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Riverbank holds housing element workshop; consultant outlines RHNA allocation and sites
Summary
Planning consultant Miguel Galvez presented Riverbank’s housing element update, saying the city’s RHNA allocation is 3,591 units (1,642 for very low/low income), reviewed community workshop results and next steps including planning commission review and state review.
At a workshop presentation to the Riverbank City Council, Miguel Galvez of JB Anderson Land Use Planning summarized progress on the city’s housing element, the state‑required eight‑year plan that identifies sites and policies to meet the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).
Galvez told the council that Riverbank’s RHNA allocation is 3,591 units for the 2023–2031 cycle, with 1,642 units designated for very low‑ and low‑income households. He emphasized that cities are required to show sufficient sites and policies to accommodate the RHNA; the city must plan for—though is not directly required to construct—those units. Galvez outlined the inventory exercise, noted staff review of vacant and underdeveloped sites, and described community outreach (a July 31 workshop, a September stakeholder meeting and a 30‑day online survey that received 75 responses).
Workshop feedback included requests for more senior and multigenerational housing options, small‑lot development, inclusionary programs or in‑lieu fees, expanded building heights or density options, down‑payment and credit counseling assistance, and streamlined multifamily entitlements (by‑right permitting). Galvez said some sites were recommended for at least 20–22 units per net acre to meet very low/low income targets and urged the council to coordinate with nonprofit developers and regional partners when pursuing state funding programs.
Council members pressed staff on representativeness of the survey and outreach to renters; one councilor suggested a yearly housing summit and expanded credit counseling partnerships. Galvez noted the schedule: planning commission review (a 30‑day public review period) followed by a city council hearing (planned for November), then submission to the state for a 90‑day review and comment period.
The presentation is part of a multi‑step process; council did not adopt the housing element tonight but received the workshop and invited further public input and survey participation.
