Updated November 7,2013
The City of Albany is in the process of updating the 2007-2014 Housing Element of the General Plan. This page will be updated as the City progresses.
On October 21, 2013 the Albany City Council authorized staff to make minor edits to the Working Draft Housing Element and submit it to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for formal review. The document was submitted to the State on October 25. Written comments from HCD are expected in late December.
The document will be revised to reflect the comments, and then brought to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a public hearing and recommendation. It will then be forwarded to the City Council for adoption Prior to the Council hearing on October 21, the Planning and Zoning Commission conducted four study sessions on the Housing Element in 2013, including May 22, September 25, October 8, and October 15. In addition, a Town Hall style public meeting was held at City Hall on October 1, 2013 to discuss housing policy issues.
Background
California state law mandates that all municipal governments prepare and maintain a Housing Element as a component of their General Plans. The Housing Element is a long-range planning document that evaluates existing demographics and housing conditions in the community, and identifies the policies required to enable the community to meet its share of the demand for market rate and affordable housing in the region.
The purpose of the Housing Element is to ensure that a safe, decent supply of affordable housing is provided for current and future Albany residents. The Element strives to conserve existing housing while providing opportunities for new housing for a variety of income groups.
The following five sections are required in the Housing Element:
- Review of the previous Housing Element
- Assessment of housing needs
- Inventory of potential sites for housing development
- Analysis of City regulatory framework related to developing housing
- Goals and policies for housing, coupled with specific action programs to be implemented in the coming years.
The City of Albany’s current Housing Element was approved in 1992 as part of the comprehensive update to the City’s General Plan. Since that time, draft updates have been prepared by the City and reviewed by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The recent updates, however, have not been formally adopted by the City nor approved by HCD.
