Lake County pursues state 'Prohousing' designation, eyes $750,000 in housing incentives

At a Lake County General Plan Advisory Committee meeting, county housing staff described pursuing the state’s Prohousing designation to improve the county’s competitiveness for housing grants and incentives. "If we're able to get that designation and application in at the end of the month," Deputy County Administrative Officer for Housing Lisa Jud said, "we have an opportunity to apply for $750,000."

The Prohousing designation is administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development and scores jurisdictions across four areas: favorable land use and zoning; acceleration of housing production; reduction of construction and development costs; and provision of financial subsidies. Jurisdictions must meet a threshold of 30 points to qualify; Jud said Lake County’s preliminary tally is about 56 points.

Why it matters: the designation can provide a competitive edge for state grants and incentive programs that local officials and housing advocates use to finance predevelopment, acquisition, and affordable rental projects. County staff said a successful award could be deposited into the Lake County Regional Housing Trust Fund, created December 2024, to support priorities identified by the community.

Jud emphasized the state process requires public participation. She described a short public survey (about five questions) available via flyer QR codes and links and said staff will email the materials to advisory members. Committee members asked for clarity about how the Prohousing application intersects with the ongoing general plan update; staff responded that the Prohousing application uses existing plans and implementation actions and does not replace the update process.

The committee and members of the public were offered a timeline: the Prohousing application is due at the end of the month (staff said March 31th during the meeting). Staff also noted program rules allow jurisdictions to add qualifying practices later, increasing points over time as plans or local programs change.

Next steps: county staff will circulate the flyer and survey links to GPAC members and the public and proceed with the Prohousing application on the stated deadline. The GPAC’s role is to review and provide comment during the public participation phase, and staff said they will post materials and summarize input on the county GPAC web page.