Housing Element

2023-2031 Housing Element Update

The Housing Element ensures that there is adequate land in place to accommodate Pleasant Hills’ fair share of new residents. The City adopted the existing Housing Element in 2016 for the planning period of 2015-2023. The 2023-2031 Housing element will identify and address housing needs through 2031 and will include significant updates for compliance with State housing law.

HCD Comment Letter on the Draft Housing Element Update

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) completed it's 90-day review of the Draft Housing Element on March 23, 2023.

Click the link to download HCD's formal comment letter on the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element Update.

HCD Review Draft Housing Element

The HCD Review Draft Housing Element was sent to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review on December 24, 2022. HCD has 90-day to review the document and provide comments to the City.

The Draft Housing Element consists of two parts. The Policy Document and the Needs Assessment.

The Policy Document states goals, policies, implementing programs, and quantified objectives for the development, rehabilitation, and preservation of housing.

Download the Policy Document

The Needs Assessment identifies and analyzes existing and projected housing needs to inform policy development. Within this document, the Resources section provides a list of sites for housing development that are adequate to accommodate the City’s regional housing needs allocation.

Download the Needs Assessment

Click the button below to download a summary of revisions made to the Draft Housing Element based on comments received during the public review period, held from November 9, 2022 to December 9, 2022.

Download a Summary of Comments and Responses

Public Review Draft Housing Element

Click the button below to download the Public Review Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element. Comments were taken on the Draft from November 9, 2022 to December 9, 2022.

Click Here to Download the Draft Housing Element

Newsletter #3: Public Review Draft Housing Element

Click the button below to download a newsletter describing the Draft Housing Element and next steps in the Update process.

Click here to download the newsletter

The Draft Housing Element consists of two parts. The Policy Document and the Needs Assessment.

The Policy Document states goals, policies, implementing programs, and quantified objectives for the development, rehabilitation, and preservation of housing.

Download the Draft to read more!

Next Steps

January-March 2022 | HCD 90-Day Review

The Public Review Draft Housing Element will be submitted to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for initial 90-day review. Following the 90-day review period, HCD will issue a comment letter outlining any additional required revisions.

May 2023 | Final Documents and Adoption Hearings

The City will revise the Public Review Draft and prepare the Final Housing Element Needs Assessment and Policy Document. The City will hold public hearings with the Planning Commission and City Council to discuss the revisions to the Housing Element and consider the document for adoption.

Housing Element Fact Sheet

Learn more about the Housing Element and why the City is updating the Housing Element through this informational fact sheet originally distributed at the October 27, 2021 Townhall.

Read the Fact Sheet

Housing Element Townhall

On October 27th, 2021, Mayor Noack and Councilmember Carlson held a Townhall meeting to discuss the Housing Element Update, the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), and the incentives for Housing Element compliance. The virtual meeting included an introductory presentation followed by public questions and comments.

Watch a Video of the Event

View the PowerPoint

Housing Element Workshop

On July 14, 2021, The City of Pleasant Hill held a virtual (tele/video) community workshop on the 6th Cycle Housing Element.

The Housing Element Workshop focused specifically on the intersection of the Housing Element and the 2040 General Plan, related to the evaluation of potential sites for housing to satisfy the City's Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). This was a follow-up to a series of General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) meetings held in May and June of 2021. The GPAC sessions included a robust discussion of where the most appropriate locations are for new housing within the community. A recommended buildout of potential housing sites was presented as part of the workshop, and the meeting concluded with a live question and answer (Q&A) session with City staff and the City’s General Plan consultant, Mintier Harnish.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is a Housing Element?

The City is currently working on an update to its Housing Element for the 2023-2030 planning period. The purpose of the housing element is to identify and analyze existing and projected housing needs in order to preserve, improve, and develop housing for all economic segments of the community. The Housing Element consists of two parts: a Background Report and Policy Document. The Background Report identifies the nature and extent of housing needs in the city, analyzes constraints to housing, and provides an inventory of sites available for residential use. The Background Report provides the basis for the City’s response to those needs in the Policy Document. The Policy Document includes goals, policies, and programs that will guide the City’s housing efforts through 2030.

What is included in the Housing Element?

Housing Elements are typically organized into the following parts:

Housing Needs Analysis
Analysis of Constraints to Housing Production
Inventory of Sites Suitable for Residential Development
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Analysis
Policy and Implementation Program

Why update the Housing Element?

Since 1969, California has required that all cities and counties plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in the community. California’s local governments meet this requirement by adopting housing elements as part of their “general plan” (also required by the State). General plans serve as the local government’s "blueprint" for how the city and/or county will grow and develop and include eight required elements: land use, transportation, conservation, noise, open space, safety, environmental justice, and housing (a ninth element, air quality, is required for cities and counties in the San Joaquin Valley). The law mandating that housing be included as an element of each jurisdiction’s general plan is known as “housing element law.”

California’s housing element law acknowledges that, for the private market to adequately address the housing needs and demand of Californians, local governments must adopt plans and regulatory systems that provide opportunities for (and do not unduly constrain) housing development. As a result, housing policy in California rests largely upon the effective implementation of local general plans and, in particular, local housing elements.

Who oversees the Housing Element process?

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) plays the critical role of reviewing every local government’s housing element to determine whether it complies with State law and then submits written findings back to each local government. HCD must certify the housing element before the City can adopt it as part of the General Plan.