Housing policies and programs are the strategies and laws 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 policies and 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 policies or 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. Policies and programs listed here from jurisdictions’ Housing Elements are intended to allow readers to review the text themselves and see if a city or county is doing all they can to reach their affordable housing goals.
To further policy innovation and local action, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) contacted all of the region's jurisdictions to track the adoption of key housing policies throughout the nine county Bay Area in four major categories Protect, Preserve, Produce, and Prevent. This data is from ABAG’s Policies and Program list and was last updated in 2018/2019.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development tracks all of the ongoing and completed programs from 2018 onward and can be seen in the table below.
YEAR | PROGRAM NAME | PROGRAM OBJECTIVE | STATUS | ACCOMPLISHED DATE | HOUSING CYCLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Task 9.1 | Encourage a variety of housing types and tenures for all income levels, and assure access to housing by all groups of individuals. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 16.3 | The City shall, to the extent of its jurisdiction, implement all of the provisions of the Employee Housing Act (Government Health and Safety Code Sections 17030-17039) and work with the State Department of Housing and Community Development to do the same. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | task 4.2 | For all development proposals with the 65dB CNEL noise contour, the City shall require a noise study that identifies the proposed project’s compliance with requirement of Task 4.1 above. If the project qualifies for review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the City shall incorporate the noise study and any mitigation measures into the CEQA document and shall adopt findings that the project, as conditioned, complies with the interior noise level requirement. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 5.4 | Continue to offer same-day, express plan check permitting for all second units. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 10.3 | Continue to routinely monitor, investigate, and utilize available new funding sources. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 11.1 | Enforce the requirements of the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance to the extent that Task HE 11.2 below is addressed. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 12.4 | Continue to offer streamlined environmental review for affordable housing development where authorized by the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code Sections 21159.20 through 21159.27 – Special Review of Housing Projects). | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 13.1 | Give priority expenditure of City housing funds to projects that will provide deed restricted affordable rental housing, especially to development projects that will provide extremely low-income units. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 13.3 | Give priority expenditure of City housing funds (e.g., HOME, Affordable Housing Trust Fund, etc.) to projects that will occupy sites that have been previously developed. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 15.3 | Continue to fund (as funding permits) and support home repair programs that assist residents in paying for various handicapped modifications in and around their homes. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 27.1 | In locations where high density residential development is prevalent (e.g., east of Interstate 280), consider the use of the public right of way as an appropriate location for privately maintained stormwater treatment mechanisms. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 24.1 | Develop enhanced residential energy efficiency standards (Title 24, California Administrative Code) in all new residential construction which exceeds State-mandated requirements by five percent in 2015, ten percent in 2020, and twenty percent in 2030. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 10.2 | Offer technical assistance to landowners and prospective developers regarding, for instance, regulatory guidelines, development potential, design solutions, and marketing data. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 13.2 | When funds are availabel, apply for and/or co-sponsor funding opportunities for the construction of rental housing. The City shall strive to make such applications, on average, every two years within the planning period. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 5.5 | Monitor second unit construction and rental activity on an annual basis and report this information in the City’s General Plan Annual Report. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 12.2 | Continue to offer parking reductions offered in the current Zoning Ordinance that serve as an incentive to developers of low-income elderly housing provided a minimum age for residency of such units is established by the Ordinance (e.g., 62 years of age). | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | task 23.1 | Monitor existing at-risk low-income housing units to determine if the owners plan to file a notice of interest to prepay the mortgage obligation. The prepayment would terminate the requirement that the units be rented to low-income individuals. The City should maintain an up-to-date list of public and private non-profit housing entities who can and will be able to purchase the at risk units should the necessity arise. The City should also maintain a current list of available financial resources to fund the potential purchase of these units. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 10.1 | When such funds are available, the City shall use and leverage Federal, State and local funds (including Redevelopment Agency set-aside finds), tax credits, tax-exempt bonds, and private sources such as foundations to encourage the production of affordable housing. The City shall strive to leverage such funds, on average, every two years within the planning period. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 16.1 | The City shall assist in the implementation and enforcement of State and federal fair housing and civil rights laws, and shall make use of opportunities in its interaction with real estate offices, businesses, and other groups or agencies to eliminate housing discrimination. Where discrimination is suspected, the City shall work with the appropriate public interest agencies to vigorously pursue the matter and where discrimination is found, the City shall assist the relevant entity in prosecuting the matter. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Task 2.2 | Continue to exempt infill housing development proposals from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) if the proposal meets all of the requirements of CEQA Guidelines Section 15332. | This is an on-going activity. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |