Benicia council votes to submit pro-housing designation application to state HCD

Benicia’s City Council unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing staff to submit a pro-housing designation application to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Development Services Director Suzanne Thorsen introduced Planning Manager Jason Haid, who described application components and the program’s purpose: documenting local policy commitments that reduce barriers to housing and improving competitive access to state funding for affordable housing and certain transportation programs.

Haid told the council the application contains five appendices — the resolution, schedule of policies to implement, a scoring sheet, enhancement examples and supporting documents — and requires a certified housing element and public outreach. “This program is operated by HCD and it's really to document the city's commitment to implementing local policies that remove obstacles to new housing,” Haid said. He said the designation strengthens grant and tax-credit competitiveness for affordable developers and could marginally increase staff workload while enabling greater access to funding.

Council members asked about local control and whether the designation would compel changes to development standards. Staff said it would not remove local control or automatically change development standards; policies listed in the application are aligned with the city's certified housing element. The council directed staff to submit the application; HCD will review it under a roughly 60-day process and may provide feedback to finalize the designation.