the year 2037. In order to do this, we need your input!
Join our email list. Just click the orange “eMail List” button on the right side of the screen.
Send us your thoughts, anytime! Use the green “Comments” button to send us a comment at your convenience.
Participate in Activities. Throughout the Update process, the Housing Element Team will host events, online surveys, and more. These will be critical opportunities for you to provide guidance to the Housing Element Team. Please check the website regularly and watch for announcements via the mailing list.
Review Documents. The Housing Element Team will post all draft documents to the website. Please check the Documents page for all project deliverables and instructions on commenting.
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). An accessory dwelling unit is a detached or attached dwelling unit. It shall include permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation and is generally smaller and located on the same parcel as a proposed or existing primary dwelling. An accessory dwelling unit also includes efficiency units and manufactured homes.
By Right (or Use By Right). By right means that the local government cannot require a conditional use permit, planned unit development permit, or other discretionary local government review or approval. No review is required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), unless a subdivision is required, and the project can only be reviewed using 'objective' design standards.
Cost Burden. A household is cost-burdened when it spends more than 30 percent of its income on rent and utilities. A household is considered severely cost-burdened when it spends more than 50 percent of its income on these expenses. Cost burden is also known as “overpayment.”
Density. The number of permanent residential dwelling units per acre of land. Densities specified in the General Plan are expressed in residential dwelling units (not including Accessory Dwelling Units) per gross acre or per net developable acre.
Displacement. The involuntary relocation of current residents or businesses caused by foreclosure, eviction, rent increases, negligent landlords, or environmental catastrophe. Displacement mitigation strategies may include tenant protections, conservation of existing stock, preservation of units at-risk of conversion to market-rate uses, acquisition and rehabilitation of existing stock, including naturally occurring affordable housing, and removing barriers to building affordable housing.
Duplex/Triplex/Fourplex. Two, three, or four attached dwelling units on a single parcel.
Dwelling Unit. One or more habitable rooms designed for occupancy by only one family for living and sleeping purposes and having a kitchen.
Floor Area Ratio (FAR). The gross floor area of a building or buildings on a parcel divided by the net parcel area or site area. Floor area means the entire enclosed area of all floors that are more than four (4) feet above the existing or proposed grade, measured from the outer face of exterior walls or in the case of shared walls from the centerline.
Housing Mobility Strategies. Actions that work to remove barriers to housing in areas of opportunity or strategically enhance access to education and economic development opportunities.
Missing Middle Housing. Housing types that fall somewhere between a single-family home and apartment buildings, such as townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, and courtyard clusters. These housing types bring “gentle density” to neighborhoods while seamlessly fitting additional housing into existing residential areas.
Mixed-use. Developments that allow residential, retail, commercial, office and/or public uses with flexible parking and setback requirements. Individual mixed-use projects are not expected to contain any specific combination of these uses.
Multifamily Residential. A building used and designed as a residence for two or more families living independently of each other with individual entrances, bathrooms, kitchens, and living space.
Overcrowding. A residential unit is considered overcrowded when it is occupied by 1.01 persons or more per room (excluding bathrooms and kitchens). Units with more than 1.5 persons per room are considered severely overcrowded.
Place-based Strategies. Actions focused on conserving and improving assets in areas of lower opportunity and concentrated poverty such as targeted investment in neighborhood revitalization, preserving or rehabilitating existing affordable housing, improving infrastructure, schools, employment, parks, transportation and other community amenities.
Single-Family. A building or structure designed exclusively for occupancy by one family.
Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) Unit. A small residential unit typically aimed at residents with low or minimal incomes within a multi-tenant building where tenants share a kitchen, toilets, and/or bathrooms.
Transitional and Supportive Housing. Supportive Housing means housing with no limit on length of stay that is linked to services that assist the supportive housing resident in improving their health status, while maximizing their ability to live and work in the community. Transitional Housing consists of housing which offers Supportive Services, usually for a period of up to 24 months, to facilitate movement to permanent housing for persons with low incomes who may have one or more disabilities, and may include adults, emancipated minors, families with children, elderly persons, young adults aging out of the foster care system, individuals exiting from institutional settings, veterans, and homeless people.
