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Livermore council accepts 2024 Housing Element annual progress report, cites permits and projects advancing RHNA goals
Summary
The council accepted the 2024 Housing Element annual progress report and will submit it to the state. Staff reported 364 building permits issued in 2024 and highlighted approved and permitted projects that collectively will add over 1,500 units (about 400 affordable); council emphasized difficulty of producing very‑low‑income units and the need for developer partnerships.
At a public hearing, city staff presented the 2024 Housing Element annual progress report and recommended the council adopt a resolution accepting the report and submit it to the state by the April 1 deadline.
Shannon Pagan, assistant planner, told the council that the report tracks implementation of the housing element and the city’s progress toward the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for the 2023–2031 cycle. Pagan said Livermore’s RHNA target is 4,570 units for the cycle and that building permits were issued for 364 new units in 2024 across income levels, including units in low and very‑low income categories. She said the city expects building permits for several large approved projects in the coming years and highlighted the Serenity project (all permitted units issued, including 60 affordable units) and several approved projects — including Garaventa Hills and Isabel‑area projects — that together account for more than 1,500 approved units with roughly 400 low and moderate‑income units.
Pagan said the housing element is a state‑mandated element of the general plan and that staff will submit the adopted report to the state by the April 1 deadline if the council accepts it. The report also documents ongoing programs such as inclusionary requirements, local housing assistance and the general plan and code updates that aim to facilitate additional housing production.
Public commenters and councilmembers praised staff for progress and emphasized the challenge of building deeply affordable housing without subsidies. Vice Mayor Branning and others said developer partnerships and infill strategies have helped Livermore make progress; Branning noted a teacher working alone could still qualify as "moderate income" under current definitions and emphasized the financial difficulty of producing low‑income units without external funding.
Vice Mayor Branning moved, Councilmember Wong seconded, and the council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution accepting the 2024 Housing Element annual progress report and authorize staff to submit the report to the state.
