Salinas council adopts 2024 housing-element annual progress report, authorizes submittal to state

The Salinas City Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted the city’s 2024 housing-element annual progress report and authorized staff to submit the document to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation.

The report, presented by Monica Flores of the city’s housing division, says Salinas authorized 221 housing units in 2024 — primarily accessory dwelling units (ADUs) — toward a sixth-cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) target of 6,674 units for the eight‑year cycle. The presentation also listed federal and state awards and pipeline projects meant to increase the city’s affordable housing stock.

“The city of Salinas goal is a total of 6,674 units,” Monica Flores told council during the presentation, noting the figure is a large increase from the prior RHNA cycle. Flores and colleagues said the 221 units authorized in 2024 represent about 3% of that goal and that more projects are in the pipeline to help close the gap.

The report lists recent and pending funding and projects the city is pursuing: $2.1 million in Community Development Block Grant funds and $700,000 in HOME funds from the city’s 2024 HUD allocation; a $645,000 contribution from the city’s Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) toward acquisition of 98 Kip Drive to create 36 permanently affordable senior units; and $390,000 for predevelopment and construction of three ADUs through a local nonprofit’s Wesley Oaks property. The city is also collaborating with the County of Monterey and the Housing Authority of the County of Monterey on a planned acquisition of the former Fairview Avenue motel (1030 Fairview Ave) to create 45 permanent supportive housing units; Flores said the city would support that acquisition with approximately $2.5 million in PLHA and pro‑housing incentive funds.

Luis Rodriguez, a housing division analyst, summarized other results in the calendar year 2024: 11 land‑use applications filed with the city, 221 building permits issued and 115 certificates of occupancy finalized. Rodriguez also noted the city’s outreach and operations to help people experiencing homelessness, including the Salinas Outreach and Response Team (SORT), which the report said assisted 291 unique individuals and referred 36 to shelter in 2024.

Council members asked staff for clarifications about the point‑in‑time homeless count (staff answered it showed about 1,200 sheltered and unsheltered people within the city) and about how many proposed pipeline projects were eligible for recent state streamlining laws; staff said three of the projects in the reported pipeline were proceeding under streamlined statutes. Councilmembers also asked about local housing trust fund activity and funding sources; staff said the city had established a local housing trust fund (roughly one million dollars at the time of the meeting) and continues to pursue additional state and federal sources.

After about an hour of questions and public comment both supporting and criticizing recent local tenant‑protections measures, the council voted to adopt the resolution approving the annual report and to authorize its submittal to HCD and the governor’s office as required under Government Code section 65400(b). The roll call showed all members present voting in favor; no dissenting votes were recorded.

The city will file the annual progress report on or before the April 1 state deadline and continue work on the projects listed in the report, staff said.