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 1.2.1 – Support rezoning from office to medium-density multifamily. | Support rezoning from office to multiple-family | Continue to implement, no requests received to date. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1.3.2 – Restrict commercial uses in residential neighborhoods. | Restrict commercial land uses in residential areas | Continue to restrict commercial uses in residential neighborhoods except where may be allowed through recent State Law provisions. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1.4.2 – Evaluate design review process. | Evaluate design review processes | Continue to implement by finding new ways to streamline the development review process to facilitate housing. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1.1.1 – Implement voluntary code inspection program. | Provide voluntary inspections | Continue the voluntary code inspection program encompassing code
compliance, rehabilitation, energy conservation, and minimum fire safety
standards. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1.3.1 – Enforce neighborhood residential buffering. | Provide appropriate buffers | Continue to enforce minimum standards for buffers between residential properties and commercial uses and public/quasi-public uses through the development permit review process as provided in the Zoning Ordinance. Buffering will include a combination of landscaping, minimum setback, or yard requirements and stepped-back building heights. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1.4.4 – Accommodate the needs of children through design review and land use regulations, including open space, parks and recreation facilities, pathways, play yards, etc. | Accommodate the needs of children in development | Continue to implement through development process and implementation of Park Land Dedications Ordinance. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1.5.1 – Review compatibility of land divisions as part of the permit review and approval process. | Review land use compatibility of subdivisions | Continue to implement. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1.1.2 – Help secure funding for housing assistance programs. | Help secure funding for housing assistance | Continue to support County and nonprofit housing rehabilitation
programs by providing program information to interested individuals
through handouts available at City Hall, the Los Altos Senior Center, the
Los Altos Library, and the Woodland Branch Library. THe City aslso continues to transfer their Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to the County to support housing programs each year. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1.4.1 – Implement zoning and design standards. | Implement appropriate zoning and design standards | Continue to implement residential zoning, development standards, and design review to ensure compatibility of housing with neighborhood character, minimum open yard space, and streets that are safe. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 1.4.3 – Facilitate alternate modes of transportation in residential neighborhoods. | Facilitate alternative transportation modes | Continue to implement zoning and development standards to facilitate
walkable neighborhoods and the safe use of alternate modes of
transportation such as bicycles. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 3.1.1 – Support efforts to fund homeless services. | Facilitate and help pursue funding for homelessness services | Continue to implement. Transfer CDBG funding to the County. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 2.1.2 – Implement multifamily district development standards. | Require maximum density of multiple-family projects | Continue to implement the multifamily district development standards to
ensure the maximum densities established can be achieved and the
maximum number of units is required to be built. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 4.3.1 – Assist in the development of affordable housing. | Help develop affordable housing | Continue to implement, transfer CDBG funding to the County, explain the density bonus process and affordable housing requirements to developers. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 4.1.1 – Monitor condominium conversion. | Monitor condo conversions | Continue to implement the Condominium Conversion Ordinance to protect
against the conversion or demolition of rental units. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 6.2.4 – Senior housing with extended care facilities will be allowed in multifamily and mixed-use zoning districts. | Allow senior extended care in multi-family and mixed-use districts | Continue to implement. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 7.1.1 – Promote energy and water conservation through education and awareness campaigns. | Promote energy and water conservation | Continue to implement. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 7.1.2 – Participate in a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing program. | Participate in PACE financing | City adopted a Resolution supporting PACE programs. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 7.1.3 – Promote the use of solar energy. | Promote solar energy | Continue to implement and as required by Green Building and Title-24 Building requirements. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 4.3.3 –Consider reduced parking requirements for certain housing types and affordable housing units. | Consider reduced parking for affordable housing | The City's Density Bonus ordinance was amended to implement State Density Bonus law with regard to reduced parking ratios and elimination of guest parking. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | Program 4.3.2 – Implement Chapter 14.28 of the Municipal Code, which defines the number of required below-market-rate (BMR) units by development size and type, and requires on larger projects (greater than 10 market-rate units) that the BMR units generally reflect the size and number of bedrooms of the market rate units | Implement BMR housing regulations | Continue to implement as amended in 2018 to require 15% affordability for projects having 5-9 units and increase the percentage of affordable units in projects having 10 or more units from 15% to 20% for low income in rental proejects and from 10% to 15% for very low income rental projects and increase the percentage of BMR units in an ownership project from 10% to 15% with the majority of the units affordable to moderate income households. | On-going | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |