Big news! We’ve added new housing program data - check them out under “Housing Programs” on each city page.
Housing programs are the strategies that cities and counties legally have at their disposal to produce more and preserve existing affordable housing, as well as protect existing residents from getting displaced from their homes and communities.
Local housing programs, as part of a housing element, have significant impacts on a city or county reaching its affordable housing goals. Each additional housing policy has a significant impact on the residents who are most in need of affordable housing. However, the number of programs that a jurisdiction includes in their housing element is not meant to imply how well a city or county is addressing local housing needs since the quality and impact of each will need to be determined as well.
Use the below data to explore this jurisdiction’s approaches to affirmatively furthering fair housing for the 6th element cycle, and review the actions, deliverables, and deadlines committed to for each program.
PROGRAM NUMBER | ACTIONS | DELIVERABLE | DELIVERABLE DATE |
---|---|---|---|
6.04 | Continue to distribute information from PG&E, MCE,
and others that detail energy conservation measures
for existing buildings and new construction.
| n/a
| Ongoing |
4.07 | Continue to enforce City Codes on property
development and maintenance, including on
foreclosed homes, to promote place-based
revitalization. Conduct a windshield survey of
substandard homes twice during the planning period,
and use the Code Enforcement program as the primary
tool for the City to identify and confirm dwelling units
that are unsafe to occupy. Initiate appropriate actions
to bring substandard housing units into compliance for
the improvement of overall housing conditions in
Benicia and to minimize the impact of substandard
housing on displacement risk for lower income
households. If units are rented, and rehabilitation or
habitability results in the need for tenants to vacate
the property, require the property manager or
landlord to provide relocation assistance.
| Survey 10 substandard homes
during each survey to
facilitate place-based
revitalization.
| Ongoing; Conduct a windshield survey of substandard homes, which may include foreclosed homes, twice during the planning period (in 2027 and 2030). |
5.04 | Environmental health is determined by air quality,
climate change related outcomes, water quality,
cancer prevalence, and more. Neighborhoods with
poor environmental health conditions are often
correlated to their proximity to industrial uses, major
transit corridors, and other larger pollution sources.
The City will facilitate environmental health-oriented
place-based revitalization of neighborhoods,
particularly for housing in closer proximity to the
Valero Refinery and other industrial uses on the
eastern side of the city, which are more heavily
impacted by pollution from prior industrial uses,
diesel particulate matter from proximity to regional
freeways, and the Valero Refinery through the
following strategies:
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• Continue to enhance parks, open space, and
tree plantings in these areas to improve
environmental health. Facilitate safe
pedestrian and bicycle access to parks or
open space to reduce environmental health
disparities across the city.
• Work with Port lessees and Caltrans to
reduce regional air quality impacts
associated with regional transportation
facilities. The City will meet with Port
lessees and Caltrans annually, as feasible, to
identify options for air quality improvements
and coordinate action implementation.
• Increase active transportation facilities in
eastern Benicia to reduce dependence on
automobiles and enhance safe connections
to existing pedestrian and bicycle routes,
such as the Carquinez Strait Scenic Loop
Trail on the Benicia-Martinez Bridge. The
City will identify at least two active
transportation projects in eastern Benicia by
December 2024.
• Review and update the City of Benicia’s
planning standards to address proximity
disclosures for residences within ¼ mile of
industrial districts and ensure that adequate
physical separation and landscape buffers
are provided.
