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Alameda planning board accepts housing-element progress report, urges steps to unblock shovel-ready projects
Summary
The City of Alameda Planning Board accepted the 2024 General Plan and housing element annual progress report with clarifying edits and asked staff to expand Program 22 discussion on actions the city could take to accelerate housing production. Board members pressed staff on falling permit counts, Alameda Point'Site A force-majeure status and the timeline for key projects including the Foundry.
The City of Alameda Planning Board on Monday voted to accept the 2024 General Plan and housing element annual progress report, asking staff to correct several table legends and clarify counts before the report goes to the City Council and is submitted to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
Staff presenter Christian Swear said the report documents project- and program-level progress in the city's eight-year housing cycle and showed a marked drop in building permits: the report lists 243 permits in 2024 but just 65 permits in the most recent reporting year, a fall Swear attributed to broader market conditions and the lag between permits issued and units finaled. "Because of the timing between application, permits and finaling, a one-year comparison can be misleading," Swear said, adding that 243 permits issued in 2024 led to 234 units finaled in 2025.
Why it matters: The housing element and its annual progress report track Alameda's compliance with its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) obligations and guide state reporting to HCD. Board members said the decline in issued permits underscores an urgent need to consider policy and financing tools to convert approved projects into built housing.
Key questions and staff responses
Board member Ruiz pressed staff to clarify unit counts for the North housing project (identified in the report as 82 units at 30% AMI and 25 at 40% AMI), noting manager's units and how those figures will appear when the report goes to council. Swear agreed to add clarifying notes and…
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