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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1.1-A | If a site included in the residential sites inventory is developed with nonresidential uses or with fewer units than identified, verify that the sites inventory maintains sufficient capacity to meet the City’s RHNA. If it does not, identify additional sites/units to satisfy the RHNA, that will prevent displacement in low resource areas or facilitate access to moderate and high resource areas. This is an ongoing program that the City has already been implementing. | Maintain adequate sites to meet the City’s RHNA | When development of Housing Element sites occurs |
| 1.1.1-B | Maintain an online map on the City’s website of vacant residential acreage to assist developers with identifying land suitable for residential development throughout the city. The map could indicate current zoning and public facilities and services to these sites. The map could also include land suitable for affordable development, based on the allowed density, in moderate and high resource areas to facilitate new opportunities and expanded housing mobility opportunities. | Assist at least 3 interested developers annually to identify suitable land for residential development. | Create map at the time of new Housing Element adoption. Update and annually thereafter throughout the planning period. |
| 1.1.1-C | Proactively identify areas to meet future RHNA allocations as part of the comprehensive General Plan Update. | Ensure General Plan and zoning consistency to accommodate
development of 1,317 very low-, 758 low-, 696
moderate- and 1,799 above moderate-income housing units. | By 2025 with the adoption of the General Plan Update |
| 1.1.1-D | Following future amendments to the General Plan’s Safety Element, ensure consistency with the Housing Element, including the sites inventory. | n/a | As needed |
| 1.2.1-A | Continue to update and amend the General Plan as needed and appropriate to provide a range of housing types (including missing middle housing), densities, and affordability levels. | n/a | As projects are proposed; reviewed annually |
| 1.2.1-B | Continue to update and amend the Downtown Specific Plan as needed and appropriate to facilitate downtown revitalization, the provision of affordable housing, and mixed-use development to facilitate income integration, housing mobility opportunities and access to transit, resources, and amenities. | Approve or maintain the potential for 37 moderate and 141 lower-income housing units in the DSP area. | As projects are proposed; reviewed annually |
| 1.2.1-C | Continue to update and amend the Isabel Neighborhood Specific Plan as needed and appropriate to facilitate a complete, income-integrated, transit- oriented community that promotes housing mobility opportunities. | Approve or maintain the potential for 1,570 lower-income and 1,753 above moderate-income units in the INSP area. | As projects are proposed; reviewed annually |
| 1.2.1-D | Continue area planning efforts for the Southfront Priority Development Area (PDA) surrounding the future Southfront Valley Link station. Revise the General Plan designations and zoning accordingly to allow for mixed-income residential transit-oriented development. | Up to 7,500 housing units to facilitate income integration and housing mobility opportunities. | This area is a Focus Area in the General Plan Update, which will be completed by 2025. Complete any subsequent planning efforts by 2030. |
| 1.3.1-A | Continue to facilitate development of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) by maintaining standards that are consistent with State law. This includes allowing ADUs in all zoning districts where single-family and multifamily residential dwellings are allowed and creating a resource center on the City’s website that connects community members to materials and programs like the CalHFA ADU grant program. | 325 ADUs during the 6th Cycle Projection Period; encouraging at least half of these to be in neighborhoods dominated by single- family development to promote housing mobility opportunities. | The City will begin a comprehensive Development Code Update in January 2023. Year one of the three-year program includes updates for consistency with State legislation. The City will update the ADU ordinance by December 2023, then every two years as needed to comply with current state law. |
| 1.3.1-B | Monitor ADU construction and affordability levels to determine whether the rate is on track to meet target numbers anticipated in this Housing Element. Implement additional actions, such as additional outreach, resources, or incentives, if targets are not met. See Program 1.4.1.D. | 58 ADU building permits between June 30th, 2022, and the end of 2024, with at least 30 in predominantly
single-family neighborhoods. | Annually, starting in January 2024 as part of the 2023 Housing Annual Progress Report |
| 1.3.1-C | Continue to allow mobile and manufactured homes that meet State and City codes, as well as the City’s design review requirements, in all residential districts. | 40 new mobile or manufactured homes over the next 8 years, encouraging at least 15 in high resource areas. | Ongoing as the City assists applicants at the Permit Center |
| 1.3.1-D | Establish standards for smaller unit types, such as tiny homes and single room occupancies to meet the housing needs of lower-income households and other populations at risk of displacement. | 20 small unit types over the next 8 years, encouraging at least 10 in high resource and single-family housing dominated areas, to prevent displacement and facilitate housing mobility opportunities. | By December 2024 as part of the comprehensive Development Code Update. |