Further, neighborhoods at risk of environmental
hazards, such as flooding, face additional barriers to
environmental health. The City of Benicia has
launched a comprehensive floodplain webpage that
can be accessed by selecting the Floodplain FEMA
link at: www.ci.benicia.ca.us/building. This webpage
includes links to flood hazard maps, as well as
information about flood risk, mitigation strategies,
insurance information and financial assistance. The
City will post additional information about floodrelated resources on the flood maps page on the
City's website and provide public notices in utility
bills or other direct methods to neighborhoods at risk
of flooding, including the Rancho Benicia mobile
home park and other residential areas adjacent to
the Benicia Marina.
| See individual strategies
bulleted in Program 5.04 above
with specific targets. | Refer to each strategy in this Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) program for specific timeframes (see above). Post and distribute flood-related information at least every other year. All other actions are ongoing. |
1.01 | Work with the Benicia Housing Authority to
coordinate affordable housing activities and maintain
good working relations with other non-profit housing
providers by:
• Consulting with the Benicia Housing
Authority during the update of the Housing
Element and the annual review of the
Housing Element. Specifically, strategize to
ensure the City’s programs and the Housing
Authority’s programs are complementary and
maximize limited housing resources;
• Continuing to share information and
priorities between the City, the Benicia
Housing Authority, and other non-profit
housing providers;
• Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)
is planning to include the adopted Housing
Element inventories in their HESS tool once
the 6th Cycle Housing Element is updated.
The City plans to rely on this tool for
availability of the inventory moving forward
and will provide the link to this inventory on
the City housing webpage for non-profit
housing providers; and
8
• Informing the Benicia Housing Authority
about units produced by the Inclusionary
Housing Ordinance (Benicia Municipal Code
17.70.320) and other affordable projects and
partnering with the Benicia Housing
Authority to conduct affordable housing
activities such as income verification and
reporting.
| See Program 2.01 | Ongoing; share the HESS tool with non-profit housing providers within one year of Housing Element adoption; establish income verification and reporting partnership by 2024. |
2.05 | Government Code Section 65913.6 allows a religious
institution to develop an affordable housing project
at a place of worship owned by the religious
institution even if the development requires the
religious institution to reduce the number of
religious-use parking spaces available. This bill
applies only to religious facilities located in zones
that allow residential uses.
To facilitate housing mobility, the City will establish
a Religious and Institutional Facility Housing Overlay
or similar zoning text amendment with the following
potential provisions:
• Expanding the provisions of Section 65913.6
to other institutional uses including property
under the ownership of institutional uses,
such as schools and hospitals.
• Allowing religious and institutional uses to
construct up to four multifamily units, and
17
up to four ADUs and JADUs (total of eight
units) onsite when an affordable housing
development may not be feasible.
| 50 lower income units
citywide with a target of 50
percent of the units (or 25
units) in areas of high median
income, high resource, or
concentrated affluence.
| • Beginning in 2024, conduct outreach annually, via direct mail and/or a group meeting to religious and institutional facilities regarding the Overlay opportunity. • By March 2025, establish a Religious and Institutional Facility Housing Overlay to extend the provisions of Section 65913.6 to other institutional and religious uses. |
1.04 | Work with the Public Works Department (City’s
water and sewer provider) to ensure the availability
and adequate capacity of water and wastewater
systems to accommodate the housing needs during
the planning period. Priority shall be granted to
proposed developments that include housing
affordable to lower-income households. In addition,
the City will provide a copy of the Housing Element
and any future amendments to the Public Works
Department immediately after adoption.
| n/a
9
| Ongoing |
5.03 | The City will consider adoption of residential
standards in the City’s Building Code to encourage
universal design features in new homes, and expand
consumer awareness by providing information on
universal design features at the City’s Permit Center
and develop resource information for the City’s
website.
| Encourage construction of 5
universal design housing units
that are accessible to
occupants or visitors with
disabilities
| Adopt design standards and create promotional information by December 2026. Determine whether to establish incentives by December 2026. If determined that incentives will be established, establish by December 2027. |
4.02 | Implement procedures applicable to inclusionary forsale units, such as the resale control mechanism, equity recapture, qualifications for subsequent buyers, and other relevant issues that are not listed in the inclusionary housing ordinance, to ensure ongoing affordability. For this planning period this
will include creating an updated affordable housing
agreement and setting up a program to administer
and report on affordable units, including Inclusionary
Units, and review regulations and guidance from
other jurisdictions to implement best practices for
administration of inclusionary units.
| n/a
23
| Update affordable housing agreement and review best practices from other jurisdictions by 2024; establish new administration and reporting program by 2025; ongoing |
4.01 | Establish a rehabilitation grant or reimbursement
program to assist homeowners, particularly for
mobile home park residents and lower-income
households, with rehabilitation needs to provide
weatherization, accessibility retrofits, or other
rehabilitation services. In addition, announce the
availability of such funds through noticing on the
City’s website, local government access channel,
through several display ads, advertisements at the
Benicia Library, and at the Planning Counter. Also,
create and provide flyers to the Community Action
Council, Benicia Housing Authority, and other
affordable housing affiliates.
| Assist 40 units citywide with
rehabilitation opportunities
and reduce displacement and
foster place-based
revitalization during the
planning period.
POLICY 4.02: LIMIT THE CONVERSION OF RESIDENTIAL
STRUCTURES TO NON-RESIDENTIAL USES AND AFFORDABLE
UNITS TO MARKET-RATE.
| Establish new program by 2025. Annually review existing available resources and apply, as needed, for additional state funding. |
4.04 | Work with the owners of the mobile home parks to
determine future plans and the feasibility of
continuing mobile home park use. The City will work
with the owners to ensure maintenance, upkeep, and
compliance with State regulations. If appropriate,
the City will assist the owner in accessing state or
federal funds for improvements to substandard or
dilapidated parks and units or in converting the park
to resident ownership. Maintaining affordable units
in mobile homes parks will be a priority of the City in
order to reduce displacement risk and maintain the
existing stock of affordable housing while facilitating
place-based revitalization.
The City will also continue to implement its mobile
home park conversion ordinance to ensure that any
conversion of a mobile home park is preceded with
adequate notice and relocation assistance. A
relocation plan must be submitted to the Planning
Commission for approval as part of the application
for conversion.
| Work with owners of mobile
home parks to maintain 238
units of affordable housing to
prevent displacement of
occupants.
| Contact owners annually |
1.06 | To address the 2023–2031 Regional Housing Needs
Allocation (RHNA), the City shall amend the General
Plan and the Zoning Ordinance, as needed, and as
detailed in Chapter III, Sites Inventory and Analysis,
to provide adequate site(s) including allowing 20
dwelling units per acre or greater on sites that have
been assigned units that address the lower-income
RHNA. There will be no minimum density on these
sites. The City intends to amend the General Plan
Land Use map and text, as well as the Zoning
Ordinance and zoning map as part of this program,
for the Assessor’s Parcel Numbers (APNs) listed in
Appendix E, Table B of this Housing Element. This
will include changing General Plan and zoning
density and text as needed to allow for the increased
densities through rezoning. An overlay zone, adopted
on January 24, 2023, has addressed the zoning
changes needed for some of the sites as shown in
Figure 3.1 of Chapter III, Sites Inventory and
Analysis. Some of the requirements of this program
will be achieved through inclusion of new or revised
development standards or updates to processes and
procedures in the Zoning Ordinance to address
constraints identified in this Housing Element and
facilitate increased densities, particularly in areas of
concentrated affluence and where there are existing
single-family homes. The types of standards and
processes that will need revising include height
limits, private open space standards, and findings for
design review. Specifically, these changes include:
• Allow residential uses on the ground floor on
commercially zoned sites included in the
Housing Element through the housing
overlay.
• Examining maximum building heights in the
Downtown zones and increase them to allow
three-story buildings.
• Review and revise development standards,
as needed, to reduce any barriers to
construction of a greater range of housing
types within neighborhoods, particularly in
areas of concentrated affluence and where
there are existing single-family homes.
• Update the design review findings to be
objective.
• Update the zoning regulations to specify that
"A mixed use or multifamily housing
development application that is consistent
with the Objective Planning and Design
Standards, as provided in section 17.70.430,
shall be deemed consistent with the
required findings.”
• Update objective standards for clarification
of scenic views and vistas citywide at the
same level of detail as those already
adopted for the Arsenal.
