Big news! We’ve added new housing program data - check them out under “Housing Programs” on each city page.
Housing programs are the strategies 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 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.
Use the below data to explore this jurisdiction’s approaches to affirmatively furthering fair housing for the 6th element cycle, and review the actions, deliverables, and deadlines committed to for each program.
PROGRAM NUMBER | ACTIONS | DELIVERABLE | DELIVERABLE DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| HE-1.A | Maintain Vacant Land Inventory The City shall continue to maintain a current inventory of Housing Element sites to assist developers in identifying land suitable for residential development. To ensure adequate sites are available throughout the planning period to meet the City’s RHNA, the City shall continue to update the inventory on an ongoing basis as projects are approved and new sites are rezoned. The City shall continue to make this information available to the public and developers through the City’s website. | Update vacant land inventory upon development of any site inventory property | Ongoing, update inventory as projects are approved and sites are rezoned |
| HE-1.B | To ensure sufficient residential capacity is maintained to accommodate the RHNA need, the City shall make findings related to the potential impact on the City’s ability to meet its unmet regional housing needs allocation when approving applications to rezone sites included in the lower- and moderate-income sites inventory or develop a lower- or moderate-income housing element site with fewer units or at a higher income than what is assumed for the site in the Housing Element sites inventory, consistent with “no-net-loss” zoning requirements in Government Code Section 65863. If at any point it is determined that the City does not have adequate capacity to meet the unmet loweror moderate-income RHNA, the City shall identify and make available a replacement site within 180 days. | Comply with State law | Ongoing, as development projects are approved |
| HE-1.C | The City shall facilitate development of a mix of high-density residential and office uses on the City owned Restoration Site. The City has received feasibility studies for the estimated cost and timeframe for the remediation of the site and is actively working with state and regional agencies to finalize a remediation plan and secure funding to complete full site remediation. Upon completion of this process, the City will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to select a developer to enter into an agreement with the City for development of the site. | 300 lower-income units and 370 moderate-income units, as feasible | Secure remediation funding and begin remediation of the site in 2023, obtain agency permits and conduct environmental review in 2024-25, complete remediation of the site in 2026-2028, issue Request for Proposals (RFP) in 2028, complete site entitlements in 2028-29, and begin site grading and construction in 2029 |
| HE-1.D | The Marketplace Mixed Use properties are identified in the Housing Element as future opportunity sites. The City shall continue to work with the property owners within the Marketplace subarea of the Station District on redeveloping the retail centers to includes residential uses, consistent with the vision of the Station District Specific Plan. The City shall ensure property owners understand the development potential for their sites under the Station District Specific Plan, describe the streamlining benefits provided by the Specific Plan and other CEQA exemptions for infill development, and provide technical assistance and support to facilitate the redevelopment of these shopping centers to transit-oriented development. The City shall facilitate partnerships between property owners and affordable housing developers to find creative ways to meet the City’s inclusionary housing requirements. | Accelerate housing activity in the Marketplace Mixed Use subarea during the timeframe of the Housing Element | Initiate contact with property owners in 2023 and meet at least annually to provide guidance and technical support for redevelopment of shopping centers within the Marketplace subarea of the Station District |
| HE-1.E | The City shall facilitate development of a mix of housing types on the City-owned Gateway Site. The City has an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement with a housing developer to develop the site. The City shall continue to work with this developer to facilitate site entitlements and permits ahead of site development and housing construction. | 135 Lower-Income Units and 200 Moderate-Income and 200 Above Moderate-Income Units, as feasible | Complete site entitlements in 2025 and begin site grading and construction in 2027 |
| HE-1.F | Amend the Zoning Ordinance to ensure the City’s multi-family residential, single-family residential, and mixed-use design standards are clear and objective. | To streamline and increase predictability in the development review process | FY 23/24 |
| HE-1.G | The City shall establish a written procedure to implement streamlined ministerial approval in compliance with Senate Bill 35. | To establish procedures that accelerate housing production consistent with State law | FY 22/23 |
| HE-1.H | The City shall amend the Zoning Code and establish development standards (e.g., minimum lot size, lot coverage, setbacks, height) that facilitate missing middle housing in traditionally singlefamily zones. | To establish development standards that facilitate 45 units of “missing middle housing” that is affordable by design to middle-income households in higher opportunity and higher income single-family neighborhoods | FY 24/25 |
| HE-1.I | The City shall review and amend the Zoning Code to ensure the height, lot coverage, setback, open space, parking for studio units, and other development standards in the RM zones facilitate and do not constrain the development of multifamily housing. | To establish development standards that facilitate multifamily housing | FY 23/24 |
| HE-1.J | The City shall work with property owners on the consolidation of parcels in the Housing Element sites inventory to facilitate development of the sites for affordable housing, particularly sites LM-3 (ANR Near BART Site), LM-6 (854 Whipple Road Site), LM-9 (Whipple/Cemex Site), LM-13 (Smith Street Site), and LM-15 (Union City Boulevard Site). The City shall continue to process lot mergers ministerially and provide technical assistance and incentives to property owners on more complicated lot consolidations. | 400 lower-income units | Initiate property owner outreach in FY 23/24 |
| HE-1.K | The City shall prepare an Annual Progress Report (APR) and hold an annual public hearing to evaluate progress toward meeting the regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) and the objectives of the implementation programs. The annual review shall include a mid-term evaluation at year four of the eight-year cycle. The mid-term evaluation shall document progress made towards achieving the affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH) program objectives of the actions identified in Table 4-18. If the evaluation finds that the implementation programs are not achieving the objectives, the Planning Commission and City Council shall hold public hearings to consider and take action to amend programs as appropriate to achieve the Housing Element objectives within one year. | One public hearing per year to evaluate housing production and successful implementation of housing programs | Annual review and submittal of APR to HCD and OPR by April 1; midterm evaluation submitted by April 1, 2028 |
| HE-2.A | The City shall continue to implement the Affordable Housing Ordinance, which requires market-rate development to provide for below market rate units. | 375 lower-income housing units and 125 moderate-income housing units to expand housing mobility opportunities for lower- and moderate-income households | Ongoing, as projects are processed through the Planning Department |
| HE-2.B | The City shall annually monitor available State and federal funding and partner with affordable housing developers in applying for funds. The City shall continue to provide incentives and funding, as available, as gap financing for affordable housing throughout the city, with priority granted to projects housing extremely low-income households and special needs groups, such as seniors and persons with disabilities, including developmental disabilities, and/or enriched with supportive services, such as childcare, health programs, or similar community support services. | 250 very low and 175 low-income housing units | Research Federal, State, and Local funding opportunities annually and pursue funding as available through coordination with non-profit partners and affordable housing developers |
| HE-2.C | The City shall regularly review the inventory of City-owned surplus, vacant, or underused land, no longer needed for current or foreseeable future public operations, that should be considered for sale or lease for development of affordable housing and/or shelters. The City shall issue a Notice of Availability or other competitive application processes to solicit affordable development proposals that incorporate innovative designs and housing options. The City shall also continue to monitor the status of available land owned by other public agencies and actively work with developers that may wish to develop such properties for affordable housing. If the publicly owned sites included in the Housing Element sites inventory are not developed with the anticipated number of lower- or moderate-income units or within two years of the specified timeframe (see Programs HE-1.C and HE-1.E), the City shall make no net loss findings or find replacement sites consistent with Government Code Section 65863. | 435 lower-income, 570 moderate-income, and 200 above-moderate income housing units on City-owned land | Monitor public lands at least annually (see Programs HE-1.C and HE1.E for specific schedule of actions on City-owned sites in the inventory) |
| HE-2.D | The City shall promote the development of accessory dwellings units by supporting efforts to construct ADUs. Efforts may include: Monitoring legislative changes related to ADUs annually and updating, as necessary, the City’s Accessory Dwelling Unit regulations included in Chapter 18.34 and City handouts to ensure consistency with State law and reflect best practices. Amending the ADU Ordinance to allow two ADUs on parcels of a certain size if one of them is deed-restricted as lower income. Supporting efforts and outreach by County and Regional agencies regarding ADU construction, including participation in ADU informational training, regional working groups, and development of preapproved plans. The City shall promote ADU tools and resources to homeowners throughout the city to promote mixed-income neighborhoods. | 120 ADUs, with approximately 25 percent in high resource areas to improve housing mobility | Update the current ADU ordinance by July 1, 2023. Review legislative changes annually in September and update ordinance as necessary to comply with State law before January 1st of the following year; participate in regional efforts on an ongoing basis; amend the ordinance by June 2024 to expand the number of allowed ADUs |
| HE-2.E | AB 1851 (Religious Facility Housing) provides relief in parking requirements when a religious institution partners with a nonprofit organization to provide affordable housing on site. The City shall adopt an overlay or another zoning mechanism that would allow and provide incentives for developing affordable housing on religious facility properties, including transitional housing and emergency shelters. | 50 units of affordable or transitional housing | FY 25/26 |
| HE-2.F | The City shall work with the Housing Authority of Alameda County (HACA) to develop creative approaches to providing affordable housing on the HACA-owned site in the Decoto neighborhood. The City shall provide technical support, which may include permit streamlining, facilitating lot consolidation or zoning amendment, and/or support with neighborhood outreach. | 10 units of affordable housing | Meet with Housing Authority at least annually starting in FY 24/25 and develop a schedule of actions to report on in annual progress reports |
| HE-3.A | The City shall monitor affordability agreements for existing affordable housing units and maintain close contact with property owners regarding long-term plans for the affordable units. The City shall provide financial and/or technical assistance to property owners whose affordability restrictions will expire within 36 months for preservation and/or rehabilitation of the affordable units. In the event at-risk units are not preserved, the City shall require projects that received government funding and/or were granted a density bonus to comply with the required noticing procedures under State law, including providing at least three years notice prior to the conversion of any deed-restricted affordable rental units to market rate and providing additional notice at 12 and 6 months. The City shall also minimize displacement of current tenants by negotiating an antidisplacement policy or relocation mitigation with the owner, whenever possible. | Preservation of 206 at-risk affordable units | Begin engaging property owners in FY 24/25 |
| HE-4.A | The City shall continue to promote first time homebuyer programs to Union City residents, including Alameda County (AC) Boost and the Alameda County Downpayment Assistance Loan Program. The City shall collaborate with the County on an outreach strategy targeted at providing homeownership opportunities for black households and other households of color which historically could not access homeownership. | Connect 15 Union City households with first-time homebuyer resources to increase awareness of housing mobility opportunities | Initiate collaboration with County in FY 23/24 |
| HE-4.B | The City shall continue to support the Housing Authority of Alameda County (HACA) in its continuing collaboration with the Housing Authority and the utilization of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program to assist very low-income Union City households. The City shall collaborate with the Housing Authority on an educational campaign to educate landlords about their obligation to accept vouchers under fair housing laws and to encourage landlords in single-family neighborhoods to actively participate in the HCV Program as a way to affirmatively further fair housing. The City will host or co-sponsor at least one workshop during the planning period and will distribute mailers to landlords within the city. The City will also maintain resource links to the Housing Authority on its website. | Increase HCVs in Union City single family neighborhoods by 5 percent Note: There are currently (2022) 727 HCVs in Union City. | Initiate collaboration with HACA in FY 24/25 with the goal of supporting an educational campaign for landlords before 2026 |