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 | Program 6a: Energy Conservation | Encourage developers to exceed the California Green Building Code requirements in incorporating energy conservation features and techniques. | In 2022, the City Council adopted an All-Electric Ordinance requiring specific new buildings to be constructed without natural gas lines, exceeding the California Building Code requirements for such buildings. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 2c: Owner-Occupied Single-Family Residential Rehabilitation | Advertise the program through City website and provide brochure at public counters. | Since the dissolution of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA), the City's web site has been modified to remove all RDA components. The City's web site has been revamped to provide a link to the Housing Authority's web site and its online database of currently available housing. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1a: Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers | Assist the County in advertising this program through the City web site, public counters, and bulletin boards in order to meet the HUD requirements that 70% of new Section 8 vouchers be used by extremely-low-income households. | Since the dissolution of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA), the City's web site has been modified to remove all RDA components. The City's web site has been revamped to provide a link to the Housing Authority's web site and its online database of currently available housing. Have not yet received hard copy materials from Housing Authority or other agencies. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 6a: Energy Conservation | Promote mixed-use/transit-oriented development that provides opportunities for energy conservation. | In 2022, the City approved entitlement extentions for the Hill Town project, comprising 598 multi-family units and 4,000 square feet of retail, and the Sycamore Crossing project, comprising of 29,511 square feet of retail commercial, a 105 room hotel, and 120 attached residential dwellings units within 1/2-mile of the existing bus transit center and less than one mile from the future Hercules Hub. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 3a: Provision of Adequate Sites | Encourage sustainable development patterns by continuing to offer reductions in Traffic Facilities Impact Fees for projects that are located within one-half mile of a transit station and for mixed-use projects where 50% or more of the building space is used for residential purposes. Offer Traffic Facility Fee reductions to mixed-use projects, subject to funding availability. | In 2022, the City updated impact fees for transportation facilities. Certain projects may qualify for lower impact fees for Traffic Facilities based on the project's consistency with Section 66005.1 of the Mitigation Fee Act. Qualifying factors include, but are not limited to, proximity and access to transit and the amount of residential space and parking provided on-site. Reduced Traffic Facilities impact fees are negotiated and approved through a Development Agreement by the Office of the City Manager. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 5a: Fair Housing | Continue to support the County and refer any complaints and inquiries to the County for resolution and services. | Since the dissolution of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA), the City's web site has been modified to remove all RDA components. The City's web site has been revamped to provide a link to the Housing Authority's web site and its online database of currently available housing. Have not yet received hard copy materials from Housing Authority or other agencies. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 5b: Reasonable Accommodation | Advertise the program through City website and provide brochure at public counters. | Since the dissolution of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA), the City's web site has been modified to remove all RDA components. The City's web site has been revamped to provide a link to the Housing Authority's web site and its online database of currently available housing. Have not yet received hard copy materials from Housing Authority or other agencies. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 5b: Reasonable Accommodation | Provide technical assistance regarding the application requirements and procedures to persons/entities seeking reasonable accommodation. | Community Development Department staff address questions as they come up. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 5c: Cooperation with Contra Costa Health Services Homeless Program | Advertise the program through the City website and provide brochure at public counters. | Since the dissolution of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA), the City's web site has been modified to remove all RDA components. The City's web site has been revamped to provide a link to the Housing Authority's web site and its online database of currently available housing. Have not yet received hard copy materials from Housing Authority or other agencies. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1c: Density Bonus Program | Continue to monitor the effectiveness of the Density Bonus program and provide technical assistance to developers in the use of the City's program. | No developers pursued density bonuses for residential projects, and therefore the use of the density bonus program was not applicable. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 5a: Fair Housing | Advertise fair housing services of the County at public counters, through the City website, and at various community locations, including the City Library, Community Centers, and Senior Center. | Since the dissolution of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA), the City's web site has been modified to remove all RDA components. The City's web site has been revamped to provide a link to the Housing Authority's web site and its online database of currently available housing. Have not yet received hard copy materials from Housing Authority or other agencies. