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Council adopts 2023–2031 Housing Element required by state, paving way for rezones and housing programs
Summary
The City Council adopted the 2023–2031 Housing Element and found the action exempt from CEQA; the document responds to a substantially larger regional housing needs allocation and identifies programs and sites that will be used to meet state requirements, including future rezones of roughly 200 acres for higher‑density housing.
The Tracy City Council adopted the city’s 2023–2031 Housing Element after staff described the state‑mandated requirements and the document’s programmatic approach. Council determined the housing element adoption to be exempt from CEQA and voted to send the document to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for certification.
Scott Clare of Community & Economic Development summarized the housing element content and the state context: this sixth‑cycle update responds to a much larger Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for Tracy than prior cycles and incorporates more than 60 recent legislative requirements. Clare said the element identifies numerous implementation programs, potential sites (roughly 200 acres for future rezoning to meet RHNA), and more than 20 programs with about 50 associated actions the City will track and implement during the planning period.
Clare and staff emphasized that the housing element itself is a strategy and that rezones and site‑specific environmental review will follow. The document is exempt from CEQA because adoption does not change zoning at the time of adoption; site‑specific CEQA will be required when individual rezones or projects move forward.
The council adopted the housing element by unanimous roll call. Staff noted the city must submit the adopted element to HCD for review and said staff will return with environmental documents and implementation items, including any necessary rezonings and amendments to related General Plan elements such as circulation and safety.
What happens next: The adopted housing element will be submitted to HCD for certification. Staff will begin work on implementation, including potential CEQA documentation and rezoning actions to make adequate sites for extremely low, very low and low income housing available during the planning period.
