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 H-5.3.2: Demographic Information: Update demographic information on the Citys website as the complete results of the 2010 Census, and other data, become available. This includes relevant demographic information from the American Community Surveys. Incorporate this information in the Annual Housing Element Report, as warranted. | Program H-5.3.2: Demographic Information: Update demographic information
on the Citys website as the complete results of the 2010 Census, and other data,
become available. This includes relevant demographic information from the
American Community Surveys. Incorporate this information in the Annual
Housing Element Report, as warranted. | Ongoing. | Complete | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-5.3.1: Annual Report | Prepared the annual report describing amount and type of housing activity as per the Housing Element | Completed for 2015-2020. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-3.1.3: Tax Exempt Financing | Require developers using tax-exempt financing to include language in agreements to permit Section 8 Voucher holders to apply for BMR units in the development | Ongoing. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-3.1.4: Available Funding | Support efforts to obtain State and federal assistance to develop affordable housing for seniors, large households, and those with special needs. | Ongoing. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-4.1.2: Nondiscrimination Clauses | Provide nondiscrimination clauses in rental agreements and deed restrictions for housing constructed with City assistance. | Ongoing. Non-discrimination language for lease agreements and deed restrictions is required as part of development agreements between the City and developers/owners. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-3.7.1: Ongoing Estimates of the Demand for Emergency Housing | Consult with the Contra Costa County Task Force on Homelessness to maintain
ongoing estimates of the demand for emergency housing in Lafayette. | Ongoing. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-2.4.3: RHNA Monitoring Program | Maintain the residential sites inventory to ensure capacity for the 400 allocated units. | Ongoing. As required under RHNA, the site inventory has capacity for 400 units. Staff is currently underway with updating the Housing Element. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-4.1.1: Equal Housing Opportunity | Promote equal opportunity by supporting the investigation and disposition of housing discrimination complaints, coordinating with service providers. | Ongoing. Fair housing complaints are referred to Contra Costa County. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-2.7.1: Infill Sites | Maintain an inventory of sites suitable for development | Ongoing. The planning department periodically produces a map of vacant and underdeveloped to land in the city, which is published on the Citys website. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-1.7.1: Capital Improvement Program | Determine annual special capital project needs and funding availability | No special capital projects or funding availability in 2022. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-2.1.2: New Mixed Use Developments | Support projects that include a mix of residential and commercial in the downtown | Ongoing. Miramar Capital received approvals in 2021 for 166 dwelling units, including 38 dwelling units deed restricted to serve very low income households, with 30,000 square feet of office. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-1.2.1: Maintenance of Existing Residential Zoning | Retain existing residential zoning and revise the Zoning Ordinance to disallow certain commercial use; ensure conformity of non-residential structures with existing residential character | In 2022, no applications were filed for non-residential uses in residential zoning districts. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-1.8.1: Ongoing Monitoring of Conversion Risks | Monitor affordable housing projects to determine risk of conversion to market rate, and work with owners to keep units affordable. | No conversions from BMR to market rate were submitted in 2022 and no inquiries were made on the part of property owners. All existing BMR units will remain affordable to income qualified households. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-3.4.1: Density Bonus Regulations | Support developments that provide affordable housing and/or senior housing using the density bonus. | Ongoing. The City Council adopted a density bonus ordinance in 2014, which has been used many times by developers in the past few years. The City plans to update its ordinance for consistency with state regulations. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-1.5.2: Green Building Incentives | Offer incentives to property owners whose buildings exceed minimum CalGreen requirements. | Ongoing. The City continues to grant Environmental Awards of Excellence to residents which obtain LEED certification. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-5.1.2: Application Fees | Consider reductions in development application fees for projects containing 25% or more affordable units. | Ongoing. The City will consider reducing or waiver certain fees for projects containing a higher percentage of BMR units. The City has not received any applications for projects meeting this criteria in the 5th Cycle planning period. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-5.1.4: CEQA Process | Follow CEQA procedures to expedite permit processing for all development. | Development projects are reviewed for compliance with CEQA; most infill developments receive categorical exemptions. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-3.6.2: Emergency Shelter Capacity Monitoring | Ensure sufficient sites in appropriate zones to accommodate a shelter of up to 30 beds. | Ongoing. The City maintains zoning which allows emergency shelters to be established. The current best practices for homeless persons no longer includes emergency shelters, but rather a housing first model, moving people directly into permanent, supportive housing. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-1.5.4: Home Energy Retrofit Program | Work with the County to offer subsidized home energy assessments and rebates on energy efficiency improvements. | Ongoing. Please see response to H-1.5.1 above. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H-1.1.1: Rehabilitation/Preservation Program | Make info available to citizens; support Housing Authority | Ongoing. Information on rehabilitation and preservation programs is on the City's web page. Pamphlets are available in City offices and Building Department. Provided information to all homeowner associations. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |