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County staff report assigned RHNA target of 3,125 units; planners outline steps to meet goal
Summary
County planning staff told the commission the unincorporated parts of Santa Clara County were assigned a 3,125-unit RHNA target for the 2023 2031 cycle and described inventory sites, program responsibilities and next steps including ordinance updates and a mid-cycle review beginning next year.
Sami Gutierrez, principal planner with the Department of Planning and Development, told the Santa Clara County Planning Commission that the unincorporated county was assigned a RHNA (regional housing needs allocation) target of "3,125 housing units" for the 2023 2031 cycle. Gutierrez said jurisdictions must identify available sites and adopt programs in a certified housing element to receive streamlined permitting and, where applicable, CEQA coverage for qualifying projects.
"Since 1969, California has required every city, town, and county, to plan how for housing needs for all residents of all income levels," Gutierrez said, summarizing the statutory framework and ABAG's role in distributing regional numbers. She told commissioners the county's certified housing element (dated 02/05/2025) contains specific inventory sites—near Alum Rock, Hostetter, Parkmoor/Burbank, Valley Medical Center, and Stanford-area locations—and that the county now must implement 68 programs across multiple offices to meet the allocation.
Gutierrez outlined implementation responsibilities across agencies: 33 programs sit with the Office of Supportive Housing (OSH), 30 with Planning and Development, three with the County Executive's Office and two with Behavioral Health Services, ranging from zoning code streamlining to grant administration. She also described workstreams under development, including ADU and SB9 ordinance compliance, creation of objective multifamily design standards, and a mid-cycle housing element review planned to begin next year.
The presentation closed with staff offering to return to answer detailed procedural questions and with commissioners asking for more information about program delivery and how county-supported projects in other jurisdictions are tracked.
