Housing Readiness Report

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.

PROGRAM NUMBER	ACTIONS	DELIVERABLE	DELIVERABLE DATE
1.1	Continue to provide rehabilitation loans through the Neighborhood Preservation Program to extremely low-, very low- and low-income households and to promote the program. Background: Through the Neighborhood Preservation Program, the County provides home rehabilitation loans to extremely low-, very low-, and low-income households to make necessary home repairs and improve their homes. Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) administers this program, which is available to incomequalified households throughout the urban county. Eligible residents may receive assistance for a variety of home improvement activities, including but not limited to, reroofing, plumbing/heating/electrical repairs, termite and dryrot repair, modifications for disabled accessibility, security, exterior painting, and energy conservation. Specific loan terms are based on financial need and may be zero or 3 percent, deferred or amortized. DCD has identified the following unincorporated areas for focused rehabilitation assistance: Bay Point, Bethel Island, Byron, Clyde, Crockett, El Sobrante, Montalvin Manor, North Richmond, Rodeo, Rollingwood, and the Vine Hill area near Martinez.	Disseminate information on housing rehabilitation assistance through the County’s website, public access cable channels, notices in the press, presentations, and distribution of brochures to public service agencies and community groups, and mailings to county residents. Rehabilitate a minimum of 5 units annually for a total of 40 units minimum over 8 years. Target areas with older housing stock, including North Richmond, Rodeo, Crockett, Montalvin, and Bay Point.	Consider new applications annually
1.2	Continue to offer the free weatherization program for extremely low-, very low- and low-income homeowners. Background: The County DCD offers a free weatherization program to assist extremely low-, very low-, and low-income homeowners and renters in improving residential energy efficiency and, as a result, reducing their energy bills. The program’s energy saving improvements include minor home repairs and appliance and fixture replacements, such as attic insulation, weather stripping, pipe wrapping, furnace filters, shower heads, heaters/ovens, ceiling fans, door bottoms, etc.	Assist 150 households annually for a total of 1200 households over 8 years. Provide education on energy conservation.	Ongoing
1.3	Conduct a feasibility study and determine potential fee schedules for a vacant property registration ordinance to address issues on vacant properties in urban areas. Background: If a vacant property registration ordinance were put in place it would include a fee to cover the costs for the County to address issues on vacant properties in urban areas. Issues addressed on these types of properties would include derelict buildings, illegal dumping, homeless encampments, overgrown vegetation, for reduction of reduce blight.	Complete feasibility study by year end 2024 and if vacant property registration ordinance is determined feasible, adopt by 2025. If adopted, register and remediate any issues on at least 100 properties during the planning period.	Complete feasibility study and potential fee schedule by year end 2024 and adopt vacant property registration ordinance by 2025.
1.4	Continue code enforcement. Background: Code Enforcement is responsible for enforcing both State and County regulations governing the maintenance of all buildings and properties in unincorporated areas through complaint-based inspections and ensuring remediation. To facilitate correction of code violations or deficiencies, Code Enforcement works closely with other County agencies. Code enforcement staff routinely refers homeowners to the County’s rehabilitation loan and grants programs, including the Neighborhood Preservation Program. The staff also refers homeowners, mobile home owners, and apartment owners to the County’s Weatherization Program.	Continue to carry out code enforcement activities as a means to maintain the quality of the housing stock and residential neighborhoods. Continue to refer eligible homeowners, mobile homeowners, and apartment owners to County programs for assistance. Refer at least 20 eligible property owners annually, or as needed, for a total of 160 property owners during the planning period. Target areas with older housing stock, including North Richmond, Rodeo, Crockett, Montalvin, and Bay Point.	Ongoing
1.5	Prevent conversion of deed-restricted affordable housing units in multifamily developments to market-rate units through the following actions: Update and monitor the inventory of all dwelling units in the unincorporated county that include units subject to enforceable affordability requirements. The inventory will include, at a minimum, the number of units, the funding government program, and the date on which the units are at risk of conversion to marketrate. • Monitor the status of affordable projects, rental projects, and mobile homes in unincorporated Contra Costa County. Should the property owners indicate the desire to convert properties, consider providing technical and financial assistance, when possible, to ensure long-term affordability. • Work with local service providers to identify funding to subsidize at-risk units in a way mirroring the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Project Based Voucher (Section 8) program. Funding sources may include state or local funding sources. BackgroundBackground: As of 2021, a total of 1,686 publicly assisted housing units in multifamily developments are in the unincorporated areas of the county. Of these units, 49 units in El Sobrante Silvercrest and 134 units in Park Regency are at risk of conversion to market-rate housing by 2033. Pursuant to state law (Government Code Sections 65853.10, 65863.11, and 65863.13), owners of deed-restricted affordable projects are required to provide notice of restrictions that are expiring to all prospective tenants, existing tenants, and the County within 3 years, 12 months, and 6 months before the scheduled expiration of rental restrictions. In addition, the County or owner will provide notice to HUD, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), the Contra Costa County Housing Authority, and the local legal aid organization. Owners shall also refer tenants of at-risk units to educational resources regarding: • Tenant rights • Conversion procedures • Information regarding Section 8 rent subsidies • Any other affordable housing opportunities in the county. In addition, notice from the owner shall be required prior to conversion of any units to market rate for any additional deed-restricted lower-income units that were constructed with the aid of government funding, that were required by inclusionary ordinance requirements, that were part of a project granted a density bonus, or that were part of a project that received other incentives. If a development is offered for sale, HCD must certify persons or entities that are eligible to purchase the development and to receive notice of the pending sale. Placement on the eligibility list will be based on experience with affordable housing. When necessary, the County shall continue to work with property owners of deed-restricted affordable units who need to sell within 45 years of initial sale. When the seller is unable to sell to an eligible buyer within a specified time period, equity-sharing provisions are established (pursuant to the affordable housing agreement for the property), whereby the difference between the affordable and market value is paid to the County to eliminate any incentive to sell the converted unit at market rate. Funds generated would be used to develop additional affordable housing in the county. The County shall continue tracking all residential projects that include affordable housing to ensure that the affordability is maintained for at least 45 years for owneroccupied units and 55 years (subject to program requirements) for rental units, and that any sale or change of ownership of these affordable units prior to satisfying the 45- or 55-year restriction shall be “rolled over” for another 45 or 55 years to protect “at-risk” units.	Monitor all at-risk units as detailed in the program. As required by state law, provide information regarding tenant rights and conversion procedures should the property owner be uninterested in refinancing and offer tenants information regarding Section 8 rental subsidies and other available assistance through County agencies and non-profit organizations.	Ongoing communication with owners, service providers, and eligible potential purchasers; work with owners of deed-restricted units on an ongoing basis—particularly at the time of change of ownership.
2.1	Provide funding or financial incentives for new affordable housing development. Background: Non-profit and for-profit housing developers play an important role in providing affordable housing in Contra Costa County. Over the years, the County has provided direct financial assistance, regulatory incentives, and land write-downs to many developers that construct ownership and/or rental housing to extremely low-, very low-, low-income, and special-needs households. Major sources of County financing include annual entitlement grants of CDBG, HOME, and HOPWA funds. The County reserves 45 percent of each year’s CDBG allocation to acquire and maintain affordable housing in the urban county. The County also serves as an issuer of tax-exempt bond financing when developers seek tax-exempt financing. Projects have been completed with County resources in both unincorporated areas and the cities. Funding is awarded annually on a competitive application basis to developers of multifamily rental housing and homeownership developments countywide for gap financing. A notice of funding availability is issued in the fall. Applications are due in late fall/early winter, with funding recommendations made prior to the first 9-percent tax credit round in the spring. Funding criteria include proposed target population and alleviation of affordable housing needs, cost-effectiveness, developer experience, and term of affordability. The County Board of Supervisors has adopted a funding priority for projects that reserve a portion of the units for extremely low-income households. County staff maintains continuous contact with numerous affordable housing developers. County staff offers formal technical assistance and guidance as well as frequent consultations with interested developers. In addition, the County currently complies with the state Surplus Land Act to notify developers (including community land trusts) of publicly owned sites that are available for residential development. The County has initiated efforts to promote the availability of acquisition of these public sites to nonprofit developers and ensure the list of available sites is posted on the County website. The County awards of HOME and CDBG funds to affordable housing developers provide local funds, which help leverage other local, state, and federal funds.	