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1b: Affordable Housing Development Incentives and Outreach | Utilize State and Federal assistance programs, such as HOME, LIHTC, and CHFA funds, on an ongoing basis to the fullest extent possible to develop affordable lower income housing for seniors, families, and persons with disabilities, including persons with developmental disabilities. Support funding applications by developers if the proposed projects are consistent with the goals and policies of the City's General Plan. Annually, the City will pursue funding opportunities. | No funding opportunities were sought due to lack of City staffing, and no developers contacted the City to support funding applications in 2022. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 4a: Development Standards and Procedures | Annually review the development standards, fees, and procedures and make adjustments as appropriate and legally feasible to encourage the development of a variety of housing in the community. | In 2022, the City adopted a Senate Bill 9 Ordinance to ensure consistency with recently enacted State of California laws (ordinance adopted in May 2022). | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 2a: Code Enforcement | Continue installation of automatic gas shut-off valves to improve resident safety. | This program continues to be implemented as every house that is sold or permitted for improvements exceeding $25,000 is required to have an automatic gas shut-off valve installed. In 2022 the City adopted an All-Electric Ordinance, requiring specific new buildings to be built without natural gas lines. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 2a: Code Enforcement | Continue referring code compliance violations to available residential rehabilitation programs to bring those homes up to standards. | Since the dissolution of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA), the City's web site has been modified to remove all RDA components. The City's web site has been revamped to provide a link to the Housing Authority's web site and its online database of currently available housing. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1d: Extremely Low Income Households | Explore incentives to encourage developers to include units affordable to extremely low income households, including but not limited to additional density or floor-area ratio increases, flexible development standards (such as parking, height limit) and priority processing. The objective is to create three affordable units for extremely low income households over the planning period. | No opportunities to offer such incentives occurred in 2022. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1b: Affordable Housing Development Incentives and Outreach | Maintain a list of interested and qualified affordable housing developers. Actively and annually publicize to affordable housing developers the opportunities to develop affordable housing in Hercules, available incentives, and financing options provided by the City or other agencies. | During the public hearing process through which the City adopted its current Housing Element in 2015, the City contacted non-profit housing developers. Since then, there has not been separate outreach regarding affordable housing development opportunities, as the City does not have funding incentives or financing options available. | Annual | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 5b: Reasonable Accommodation | Within one year of the Housing Element adoption, revise the Reasonable Accommodation Ordinance to remove the primary residence requirement, thereby allowing the application of reasonable accommodation to all dwellings, including secondary homes. | The City Council on June 28, 2016, adopted Ordinance 496, approving Zone Amendment #ZA 16-02, which amended the City's Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 6 (Residential Districts) and Chapter 53 (Reasonable Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities) to clarify provisions of transitional/supportive housing in the RM-L zone as similar uses in the same zone. | Completed | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1b: Affordable Housing Development Incentives and Outreach | Work with developers in the Central Hercules Plan area and other areas of new development on an ongoing basis to ensure that the City's housing goals of providing a wider mix of housing types and affordability levels are achieved. The City will provide incentives, including density bonus, expedited processing, and flexible development standards to encourage a variety of housing in the community, including projects that set aside units for households with extremely low incomes. With limited funding available, the City anticipates only a goal of eight affordable units. | City responded to inquiries regarding the potential to develop single-family, multi-family, and/or senior housing at Lavender Place and Skelly, as well as at the Waterfront/Bayfront and Hilltown area. The City worked with Sycamore Crossing and Hilltown area projects to extend previously approved entitlements. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 3a: Provision of Adequate Sites | Update the City's sites inventory every two years to monitor the consumption of residential and mixed-use properties and continued ability to fulfill the RHNA. | The residential sites inventory was updated in 2015 with the update of the 2015-2023 Housing Element. No properties were rezoned for residential in 2022. | 2015, and every two years thereafter | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |