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Ukiah reports it is on track to meet RHNA and says housing-element programs largely implemented
Summary
City staff presented the 2024 annual progress report on the housing element, saying Ukiah is on track to meet a Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) of 239 units and noting recent ordinance work including an ADU update, missing‑middle rules and a lot‑line adjustment ordinance.
Catherine Schaeffer, Ukiah planning manager, presented the city’s 2024 Annual Progress Report on the housing element to the Planning Commission on April 9, saying the city is on course to meet its regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) for the current planning cycle.
"The state assigns Ukiah a regional housing needs allocation... for our cycle we have been assigned a target of 239 units across all of those different income levels," Schaeffer said, describing the RHNA split into very low, low, moderate and above‑moderate income categories. The presentation cited the Acorn Valley Plaza as helping meet a very‑low‑income target and the Cleveland Lane project as meeting the above‑moderate allocation.
Nut graf: Staff told commissioners that combined past completions and projects in the near pipeline — such as a Cooper Lane development estimated to deliver roughly 15 low‑income units — place Ukiah on track to meet or exceed the RHNA total by the end of the current housing‑element cycle in 2027. Staff also highlighted several recently adopted ordinances intended to remove barriers and encourage housing production.
Schaffer said the city had completed key housing‑element implementation actions during the reporting year, including an updated accessory-dwelling-unit (ADU) ordinance, a "missing middle" ordinance to allow duplexes and cottage‑style development in certain residential zones, and a lot‑line adjustment ordinance that streamlines administrative consolidation or reconfiguration of parcels. She said these actions, together with completed projects such as Acorn Valley Plaza and Cleveland Lane, are expected to satisfy much of Ukiah’s RHNA for the current cycle.
Commissioners asked about a potential student‑housing proposal adjacent to Mendocino College at Main and Perkins; staff said the project’s review path would depend on whether the developer proceeds under objective standards (ministerial building permits) or seeks discretionary review and added that because an existing building on the site is historic it will need to go through the demolition‑review committee and Ukiah City Code §3016 if demolition is proposed.
Ending: Schaeffer said the city will continue tracking production, that the 2024 APR had been filed with the California Department of Housing and Community Development, and that next steps include follow‑up work on climate, safety and implementation items tied to the Ukiah 2040 general plan.