• Continue to support affordable housing development through direct gap financial assistance. Sources of financial assistance available through the County include Measure X, HOME, CDBG, HOPWA, local inclusionary housing fees, state grants, and tax-exempt bond financing. • Meet with the local development community, key leaders, and local civic and community groups on an annual basis to promote the County’s interest in working cooperatively to increase housing development activity, particularly in higher resource areas and areas identified as Racially Concentrated Areas of Affluence (RCAA) (i.e., Vine Hill, Reliez Valley, Alhambra Valley, Briones, Saranap, Acalanes Ridge, Castle Hill, Alamo, Diablo, Blackhawk, Discovery Bay, and Kensington) to facilitate housing mobility and mixed-income opportunities for lower-income households, and promote access to resources and services within these portions of the County. • Allow techniques such as smaller unit sizes, parking reduction, common dining facilities and fewer required amenities for senior projects. • Continue to provide low-interest loans to non-profit organizations to develop housing affordable to extremely low- and very low-income households. • Coordinate with nonprofit organizations annually to stimulate applications using available affordable housing funds, including federal, state, and local public and private funds. • Initiate efforts to promote the availability of acquisition of these public sites to nonprofit developers (including community land trusts) and post list of the sites on the County website by 2024 and reach out to developers at least annually thereafter. • Collaborate to the extent feasible with HACCC to explore the use of project-based Section 8 assistance as leverage to obtain additional private-sector funds for affordable housing development. • Target the financing and development of 500 affordable units over 8 years.	Annually award HOME, CDBG, and HOPWA funds to experienced housing developers (federal funds are not limited to projects in the unincorporated county). Support the development of 100 lower-income unit to reduce displacement risk and provide housing mobility opportunities. Annually, reach out to nonprofit developers about the availability of publicly-owned sites for residential development. Include specific reporting on progress towards implementation of this action in the County’s Housing Element Annual Report submitted in 2027 and adjust the action to make additional efforts to achieve the objectives if implementation at that point has not been effective.
2.2	Pursue affordable housing development on County (Housing Successor) and Housing Authority-owned land in North Richmond, Bay Point, Pacheco, Contra Costa Centre, and Rodeo and school owned sites included in the Housing Element inventory. Background: On February 1, 2012, redevelopment agencies throughout the State of California were eliminated. The statute eliminating redevelopment allowed housing assets to be retained by the redevelopment host jurisdiction (known as Housing Successors). The County Housing Successor is the owner of several Housing sites. There are also other sites in the inventory owned by other county agencies as well as the Housing Authority and school districts. The County is following the Surplus Lands Act process to pursue affordable housing projects in the county. The County will require an affordability covenant recorded against the land stipulating a specified percent of the total units developed will be affordable to lower-income households, in accordance with State law. The County will comply with State law to implement the SLA process as follows: • The County will declare land “surplus” in accordance with the definition listed in Government Code, Section 54221, subdivision (b)(1). • The County will prepare and issue a Notice of Availability (NOA) to the required parties and provide 60 days to receive responses from interested parties. • The County will negotiate in good faith with any respondents for at least 90 days, prioritizing affordable housing uses in the order provided in Government Code section 54227. • The County will send the proposed disposition to the State for review. • The County will address any State findings, as needed. • Upon final State approval, the County will execute a sale or lease of the land and record an affordability covenant. The County will make parcels it owns available to developers building affordable housing or otherwise ensure the development of housing on such sites. The County has already conducted a review of assets and created an inventory of surplus properties. Three of the sites on that inventory have been entitled, have approved disposition and development agreements, and are currently working on financing. For these three sites, the Housing Successor provided pre-development and construction funds to Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond (CHDC), and approved predevelopment and construction funding to the Rodeo Senior (Phase 2) and Orbisonia Village projects. The remaining sites were subject to a developer solicitation in April 2022, subject to the Surplus Lands Act. Despite no development interest for several of the sites, staff will issue another solicitation in Fall 2023, with information about new funding programs (Measure X) for housing development. The Real Property Division of the County Public Works Department and Capital Facilities staff of the County Administrator’s office also follow the procedures of the Surplus Lands Act. The process to make County-owned sites available has and will continue to include outreach to create partnerships with affordable housing developers that can maximize the opportunities and number of units. This will include facilitation of lot consolidation (as described in Action HE-A5.5) on any county sites that could benefit from 5.5) on any county sites that could benefit from lot consolidation to create a project. Once a list of qualified developers is complete, the first two RFPs will be issued by the end of 2024, in order to begin construction within two years and complete within the housing element cycle period. Two more RFPs on additional County-owned sites will be issued by the end of 2026. The three final RFPs will be issued by the end of 2028. The County-owned sites listed in the tables with aerial photos in Appendix A (noted by site number) and the full list of inventory sites in Appendix A (Table A and B – noted by APN) subject to this program are: • Site 20 - North Broadway Ave. and Alfaro Ave. (Bay Point) • Site 25 - Bel Air Lane (Bay Point) • Site 36 – Parker Ave at Investment St. (Rodeo) • Site 37 - Pacheco Community Center (Pacheco) • Site 43 - Canal Road (Bay Point) • APNs 172040025, 172040026, 172040034, 172040035 (Contra Costa Centre) • APN 409261015 (North Richmond) In addition, to the sites listed above, the Housing Authority has already initiated a process for their Las Deltas sites in North Richmond, separate from the process described above. These include 14 sites in the Housing Element inventory with units to address the lower income RHNA. Las Deltas consists of a 214-unit public housing property developed by the Housing Authority of the County of Contra Costa as early as the 1950s on approximately 19-acres. Due to low funding and inability to redevelop and rehabilitate the properties, the Housing Authority removed these sites from the public housing program and decommissioned the North Richmond Housing stock in 2020, meaning no one is living on the parcels. The Housing Authority’s primary goal in taking this direction is to increase and improve the number and quality of affordable housing units offered by complying with the North Richmond local preference policy, meeting minimum requirements of affordability to households making 80% of Area Median Income or below and at least one organization on the development team registered as a 501 (c) (3), listing some of the objectives to reach their goals. The Housing Authority is working with HUD. HUD has placed or will place Declarative Restrictive Covenants on the units that require they remain affordable and can only be sold to lowincome families for a period of 20 years if sold by the Housing Authority at below market rate. The Housing Authority is currently in the process of transitioning the Las Deltas sites in three phases. These phases include selling to non-profit developers who will transform the property into affordable housing opportunities, market sales of the remaining scattered sites, and development of a main campus. Site 19 in the Housing Element is the main campus site. The remaining 13 sites will be developed with affordable housing as follows: • On April 10, 2023, the (RFQ) Request for Qualifications for Below Market Sale of the Scattered site units was released. This included the 13 sites described above and includes Housing Element Sites 15, 28, 49, 50, 51, 54, 55, 60, 61, 62, 63, 65, and 68. • On August 3, 2023, the proposals were reviewed, considered, and evaluated. The panel consisted of a representative from Housing Authority, Supervisor Gioia’s Office, County Department of Conservation and Development and three community members. • As of August 15, 2023, the top four non-profit developers have been selected, notified, awarded, and have accepted the 13 sites. Once the Board of Supervisors approves, the developers will receive their official letters and Housing Authority will make public announcements. Each developer will provide a brief presentation to the North Richmond Municipal Advisory Council (NRMAC). It is anticipated that developers will have 3-years to rehabilitate units and resell as Affordable Homeownership. (mid-way through 2026) • The Housing Authority cannot go into escrow or enter any official negotiations until HUD approves each individual sale, which could happen quickly, or it could take a few months if there are any complications. Site 19, the Main Campus site is 11.38 acres and a RFQ is anticipated for development of this site. This phase will only occur after all scattered sites (the 13 sites described above) have been sold. It is anticipated to start in 2024 and be completed by 2027. The tentative development scenario for the main campus is a blend of multifamily affordable housing and some single-family affordable homeownership. There is a ground swell of support and advocacy from the community for the development of affordable workforce housing. The advocacy has also been expanded to other sites owned by public agencies, including the Office of Education. The County does not have control over the development timing for property owned by other public agencies. However, the County has participated in discussions with both West Contra Costa County Unified School District Staff (two sites) and the Contra Costa County Office of Education (one site). West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) staff confirmed they are finishing up the 7-11 process. This process is expected to be complete in 2023 with direction expected from the Board of Education for disposition of their sites. In addition to discussions with staff, Department of Conservation and Development staff participated in a forum regarding affordable educator housing of publicly-owned properties, where these three sites were highlighted. County staff will continue to be in communication with appropriate school district and Office of Education staff to monitor progress and offer technical assistance.	Continue to work on closing of escrow for approved .98 acre site in Rodeo Town Center and facilitate the construction of 67 senior lower income units and facilitate the construction of approved Bay Point Orbisonia Heights development in three phases for 384 lower income units. Issue building permits for projects on the seven sites listed in the bulleted list above that don’t have projects proposed on them yet. Develop the North Richmond Housing Authority-owned sites with affordable housing. Continue to work with the school district to develop affordable units on their sites in the Housing Element inventory. Issue the following building permits on County-owned sites: 617 lower-income units, 105 moderate-income units, 4 above moderate-income units. Issue the following building permits on Housing Authorityowned sites: 256 lower-income units and 52 abovemoderate income units. Issue the following building permits on school district-owned sites: 251 lower income units and 10 above moderateincome units.	All sites have been offered through a Notice of Availability of Surplus Land in April 2022. The County will continue to update the list of surplus County-owned housing sites and provide outreach to developers, in compliance with the Surplus Lands Act. The next Notice of Surplus Lands Availability will be issued in Fall 2023. The County will issue a Notice at least annually, if surplus lands exist. Development Agreements and entitlements are expected to be complete within one year of issuance of the Notice of Surplus Land Availability or Fall 2024. Typically building permits take 24 months after an acceptable response to notice of Surplus Lands Availability. Issue building permits for at least two sites by Fall 2026, issue at least two more building permits by Fall 2027, and at least three more building permits issued by Fall 2028. Outreach to developers is ongoing. The timeframes for the North Richmond Housing Authority-owned sites are detailed in the body of this action above. If the government-owned sites in the Housing Element inventory have not all received building permits by December 2027, this action will also be used to find alternative housing opportunities to accommodate the remaining units in the inventory on sites without building permits issues by June 2028, including rezoning sites to address the RHNA if needed.
