Housing policies and programs are the strategies and laws that cities and counties legally have at their disposal to produce more and preserve existing affordable housing, as well as protect existing residents from getting displaced from their homes and communities.
Local housing policies and programs, as part of a housing element, have significant impacts on a city or county reaching its affordable housing goals. Each additional housing policy has a significant impact on the residents who are most in need of affordable housing. However, the number of policies or programs that a jurisdiction includes in their housing element is not meant to imply how well a city or county is addressing local housing needs since the quality and impact of each will need to be determined as well. Policies and programs listed here from jurisdictions’ Housing Elements are intended to allow readers to review the text themselves and see if a city or county is doing all they can to reach their affordable housing goals.
To further policy innovation and local action, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) contacted all of the region's jurisdictions to track the adoption of key housing policies throughout the nine county Bay Area in four major categories Protect, Preserve, Produce, and Prevent. This data is from ABAG’s Policies and Program list and was last updated in 2018/2019.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development tracks all of the ongoing and completed programs from 2018 onward and can be seen in the table below.
YEAR | PROGRAM NAME | PROGRAM OBJECTIVE | STATUS | ACCOMPLISHED DATE | HOUSING CYCLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | C.1. Financial Assistance - Affordable Housing production | Provide housing to meet the needs of all economic segments of the community, including: x-low, very low, low, moderate, and above moderate income households. | Annual Section 8 voucher program (voucher total 368). Housing Authority has commenced operating as a Move to Work agency, providing greater flexibility with admin of the program; approved for up to 60 project based vouchers; utilize housing rehab funds as demand necessitates; County has also awarded ARPA funds to Habitat for Humanity & Cities of Fairfield and Vallejo to construct city centered residential projects (total of 286 units w/91 units below 50% AMI, 141 units below 80% AMI and 48 units supportive housing | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | G.1. Capital Improvements | Provide for residential development that is generally self-sufficient in regard to water supply and sewage disposal, requiring only minimal public facilities and services essential for health, safety, and welfare. | Previous funding for capital improvements in Homeacres has been exhausted; Much of rural County does not have urban infrastructure. As such, most development is self-sufficient with onsite septic systems and wells. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | I.2. Standards and Guidelines for Energy Efficiency and Conservation | Promote energy conservation in new and existing residential units | County continues to meet the provisions of the 2019 California Energy Code. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | A.2. Program Partnerships - Rehab & Preservation | Conserve existing affordable housing units and rehab the existing housing stock of uninc. Solano County | No "at risk" units at this time; | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | B.2. Secondary dwelling unit program | The County will provide sufficient land to accommodate Solano County's projected housing needs. | Information available online and at public counter relating to second unit/ADU permitting. Ordinance also updated to reflect statutory requirements of ADUs through 2020; County is developing an enhanced ADU program that would provide financial incentives for deed restricted units. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H.2. Architectural Review | Enhance and preserve the environmental quality of residential areas. | Staff reviews building permits for consistency with existing development standards and requirements for development projects as stipulated in the County Code. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | A.1. Financial Assistance & Outreach - Rehab. | Conserve existing affordable housing units and rehab the existing housing stock of uninc. Solano County | Utilizing Rehab funds as demand necessitates; currently drafting an RFP for consultant services to administer a new housing rehab program in FY23/24 | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | C.5. Program partnerships - Affordable housing | Provide housing to meet the needs of all economic segments of the community, including: x-low, very low, low, moderate, and above moderate income households. | Continue to work with City of Vacaville to manage Section 8 program. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | D.3. Housing Assistance Outreach - Special Housing Needs | Provide housing to meet the special needs of the elderly, disabled, large family, single female-headed, homeless, military, and farmworkers. | See D.1.; no amendments to the zoning ordinance have been made relating to H&S Code Sect. 17021.6 | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | D.1. Farmworker Housing - Production | Provide housing to meet the special needs of the elderly, disabled, large family, single female-headed, homeless, military, and farmworkers. | Information available at the public counter on permitting of farmworker housing. Existing Ag zoning continues to permit secondary dwellings (ADUs) and HCD approved farmworker housing by-right, and non-HCD approved farmworker housing with an administrative (over the counter) permit. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | C.6. Housing assistance outreach - Affordable Housing | Provide housing to meet the needs of all economic segments of the community, including: x-low, very low, low, moderate, and above moderate income households. | On behalf of County, City of Vacaville promotes and markets Section 8 program. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | C.4. Preservation of existing assisted housing units. | Provide housing to meet the needs of all economic segments of the community, including: x-low, very low, low, moderate, and above moderate income households. | No affordability covenants in use now. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | E.1. Reasonable Accommodation for Persons with Disabilities | Where consistent with Solano County's local smart growth philosophy to direct most development to the cities, minimize constraints to the production of housing within the unincorporated areas of the County where limited res. development is appropriate | Code has been updated to reflect a waiver process for demonstrated Reasonable Accommodation requests; Zoning information is available at our public counter that provides this code provision. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | H.1. Blight Removal | Enhance and preserve the environmental quality of residential areas. | Potential Program Income from the County's previous NSP grant program could be available to qualfied applicants for housing rehab to remove blight. No PI on hand at this time. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | D.2. Addressing Special Housing Needs | Provide housing to meet the special needs of the elderly, disabled, large family, single female-headed, homeless, military, and farmworkers. | - In 2019, Solano County awarded/approved $214,228 over a 3 year period towards the Coordinated Entry System. With the funding from Solano County plus the funding from 6 of the 7 cities in Solano County plus the funding from Community Action Partnership, JPA, 1,857 households were served 6/1/2019 - 5/21/2021. 2022 data not available at this time | Ongoing/Annually | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | E.2. Parking Requirements | Where consistent with Solano County's local smart growth philosophy to direct most development to the cities, minimize constraints to the production of housing within the unincorporated areas of the County where limited res. development is appropriate | No need to revise parking requirements has been identified | Annual | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | I.1. Energy Conservation Outreach | Promote energy conservation in new and existing residential units | The Green Building Committee, Building Standards Commission, Energy Commission, and CA Building Officials Assoc. continues to provide outreach on the Green Building program and GHG reduction measures. | Quarterly | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | B.1. Countywide Housing Production & Coordination | The County will provide sufficient land to accommodate Solano County's projected housing needs. | 345 building permits issued of total 103 total RHNA units; plus 23 in 2014 | 2015-2023 | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | C.2. Regulatory incentives for affordable housing. | Provide housing to meet the needs of all economic segments of the community, including: x-low, very low, low, moderate, and above moderate income households. | No developers have requested a density bonus; the County has not adopted a density bonus ordinance. | May 2016 | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |
| 2022 | C.3. Zoning codes and development standards to encourage and facilitate alternative housing. | Provide housing to meet the needs of all economic segments of the community, including: x-low, very low, low, moderate, and above moderate income households. | Continue to allow second units (ADUs) and manufactured housing by-right. Ordinance updated to reflect state ADU requirements through 2020. | Ongoing | 5th cycle, 2013 to 2022 |