• Increase the lot coverage standard from 40%
to 45% for opportunity sites in the RS
District.
Some of the sites addressed in this program have
been included in one or more programs to address
the lower-income RHNA and are also addressed by
Program 1.07 | Facilitate opportunities for
565 lower-income units, 470
moderate-income units, 541
above moderate-income units,
for a total of 1,576 units
through redesignation and
rezoning/zoning text
amendments to promote the
creation of housing in the CC,
CO, CW, and Downtown zones
to improve housing mobility,
reduce displacement risk,
reduce concentration of
poverty and lower-income
households, and increase the
supply of affordable housing in
higher opportunity and higherincome areas.
| Changes to General Plan and zoning (except for the updates to objective standards) were completed on January 24, 2023. Changes to the objective planning standards for clarification of scenic 10 views and vistas will be completed by December 31, 2025. |
3.06 | The City shall prioritize the creation of housing that
includes units for persons with disabilities, including
developmental disabilities, in areas with access to
transit, services and amenities to reduce
displacement risk for this population and facilitate
mobility. Currently, rental assistance programs for
those with disabilities are in place with the Family
Resource Center and Benicia Housing Authority. A
repairs program is also operated by the Benicia
Housing Authority to reduce displacement risk. The
City will continue to work with disability service
providers to identify and address gaps in housing that
meets the special needs of persons with disabilities.
Generally, such models could include the following:
(a) coordinating with the North Bay Regional Center,
North Bay Housing Coalition, and other local
agencies to pursue funding to maintain housing
affordability for persons with disabilities, including
developmental disabilities; (b) encourage affordable
housing projects to dedicate a percentage of housing
for disabled individuals; (c) assisting in providing
housing services that educate, advocate, inform, and
assist persons with disabilities to locate and maintain
housing; and (e) assisting in the maintenance and
repair of housing for persons with developmental
disabilities.
| 30 units that are accessible to
residents with disabilities
during the planning period.
| Ongoing; Meet with service providers by December 2023 to discuss strategies to improve outreach and service capacity. Implement those strategies, as identified, within the planning period. |
1.15 | To create additional opportunities for infill
development and affordable housing, the City will
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help facilitate lot consolidations to combine small
lots identified as part of a larger site in the Housing
Element (including lots on slopes) into larger
developable lots for housing. The City will meet with
local developers and property owners to discuss
development opportunities and incentives for lot
consolidation to accommodate affordable housing
units and consider additional incentives brought
forth by developers. As developers/owners approach
the City with interest in lot consolidation for the
development of affordable housing, the City could
defer certain fees, allow more height or additional
stories, waive lot merger fees for certain small
contiguous lots, and provide concurrent/fast tracking
of project application reviews to developers who
provide affordable housing. By 2025, the City will
review the effectiveness of this program and revise
as appropriate. The City will also evaluate grant
funding for parcel assemblage land banking when it
is available.
| Support 5 lot consolidations
during the planning period to
improve housing mobility,
reduce displacement risk, and
increase the supply of
affordable housing in higher
opportunity areas. Approval of
more applications to merge
parcels that result in feasible
sites for multifamily housing
during the planning period.
| Meet with developers and property owners starting in 2023 and annually thereafter. Based on the meetings with developers and property owners, add incentives as appropriate within six months, and again each year after every annual meeting occurs. Ongoing: Support consolidation as applicable housing applications are received; Pursue grant funding during planning period if California legislation and/or programs enable a taxincrement or similar program that leads to funding for site assembly. |
3.02 | Pursuant to the Fair Housing Amendments Act of
1988 and the requirements of Chapter 671, Statues
of 2001 (Senate Bill 520), the City adopted a
reasonable accommodation ordinance addressing
rules, policies, practices, and procedures that may
be necessary to ensure equal access to housing for
those with disabilities. The City will review and
update the reasonable accommodation procedure
findings in Chapter 17.132 of the Zoning Ordinance
for constraints and conflicts with State law.
