County accepts 2025 General Plan and housing-element annual report, cites strong housing permit activity

Aaron Bach, assistant director of the county Resource Management Agency, presented the Tulare County 2025 annual General Plan and housing-element review during the March 17 meeting and asked the board to accept the report required by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

Bach highlighted two general-plan amendments during the year including a housing-element amendment and initiation of a community-plan update. He reported significant grant awards linked to the county's certified housing element and pro-housing designation, including a $22 million award for the Matheni tract and a $6.218 million submittal for the Lone Oak/Souls tract. As a measure of production and activity, he said the county permitted 396 housing units in the reporting year and had 514 proposed units in the pipeline, noting a high number of ministerial permits and 30 discretionary housing applications.

Staff told the board the county had implemented 57 housing-element programs and that grant-funded projects included transitional-living center funding and PLHA awards for nearby cities. Bach also summarized developer agreements and community-facilities district receipts, citing a $238,000 collection for maintenance in Kingsburg.

After public testimony was called and none was offered, Supervisor McCari moved to accept the annual report and Supervisor Townsen seconded; the board approved the report by a 5-0 vote.

The acceptance starts the record for HCD reporting and signals continued county eligibility for competitive housing and infrastructure grants tied to an active housing element.