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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Program 10: Water Master Plan and Priority for Water and Sewer Services | Recycled water program expansion. | Ongoing | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 10: Water Master Plan and Priority for Water and Sewer Services | Participation in the update and implementation of the water master plan. | Ongoing | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 2: Replacement Housing | Provide technical assistance to project applicants regarding compliance with replacement requirements. | Ongoing | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 10: Water Master Plan and Priority for Water and Sewer Services | Compliance with the Restructured Agreement and participation in the Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership. | Ongoing | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 10: Water Master Plan and Priority for Water and Sewer Services | Implementation and expansion of water conservation program. | Ongoing | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 19: Mobile Home Rent Stabilization | As requested, conduct mediation between tenants and mobile home park owners for rent increases. | Completed and on-going | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 13: Local Housing Trust Fund | Exploration of additional funding sources for the Housing Trust Fund and pursue appropriate options by 2025. | Completed and ongoing | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 16: Community Land Trust/Land Banking | Partnership with a regional community land trust is ongoing. | Completed and ongoing | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 19: Mobile Home Rent Stabilization | Continue to support the affordability of mobile home parks by working with residents and property owners to monitor rents and ensure rent increases are economically feasible, in addition to putting in place tenant protections city wide. | Completed and ongoing | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 10: Water Master Plan and Priority for Water and Sewer Services | Update UWMP and WSCP. | Completed | 2022 | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 26: Universal Design and Visitability | Research and develop an ordinance to ensure Visitability and Universal Design for future residential development for both single family and multifamily development. | Completed | 2022 | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 29: Tenant Protection Strategies | Begin community outreach to discuss various strategies of tenant protection. | Completed | 2023 | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 28: Fair Housing Outreach and Enforcement | Work with PPSC to expand methods of information dissemination, including print, website, and other social media outlets. Specifically, work with PPSC to develop materials on the State’s source of income protection and distribute them as part of the ADU permit application package | In process | 2023 | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 7: Zoning Code Amendments | In 2023 and 2024, conduct consultations with developers to assess constraints to housing development in Petaluma, especially the impacts of parking and open space requirements on cost of housing and feasibility of achieving maximum allowable densities. | In process | 2023-2024 | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 2: Replacement Housing | Update the Zoning Code to specify the replacement requirements for redevelopment of properties with existing residential uses. As part of this Code update, identify specific properties in the site's inventory with existing residential units that may be subject to replacement requirements and monitor development activities. | In process. City's General Plan Update and Zoning Code expected to be completed Fall 2025. | 2024 | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 10: Water Master Plan and Priority for Water and Sewer Services | Planning stages for well treatment at existing groundwater wells. | In process | N/A | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 18: Preservation of At-Risk Housing | The City is currently working to support the preservation of at-risk housing. | In process | N/A | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | General Comments: NA | NA | NA | NA | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 19: Mobile Home Rent Stabilization | Update the Mobile Home Rent Stabilization Ordinance. | Completed | 2022 | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | Program 5: Flexible Development Standards | Adopt objective design standards and parking standards for multi-family residential and mixed use development (currently underway). | Completed | 2023 | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |