The San Ramon City Council is set to vote on approving a Housing Element update for the next eight-year cycle starting this year, with the threat of missing a fast-approaching deadline that could lead to reduced control over developments in the city and hefty fines looming over officials.
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The council’s special meeting on Monday comes the day before the Jan. 31 deadline for the city to adopt a Housing Element update for 2023 to 2031, or be subject to the penalties that come with failing to adopt a Housing Element. The upcoming special meeting will mark the third required public hearing at the council level, with city staff recommending that council members vote to approve the most recent draft at the conclusion of that evening’s discussion.
If approved by the council, the Housing Element update will then be reviewed by the state’s department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), which is the office responsible for identifying and overseeing fulfillment of the state’s additional housing needs.
Under methodology from the Association of Bay Area Governments, San Ramon’s next Housing Element is required to allow for the development of an additional 5,111 new units for a range of incomes in the current eight-year cycle.
The most recent Housing Element draft up for approval on Monday was made public during a seven-day review period from Dec. 21-27, with changes made in response to an Oct. 18 letter from — and subsequent discussions with — HCD officials. The focus of the latest changes included addressing the vulnerability of extremely low income residents and adding details about plans to incorporate San Ramon’s efforts into larger fair housing endeavors throughout the Bay Area.
