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Fairfax council votes to submit 2024 housing-element progress report to state; RHNA targets and implementation items highlighted
Summary
The Town Council voted 3-2 to accept the Annual Progress Report for the General Plan and Housing Element (CY 2024) and forward it to the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Staff outlined progress on zoning, ADU work and implementation programs tied to the town's RHNA requirement.
The Fairfax Town Council voted to adopt a resolution accepting the town's 2024 Annual Progress Report (APR) for the General Plan and Housing Element and to submit the APR to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
Consultant Andrew Hill of Dyett & Bhatia and Planning Director Jeff Bieswanger summarized the report and the steps taken in 2024 to implement the housing element adopted in December 2023. Hill said the town must plan for 490 housing units across income categories for the 2023'1 by-2031 Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) cycle. “For the 2023 to 2031 planning period, the town of Fairfax is required to accommodate 490 units,” Hill said.
Why it matters: Accepting and filing the APR is an annual requirement under state housing law; HCD uses the APR to monitor progress toward RHNA obligations and implementation of housing element programs. The report documented site inventory, rezones intended to increase infill capacity, ADU reforms and outreach efforts.
What staff reported: Jeff Bieswanger said 2024 accomplishments included outreach to potential developers, revisions to the ADU ordinance and work with a regional ADU assistance center to help homeowners and streamline permit paths. The town also completed several zoning amendments to support mixed-use, shopkeeper and workforce-overlay options intended to create by-right capacity for housing. Bieswanger listed planned 2025 actions, including an outreach strategy for housing choice vouchers, targeted geological study in the town center area, continuing ADU assistance and a town-center plan integrated into the land-use element update.
Council action: Councilmember motions led to a roll-call vote on the resolution to accept and submit the APR to HCD. The council voted: Council Member Ager—No; Council Member Guerngelly—No; Council Member Kohler—Yes; Vice Mayor Hellman—Yes; Mayor Blasch—Yes. The resolution passed 3-2.
Context and next steps: The APR documents implementation steps (rezones, program carry-forwards and grant pursuits) and the staff presentation noted that some grant-funded programs remain contingent on awarded funding. Andrew Hill and planning staff told the council they would continue outreach to developers and pursue program implementation while completing required parallel updates to the safety and land-use elements of the general plan.
Ending: With council approval, staff will submit the annual progress report to HCD by the statutory deadline and pursue the listed implementation tasks, several of which will return to the council as discrete agenda items.
