City of Berkeley 2023-2031 Housing Element Update

City of Berkeley 2023-2031 Housing Element Update

The proposed project consists of a comprehensive update to the Housing Element and related edits to the City’s General Plan Land Use Element and Berkeley Municipal Code. The Housing Element is one of the seven state-mandated elements of the local General Plan and is required to be updated every eight years. The City of Berkeley is preparing the 2023-2031 Housing Element Update to comply with the legal mandate that requires each local government to identify adequate sites for housing to meet the existing and projected housing needs for varying income-levels in the community. It is intended to provide the city with a comprehensive strategy for promoting the production of safe, decent and affordable housing, and affirmatively furthering fair housing during the housing cycle. The Housing Element Update establishes goals, policies, and actions to address the existing and projected housing needs in Berkeley. The goals, policies, and actions in the Housing Element are required to meet Berkeley’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation. Berkeley’s latest RHNA allocation calls for 8,934 new housing units, including 3,854 new units for residents in the low- and very low-income categories. The City must demonstrate to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) that the City’s Housing Element has adequate land capacity and implementing policies to accommodate its RHNA allocation. In addition, HCD recommends that cities identify a “buffer” of 15% to 30% above RHNA for lower- and moderate-income categories. Thus, overall, the City’s zoning and other land use regulations must accommodate between approximately 9,750 and 10,500 new units. To identify the housing sites to be included in the Housing Element, the City will identify suitable and available housing sites and their capacity, screen for vacant and underutilized parcels, evaluate and analyze sites, and calculate potential buildout. In conjunction with the Housing Element Update, the City anticipates amendments to the General Plan including revising the Land Use Element to maintain consistency with the updated Housing Element. The Land Use Element revisions are to ensure consistency among all General Plan Elements upon implementation of the updated Housing Element.

Berkeley

Alameda

Citywide, Countywide, Northern California, San Francisco Bay Area

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Coastal Commission (CCC), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bay Delta Region 3 (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Habitat Conservation Planning (CDFW), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marin Region 7 (CDFW), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), California Department of Transportation, District 4 (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Energy Commission, California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region 2 (RWQCB), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Office of Historic Preservation, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Rights, California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)

California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)

Other (General Plan Element Update )

General Plan Update, Rezone

Aesthetics, Agriculture and Forestry Resources, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Drainage/Absorption, Energy, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Growth Inducement, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Hydrology/Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Mineral Resources, Noise, Population/Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Schools/Universities, Sewer Capacity, Solid Waste, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities/Service Systems, Vegetation, Wetland/Riparian, Wildfire