| 1.3.1-E | Establish standards consistent with Senate Bill 9 to allow ministerial two-unit residential developments and lot splits in single-family zones. The City currently allows development of residential units and lot splits in compliance with Senate Bill 9. The City will encourage homeowners on large lots in predominantly single-family neighborhoods to consider SB 9 as an opportunity to introduce middle-density housing and the associated benefits. | 10 units through SB 9 infill development, encouraging construction in large- lot, single-family neighborhoods to promote housing mobility opportunities through increased density. | By December 2023 as part of the comprehensive Development Code Update; Provide informational materials on the City’s website on the SB 9 process within 2 months of establishing standards |
| 1.3.1-F | Establish Objective Design Standards to facilitate streamlined project permitting. | n/a | By December 2023 as part of the comprehensive Development Code Update |
| 1.3.1-G | Remove barriers to residential development of small properties. The specifics of these changes will be discussed when the Development Code Update gets underway in 2023 but could include adjustments to fees and requirements for setbacks, open space, parking, etc. As part of this work, the City will consider a more streamlined review process for smaller projects (see Program 1.4.1). | n/a | By December 2024 as part of the comprehensive Development Code Update. |
| 1.4.1-A | Identify opportunities to streamline permitting processes, including ministerial approvals and electronic application submittals and review. See also Program 1.3.1.G. The City is currently BETA testing electronic submittal in its Accela software permit tracking system with plans to accept electronic submittals. The new electronic public portal should be ready for electronic submittal of all projects in early 2023. | n/a | Electronic submittal system should be operational by early 2023. Additional opportunities for ministerial approval will be completed by December 2024 as part of the Development Code Update. See also Program 1.3.1.G. |
| 1.4.1-B | Establish standards to specify SB 35 and SB 330 streamlining approval processes and standards for eligible projects to promote provision of affordable housing. | n/a | By December 2023 as part of the comprehensive Development Code Update. |
| 1.4.1-C | Monitor development fees to ensure they are reasonable and do not unduly constrain development while protecting the quality, health, and public safety of the community. Analyze the design review fee and all other fees required for multifamily development and reduce them if found to be a constraint. This would include adjusting fees for smaller unit types like ADUs/JADUs, tiny homes, and other missing middle housing. The analysis process will include meeting with multifamily developers/applicants to get their input regarding constraints associated with fees. | n/a | Following completion of the General Plan Update and year two of the Livermore Development Code Update in December 2024, the Community Development Department will engage the community and stakeholders and conduct a comprehensive development impact and entitlement fee update by September 2025. Specific steps for the first analysis and update during the planning period are outlined below. As part of this process, the City will examine development fees as they relate to housing to ensure they are not a barrier to new housing. The General Plan update process explores and evaluates different land use patterns and types. The land use evaluation will identify necessary infrastructure needs: transportation improvements, water, sewer, stormwater, parks, schools, and library services, etc. As part of General Plan implementation, the City will identify total costs to construct new and upgrade existing systems. Following adoption, the City will conduct fee studies to determine new infrastructure costs per land uses type necessary to cover costs over the 20-year time horizon of the General Plan, 2045. Timeline: Meet with developers/ applicants by December 2024. Complete analysis of the design review fee and other multifamily fees by June 2025. The analysis will include a nexus study conducted by an outside consultant. City Council review and adoption by September 2025. This timeline makes sense for Livermore because the City is comprehensively updating its General Plan, which is anticipated to be adopted in 2024/2025. Subsequently, the City will do the analysis and development fee update described above to reflect the new General Plan land use map and corresponding infrastructure needs. |
| 1.4.1-D | Continue to encourage the development of accessory dwelling units by waiving certain development impact fees. Promote the availability of these incentives in high resource areas to expand housing mobility opportunities for lower-income households | Promote the development of 325 ADUs over the planning period, targeting at least 10 percent of those in high resource areas. (See Program 1.3.1.A) | Ongoing; add information on incentives to the City’s website by December 2023, updating as needed, and mailing information to homeowners in high resource areas in January 2024 and every other year thereafter. |
| 1.4.1-E | Create user-friendly, accessible, and multi-lingual information guides about standards and review processes for residential projects (ADUs, SB 9 projects, SB 35 and SB 330 streamlining, etc.) to improve housing mobility. Make this information available on the City’s website, at the Permit Center, and in local gathering places in areas of need such as the Rincon Branch library. | n/a | Make guides available on the City’s website by December 2023. Update on an ongoing basis as needed |