2.3	Increase the supply of affordable housing through implementation of the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO). Provide incentives for developers subject to IHO who provide affordable units with three or more bedrooms in areas of concentrated overcrowding. Background: The County’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO) has been in place since 2006. All new residential developments of five or more units, as well as condominium conversions, are subject to the IHO, which requires fifteen percent of the project’s residential units to be affordable. • Rental Projects: 12 percent to lower-income households and 3 percent to very low-income households. • For-Sale Projects: 12 percent to moderate-income households and 3 percent to low-income households. Equity sharing between the county and the purchaser is put in place as part of the financing on for-sale units produced as part of the ordinance. Developers may comply with the IHO through several alternative approaches: • On-site development • Off-site development • Land conveyance • Payment of a fee in lieu of development • Other – developers may propose another method of compliance that would have at least the same benefit as on-site construction. During this Housing Element planning period, the County will conduct a policy review of the IHO and implement changes including an updated (self-adjusting) fee schedule for in-lieu fees and removing some alternative methods of compliance. The update will also include: • Encouraging on-site affordable units within areas of the County identified as RCAAs, including Vine Hill, Alamo, and Discovery Bay communities (as opposed to in-lieu fees) through methods like proactive outreach with the community, assisting with funding through various tax incentives, streamlining entitlement processes, and revising County ordinance and fees, and • Creating incentives for developers that build affordable units with three or more bedrooms in areas of concentrated overcrowding (i.e., Bay Point, North Richmond according to Section 6.2.G Assessment of Fair Housing).	Continue to implement the IHO and encourage developers to provide affordable units on site. Provide the collected in-lieu fees as part of the annual NOFA to support the development of new affordable housing projects in the unincorporated area. Review and update the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance by 2025. Facilitate the construction of 150 affordable units as a result of the IHO to increase housing mobility opportunities in moderate and high resource areas and Discovery Bay, Alamo, and Vine Hill RCAAs, or to address housing need in areas with high potential for displacement.	Ongoing and update ordinance, as practicable, by 2025. Include specific reporting on progress towards implementation of this action in the County’s Housing Element Annual Report submitted in 2027 and adjust the action to make additional efforts to achieve the objectives if implementation at that point has not been effective.
2.4	Prioritize funding for affordable housing providers for acquisition and rehabilitation of rental housing to preserve units, facilitate place-based revitalization, and increase mobility options. Background: The County offers financial assistance, including CDBG, HOME, and HOPWA funds to affordable housing developers for the acquisition and rehabilitation of existing rental housing. Offer these as low-interest deferred loans in exchange for long-term affordability restrictions on the rental units. Priority will be encouraged for projects that reserve a portion of the units for extremely low-income households.	Assist in the acquisition and rehabilitation of 50 affordable units to encourage placebased revitalization and preserve opportunities for housing mobility for lower-income households. The County will prioritize acquisition of at least 25 of the target units in highresource areas and identified RCAAs. Including central communities of Vine Hill, Reliez Valley/Alhambra Valley/Briones and Saranap; south central communities of Acalanes Ridge, Castle Hill/Alamo, Diablo, and Blackhawk; and Kensington in the East Bay	Ongoing. Include specific reporting on progress towards implementation of this action in the County’s Housing Element Annual Report submitted in 2027 and adjust the action to make additional efforts to achieve the objectives if implementation at that point has not been effective.
2.5	Maintain consistency with ADU state law in the County Ordinance Code. Promote ADU construction in highresource areas/areas of concentrated affluence. Discuss the option of ADUs with applicants when the call or come in to the planning counter. Background: Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are attached or detached dwelling units that provide complete, independent living facilities for one or more persons that are located on the same lot as or in the primary residence and includes permanent provisions for living, sleeping, cooking and sanitation. Integrating ADUs in existing neighborhoods is a means of increasing the supply of affordable by design rental housing. The development of ADUs is also effective in dispersing affordable housing throughout the unincorporated areas and can provide housing to lower and moderate-income individuals and families, as well as seniors and persons with disabilities. The County is currently updating its ADU ordinance to allow for the sale of an ADU separate from the primary residence pursuant to Government Code Section 65852.26. The County will continue to update its ADU ordinance to comply with current state law as needed during the planning period. The County will continue to further promote accessory dwellings. ADUs provide added housing without added land cost, and as such, are more likely to be affordable to low- and moderate-income households on the rental market when compared to a conventional single-family dwelling on the rental market. The County will monitor production of ADUs as the planning period progresses and will consider implementation of additional actions if numbers of ADUs are not meeting target numbers anticipated in this Housing Element. The County has promoted the application of ADUs by streamlining the process and making the application available on the website. To facilitate housing mobility opportunities, the County will prioritize promotion of ADUs in high resource and RCAA areas, such as Alhambra Valley, Vine Hill, Reliez Valley/Briones, Saranap, Alamo, Blackhawk, Diablo, and Castle Hill areas while also continuing to encourage ADU production in all communities where affordable housing is needed.	Publicize the ADU Program to increase public awareness. Approve building permits for 312 ADUs over the 8-year period (39 per year), targeting 150 of these ADUs in high resource areas to encourage socioeconomic integration through housing mobility opportunities for lowerincome households.	Ongoing. The ADU ordinance was completed in 2023. Continue to review ADU ordinance for any needed updates for compliance with current state law starting in 2024 and every two years thereafter through the end of the planning period. Discuss the option of ADUs at the planning counter starting immediately and ongoing throughout the planning period. Include specific reporting on progress towards implementation of this action in the County’s Housing Element Annual Report submitted in 2027 and adjust the action to make additional efforts to achieve the objectives if implementation at that point has not been effective.
2.6	Conduct studies to explore development of new programs or policies to potentially fund or incentivize affordable housing development, including implementation of urban housing development projects (as allowed under SB 9) and creating objective design standards to streamline processing and approval process. Continue updating ADU regulations as needed to remain compliant with state law and implement other community goals. Background: Facilitating and allowing certain housing types and streamlining processes can help facilitate more housing choices for county residents.	Explore and evaluate new ideas for potential updates and implementation.	The ADU Ordinance update was adopted in 2023 (658526.6) Complete review of successful objective design standards implemented in other comparable jurisdictions and the potential for this program to streamline project review and approval process by mid-2025. If determined feasible, steps to adopt design standards and revise County SOP by mid-2026.
2.7	Facilitate development of tiny homes and other innovative types of housing products as alternatives to accommodate people who are unhoused or face housing instability. Evaluate the availability of County-owned land for such housing to develop a property database. Background	Study the viability of tiny homes and other innovative housing types and create a potential property inventory suitable for implementation of creative housing types. If new housing types prove viable, facilitate development of at least 25 units during the planning period.	Evaluate properties for potential inventory by 2025
2.8	Amend the County Ordinance Code to include an ordinance authorized pursuant to Senate Bill 10 unless determined infeasible or nonbeneficial. Background: Senate Bill (SB) 10 (2021) creates a voluntary process for local governments to access a streamlined zoning process for new multi-unit housing near transit or in urban infill areas, with up to 10 units per parcel, without need for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis. However, much more analysis, consideration, and public involvement would be required to determine if SB 10’s provisions are appropriate for the County. The County will review the provisions of SB 10 to explore how it might be used to enhance housing construction in areas close to transit.	Adoption of County Ordinance Code amendments pursuant to SB 10.	Review and consideration by December 2025.
2.9	Promote funding for innovation pilot programs and capacity building technical assistance for affordable housing activities (acquisition, predevelopment, construction, rehabilitation, and operating and reserve funds). Background: Measure X provides opportunities to create more programs and dedicate more resources towards innovative housing solutions.	Promote innovation grant program.	Post an annual NOFA to award new housing solution ideas.
