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 | 1-A6 | Contribute to County homeless and transitional programs; partner with existing programs | Ongoing | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 1-C3 | Identify opportunities to use technology to improve customer service. | Ongoing - in 2020 The Building & Planning Department implemented online permitting services for Building Permits and entirely digital submittals for Planning applications. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 1-A1 | Appoint councilmember for regional housing efforts | Annual | Annual | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 1-A4 | Promote development of affordable multifamily housing on nearby institutional lands | Ongoing - Through the Towns involvement with 21 Elements, Home For All, and other countywide initiatives, the Town is active in conversations about supporting and promoting the development of affordable housing. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 2-A1 | Permit subdivision of vacant parcels for 2+ lots | Ongoing | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 3-C4 | Permit property owners to legalize unathorized domestic housing | Ongoing | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 1-B1 | Process design review applications and building permits promptly. | Ongoing | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 3-C2 | Promote and Inform the public about Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). | Ongoing | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 1-D1 | Consider annexations of adjacent land. | Ongoing | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 1-C2 | Partner with Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center (PCRC). | Ongoing | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 3-C6 | Allow rental of ADUs. | Ongoing | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 1-A2 | Work with nearby communities to explore subregional housing needs and solutions | Ongoing - Town participates in 21 Elements and Home for All programs | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 3-C3 | Approve ADUs administratively; ascertain planned use for ADU and affordability. | ADU review and approval is consistent with the state requirements for ADU permits and streamlining. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 1-A3 | Work with local institutions under Chapter 17.16 of the Zoning Ordinance to consider developing employee housing on existing institutional lands in Hillsborough. | Ongoing - The zoning ordinance was amended in 2003 to permit “multifamily rental housing on the school site for use and occupancy by faculty and other employees of the school”. The Town is exploring other similar opportunites. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 3-B1 / 3-B2 | Continue to allow the renting of individual rooms in Hillsborough houses / Continue to support and promote the shared housing concept. | Ongoing - The Town has partenered with HIP Housing to develop a program specifically
for Hillsborough which connects housing providers with housing seeker to provide
additional housing opportunities through rentals of rooms within existing houses, ADUs
and jADUs. These opportuniteis not only provide housing to those in need, but also
added security for those living alone and income support opportunities for homeowners. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 3-C5 | Implement additional measures to encourage ADUs. | Ongoing - The Building & Planning Deparment continues to waive Planning fees and offer reduced Building permit fees. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | 1-A5 | Evaluate and report annually to the City Council on progress in developing cooperative solutions to regional housing issues. | Hillsborough has been and continues to be actively involved in subregional housing planning efforts. A City Councilmember represents the Town on the San Mateo County City/County Association of Governments (C/CAG), the countywide subregional body which oversees the Housing Element Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) through a Policy Advisory Committee (PAC). | Annual | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2018 | 1-D1 | Consider annexations of adjacent land | 2014-2022 | Building & Planning | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2018 | Policy 2A Allow subdivision of lots larger than one acre | Policy 2A Allow subdivision of lots larger than one acre | Policy 2A Allow subdivision of lots larger than one acre | Policy 2A Allow subdivision of lots larger than one acre | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2018 | Policy 3A Support seniors and other special needs populations | Policy 3A Support seniors and other special needs populations | Policy 3A Support seniors and other special needs populations | Policy 3A Support seniors and other special needs populations | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |