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Planning commission forwards 2024 Housing Element annual report to council
Summary
The Environmental Planning Commission voted to forward the city’s 2024 Housing Element Annual Progress Report to the City Council for submission to state agencies, noting slower permit activity in 2024 but ongoing pipeline projects and implementation work.
The Environmental Planning Commission on Feb. 19 voted to recommend City Council accept the 2024 Annual Progress Report (APR) on the 2023–31 Housing Element and to forward the document to the California Department of Housing and Community Development and the Office of Planning and Research.
Assistant Planner Madeline Pfau and Advanced Planning Manager Eric Anderson presented the APR, which tracks housing development progress and housing element program implementation for calendar year 2024. The report reflects building permits issued during the reporting window and program actions the city took during the year.
Staff reported the city has issued 217 building permits that count toward the 6th‑cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) in 2024 and a total of 1,479 units to date in the cycle. The staff presentation also summarized completed housing element programs in 2024, including updates to zoning to allow emergency shelters in certain locations, the removal of minimum parking standards for residential uses in transit‑oriented areas, a city ADU monitoring survey, tenant‑outreach work, and the launch of an online submittal portal to streamline permitting.
Housing Director Wayne Chen and consultant teams also briefed commissioners on pipeline projects and preservation efforts. Staff noted the large RHNA for the cycle — 11,135 total units — and explained that production is “lumpy” year to year; the APR counts only units with building permits issued in the reporting period, while approved projects not yet under construction appear in other tracking tables.
Commissioners asked follow‑up questions about the permit pipeline, how pipeline approvals count toward RHNA, and whether federal funding is relied on for the city’s affordable projects. Housing staff said some recent interim and supportive housing opened in 2024 and that several larger subsidized projects remain in the pipeline; they also described NOFA process improvements and coordination steps to speed review for 100% affordable projects.
After discussion, the commission moved and approved a recommendation that Council accept the APR so the city can meet the April 1 filing deadline with state agencies.
Why it matters: the APR is the city’s required annual reporting vehicle to the state showing progress toward RHNA goals and listing housing element program implementation; it also documents where the city is advancing housing preservation, funding applications and operational changes.
Vote: the commission adopted a motion to forward the APR to Council (motion made and seconded at the meeting). The transcript records the motion and the proceeding approval; the detailed vote tally was not specified in the meeting record.
