Housing Element Update

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The City has reached a major milestone in the preparation of the 2023-2031 Housing Element! On December 20, 2023, the City Council adopted the 2023 - 2031 Housing Element and directed staff to submit it to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (“HCD”) for certification.

On April 3, 2024, the City Council adopted a Revised and Restated Resolution No. 145-23 to clarify the City’s previous action taken on December 20, 2023 and make specific findings that address nonvacant sites zoned to allow nonresidential uses. The City submitted the Revised Adopted 2023-2031 Housing Element to HCD for certification. HCD review of any subsequent revisions to the Housing Element will take up to 60 days.

Background

The City is in the process of updating the Housing Element of the City’s General Plan to meet the future housing needs of Martinez for the 2023 through 2031 planning period. Under State law, every city and county in California is required to update its Housing Element to address specific requirements and submit the element to the (HCD) for certification.

The Housing Element serves as Martinez’s blueprint for meeting the housing needs of our residents, at all economic levels and addressing segments of the population with special housing needs. The Housing Element will include:

Assessment of the unique characteristics of Martinez’s population and households
Inventory of sites suitable for residential development
Assessment of financial and programmatic resources
Analysis of constraints to housing production
Affirmatively furthering fair housing analysis
Comprehensive set of goals, policies, and programs to address current and projected housing needs

Regional Housing Needs Allocation

HCD determines the Regional Housing Needs Determination (RHND) for the nine-county Bay Area. The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) is tasked with creating a methodology for distributing the RHND across Bay Area jurisdictions. The RHND for the Bay Area is 441,176 units.

Distribution of the RHND results in each jurisdiction’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (also referred to as RHNA), which is the total number of housing units by income category (i.e., very low-, low-, moderate-, and above moderate-income), that the jurisdiction must plan for in the new Housing Element.

On December 16, 2021, the ABAG Executive Board allocated 1,345 units of housing to the City of Martinez. The table below shows the final distribution of housing units to Martinez by income category:

FINAL RHNA
Very Low Income	Low Income	Moderate Income	Above Moderate Income	Total Units
350	201	221	573	1,345

Each local government in the Bay Area, including the City of Martinez, must now update the Housing Element of its General Plan to demonstrate how it can accommodate its RHNA.

Public Participation

Sign up for our email list to get notified of all involvement opportunities. To be added to the Stakeholders and Interested Parties List, please send an email to Administrative Aide III Dee Dee Fendley: Email Us

Throughout the Housing Element Update process, we will continue to invite the community to provide input regarding housing priorities and challenges, and possible programs and opportunities to encourage new housing. Participation from our residents, stakeholders, and other interested parties is vital to ensure that our community’s values are identified and articulated in the Housing Element and that the City’s approach provides the best fit for our community’s goals, values, and priorities.

To promote these engagement opportunities, the City will provide notifications through the City’s social media accounts, website, push notifications, email, in-person and targeted invitations, announcements at City meetings, and newsletters.

Your feedback is essential to help steer the goals, policies, and programs for the planning period.

Meetings

Joint City Council/Planning Commission Study Session - (10/12/2022)