Join our email list. Just click the orange “eMail List” button on the right side of the screen.
Send us your thoughts, anytime! Use the green “Comments” button to send us a comment at your convenience.
Participate in Activities. Throughout the Update process, the Housing Element Team will host events, online surveys, and more. These will be critical opportunities for you to provide guidance to the Housing Element Team. Please check the website regularly and watch for announcements via the mailing list.
Review Documents. The Housing Element Team will post all draft documents to the website. Please check the Documents page for all project deliverables and instructions on commenting.
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU). An accessory dwelling unit is a detached or attached dwelling unit. It shall include permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation and is generally smaller and located on the same parcel as a proposed or existing primary dwelling. An accessory dwelling unit also includes efficiency units and manufactured homes.
By Right (or Use By Right). By right means that the local government cannot require a conditional use permit, planned unit development permit, or other discretionary local government review or approval. No review is required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), unless a subdivision is required, and the project can only be reviewed using 'objective' design standards.
Cost Burden. A household is cost-burdened when it spends more than 30 percent of its income on rent and utilities. A household is considered severely cost-burdened when it spends more than 50 percent of its income on these expenses. Cost burden is also known as “overpayment.”
Density. The number of permanent residential dwelling units per acre of land. Densities specified in the General Plan are expressed in residential dwelling units (not including Accessory Dwelling Units) per gross acre or per net developable acre.
Displacement. The involuntary relocation of current residents or businesses caused by foreclosure, eviction, rent increases, negligent landlords, or environmental catastrophe. Displacement mitigation strategies may include tenant protections, conservation of existing stock, preservation of units at-risk of conversion to market-rate uses, acquisition and rehabilitation of existing stock, including naturally occurring affordable housing, and removing barriers to building affordable housing.
Duplex/Triplex/Fourplex. Two, three, or four attached dwelling units on a single parcel.
Dwelling Unit. One or more habitable rooms designed for occupancy by only one family for living and sleeping purposes and having a kitchen.
Floor Area Ratio (FAR). The gross floor area of a building or buildings on a parcel divided by the net parcel area or site area. Floor area means the entire enclosed area of all floors that are more than four (4) feet above the existing or proposed grade, measured from the outer face of exterior walls or in the case of shared walls from the centerline.
Housing Mobility Strategies. Actions that work to remove barriers to housing in areas of opportunity or strategically enhance access to education and economic development opportunities.
Missing Middle Housing. Housing types that fall somewhere between a single-family home and apartment buildings, such as townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, and courtyard clusters. These housing types bring “gentle density” to neighborhoods while seamlessly fitting additional housing into existing residential areas.
Mixed-use. Developments that allow residential, retail, commercial, office and/or public uses with flexible parking and setback requirements. Individual mixed-use projects are not expected to contain any specific combination of these uses.
Multifamily Residential. A building used and designed as a residence for two or more families living independently of each other with individual entrances, bathrooms, kitchens, and living space.
Overcrowding. A residential unit is considered overcrowded when it is occupied by 1.01 persons or more per room (excluding bathrooms and kitchens). Units with more than 1.5 persons per room are considered severely overcrowded.
Place-based Strategies. Actions focused on conserving and improving assets in areas of lower opportunity and concentrated poverty such as targeted investment in neighborhood revitalization, preserving or rehabilitating existing affordable housing, improving infrastructure, schools, employment, parks, transportation and other community amenities.
Single-Family. A building or structure designed exclusively for occupancy by one family.
Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) Unit. A small residential unit typically aimed at residents with low or minimal incomes within a multi-tenant building where tenants share a kitchen, toilets, and/or bathrooms.
Transitional and Supportive Housing. Supportive Housing means housing with no limit on length of stay that is linked to services that assist the supportive housing resident in improving their health status, while maximizing their ability to live and work in the community. Transitional Housing consists of housing which offers Supportive Services, usually for a period of up to 24 months, to facilitate movement to permanent housing for persons with low incomes who may have one or more disabilities, and may include adults, emancipated minors, families with children, elderly persons, young adults aging out of the foster care system, individuals exiting from institutional settings, veterans, and homeless people.