Specifically, the following two findings for approval
of a reasonable accommodation request will be
reviewed and updated if needed:
1. There are no other reasonable alternatives
that would provide an equivalent level of
benefit without requiring a modification or
exception to the city’s applicable rules,
standards, and practices.
2. The requested accommodation will not, under
the specific facts of the case, result in a
direct threat to the health or safety of other
individuals or substantial physical damage to
the property of others.
The City promotes its reasonable accommodations
procedures with a handout on its website.
| n/a
| Evaluate findings and update zoning by December 2024. |
1.14 | Continue to reduce the cost of providing affordable
housing and therefore increase the supply of new
affordable opportunities, particularly in higher
resource areas:
• The City processes applications for eligible
affordable housing projects within the
timeframes specified in Government Code
Section 65913.4(c). The City will continue to
implement the City’s streamlined review
process for projects eligible for SB 35
streamlining. The City will also provide
training on SB 35 to the Planning Commission
and City Council every two years if the City
is subject to SB 35. The City also enforces SB
330 to comply with State law; and
• Annually, update the permit fee schedule in
relation to the consumer price index; and
• Defer, waive, or reduce certain development
fees, portions of fees, or combinations of
fees for the affordable portion of any
project. Benicia will promote these
incentives to developers on the City’s
website (www.ci.benicia.ca.us) and during
the application process.
| 20 extremely low-, very low-,
or low-income units
| Ongoing. Provide SB 35 training to Planning Commission and City Council every two years beginning in 2024 if the City is subject to SB 35. |
4.03 | Pursuant to Assembly Bill (AB) 1521, the City will
monitor the list of all dwellings in Benicia that are
subsidized by government funding or low-income
housing developed through local regulations or
incentives. The list will include, at a minimum, the
number of units, the type of government program,
and the date on which the units are at risk to
convert to market-rate dwellings. There have been
24 units (see Analysis of At-Risk Housing section in
Regional Housing Needs Assessment) identified as at
risk of converting to market rate within 10 years of
the beginning of the 6th round Housing Element
planning period. The list will include, at a minimum,
the project address; number of deed-restricted
units, including affordability levels; associated
government program; date of completion/
occupancy; and the date on which the units are at
risk to convert to market rate. The City will work to
reduce the potential conversion of any units to
market rate to reduce the potential for displacement
and placement of additional constraints on the
existing affordable housing stock through the
following actions:
• Monitor the status of affordable projects,
rental projects, and manufactured homes in
Benicia. Should the property owners indicate
the desire to convert properties, consider
providing technical and financial assistance,
when possible, to incentivize long-term
affordability.
• If conversion of units is likely, work with
local service providers as appropriate to
seek funding to subsidize the at-risk units in
a way that mirrors the HUD Housing Choice
Voucher (Section 8) program. Funding
sources may include state or local funding
sources to reduce potential for displacement
of residents.
Pursuant to State law (Government Code Sections
65853.10, 65863.11, and 65863.13), owners of deedrestricted affordable projects are required to
provide notice of restrictions that are expiring to all
prospective tenants, existing tenants, and the City
within 3 years, 12 months, and 6 months before the
scheduled expiration of rental restrictions. In
addition, the City or owner will provide notice to
HUD, HCD, and the local legal aid organization.
Owners shall also refer tenants of at-risk units to
educational resources regarding tenant rights and
conversion procedures and information regarding
Section 8 rent subsidies and any other affordable
housing opportunities in the city. In addition, notice
shall be required prior to conversion of any units to
market rate for any additional deed-restricted
lower-income units that were constructed with the
aid of government funding, that were required by
inclusionary zoning requirements that were part of a
project granted a density bonus, or that were part of
a project that received other incentives.
If a development is offered for sale, HCD must
certify persons or entities that are eligible to
purchase the development and to receive notice of
the pending sale. Placement on the eligibility list
will be based on experience with affordable housing.
