Housing Element Update

Housing Element Update

The Housing Element Update will serve as the City of Berkeley’s housing plan for the next 8 years (2023-2031). It is an important opportunity for Berkeley’s residents and community members to come together on assessing housing needs, identifying policy and resource priorities, and finding solutions to implement a wide range of housing choices. The plan contains goals, policies, and programs that will guide the City’s decision-making around the development and rehabilitation of housing.

The Housing Element serves as a comprehensive document for everyone in the Berkeley community. Racial and social equity, and protections for vulnerable and historically impacted communities, are key factors in this update to the City’s housing plan. 

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PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Housing Element is mandated by State law to be updated every eight years and certified by California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Each jurisdiction in California receives a target number of homes to plan for called the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA. On December 16, 2021, Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board conducted a public hearing and adopted the Final RHNA Plan. The total Regional Housing Needs Determination (RHND) for the Bay Area in the 2023-2031 period is 441,176 units. Berkeley’s RHNA for the 2023-2031 period is 8,934 residential units.

• Berkeley’s RHNA for the 2015-2023 period is 2,959 residential units.
• Berkeley’s RHNA for the 2023-2031 period is 8,934 residential units.
• The total Regional Housing Needs Determination (RHND) for the Bay Area in the 2023-2031 period is 441,176 units.

An essential component of the Housing Element is to identify sufficient sites that can accommodate future housing needs across income levels. The Housing Element must also develop various approaches in order to meet those needs, such as zoning updates or new affordable housing requirements and programs.

PROJECT TIMELINE

State law requires that all jurisdictions in the Bay Area update their Housing Element for the 2023-2031 planning period by January 2023. In order to meet the State’s deadline, below is the planning process and timeline for each phase. Public outreach is a core component of the Housing Element Update and will inform the planning process throughout this 18-month effort.

• June-December 2021: Analysis and Assessment
• August 2021-April 2022: Sites and Opportunities
• November 2021-May 2022: Goals and Policies
• June-October 2022: Draft Housing Element and Review
• November 2021-December 2022: Environmental Review
• December 2022-March 2023: Adoption of Final Draft

This is a general timeline and actual timing may change.

RESOURCES

Project Documents

• Residential Walking Tours Summary Report
• Public Workshop #1 Summary Report
• City-wide Survey Summary Results & Appendix
• Housing Element EIR Notice of Preparation (NOP) – Public Scoping Period for the Housing Element Update EIR – Fri, 1/21/2022 to Mon, 2/21/2022

Annual Progress Reports (APR)

• Housing Element APR 2021
• Housing Element APR 2020
• Housing Element APR 2019
• Housing Element APR 2018
• Housing Element APR 2017
• Housing Element APR 2016
• Housing Element APR 2015

Other Documents

• 2015-2023 Housing Element, Adopted April 28, 2015
• 2015-2023 Housing Element, Negative Declaration with Initial Study and Notice of Intent to Adopt

Other Resources

• Berkeley General Plan
• HCD Housing Element Overview
• ABAG Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)
• City of Berkeley Residential Objective Standards

Online Maps

• City of Berkeley Community GIS Portal. Includes Zoning and Parcel Conditions.
• City of Berkeley Building & Planning Permits
• City of Berkeley 2019 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
• HCD Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Data Viewer.
• HCD 5th Cycle SB 35 Determination.
• MTC Race and Ethnicity by Census Block.
• Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America (University of Richmond, Virginia Tech, University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University)