2.10	Starting in July 2025 and every two years thereafter, the County will ascertain whether the rate of ADU construction and the levels of affordability are sufficient to match the projected trendline of 190 ADU building permits between June 30, 2022, and the June 30, 2025. If the rate of construction and/or affordability is below 90 percent (171 ADUs), the County will revise its actions to further incentivize and fund ADUs. Background: The County will monitor the interest in and production of ADUs on an ongoing basis, providing updates to HCD through annual progress reports. In these reports, the County will summarize the level of interest expressed through the number of permits issued and the number of constructed units.	Approve an additional 546 ADUs between June 30, 2022 and January 31, 2031.	Assess ADU approval progress in July 2025, again in July 2027, and again in July 2029 and adjust after each of those milestones if ADU numbers are not tracking with projections in Section 6.4 (Housing Resources). If there is a very large gap between the projections and actual building permits then barriers will be identified and sufficient available sites will be confirmed or rezoning will be completed as called for in Action 2.11.
2.11	If the number of ADUs permitted by that time isn’t meeting anticipated numbers, the County will take further action to address its RHNA requirements. This may include rezoning additional land to address the gap in the lowerincome RHNA between the number of ADUs produced and the number anticipated by June 2025. The County will also consider initiating other efforts, including direct funding to subsidize dedicated affordable ADUs or committing to additional outreach and promotion depending on the level of additional ADUs needed and barriers identified, if any, to ADU production during the first three years of the RHNA projection period. If rezoning is needed, it will be brought to Board of Supervisors for approval by June 2026. If rezoning is needed again after the first five years of the RHNA projection period, it will be brought to Board of Supervisors for approval by June 2028. Background: The Housing Element is relying on ADUs to satisfy a portion of its RHNA allocation and has set a quantified goal based on the observed rising trend in recent years. As described in Action 2.10, the County will monitor ADU production starting in July 2025.	Identify sufficient land for rezoning, or other strategies, to accommodate the unmet RHNA that was projected to be met by ADUs.	Assess barriers including any need for rezoning by the end of 2025 and present to Board of Supervisors for approval by June 2026. Determine whether other additional actions including rezoning are needed and implement them by June 2026. Assess barriers again by the end of 2027 and conduct rezoning if needed by June 2028.
3.1	Work with housing developers and housing service providers to address the needs of those with special housing needs. Background: In addition to the development of affordable housing in general, the County will work with housing developers to provide housing appropriate to the County’s special-needs populations, including persons with intellectual, developmental, mental and physical disabilities, seniors, large households, persons with HIV/AIDS, and farmworkers. Work with the Regional Center of the East Bay to identify any outstanding housing needs for its clients within unincorporated Contra Costa County, assist in identifying available housing that meets those criteria, and consider a rental assistance program to fill the gap between income levels and the cost of housing for persons with developmental disabilities. Collaborate with the Center to the extent feasible to establish an outreach program that informs residents within the county on housing and services available for persons with developmental disabilities.	• Provide financial incentives for the development of 110 units of housing targeted to special-needs populations (HOME, CDBG, and HOPWA), encouraging 20 of these units in areas with higher concentrations of femaleheaded households, and 20 in areas of high overpayment. • Engage with developers to obtain additional required financing. • Consider allowing techniques such as smaller unit sizes, parking reduction, common dining facilities, and fewer required amenities for senior projects. • Continue to fund housing developments appropriate for persons with developmental disabilities, including housing with wrap-around services. • Collaborate with Regional Center of the East Bay to establish needs of those with developmental disabilities.	Annually: Include a priority for special-needs housing in the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for CDBG, HOME, HOPWA, and local funds.
3.2	Continue to offer housing opportunities and funding to facilitate housing for those with disabilities. Create a reasonable accommodation procedure. Background: Persons with disabilities represent an important special-needs group in Contra Costa County. To maintain independent living, persons with disabilities are likely to require assistance, which may include special housing design features, income support for those who are unable to work, and in-home supportive services for persons with mobility limitations. To provide additional housing opportunities for persons with disabilities, the County will continue to require inclusion of accessible units in all new construction projects receiving County financing (e.g., CDBG, HOME). Current federal regulations require that 5 percent of the units must be accessible to the physically impaired and an additional 2 percent of the units must be accessible to the hearing/vision impaired. To facilitate the development of appropriate housing for persons with special needs, the County works to remove development constraints and provide reasonable accommodations in the development of such housing as requests are made. The County will adopt written reasonable accommodation procedures.	• Continue to require inclusion of 5 percent accessible units for physically impaired and 2 percent accessible units for hearing/visually impaired in all new construction projects receiving County financing, for a minimum of (5 units for physically disabled and 2 for visual/hearing impairment based on 100 assisted units). • Provide 40 zero- and low-interest loans through the Neighborhood Preservation Program for accessibility improvements in existing affordable owner-occupied, single-family residential units by end of planning period. • Implement reasonable accommodation procedures to provide special consideration in zoning and land use for housing for persons with disabilities. The County will strive to make accommodations a ministerial process, with a minimal processing fee, subject to the approval of the Zoning Administrator who will apply the following decision-making criteria: 1. Whether the requested reasonable accommodation would require a fundamental alteration in the nature of a County program or law, including, but not limited to, land use and zoning. 2. The request for reasonable accommodation will be for the benefit of an individual with a disability protected under fair housing laws. 3. Whether the requested accommodation is necessary for the individual to have equal opportunity to use and enjoy the housing and housing-related services; 4. The requested accommodation would not impose an undue financial or administrative burden on the County.	Annually: Include a priority for special-needs housing in CDBG, HOME, HOPWA NOFA. Draft reasonable accommodation procedure by 2024 and adopt by February 2024.
3.3	Address needs of persons experiencing homelessness Background: The Contra Costa Council on Homelessness appointed by the Board of Supervisors, provides advice and input on the operations of homeless services, program operations, and program development efforts in Contra Costa County. The Council provides a forum for the Continuum of Care to communicate about the implementation of strategies to prevent and end homelessness including the Forging Ahead Towards Preventing and Ending Homelessness (Ten-Year) Plan. These plans are designed to address the needs of persons experiencing homelessness. The goal of these programs is to ensure that unhoused individuals and families can obtain decent, suitable, and affordable housing in the County. Through the Ten-Year Plan, the County has adopted a “housing first” strategy, which states homelessness is first a housing issue, and that necessary supports and access to comprehensive and integrated services is essential to achieving long-term housing stability. In addition, the Continuum of Care collaborates with entities such as the Contra Costa Council on Homelessness, the Department of Conservation and Development, and Cities to develop and implement transitional facilities, permanent and longer-term housing, and services for people facing homelessness and housing instability. The CoC provides adequate funding or other support to maintain and/or abate homeless encampments and provide adequate security for the Coordinated Outreach, Referral and Engagement Teams (CORE). CoC programs link people experiencing homelessness with supportive services, such as behavioral health, substance use services, and primary healthcare.	• Continue to update the Ten-Year Plan • Continue to work with local non-profit organizations and relevant public agencies to encourage funding of permanent supportive housing unit projects, targeting communities with concentrations of homeless encampments (see Figure 6-14). • Continue to support existing transitional housing programs, operated by the County and non-profit agencies. • Continue to support the operations of existing emergency shelters. • Continue to support licensed residential care facilities in all residential zones through the land use permit process for 7 or more residents. • Work with service providers to conduct outreach in areas with concentrations of homeless encampments to connect homeless residents with available services and resources.	Ongoing
4.1	Promote the availability of programs that facilitate homeownership opportunities, including assistance for firsttime homebuyers. Background: The County implements programs to provide affordable homeownership opportunities for lower- and moderate-income households as well as special-needs groups, including farmworkers. These programs include the following: • New Construction: HOME and CDBG (in support of new construction) funds are used for new construction of single-family homes. • Inclusionary Housing: Through the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, homes affordable to lower- and moderate-income homebuyers are constructed as a component of market-rate housing developments.	Continue to expand homeownership opportunities, particularly in moderate and high resource areas and communities identified as RCAAs (i.e., Vine Hill, Reliez Valley, Alhambra Valley, Briones, Saranap, Acalanes Ridge, Castle Hill, Alamo, Diablo, Blackhawk, Discovery Bay, and Kensington) to facilitate housing mobility opportunities through a combination of financial support of new construction, and development agreements. Assist 50 firsttime homebuyers over the cycle.	Ongoing. Include specific reporting on progress towards implementation of this action in the County’s Housing Element Annual Report submitted in 2027 and adjust the action to make additional efforts to achieve the objectives if implementation at that point has not been effective.