When necessary, the City shall continue to work with
property owners of deed-restricted affordable units
who need to sell within 55 years of the unit’s initial
sale. When the seller is unable to sell to an eligible
buyer within a specified time period, equity-sharing
provisions are established (pursuant to the
affordable housing agreement for the property),
whereby the difference between the affordable and
market value is paid to the City to eliminate any
incentive to sell the converted unit at market rate.
Funds generated would then be used to develop
additional affordable housing within the city. The
City shall continue tracking all residential projects
that include affordable housing to ensure that the
affordability is maintained for at least 55 years for
owner-occupied units and 55 years for rental units,
and that any sale or change of ownership of these
affordable units prior to satisfying the 45- or 55-year
restriction shall be “rolled over” for another 45 or 55
years to protect “at-risk” units.
| Continue to monitor the 24
assisted units, and if any
become at risk, work with
property owners to develop a
strategy to provide assistance
to maintain or replace 24 atrisk units as affordable to
reduce potential for
displacement of tenants and
loss of affordable housing
stock in the city.
| Ongoing communication with owners, service providers, and eligible potential purchasers; work with owners of deedrestricted units on an ongoing basis, in particular at the time of change of ownership. 24 |
1.08 | To facilitate subdivision of large sites, update Title
16, Subdivisions, of the Municipal Code to provide
objective standards for subdivisions and streamline
the parcel map requirements and review process.
| 112 lower-income units on
large sites, encouraging at
least 30 of these in areas of
concentrated affluence to
promote housing mobility.
| Update the Subdivision Ordinance by December 2024 |
2.02 | As part of its next General Plan update, the City
shall build on the work completed in the Eastern
Gateway Study to continue to work to establish
efficient land use and development patterns that
conserve resources, such as fuel, water, and land,
and allow for higher-density development in the
vicinity of major transit nodes, set forth pedestrianoriented development patterns, and preserve open
space areas in an effort to promote healthy
environmental and living conditions with improved
access to resources.
| n/a
| During the next comprehensive update of Benicia’s General Plan. |
6.05 | Continue to expand digital outreach and education
through comprehensive web-based resources and
regular electronic newsletters.
| n/a | Ongoing |
2.06 | The City shall amend the Zoning Ordinance to
eliminate the discretionary design review
requirement for mixed use and multifamily housing
of up to 4 residential units citywide, outside of a
historic district. This will expand ministerial review
of missing middle housing and facilitate housing
mobility on sites in the Housing Element inventory.
In addition, this change will more broadly apply in
the medium and high density residential districts and
the Community Commercial and Office Commercial
districts, which permit multifamily housing above the
ground floor.
Adopt an ordinance to increase the permitted
residential density of single family (RS) parcels
(“upzone”) to fifteen dwelling units per acre for
sites located adjacent to minor arterial roadways in
Census Tracts 2521.4, 2521.5, 2521.6, and 2521.7
(Rose Drive, Cambridge Drive, Hastings Drive,
Panorama Drive, Chelsea Hills Drive) . Establish
objective development standards to facilitate
maximum densities. The ordinance will include a
map demarcating the parcels subject to this
upzoning.
In addition, develop a fair housing factsheet to be
included in the SB 9 application packet, emphasizing
the fair housing responsibility of being a landlord,
including compliance with the source of income
protection. Develop outreach materials to educate
the community regarding SB 9 opportunities,
particularly in higher resource neighborhoods.
Distribute materials through social media and other
platforms.
| Achieve 10 SB 9 permits during
the planning period. Adopt an
ordinance to increase baseline
density with an upper density
range of 15 du/acre, housing
choices and affordability in
low density residential areas
targeting Census Tracts
2521.4, 2521.5, 2521.6, and
2521.7 (Rose Drive,
Cambridge Drive, Hastings
Drive, Panorama Drive,
Chelsea Hills Drive) with a
target of 50 units in the
planning period.
| Amend zoning by December 31, 2023. Develop SB 9 fair housing fact sheet by June 2024. Develop outreach materials regarding SB 9 opportunities by December 2024. Adopt ordinance upzoning low density residential sites by January 31, 2026. 18 |