Housing Element Implementation and Rezoning Project

The City Council adopted the General Plan Housing Element covering the period 2021-2029 on August 24, 2022.  The adopted Housing Element was certified by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on September 13, 2022.  For additional information, please visit the Housing Element Update web page.

Implementation of the City's certified Housing Element includes the rezoning of properties to accommodate development of new housing to meet the City's Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).  With the assistance of RRM Design Group, the City is pursuing a series of regulatory updates that implement the vision of the certified Housing Element.  If you've been following the Housing Element, this is a continuation of that work.  

This program includes updates to the City's Zoning Code to create a Mixed-Use District, a Workforce Housing Overlay, and new Objective Development Standards which apply to new multi-family residential and mixed-use projects.  These updates are intended to set clear expectations for all stakeholders including decision-makers, applicants, and community members.

The City Council adopted the Housing Element Implementation and Rezoning Project on August 28, 2024.

Q: Does this mean that the City is going to demolish existing buildings to build housing?


A: The City is required by State law to designate properties to accommodate the RHNA. To meet this requirement, the City is proposing to rezone certain properties which are currently developed and zoned for Commercial General and Business Park uses to allow for housing development. The Mixed-use and Workforce Housing designations will allow all existing development to remain in place. They will also allow for the addition of residential uses to these sites if the property owner decides this is a viable option for them. The City will not mandate any changes in use. Once a property is rezoned, the property owner will decide if, and when, they wish to pursue housing on the property. Any future housing proposals would be site-specific and may or may not result in the demolition of existing buildings. 

For additional information, please refer to the 2021-2029 Housing Element web page and the Mixed Use Sites Inventory FAQs.  You may also read the full analysis regarding the suitability of the sites beginning on page HEBR-106 of the adopted Housing Element.

Project Goals

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What are Objective Development Standards?

Objective development standards are those which involve no personal or subjective judgement.  They are independently and uniformly verifiable.  The purpose of objective development standards is to make regulations more predictable and easier to interpret and implement for all involved.  For more information, see our Objective Development Standards page.

Housing Element Sites Inventory

Sites Inventory Map