California State law requires that local jurisdictions update the Housing Element every eight years. These frequent updates are required because housing is critical to ensure economic prosperity and quality of life in our region. This Housing Element update is an opportunity to evaluate the previous element and determine which parts have been effective and which should be improved. It also provides an opportunity for residents to get involved and help determine housing priorities, thereby helping to ensure that the City is responding to residents’ changing needs.

The updated Housing Element must be adopted by the Walnut Creek City Council and submitted to the State Department of Housing and Community Development no later than January 31, 2023, or Walnut Creek could lose eligibility for significant sources of funding currently provided by the State and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), including critical infrastructure and transportation funds.

The Housing Element sets goals, objectives, policies, and programs that direct decision-making around housing. When a new housing program, project, or idea is considered, the Housing Element provides guidance for decision makers to evaluate the proposal.

 Every eight years, each region in California receives a target number of homes to plan for from the State. This is called the Regional Housing Needs Allocation or RHNA. Walnut Creek is located in the region administered by the Association of Bay Area Governments or ABAG. ABAG takes the number of housing units it receives from the State and divides it among the jurisdictions in its nine-county area, including Walnut Creek. To comply with State law, the City’s Housing Element must be updated to ensure the City’s policies and programs can accommodate its share of the estimated housing growth identified by the State. For the current Housing Element update, the City’s share of the RHNA is 5,805 units, split among different income levels (based on Area Median Income, or AMI) as shown in the side table. For more information about RHNA, please visit the ABAG website.

State law does not require jurisdictions to build or finance new housing, but they must plan for it. Through the Housing Element update process, the City must show that it has the regulations and land use policies to accommodate its housing needs. The actual development of housing is primarily done by the private market.

The Housing Element is required to demonstrate potential sites where housing can be accommodated. Identification of a site’s capacity does not guarantee that construction will occur on that site. If there are insufficient sites and capacity to meet the RHNA allocation, then the Housing Element is required to identify a rezoning program to create the required capacity.

It is important to note that if the City does not identify capacity for its RHNA targets, the City may be deemed out of compliance and risk losing important sources of funding currently provided by the State. It may also lose the right to deny certain projects and be limited in its local land use decision-making authority.

The updated Housing Element must be adopted by the Walnut Creek City Council and submitted to the State for certification no later than January 31, 2023. Study sessions to discuss the update were held with the City Council’s Housing & Community Development Committee (HCD) on January 31, 2022, Planning Commission on February 10, 2022, and City Council on February 15, 2022.  The next set of meetings are virtual public workshops scheduled for 6 PM on March 21 and April 20, 2022. Additional information and meeting notices will be posted to the Housing Element Update webpage (www.walnut-creek.org/HEU) and sent via email throughout the update process.