El Centro accepts General Plan annual report; staff flags 281-unit housing-site shortfall

The El Centro City Council accepted the city’s 2025 general plan annual progress report on March 16, receiving an update on housing production, zoning changes and work scheduled for the coming year.

Angel Hernandez of community development summarized that the regionally assigned RHNA for the 2021–2029 planning period is 3,442 units. He said the city has made substantial progress on lower‑income unit targets but now faces a shortfall driven in part by a 2025 court ruling affecting how certain overlay assumptions may be counted.

Hernandez said staff is evaluating candidate sites to cover an identified shortfall of roughly 281 units (the remaining half of a larger 562‑unit calculation under state procedures) and will pursue rezoning and outreach where appropriate. One candidate highlighted was a former state CLR facility that could reasonably accommodate a large portion of the shortfall, and staff will also contact other property owners with potentially developable parcels.

The report also recapped prior year zoning and code updates (including ready ADU plans and updated vending allowances) and noted an upcoming schedule to update the open‑space, conservation, safety and noise elements; staff expects to return to council with more formal proposals in 2026–2027.

Council accepted the report by motion and recorded vote 5-0.

Next steps: staff will continue outreach in targeted neighborhoods (including the Eldorado Colonia area), evaluate the CLR site and other parcels for rezoning potential and return with formal rezoning proposals later in the year.