Downtown Precise Plan and Housing Element Update EIR

Downtown Precise Plan and Housing Element Update EIR

The City is updating its Housing Element to address its 6th Cycle RHNA and meet its projected housing demand. During the previous, 5th Cycle RHNA, the City was allocated 227 units that were accommodated in the 2015-2023 Housing Element. For the 6th RHNA Cycle, the City was allocated 1,359 dwelling units plus an approximately 25 percent buffer that would ensure “no net loss” if preferred sites are found not suitable for development during specific project approval. This results in approximately 1,700 total potential dwelling units under the 2023-2031 Housing Element. Depending on existing and future zoning on the identified Housing Opportunity Sites, potential densities and heights could increase. For example, on Housing Opportunity Sites 01 through 05, 07, and 08 (Figure 1), up to 20 du/ac are proposed, with up to 27-foot building heights. On the BART sites (labeled 09 and 010 in Figure 1), densities of up to 75 dwelling units per acre (du/ac) could occur, with up to 50-foot building heights possible. On the Caltrans Gateway site (011), 40 du/ac is proposed, with buildings up to 40 feet in height. The 2023-2031 Housing Element will discuss the feasibility of meeting the City’s RHNA by revitalizing the existing Housing Element goals, objectives, policies, and implementation actions to promote housing across a range of affordability, in accord with the latest State legislation. The planning horizon for the 2023-2031 Housing Element is the eight-year period from 2023 to 2031. Through the 2023-2031 Housing Element update process, the City will identify approximately 1,700 potential Housing Opportunity Sites on undeveloped and underutilized sites and determine parcels that can be rezoned to accommodate increased housing density to ensure the City will meet the RHNA allocation plus the no net loss provision (approximately 25 percent). The rezoning needed to meet the RHNA allocation would occur concurrently with the 2023-2031 Housing Element update and will be analyzed in the DPP and Housing Element Update EIR.

Orinda

Contra Costa

Northern California

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bay Delta Region 3 (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 Water Resources (DWR), 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), Department of Toxic Substances Control, Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Department of Transportation, District 4 (DOT)

California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Department of Transportation, District 4 (DOT)

Residential (RHNA Allocation)(Units 1700, Acres 12.87), Commercial (mix-use development in downtown area)(Sq. Ft. 300000, Acres 10, Employees 50)

General Plan Update, General Plan Amendment, General Plan Element, Specific Plan

Aesthetics, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Land Use/Planning, Mandatory Findings of Significance, Noise, Population/Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Schools/Universities, Sewer Capacity, Solid Waste, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities/Service Systems, Vegetation, Wetland/Riparian, Wildfire