PROGRAM NUMBER

ACTIONS

DELIVERABLE

DELIVERABLE DATE

1.1

Continue to provide rehabilitation loans through the Neighborhood Preservation Program to extremely low-, very low- and low-income households and to promote the program. Background: Through the Neighborhood Preservation Program, the County provides home rehabilitation loans to extremely low-, very low-, and low-income households to make necessary home repairs and improve their homes. Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) administers this program, which is available to incomequalified households throughout the urban county. Eligible residents may receive assistance for a variety of home improvement activities, including but not limited to, reroofing, plumbing/heating/electrical repairs, termite and dryrot repair, modifications for disabled accessibility, security, exterior painting, and energy conservation. Specific loan terms are based on financial need and may be zero or 3 percent, deferred or amortized. DCD has identified the following unincorporated areas for focused rehabilitation assistance: Bay Point, Bethel Island, Byron, Clyde, Crockett, El Sobrante, Montalvin Manor, North Richmond, Rodeo, Rollingwood, and the Vine Hill area near Martinez.

Disseminate information on housing rehabilitation assistance through the County’s website, public access cable channels, notices in the press, presentations, and distribution of brochures to public service agencies and community groups, and mailings to county residents. Rehabilitate a minimum of 5 units annually for a total of 40 units minimum over 8 years. Target areas with older housing stock, including North Richmond, Rodeo, Crockett, Montalvin, and Bay Point.

Consider new applications annually

1.2

Continue to offer the free weatherization program for extremely low-, very low- and low-income homeowners. Background: The County DCD offers a free weatherization program to assist extremely low-, very low-, and low-income homeowners and renters in improving residential energy efficiency and, as a result, reducing their energy bills. The program’s energy saving improvements include minor home repairs and appliance and fixture replacements, such as attic insulation, weather stripping, pipe wrapping, furnace filters, shower heads, heaters/ovens, ceiling fans, door bottoms, etc.

Assist 150 households annually for a total of 1200 households over 8 years. Provide education on energy conservation.

Ongoing

1.3

Conduct a feasibility study and determine potential fee schedules for a vacant property registration ordinance to address issues on vacant properties in urban areas. Background: If a vacant property registration ordinance were put in place it would include a fee to cover the costs for the County to address issues on vacant properties in urban areas. Issues addressed on these types of properties would include derelict buildings, illegal dumping, homeless encampments, overgrown vegetation, for reduction of reduce blight.

Complete feasibility study by year end 2024 and if vacant property registration ordinance is determined feasible, adopt by 2025. If adopted, register and remediate any issues on at least 100 properties during the planning period.

Complete feasibility study and potential fee schedule by year end 2024 and adopt vacant property registration ordinance by 2025.

1.4

Continue code enforcement. Background: Code Enforcement is responsible for enforcing both State and County regulations governing the maintenance of all buildings and properties in unincorporated areas through complaint-based inspections and ensuring remediation. To facilitate correction of code violations or deficiencies, Code Enforcement works closely with other County agencies. Code enforcement staff routinely refers homeowners to the County’s rehabilitation loan and grants programs, including the Neighborhood Preservation Program. The staff also refers homeowners, mobile home owners, and apartment owners to the County’s Weatherization Program.

Continue to carry out code enforcement activities as a means to maintain the quality of the housing stock and residential neighborhoods. Continue to refer eligible homeowners, mobile homeowners, and apartment owners to County programs for assistance. Refer at least 20 eligible property owners annually, or as needed, for a total of 160 property owners during the planning period. Target areas with older housing stock, including North Richmond, Rodeo, Crockett, Montalvin, and Bay Point.

Ongoing

1.5

Prevent conversion of deed-restricted affordable housing units in multifamily developments to market-rate units through the following actions: Update and monitor the inventory of all dwelling units in the unincorporated county that include units subject to enforceable affordability requirements. The inventory will include, at a minimum, the number of units, the funding government program, and the date on which the units are at risk of conversion to marketrate. • Monitor the status of affordable projects, rental projects, and mobile homes in unincorporated Contra Costa County. Should the property owners indicate the desire to convert properties, consider providing technical and financial assistance, when possible, to ensure long-term affordability. • Work with local service providers to identify funding to subsidize at-risk units in a way mirroring the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Project Based Voucher (Section 8) program. Funding sources may include state or local funding sources. BackgroundBackground: As of 2021, a total of 1,686 publicly assisted housing units in multifamily developments are in the unincorporated areas of the county. Of these units, 49 units in El Sobrante Silvercrest and 134 units in Park Regency are at risk of conversion to market-rate housing by 2033. Pursuant to state law (Government Code Sections 65853.10, 65863.11, and 65863.13), owners of deed-restricted affordable projects are required to provide notice of restrictions that are expiring to all prospective tenants, existing tenants, and the County within 3 years, 12 months, and 6 months before the scheduled expiration of rental restrictions. In addition, the County or owner will provide notice to HUD, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), the Contra Costa County Housing Authority, and the local legal aid organization. Owners shall also refer tenants of at-risk units to educational resources regarding: • Tenant rights • Conversion procedures • Information regarding Section 8 rent subsidies • Any other affordable housing opportunities in the county. In addition, notice from the owner shall be required prior to conversion of any units to market rate for any additional deed-restricted lower-income units that were constructed with the aid of government funding, that were required by inclusionary ordinance requirements, that were part of a project granted a density bonus, or that were part of a project that received other incentives. If a development is offered for sale, HCD must certify persons or entities that are eligible to purchase the development and to receive notice of the pending sale. Placement on the eligibility list will be based on experience with affordable housing. When necessary, the County shall continue to work with property owners of deed-restricted affordable units who need to sell within 45 years of initial sale. When the seller is unable to sell to an eligible buyer within a specified time period, equity-sharing provisions are established (pursuant to the affordable housing agreement for the property), whereby the difference between the affordable and market value is paid to the County to eliminate any incentive to sell the converted unit at market rate. Funds generated would be used to develop additional affordable housing in the county. The County shall continue tracking all residential projects that include affordable housing to ensure that the affordability is maintained for at least 45 years for owneroccupied units and 55 years (subject to program requirements) for rental units, and that any sale or change of ownership of these affordable units prior to satisfying the 45- or 55-year restriction shall be “rolled over” for another 45 or 55 years to protect “at-risk” units.

Monitor all at-risk units as detailed in the program. As required by state law, provide information regarding tenant rights and conversion procedures should the property owner be uninterested in refinancing and offer tenants information regarding Section 8 rental subsidies and other available assistance through County agencies and non-profit organizations.

Ongoing communication with owners, service providers, and eligible potential purchasers; work with owners of deed-restricted units on an ongoing basis—particularly at the time of change of ownership.

2.1

Provide funding or financial incentives for new affordable housing development. Background: Non-profit and for-profit housing developers play an important role in providing affordable housing in Contra Costa County. Over the years, the County has provided direct financial assistance, regulatory incentives, and land write-downs to many developers that construct ownership and/or rental housing to extremely low-, very low-, low-income, and special-needs households. Major sources of County financing include annual entitlement grants of CDBG, HOME, and HOPWA funds. The County reserves 45 percent of each year’s CDBG allocation to acquire and maintain affordable housing in the urban county. The County also serves as an issuer of tax-exempt bond financing when developers seek tax-exempt financing. Projects have been completed with County resources in both unincorporated areas and the cities. Funding is awarded annually on a competitive application basis to developers of multifamily rental housing and homeownership developments countywide for gap financing. A notice of funding availability is issued in the fall. Applications are due in late fall/early winter, with funding recommendations made prior to the first 9-percent tax credit round in the spring. Funding criteria include proposed target population and alleviation of affordable housing needs, cost-effectiveness, developer experience, and term of affordability. The County Board of Supervisors has adopted a funding priority for projects that reserve a portion of the units for extremely low-income households. County staff maintains continuous contact with numerous affordable housing developers. County staff offers formal technical assistance and guidance as well as frequent consultations with interested developers. In addition, the County currently complies with the state Surplus Land Act to notify developers (including community land trusts) of publicly owned sites that are available for residential development. The County has initiated efforts to promote the availability of acquisition of these public sites to nonprofit developers and ensure the list of available sites is posted on the County website. The County awards of HOME and CDBG funds to affordable housing developers provide local funds, which help leverage other local, state, and federal funds.

