Background

The City’s current 2015-2023 Housing Element was adopted by the El Cerrito City Council on April 21, 2015 and certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development on May 18, 2015, and covers the January 1, 2015, through January 23, 2023 planning period. This update provides the opportunity to evaluate the previous element and determine which policies and programs have been effective and which need to be improved.

Overview

State law does not require that jurisdictions build or finance new housing, but they must plan for it by identifying sufficient sites, analyzing and addressing housing development constraints, and identifying programs and policies that will address the community’s needs.

The Housing Element is how local governments make decisions about where safe, accessible, and diverse housing could be developed to offer a mix of housing opportunities for a variety of household incomes. Further, the Housing Element must identify how the City will meet its share of the regional housing need. The State determines each city's Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) based on growth and demographic trends. El Cerrito’s RHNA for 2023 to 2031 is 1,391 new housing units, and 526 of those units must be affordable to low- and very low- income households. The Housing Element will provide a strategy to meet this housing need.

El Cerrito, 2023 - 2031 RHNA by Affordability

The Housing Element includes the following components:

• Housing Needs Assessment: Provides demographic and housing need information.
• Constraints Analysis: Analyzes existing and potential constraints to the development of housing and how those will be addressed.
• Evaluation of Past Performance: Assesses progress in implementing the policies and programs set forth in the prior Housing Element.
• Housing Sites Inventory and Analysis: Identifies sites available for development or redevelopment and that are appropriately zoned to support housing development to accommodate the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).
• Fair Housing Assessment: Describes the jurisdiction’s unique fair housing circumstances.
• Housing Resources: Identifies financial and other resources available to support housing development, especially affordable housing.
• Policies and Programs: Establishes new policies and programs designed to address the housing needs identified in the City.

Project Schedule

The Housing Element update began in January 2022 and will continue until early 2023. Community engagement will begin in early 2022, with a Public Review Draft anticipated in the middle of 2022. After public review, revisions will be made to the Housing Element to prepare and submit for review by HCD in Summer 2022. The Final Housing Element is anticipated to be brought forward for adoption by the City Council along with the Final CEQA in early 2023.

Get Involved & Share Your Input

There are many ways/opportunities for the community to participate and provide feedback throughout this process.

• Sign-up to receive updates: Subscribe to our Community Development E-Newsletter here
• Visit our website www.el-cerrito.org/HousingElement2023
• Take the Community Survey (closed on 7/8/2022)
• Attend workshops/meetings

Documents and Resources

• Housing Element Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Current 2015-2023 Housing Element
• City of El Cerrito 1999 General Plan
• Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) Overview
• City of El Cerrito 2017 Affordable Housing Strategy

Contact Us

Aissia Ashoori, Housing Analyst, aashoori@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us | 510-215-4361