HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE

EL CERRITO DRAFT HOUSING ELEMENT 

7-day public review period open: mARCH 9 - MARCH 16, 2023

On March 17, 2023, the City submitted the revised Draft Housing Element to HCD. HCD has 60-days to review and respond. Please subscribe to our Community Development eNews to receive updates at www.el-cerrito.org/CommDev

he update
  1. Planning Division


    Physical Address
    10890 San Pablo Ave.
    El Cerrito, CA 94530



7-Day Public Review Period Open: March 9, 2023 – March 16, 2023

On December 12, 2022 the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) issued a letter in response to the City’s First Draft 6th Cycle Housing Element submitted on September 16, 2022. The City and consultant reviewed HCD’s comments and is pleased to share the revised Second Draft 6th Cycle Housing Element as well as the Response Letter. Members of the community are invited to provide comments/feedback during the 7-day public review period beginning March 9 - March 16, 2023.

Comments can be submitted to the Planning Division by:

  1. Email: planning@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us
  2. Phone: 510-215-4330; or
  3. In-Person: City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Avenue, during business hours.

At the conclusion of the 7-day public review period, the City will submit to HCD for review.

Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element - March 8, 2023

City Response Letter - March 8, 2023

HCD Comment Letter - December 12, 2022

Draft 2023-20231 Housing Element Flyer - March 8, 2023

The El Cerrito Public Review Draft Housing Element  was available for a 30-day public review period, from July 29 to August 29, 2022. Public comments received during the 30-day review period were considered and incorporated into a revised draft from July 29 to September 16, 2022. A red-line version of the Draft Housing Element is available here .The First Submittal Draft of the 2023-2031 Housing Element was submitted to HCD for review on September 16, 2022.  HCD has up to 90 days to provide comments back to the City. 

About the Housing Element 

The Housing Element is one of seven mandatory elements that must be included in the City of El Cerrito’s General Plan. The Housing Element is a plan for the City to meet the future housing needs and priorities of everyone in the community. The Housing Element must be updated every eight years and certified by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). We are currently in the process of updating our Housing Element for the 2023 to 2031 planning period and we invite you to take part in outreach meetings, provide your input, and stay up to date on our progress.

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

Very Low

Low

Moderate

Above Moderate

Total Units

334

192

241

624

1,391

 

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.

ElCerritoHE_ProjectSchedule

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
Community WorkshopApril 26, 2022Click here to access the recording or view the slides here
Community SurveyApril 7, 2022 - July 8, 2022Survey Results are available here.
Public Draft Housing ElementJuly 29, 2022 – August 29, 2022Download and review the Draft Housing Element here. Comments can be submitted to planning@ci.el-cerrrito.ca.us
Community WorkshopAugust 1, 2022 @ 7pm
Virtual
Click here to view the workshop flyer
Click here to access the recording or view the slides here.
City Council MeetingAugust 16, 2022 @ 6pm
Virtual and In-Person
City Council meeting materials will be available here
Revised Draft Housing Element
September 16, 2022 - Submitted to HCD

Revised Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element  
Revised Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element - Tracked Changes


Documents and Resources

Contact Us

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