• Continue to support affordable housing development through direct gap financial assistance. Sources of financial assistance available through the County include Measure X, HOME, CDBG, HOPWA, local inclusionary housing fees, state grants, and tax-exempt bond financing. • Meet with the local development community, key leaders, and local civic and community groups on an annual basis to promote the County’s interest in working cooperatively to increase housing development activity, particularly in higher resource areas and areas identified as Racially Concentrated Areas of Affluence (RCAA) (i.e., Vine Hill, Reliez Valley, Alhambra Valley, Briones, Saranap, Acalanes Ridge, Castle Hill, Alamo, Diablo, Blackhawk, Discovery Bay, and Kensington) to facilitate housing mobility and mixed-income opportunities for lower-income households, and promote access to resources and services within these portions of the County. • Allow techniques such as smaller unit sizes, parking reduction, common dining facilities and fewer required amenities for senior projects. • Continue to provide low-interest loans to non-profit organizations to develop housing affordable to extremely low- and very low-income households. • Coordinate with nonprofit organizations annually to stimulate applications using available affordable housing funds, including federal, state, and local public and private funds. • Initiate efforts to promote the availability of acquisition of these public sites to nonprofit developers (including community land trusts) and post list of the sites on the County website by 2024 and reach out to developers at least annually thereafter. • Collaborate to the extent feasible with HACCC to explore the use of project-based Section 8 assistance as leverage to obtain additional private-sector funds for affordable housing development. • Target the financing and development of 500 affordable units over 8 years.

Annually award HOME, CDBG, and HOPWA funds to experienced housing developers (federal funds are not limited to projects in the unincorporated county). Support the development of 100 lower-income unit to reduce displacement risk and provide housing mobility opportunities. Annually, reach out to nonprofit developers about the availability of publicly-owned sites for residential development. Include specific reporting on progress towards implementation of this action in the County’s Housing Element Annual Report submitted in 2027 and adjust the action to make additional efforts to achieve the objectives if implementation at that point has not been effective.

2.2

Pursue affordable housing development on County (Housing Successor) and Housing Authority-owned land in North Richmond, Bay Point, Pacheco, Contra Costa Centre, and Rodeo and school owned sites included in the Housing Element inventory. Background: On February 1, 2012, redevelopment agencies throughout the State of California were eliminated. The statute eliminating redevelopment allowed housing assets to be retained by the redevelopment host jurisdiction (known as Housing Successors). The County Housing Successor is the owner of several Housing sites. There are also other sites in the inventory owned by other county agencies as well as the Housing Authority and school districts. The County is following the Surplus Lands Act process to pursue affordable housing projects in the county. The County will require an affordability covenant recorded against the land stipulating a specified percent of the total units developed will be affordable to lower-income households, in accordance with State law. The County will comply with State law to implement the SLA process as follows: • The County will declare land “surplus” in accordance with the definition listed in Government Code, Section 54221, subdivision (b)(1). • The County will prepare and issue a Notice of Availability (NOA) to the required parties and provide 60 days to receive responses from interested parties. • The County will negotiate in good faith with any respondents for at least 90 days, prioritizing affordable housing uses in the order provided in Government Code section 54227. • The County will send the proposed disposition to the State for review. • The County will address any State findings, as needed. • Upon final State approval, the County will execute a sale or lease of the land and record an affordability covenant. The County will make parcels it owns available to developers building affordable housing or otherwise ensure the development of housing on such sites. The County has already conducted a review of assets and created an inventory of surplus properties. Three of the sites on that inventory have been entitled, have approved disposition and development agreements, and are currently working on financing. For these three sites, the Housing Successor provided pre-development and construction funds to Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond (CHDC), and approved predevelopment and construction funding to the Rodeo Senior (Phase 2) and Orbisonia Village projects. The remaining sites were subject to a developer solicitation in April 2022, subject to the Surplus Lands Act. Despite no development interest for several of the sites, staff will issue another solicitation in Fall 2023, with information about new funding programs (Measure X) for housing development. The Real Property Division of the County Public Works Department and Capital Facilities staff of the County Administrator’s office also follow the procedures of the Surplus Lands Act. The process to make County-owned sites available has and will continue to include outreach to create partnerships with affordable housing developers that can maximize the opportunities and number of units. This will include facilitation of lot consolidation (as described in Action HE-A5.5) on any county sites that could benefit from 5.5) on any county sites that could benefit from lot consolidation to create a project. Once a list of qualified developers is complete, the first two RFPs will be issued by the end of 2024, in order to begin construction within two years and complete within the housing element cycle period. Two more RFPs on additional County-owned sites will be issued by the end of 2026. The three final RFPs will be issued by the end of 2028. The County-owned sites listed in the tables with aerial photos in Appendix A (noted by site number) and the full list of inventory sites in Appendix A (Table A and B – noted by APN) subject to this program are: • Site 20 - North Broadway Ave. and Alfaro Ave. (Bay Point) • Site 25 - Bel Air Lane (Bay Point) • Site 36 – Parker Ave at Investment St. (Rodeo) • Site 37 - Pacheco Community Center (Pacheco) • Site 43 - Canal Road (Bay Point) • APNs 172040025, 172040026, 172040034, 172040035 (Contra Costa Centre) • APN 409261015 (North Richmond) In addition, to the sites listed above, the Housing Authority has already initiated a process for their Las Deltas sites in North Richmond, separate from the process described above. These include 14 sites in the Housing Element inventory with units to address the lower income RHNA. Las Deltas consists of a 214-unit public housing property developed by the Housing Authority of the County of Contra Costa as early as the 1950s on approximately 19-acres. Due to low funding and inability to redevelop and rehabilitate the properties, the Housing Authority removed these sites from the public housing program and decommissioned the North Richmond Housing stock in 2020, meaning no one is living on the parcels. The Housing Authority’s primary goal in taking this direction is to increase and improve the number and quality of affordable housing units offered by complying with the North Richmond local preference policy, meeting minimum requirements of affordability to households making 80% of Area Median Income or below and at least one organization on the development team registered as a 501 (c) (3), listing some of the objectives to reach their goals. The Housing Authority is working with HUD. HUD has placed or will place Declarative Restrictive Covenants on the units that require they remain affordable and can only be sold to lowincome families for a period of 20 years if sold by the Housing Authority at below market rate. The Housing Authority is currently in the process of transitioning the Las Deltas sites in three phases. These phases include selling to non-profit developers who will transform the property into affordable housing opportunities, market sales of the remaining scattered sites, and development of a main campus. Site 19 in the Housing Element is the main campus site. The remaining 13 sites will be developed with affordable housing as follows: • On April 10, 2023, the (RFQ) Request for Qualifications for Below Market Sale of the Scattered site units was released. This included the 13 sites described above and includes Housing Element Sites 15, 28, 49, 50, 51, 54, 55, 60, 61, 62, 63, 65, and 68. • On August 3, 2023, the proposals were reviewed, considered, and evaluated. The panel consisted of a representative from Housing Authority, Supervisor Gioia’s Office, County Department of Conservation and Development and three community members. • As of August 15, 2023, the top four non-profit developers have been selected, notified, awarded, and have accepted the 13 sites. Once the Board of Supervisors approves, the developers will receive their official letters and Housing Authority will make public announcements. Each developer will provide a brief presentation to the North Richmond Municipal Advisory Council (NRMAC). It is anticipated that developers will have 3-years to rehabilitate units and resell as Affordable Homeownership. (mid-way through 2026) • The Housing Authority cannot go into escrow or enter any official negotiations until HUD approves each individual sale, which could happen quickly, or it could take a few months if there are any complications. Site 19, the Main Campus site is 11.38 acres and a RFQ is anticipated for development of this site. This phase will only occur after all scattered sites (the 13 sites described above) have been sold. It is anticipated to start in 2024 and be completed by 2027. The tentative development scenario for the main campus is a blend of multifamily affordable housing and some single-family affordable homeownership. There is a ground swell of support and advocacy from the community for the development of affordable workforce housing. The advocacy has also been expanded to other sites owned by public agencies, including the Office of Education. The County does not have control over the development timing for property owned by other public agencies. However, the County has participated in discussions with both West Contra Costa County Unified School District Staff (two sites) and the Contra Costa County Office of Education (one site). West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) staff confirmed they are finishing up the 7-11 process. This process is expected to be complete in 2023 with direction expected from the Board of Education for disposition of their sites. In addition to discussions with staff, Department of Conservation and Development staff participated in a forum regarding affordable educator housing of publicly-owned properties, where these three sites were highlighted. County staff will continue to be in communication with appropriate school district and Office of Education staff to monitor progress and offer technical assistance.

Continue to work on closing of escrow for approved .98 acre site in Rodeo Town Center and facilitate the construction of 67 senior lower income units and facilitate the construction of approved Bay Point Orbisonia Heights development in three phases for 384 lower income units. Issue building permits for projects on the seven sites listed in the bulleted list above that don’t have projects proposed on them yet. Develop the North Richmond Housing Authority-owned sites with affordable housing. Continue to work with the school district to develop affordable units on their sites in the Housing Element inventory. Issue the following building permits on County-owned sites: 617 lower-income units, 105 moderate-income units, 4 above moderate-income units. Issue the following building permits on Housing Authorityowned sites: 256 lower-income units and 52 abovemoderate income units. Issue the following building permits on school district-owned sites: 251 lower income units and 10 above moderateincome units.

