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Alameda planning board accepts 2025 annual reports but delays full housing‑element sign‑off
Summary
The Alameda Planning Board accepted consolidated 2025 annual reports for planning, transportation and climate work on Feb. 23, 2026, but removed the general plan and housing element from the acceptance until staff completes outstanding materials and returns the items for separate review.
The Alameda Planning Board on Feb. 23 accepted the city’s 2025 annual reports on its general plan, transportation and climate programs but removed “general plan and housing element” from the formal acceptance until the housing‑element documentation is complete.
Planning Services Manager Steve Buckley told the board the department processed more than 4,500 permits and performed roughly 30,000 inspections in 2025, and said the state‑assigned housing need (RHNA) for Alameda is 5,353 units over an eight‑year period. Buckley said the city is not yet meeting that target and that some large developments were counted in previous cycles, which complicates year‑to‑year tallies.
“RHNA was assigned to us at 5,353 units over an eight‑year period. We’re not quite halfway through that period,” Buckley said, adding staff is pursuing zoning and code changes to make it easier to accommodate housing production.
Why it matters: board members said the annual reports show progress on transportation and climate milestones — including 1.5 miles of new all‑ages bikeways, curb‑ramp upgrades, and steps on shoreline adaptation — but they also said the housing numbers remain a pressing concern. Danielle Mueller, the city’s sustainability and resilience manager, reported the city is on track for some greenhouse‑gas reduction goals and noted new work on shoreline plans triggered by state law.
Public comment framed the housing shortfall as urgent. Mitchell Ball, who addressed the board during the public‑comment period, called 2025 “an objectively disastrous situation” for housing production and urged the city to consider temporary or targeted impact‑fee discounts to make projects financially feasible.
Board action: Board member Luis moved to accept the consolidated annual reports with the amendment that removed the general plan and housing element language from the acceptance; the motion passed. Staff told the board the housing‑element materials will be brought back as soon as they are complete for full review.
Next steps: Staff will return with the completed general plan/housing element materials for a separate acceptance vote and will continue work on zoning code updates and outreach aimed at advancing projects that are stalled in entitlement or financing.
