Bakersfield planning commission receives 2025 housing‑element progress report; city at 12.7% of RHNA target

The Bakersfield Planning Commission on April 16 received and filed the City’s 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report, which credits the city with permitting 2,125 dwelling units last year but notes shortfalls against state RHNA goals.

Associate Planner Luis Ramirez told commissioners the Annual Progress Report (APR) is a state‑required tool that tracks implementation of the housing element and the city’s progress toward its Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA. "The APR is a key tool required by the State of California that tracks a jurisdiction's progress in implementing its housing element," Ramirez said.

Ramirez said the sixth‑cycle RHNA for Bakersfield covers 2024–2032 with an assigned allocation of 37,461 dwelling units. In 2025 the city permitted 2,125 units — about 12.7% of the RHNA target to date — including 43 units for extremely low‑income households and 96 for very low‑income households. Ramirez said the city would need to permit roughly 5,449 units per year to meet the RHNA pace.

The report, Ramirez said, lists 109 program actions to implement the housing element, and staff highlighted several approaches for the coming year: zoning ordinance changes (scheduled for City Council consideration), partnering with a community land trust to transfer and develop lots for affordable ownership, and leveraging a mix of general fund dollars, ARPA and other state and federal sources to support affordable rental production and home‑repair programs.

Ramirez pointed to recent and ongoing projects as examples: the Renaissance at Baker's (85 units, 42 extremely low‑income), Haley Street Apartments (40 very low‑income units), the Letzring senior housing project (about 150 affordable senior units under construction), Auburn Vista Apartments (60 units, including units for farmworkers), and the CityView townhome project aimed at low‑ and moderate‑income homeownership.

A commissioner asked for a brief explanation of the city’s emphasis on affordable housing strategies for the coming year. Ramirez said many of the 109 actions are in early implementation stages and emphasized zoning changes and land trust procurement as near‑term tactics.

After the presentation the commission voted to receive and file the APR. The clerk recorded the motion as passing with Chair Strickland absent. Earlier in the meeting commissioners approved consent items; one commissioner declared a conflict of interest and abstained from voting on item 5D.

The commission was advised that at its next meeting on May 7 members will select a new chair and vice chair. The meeting adjourned at 5:47 p.m.