Riverbank planning commission recommends council accept 2024 housing element progress report; commissioners note shortfall in very low‑income units

The Riverbank Planning Commission voted 5-0 Tuesday to recommend that the City Council receive the citys 2024 General Plan annual progress report and authorize staff to transmit the report to state agencies, while commissioners and public speakers pressed staff on the lack of progress for very low‑ and low‑income housing.

Michael Arroyo, contract planner for the City of Riverbank, told the commission the report compiles the citys housing activity for calendar year 2024 and must be sent to the Governors Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (formerly the Office of Planning and Research) and the California Department of Housing and Community Development. "The state still requires the progress that's made to be reported," Arroyo said during his presentation.

The report shows the city issued 79 building permits for new dwellings in 2024; staff said 8 permits were for accessory dwelling units and the remainder were primarily single‑family units. Arroyo said two development applications, Heritage 2 and Countryside 3, account for 47 and 22 units, respectively, that are recorded in the report. The city reported a regional housing…