All sites have been offered through a Notice of Availability of Surplus Land in April 2022. The County will continue to update the list of surplus County-owned housing sites and provide outreach to developers, in compliance with the Surplus Lands Act. The next Notice of Surplus Lands Availability will be issued in Fall 2023. The County will issue a Notice at least annually, if surplus lands exist. Development Agreements and entitlements are expected to be complete within one year of issuance of the Notice of Surplus Land Availability or Fall 2024. Typically building permits take 24 months after an acceptable response to notice of Surplus Lands Availability. Issue building permits for at least two sites by Fall 2026, issue at least two more building permits by Fall 2027, and at least three more building permits issued by Fall 2028. Outreach to developers is ongoing. The timeframes for the North Richmond Housing Authority-owned sites are detailed in the body of this action above. If the government-owned sites in the Housing Element inventory have not all received building permits by December 2027, this action will also be used to find alternative housing opportunities to accommodate the remaining units in the inventory on sites without building permits issues by June 2028, including rezoning sites to address the RHNA if needed.

2.3

Increase the supply of affordable housing through implementation of the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO). Provide incentives for developers subject to IHO who provide affordable units with three or more bedrooms in areas of concentrated overcrowding. Background: The County’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance (IHO) has been in place since 2006. All new residential developments of five or more units, as well as condominium conversions, are subject to the IHO, which requires fifteen percent of the project’s residential units to be affordable. • Rental Projects: 12 percent to lower-income households and 3 percent to very low-income households. • For-Sale Projects: 12 percent to moderate-income households and 3 percent to low-income households. Equity sharing between the county and the purchaser is put in place as part of the financing on for-sale units produced as part of the ordinance. Developers may comply with the IHO through several alternative approaches: • On-site development • Off-site development • Land conveyance • Payment of a fee in lieu of development • Other – developers may propose another method of compliance that would have at least the same benefit as on-site construction. During this Housing Element planning period, the County will conduct a policy review of the IHO and implement changes including an updated (self-adjusting) fee schedule for in-lieu fees and removing some alternative methods of compliance. The update will also include: • Encouraging on-site affordable units within areas of the County identified as RCAAs, including Vine Hill, Alamo, and Discovery Bay communities (as opposed to in-lieu fees) through methods like proactive outreach with the community, assisting with funding through various tax incentives, streamlining entitlement processes, and revising County ordinance and fees, and • Creating incentives for developers that build affordable units with three or more bedrooms in areas of concentrated overcrowding (i.e., Bay Point, North Richmond according to Section 6.2.G Assessment of Fair Housing).

Continue to implement the IHO and encourage developers to provide affordable units on site. Provide the collected in-lieu fees as part of the annual NOFA to support the development of new affordable housing projects in the unincorporated area. Review and update the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance by 2025. Facilitate the construction of 150 affordable units as a result of the IHO to increase housing mobility opportunities in moderate and high resource areas and Discovery Bay, Alamo, and Vine Hill RCAAs, or to address housing need in areas with high potential for displacement.

Ongoing and update ordinance, as practicable, by 2025. Include specific reporting on progress towards implementation of this action in the County’s Housing Element Annual Report submitted in 2027 and adjust the action to make additional efforts to achieve the objectives if implementation at that point has not been effective.

2.4

Prioritize funding for affordable housing providers for acquisition and rehabilitation of rental housing to preserve units, facilitate place-based revitalization, and increase mobility options. Background: The County offers financial assistance, including CDBG, HOME, and HOPWA funds to affordable housing developers for the acquisition and rehabilitation of existing rental housing. Offer these as low-interest deferred loans in exchange for long-term affordability restrictions on the rental units. Priority will be encouraged for projects that reserve a portion of the units for extremely low-income households.

Assist in the acquisition and rehabilitation of 50 affordable units to encourage placebased revitalization and preserve opportunities for housing mobility for lower-income households. The County will prioritize acquisition of at least 25 of the target units in highresource areas and identified RCAAs. Including central communities of Vine Hill, Reliez Valley/Alhambra Valley/Briones and Saranap; south central communities of Acalanes Ridge, Castle Hill/Alamo, Diablo, and Blackhawk; and Kensington in the East Bay

Ongoing. Include specific reporting on progress towards implementation of this action in the County’s Housing Element Annual Report submitted in 2027 and adjust the action to make additional efforts to achieve the objectives if implementation at that point has not been effective.

2.5

Maintain consistency with ADU state law in the County Ordinance Code. Promote ADU construction in highresource areas/areas of concentrated affluence. Discuss the option of ADUs with applicants when the call or come in to the planning counter. Background: Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are attached or detached dwelling units that provide complete, independent living facilities for one or more persons that are located on the same lot as or in the primary residence and includes permanent provisions for living, sleeping, cooking and sanitation. Integrating ADUs in existing neighborhoods is a means of increasing the supply of affordable by design rental housing. The development of ADUs is also effective in dispersing affordable housing throughout the unincorporated areas and can provide housing to lower and moderate-income individuals and families, as well as seniors and persons with disabilities. The County is currently updating its ADU ordinance to allow for the sale of an ADU separate from the primary residence pursuant to Government Code Section 65852.26. The County will continue to update its ADU ordinance to comply with current state law as needed during the planning period. The County will continue to further promote accessory dwellings. ADUs provide added housing without added land cost, and as such, are more likely to be affordable to low- and moderate-income households on the rental market when compared to a conventional single-family dwelling on the rental market. The County will monitor production of ADUs as the planning period progresses and will consider implementation of additional actions if numbers of ADUs are not meeting target numbers anticipated in this Housing Element. The County has promoted the application of ADUs by streamlining the process and making the application available on the website. To facilitate housing mobility opportunities, the County will prioritize promotion of ADUs in high resource and RCAA areas, such as Alhambra Valley, Vine Hill, Reliez Valley/Briones, Saranap, Alamo, Blackhawk, Diablo, and Castle Hill areas while also continuing to encourage ADU production in all communities where affordable housing is needed.

Publicize the ADU Program to increase public awareness. Approve building permits for 312 ADUs over the 8-year period (39 per year), targeting 150 of these ADUs in high resource areas to encourage socioeconomic integration through housing mobility opportunities for lowerincome households.

Ongoing. The ADU ordinance was completed in 2023. Continue to review ADU ordinance for any needed updates for compliance with current state law starting in 2024 and every two years thereafter through the end of the planning period. Discuss the option of ADUs at the planning counter starting immediately and ongoing throughout the planning period. Include specific reporting on progress towards implementation of this action in the County’s Housing Element Annual Report submitted in 2027 and adjust the action to make additional efforts to achieve the objectives if implementation at that point has not been effective.

2.6

Conduct studies to explore development of new programs or policies to potentially fund or incentivize affordable housing development, including implementation of urban housing development projects (as allowed under SB 9) and creating objective design standards to streamline processing and approval process. Continue updating ADU regulations as needed to remain compliant with state law and implement other community goals. Background: Facilitating and allowing certain housing types and streamlining processes can help facilitate more housing choices for county residents.

Explore and evaluate new ideas for potential updates and implementation.

The ADU Ordinance update was adopted in 2023 (658526.6) Complete review of successful objective design standards implemented in other comparable jurisdictions and the potential for this program to streamline project review and approval process by mid-2025. If determined feasible, steps to adopt design standards and revise County SOP by mid-2026.

2.7

Facilitate development of tiny homes and other innovative types of housing products as alternatives to accommodate people who are unhoused or face housing instability. Evaluate the availability of County-owned land for such housing to develop a property database. Background

Study the viability of tiny homes and other innovative housing types and create a potential property inventory suitable for implementation of creative housing types. If new housing types prove viable, facilitate development of at least 25 units during the planning period.

Evaluate properties for potential inventory by 2025

2.8

Amend the County Ordinance Code to include an ordinance authorized pursuant to Senate Bill 10 unless determined infeasible or nonbeneficial. Background: Senate Bill (SB) 10 (2021) creates a voluntary process for local governments to access a streamlined zoning process for new multi-unit housing near transit or in urban infill areas, with up to 10 units per parcel, without need for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis. However, much more analysis, consideration, and public involvement would be required to determine if SB 10’s provisions are appropriate for the County. The County will review the provisions of SB 10 to explore how it might be used to enhance housing construction in areas close to transit.

Adoption of County Ordinance Code amendments pursuant to SB 10.

Review and consideration by December 2025.

