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 | Loss of Housing Units | Housing stock conservation | The City will continue to discourage the conversion of older residential uses to non-residential uses, unless there is a finding of public benefit and that equivalent housing can be provided for those who have been displaced by the proposed conversion. No demolition permits were issued for residential development in 2022. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Participate in County Neighborhood Preservation and Rental Rehab programs | Participate in neighborhood preservation and rental rehabiliation programs | The City will promote the availability of Contra Costa County programs for housing construction, homebuyer assistance, rental assistance, and housing rehabilitation. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Conduct community outreach on housing programs | Community outreach and education | The City continues to notify a broad representation of the community when housing strategy or implementing programs are discussed by the Planning Commission or City Council. The City continues to maintain a Housing Element mailing list and sends public hearing notices to all interested public and non-profit agencies and affected property owners when items arise. Notices are also posted in public buildings and on the City's webpage. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Update the Zoning Ordinance | Comprehensive update to the Zoning Code | Zoning Code update will commence in 2024 following General Plan and Housing Element adoption. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Condominum Conversions | Regulate condominium conversions | The City will continue to regulate the conversion of apartments to condominiums to preserve the existing stock of rental apartments. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Implement Code Enforcement | Ensure use of code enforcement | The City opened 72 residential code enforcement cases in 2022. Of those cases, 45 (representing 62.5 percent of cases) were resolved by December 31, 2022. The City will continue to vigorously pursue Code Enforcement throughout the City's residential areas. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Central Conta Costa Housing Authority | Support CCCHA activities | The City will continue to lend assistance and support to projects developed by the Contra Costa County Housing Authority. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Maintain up to date Land Inventory | Maintain a current land inventory of housing sites | The City will periodically update the land inventory and provide information to interested developers and affordable housing providers with specific information on opportunity sites that have the greatest feasibility for housing production. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Transitional and Supportive Housing | Allow for transitional and supporting housing | The City will treat transitional and supportive housing as a residential use that will be subject only to the same restrictions that apply to other residential uses of the same type in the same zone. The City has also had preliminary discussions with Eden Housing, an affordable housing developer, about converting seven ground-floor retail units at the Riverhouse Hotel apartment complex in downtown Martinez into afordable housing. These units would be geared towards senior citizens and persons with disabilities, with associated on-site supportive services. The seven retail units could be expanded into nine affordable units. There are 75 existing affordable units in the Riverhouse Hotel apartment complex, which is owned by Eden Housing. The City is also exploring using ARPA funding for a dedicated grants management position, with the goal of assisting to secure funding for a local supportive housing project. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Provide information on housing programs | Public education | These programs have been partially implemented utilizing City resources, and links to County resources. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Encourage use of Residential Assistance Programs | Support use of residential assistnce programs | The City will continue to publicize and participate in rental assistance programs such as Section 8 and other available rental programs. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Publicize fair housing laws and respond to discrimination complaints | Public education and response to discrimination complaints | Information and services have been made available on request. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Code Enforcement and Housing Rehabilitation | Provision of code enforcement and support housing rehabiliation | The City's building codes will continue to be used to maintain the quality of the housing stock, and pursue available rehabilitation programs for both owner occupied and rental housing and funding for the conservation, retrofitting and rehabilitation of viable older housing to preserve neighborhood character. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Protection of Subsidized Housing | Protect existing subsidized housing | The City will seek to preserve existing low-cost rental housing for occupancy by lower-income residents. The City has not had requests for conversion of subsidized housing units. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Adaptable/Accessible units for the Disabled | Ensure accessible housing | The City will ensure that new multi-family housing includes units that are accessible and adaptable for use by disabled persons in conformance with the California Building Code. All building projects received by the City are systematically reviewed for accessibility components, and the City adopted a new building code in 2022 to ensure continued conformance with adaptability and accessibility requirements. The City installed more than 56 curb ramps in 2022. The City's General Plan (adopted in 2022) includes Implementation Measure C-I-8.1a, which ensures that roadway improvements employ universal design concepts and that pedestrian facilities are accessible to persons with disabilities. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Housing for the Homeless | Support provision of housing for the homeless | The City allows emergency shelters as a permitted use within the SC (Service Commercial) and L-I (Light Industrial) zoning districts. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Encourage shared housing | Encourage use of shared housing | Information and services have been made available on request. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Make information available for residents with disabilities | Provide information to residents with disabilities | The City will continue to promote programs on reasonable accommodations and continue to implement universal design building code requirements. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Coordinate with agencies on transportation and climate change | Outreach to agencies | The City works with Martinez Unified School District to provide ecoliteracy lessons. In 2022, the City and its partners provided ecoliteracy lessons to 1,524 Martinez students. The City works with Republic Services to perform school site waste audits on a twice-yearly basis. The City partnered with Republic Services to staff a farmers' market booth for Earth Day with educational games and outreach materials. The City worked with the Martinez Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Martinez & Co. to provide outreach materials to local businesses on the implementation of AB 1276, requiring that retail food operators only offer disposable foodware accessories upon request. The City will continue to meet with other jurisdictions in Contra Costa County, including participation in CCTA bi-annual reporting, and support ABAG/MTC programs to develop a regional program for achieving a balance between housing and jobs. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
2022 | Update the General Plan | Complete comprehensive update to the General Plan | The City undertook a 12-year process to update its General Plan, which successfully concluded with the adoption of the 2035 General Plan in November 2022. This was a comprehensive update to the City's General Plan, except for the Housing Element and Growth Management Element, which will be updated as a separate effort. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |