The Future of Housing in
Our Community

City Council Adopts Housing Element Update

On March 14, 2023, following an 18-month long community engagement process, the City Council adopted the 2023-2031 Housing Element Update (“HEU”). Please see the links below for the adopted HEU. This document includes various new programs requested by the City Council on January 17 to address comments from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (“HCD”). Major new programs in the adopted HEU include the following:

• Adopt rent stabilization and just cause for eviction ordinances by December 2023 to help prevent further displacement of residential tenants and homelessness.
• Rezone properties in higher-income, predominantly white areas of Concord by December 2024 to provide capacity for at least 1,000 new units of lower-income housing. This program is intended to meet new state requirements for Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.
• Amend the Development Code by December 2024 to allow “tiny homes” and other types of affordable housing on properties owned by religious institutions.
• Allow multi-family housing projects “by right” (without a public hearing or appeal process) in all commercial and mixed-use zoning districts, provided that all objective design standards are met.
• Spend at least 20% of the Cannabis Community Benefit Fund on qualifying projects in the City’s low-resource areas, with priority given to areas of high racial/ethnic diversity and poverty.  Qualifying projects will include workforce development, small business assistance, improving quality of life and economic opportunity, and public improvements, and will be informed by a community outreach process to be conducted by July 2024.

On March 21, 2023, the adopted HEU was submitted to HCD to determine whether the HEU is in “substantial compliance” with state housing element law. On May 19, 2023, HCD provided a letter indicating additional revisions it believes are necessary for substantial compliance.  The project team has prepared amendments to the adopted HEU to address HCD’s comments (see link below).  On Wednesday, August 2, the Concord Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to consider these amendments and make a recommendation to the City Council (see notice below for further details), and on Tuesday, August 22, the City Council will hold a public hearing to consider adopting the amendments.  Public input on the proposed amendments is welcome and may be sent to info@concordhousingelement.org.  The staff reports for the above meetings will be posted at least 72 hours in advance at the following link: https://www.cityofconcord.org/AgendaCenter.