2.9

Promote funding for innovation pilot programs and capacity building technical assistance for affordable housing activities (acquisition, predevelopment, construction, rehabilitation, and operating and reserve funds). Background: Measure X provides opportunities to create more programs and dedicate more resources towards innovative housing solutions.

Promote innovation grant program.

Post an annual NOFA to award new housing solution ideas.

2.10

Starting in July 2025 and every two years thereafter, the County will ascertain whether the rate of ADU construction and the levels of affordability are sufficient to match the projected trendline of 190 ADU building permits between June 30, 2022, and the June 30, 2025. If the rate of construction and/or affordability is below 90 percent (171 ADUs), the County will revise its actions to further incentivize and fund ADUs. Background: The County will monitor the interest in and production of ADUs on an ongoing basis, providing updates to HCD through annual progress reports. In these reports, the County will summarize the level of interest expressed through the number of permits issued and the number of constructed units.

Approve an additional 546 ADUs between June 30, 2022 and January 31, 2031.

Assess ADU approval progress in July 2025, again in July 2027, and again in July 2029 and adjust after each of those milestones if ADU numbers are not tracking with projections in Section 6.4 (Housing Resources). If there is a very large gap between the projections and actual building permits then barriers will be identified and sufficient available sites will be confirmed or rezoning will be completed as called for in Action 2.11.

2.11

If the number of ADUs permitted by that time isn’t meeting anticipated numbers, the County will take further action to address its RHNA requirements. This may include rezoning additional land to address the gap in the lowerincome RHNA between the number of ADUs produced and the number anticipated by June 2025. The County will also consider initiating other efforts, including direct funding to subsidize dedicated affordable ADUs or committing to additional outreach and promotion depending on the level of additional ADUs needed and barriers identified, if any, to ADU production during the first three years of the RHNA projection period. If rezoning is needed, it will be brought to Board of Supervisors for approval by June 2026. If rezoning is needed again after the first five years of the RHNA projection period, it will be brought to Board of Supervisors for approval by June 2028. Background: The Housing Element is relying on ADUs to satisfy a portion of its RHNA allocation and has set a quantified goal based on the observed rising trend in recent years. As described in Action 2.10, the County will monitor ADU production starting in July 2025.

Identify sufficient land for rezoning, or other strategies, to accommodate the unmet RHNA that was projected to be met by ADUs.

Assess barriers including any need for rezoning by the end of 2025 and present to Board of Supervisors for approval by June 2026. Determine whether other additional actions including rezoning are needed and implement them by June 2026. Assess barriers again by the end of 2027 and conduct rezoning if needed by June 2028.

3.1

Work with housing developers and housing service providers to address the needs of those with special housing needs. Background: In addition to the development of affordable housing in general, the County will work with housing developers to provide housing appropriate to the County’s special-needs populations, including persons with intellectual, developmental, mental and physical disabilities, seniors, large households, persons with HIV/AIDS, and farmworkers. Work with the Regional Center of the East Bay to identify any outstanding housing needs for its clients within unincorporated Contra Costa County, assist in identifying available housing that meets those criteria, and consider a rental assistance program to fill the gap between income levels and the cost of housing for persons with developmental disabilities. Collaborate with the Center to the extent feasible to establish an outreach program that informs residents within the county on housing and services available for persons with developmental disabilities.

• Provide financial incentives for the development of 110 units of housing targeted to special-needs populations (HOME, CDBG, and HOPWA), encouraging 20 of these units in areas with higher concentrations of femaleheaded households, and 20 in areas of high overpayment. • Engage with developers to obtain additional required financing. • Consider allowing techniques such as smaller unit sizes, parking reduction, common dining facilities, and fewer required amenities for senior projects. • Continue to fund housing developments appropriate for persons with developmental disabilities, including housing with wrap-around services. • Collaborate with Regional Center of the East Bay to establish needs of those with developmental disabilities.

Annually: Include a priority for special-needs housing in the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for CDBG, HOME, HOPWA, and local funds.

3.2

Continue to offer housing opportunities and funding to facilitate housing for those with disabilities. Create a reasonable accommodation procedure. Background: Persons with disabilities represent an important special-needs group in Contra Costa County. To maintain independent living, persons with disabilities are likely to require assistance, which may include special housing design features, income support for those who are unable to work, and in-home supportive services for persons with mobility limitations. To provide additional housing opportunities for persons with disabilities, the County will continue to require inclusion of accessible units in all new construction projects receiving County financing (e.g., CDBG, HOME). Current federal regulations require that 5 percent of the units must be accessible to the physically impaired and an additional 2 percent of the units must be accessible to the hearing/vision impaired. To facilitate the development of appropriate housing for persons with special needs, the County works to remove development constraints and provide reasonable accommodations in the development of such housing as requests are made. The County will adopt written reasonable accommodation procedures.

• Continue to require inclusion of 5 percent accessible units for physically impaired and 2 percent accessible units for hearing/visually impaired in all new construction projects receiving County financing, for a minimum of (5 units for physically disabled and 2 for visual/hearing impairment based on 100 assisted units). • Provide 40 zero- and low-interest loans through the Neighborhood Preservation Program for accessibility improvements in existing affordable owner-occupied, single-family residential units by end of planning period. • Implement reasonable accommodation procedures to provide special consideration in zoning and land use for housing for persons with disabilities. The County will strive to make accommodations a ministerial process, with a minimal processing fee, subject to the approval of the Zoning Administrator who will apply the following decision-making criteria: 1. Whether the requested reasonable accommodation would require a fundamental alteration in the nature of a County program or law, including, but not limited to, land use and zoning. 2. The request for reasonable accommodation will be for the benefit of an individual with a disability protected under fair housing laws. 3. Whether the requested accommodation is necessary for the individual to have equal opportunity to use and enjoy the housing and housing-related services; 4. The requested accommodation would not impose an undue financial or administrative burden on the County.

Annually: Include a priority for special-needs housing in CDBG, HOME, HOPWA NOFA. Draft reasonable accommodation procedure by 2024 and adopt by February 2024.

3.3

Address needs of persons experiencing homelessness Background: The Contra Costa Council on Homelessness appointed by the Board of Supervisors, provides advice and input on the operations of homeless services, program operations, and program development efforts in Contra Costa County. The Council provides a forum for the Continuum of Care to communicate about the implementation of strategies to prevent and end homelessness including the Forging Ahead Towards Preventing and Ending Homelessness (Ten-Year) Plan. These plans are designed to address the needs of persons experiencing homelessness. The goal of these programs is to ensure that unhoused individuals and families can obtain decent, suitable, and affordable housing in the County. Through the Ten-Year Plan, the County has adopted a “housing first” strategy, which states homelessness is first a housing issue, and that necessary supports and access to comprehensive and integrated services is essential to achieving long-term housing stability. In addition, the Continuum of Care collaborates with entities such as the Contra Costa Council on Homelessness, the Department of Conservation and Development, and Cities to develop and implement transitional facilities, permanent and longer-term housing, and services for people facing homelessness and housing instability. The CoC provides adequate funding or other support to maintain and/or abate homeless encampments and provide adequate security for the Coordinated Outreach, Referral and Engagement Teams (CORE). CoC programs link people experiencing homelessness with supportive services, such as behavioral health, substance use services, and primary healthcare.

• Continue to update the Ten-Year Plan • Continue to work with local non-profit organizations and relevant public agencies to encourage funding of permanent supportive housing unit projects, targeting communities with concentrations of homeless encampments (see Figure 6-14). • Continue to support existing transitional housing programs, operated by the County and non-profit agencies. • Continue to support the operations of existing emergency shelters. • Continue to support licensed residential care facilities in all residential zones through the land use permit process for 7 or more residents. • Work with service providers to conduct outreach in areas with concentrations of homeless encampments to connect homeless residents with available services and resources.

Ongoing

4.1

Promote the availability of programs that facilitate homeownership opportunities, including assistance for firsttime homebuyers. Background: The County implements programs to provide affordable homeownership opportunities for lower- and moderate-income households as well as special-needs groups, including farmworkers. These programs include the following: • New Construction: HOME and CDBG (in support of new construction) funds are used for new construction of single-family homes. • Inclusionary Housing: Through the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, homes affordable to lower- and moderate-income homebuyers are constructed as a component of market-rate housing developments.

Continue to expand homeownership opportunities, particularly in moderate and high resource areas and communities identified as RCAAs (i.e., Vine Hill, Reliez Valley, Alhambra Valley, Briones, Saranap, Acalanes Ridge, Castle Hill, Alamo, Diablo, Blackhawk, Discovery Bay, and Kensington) to facilitate housing mobility opportunities through a combination of financial support of new construction, and development agreements. Assist 50 firsttime homebuyers over the cycle.

Unincorporated Contra Costa

Housing Programs

6th Cycle Programs

Overview of Program Deliverables

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