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Council directs staff to prepare RFP for rezoning institutional sites after housing element progress report
Summary
After receiving the 2024 Housing Element Annual Progress Report, council directed staff to prepare a request for proposals to conduct rezoning and environmental review of institutionally owned properties identified as potential sites for affordable housing; timing and funding remain to be defined.
The City Council received and filed the 2024 Housing Element Annual Progress Report on March 11 and gave staff direction to move forward on a required housing‑element program: rezoning residentially zoned institutional properties to facilitate affordable housing.
Housing Program Coordinator Jennifer Savage presented the annual report, which showed the city permitted 71 completed housing units in the reporting period and issued 119 building permits, largely for accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The report also noted progress on legalization of ADUs and the city’s senior home repair program; staff recommended adjusting income limits for the repair program and returning with funding options.
The council discussed the rezoning program, required by the housing element and of interest to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Staff said some institutional properties (schools, churches and other sites) could be rezoned by overlay to allow multifamily affordable housing while preserving underlying uses; the city’s study concluded that environmental review (an EIR) would be required and that no available streamlining options would eliminate that need. Staff proposed preparing an RFP for consultant services to perform an opportunities-and-constraints analysis and environmental review to meet the housing element program.
Several councilmembers expressed concern about the cost and timeline; staff estimated an environmental impact report could cost roughly $300,000–$350,000 (staff gave this as an order‑of‑magnitude estimate). After discussion, council directed staff to prepare an RFP and return later this fiscal year with a proposed procurement timeline and budget for award in FY 2025–26. The council’s vote to proceed with RFP preparation was unanimous.
What happens next: Staff will draft an RFP for consultant services, seek grant opportunities, and return with scope and cost estimates for council consideration. The council asked staff to monitor HCD expectations for meeting the housing‑element program milestones.
Ending: The direction starts the formal rezoning/environmental review planning steps required by the housing element but leaves scope, timeline and funding choices to future council decisions.
