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County files 2024 General Plan and Housing Element annual reports; 6‑cycle RHNA shows steep challenge
Summary
Staff presented and the board accepted the 2024 General Plan Annual Report and the first annual report on the newly certified 2023 housing element; county has permitted 226 units toward the six‑cycle RHNA but faces a 4,634‑unit allocation for the unincorporated area.
The Board of Supervisors on March 25 accepted the 2024 General Plan Annual Report and the required Housing Element Annual Progress Report, which is the first full report following certification of the county’s 2023 housing element.
County planners told the board that the Monterey Bay region’s six‑cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) assigns 4,634 units to the unincorporated county for the 2023–2031 planning period — roughly 3.5 times the housing target from the prior RHNA cycle. For calendar year 2024 (including late‑2023 permits accounted in the current cycle), the county issued building permits for 147 new units; combined with late 2023 activity the county reports 226 permitted units toward the six‑cycle RHNA so far.
Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) drove much of the early pace: ADUs accounted for 103 of the 147 building permits in 2024 and represent roughly 62% of all permitted units so far in the current cycle. Staff also reported a robust pipeline of subsidized (affordable) projects — roughly 700 units across multiple projects in varying stages — and nearly 600 market‑rate units in the pipeline; many of the subsidized projects have county financing commitments. Staff noted continuing need to remove governmental constraints and cited the county’s ongoing housing element rezoning program and code updates.
Supervisor comments agreed the numbers show a steep challenge. Supervisors asked staff to return with further detail on affordability outcomes and urged emphasis on projects that generate deeply affordable, deed‑restricted units. Board members also asked staff to coordinate capacity, financial tools and developer incentives to accelerate projects on publicly assisted pipelines.
Ending: The Board accepted and filed the annual reports and directed staff to continue implementation of the 2023 housing element, to pursue the rezone program and to return with additional reporting on project pipelines and affordability progress.
