Planning Commission reviews 2025 General Plan and housing APR; staff to forward reports to state
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Summary
On Feb. 18 the commission received the 2025 General Plan and Housing Element annual progress report. Staff reported the city permitted 411 dwelling units in 2025, current RHNA allocation is 5,120 units for the sixth cycle, and recommended sending the APR to HCD and the governor’s LCI office by the April 1 statutory deadline.
The City of Lincoln Planning Commission on Feb. 18 received staff’s 2025 General Plan and Housing Element annual progress report and voted to recommend that city council accept the reports and authorize staff to file them with the governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
Efren Sanchez, senior planner with the community development department, reviewed the APR and described it as a monitoring tool for the general plan’s implementation measures. Sanchez reported the city permitted 411 dwelling units in 2025 and that the city’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for the current sixth cycle (5/15/2021–5/15/2029) is 5,120 units; staff counted 2,886 units already produced toward that goal, leaving a remaining balance of 2,287 units to be accommodated by May 2029.
Sanchez said the general plan contains 109 implementation measures across seven elements; staff classified 16% as complete, 65% in progress and 19% not started. He identified downtown planning and a general plan amendment to raise high‑density residential (HDR) limits as among near‑term priorities; staff also flagged airport hangar construction and potential commercial development on acres adjacent to the airport.
Why it matters: APRs are required under state law and must be submitted to HCD and LCI by April 1. Sanchez emphasized that RHNA numbers are planning targets rather than direct build quotas, but warned that failure to maintain a compliant housing element can trigger consequences including reduced local control and reduced eligibility for certain state programs.
Action: The commission moved to determine the APRs were not a project under CEQA, to receive and file the reports, and to recommend the city council authorize staff to send the APRs to HCD and LCI. The commission approved that recommendation and will forward the reports to council for formal acceptance at the March 10, 2026 meeting.
Quoted: "The city of Lincoln's general plan has a total of 109 implementation measures across all seven elements," Efren Sanchez said while summarizing the APR. He also summarized permit counts and RHNA figures for the commission’s record.
Next steps: Staff will present the APRs to city council on March 10, 2026 and will file the reports with state agencies by the April 1 statutory deadline.