Housing and Safety Element Update

Housing Element and Safety Element

The Housing Element is one of seven mandatory elements of the City’s General Plan and sets forth the policies and programs to address the housing needs of all households in Union City. It is the City's principal guide for how to meet the future housing needs and priorities of everyone in the community. The Housing Element's purpose is to ensure there are enough sites for safe, accessible, and diverse housing throughout the city. The sixth cycle Housing Element was adopted on May 23, 2023 for the 2023 to 2031 planning period.

The Safety Element, also a mandatory element of the General Plan, is intended to reduce the potential short-term and long-term risk of death, injuries, property damage, and displacement resulting from fires, floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, climate change, and other hazards. The Safety Element was updated concurrently with the Housing Element to comply with recent state laws which require a climate change vulnerability assessment and integration of climate adaptation and resiliency strategies into the safety element.

2023-2031 Housing Element and Safety Element

The City Council adopted the Housing Element and Safety Element Update at its May 23, 2023 meeting. Adoption of the General Plan Amendment for the Housing and Safety Element Update was recommended for approval by the Planning Commission on April 20, 2023.

The 2023-2031 Housing Element was certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on May 30, 2023. Links to the certified Housing Element and Adopted Safety Element Update are included below:

Meeting agendas

HCD Adoption Correspondence

Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element

The final draft Housing Element will be considered by the City Council on May 23, 2023.

On May 9, 2023 the City released an Errata (linked below) for a seven day review period. The Errata includes revisions to the Draft Housing Element since the April, 2023 draft. The Final Draft Housing Element will be considered by the City Council on May 23, 2023.

Errata to Second Revised HCD Review Draft Housing Element - May, 2023

On March 10, 2023, the City received a second comment letter from HCD on the Draft Housing Element. The City reviewed these comments and updated the Draft Housing Element in response. The Second Revised HCD Review Draft Housing Element can be accessed via the link listed below. A response letter, which details how the Housing Element was updated in response to the feedback received from HCD is also linked below.

On October 26, 2022, the City received a comment letter from HCD on the Draft Housing Element. The City reviewed these comments and updated the Draft Housing Element in response. The Revised HCD Review Draft Housing Element, can be accessed via the link listed below. In addition, see below for a link to a response, which details how the Housing Element was updated in response to the feedback received from HCD.

The City submitted a Draft Housing Element to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on July 28, 2022, which can be accessed via the links below:

Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element Related Amendments

On November 8, 2022, the City Council updated the General Plan, the Zoning Map, and the Zoning Ordinance for consistency with the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element. A second reading and adoption of the Ordinances for the Zoning related updates was conducted on November 22, 2022. See below for links to the staff report and attachments for these two items.

Draft Safety Element Update

The Draft 2023 Safety Element Update is linked below:

Draft Safety Element update (April, 2023)

Give Us Your Feedback

Please submit public comments in writing to the project manager, Coleman Frick, via email at colemanf@unioncity.org or by telephone at (510)675-5426 or Francisco Gomez Jr., via email at franciscog@unioncity.org or by telephone at (510)675-5322. Your comment will help us revise the draft. You may submit comments through the HCD review process.

Background

The City’s current 2015-2023 Housing Element was adopted in January 2015 and covers the January 1, 2015, through January 23, 2023 planning period. The State requires that a housing element be updated every eight years and must be reviewed and certified by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). This update provides the opportunity to evaluate the previous element and determine which policies and programs have been effective and which need to be improved.

Overview

State law does not require that jurisdictions build or finance new housing, but they must plan for it by identifying sufficient sites, analyzing and addressing housing development constraints, and identifying programs and policies that will address the community’s needs.

The Housing Element is how local governments make decisions about where safe, accessible, and diverse housing could be developed to offer a mix of housing opportunities for a variety of household incomes. Further, the Housing Element must identify how the City will meet its share of the regional housing need. The State determines each city's Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) based on growth and demographic trends. Union City’s RHNA for 2023 to 2031 is 2,728 new housing units, and 1,358 of those units must be affordable to low- and very low- income households. The Housing Element will provide a strategy to meet this housing need.

The Housing Element will include the following topics:

• Housing Needs Assessment: An overview of demographic trends and housing needs

• Constraints Analysis: A summary of barriers to housing production

• Sites Inventory: A review of land that is suitable for new residential development

• Fair Housing Assessment: An analysis of the City’s fair housing practices and strategy to affirmatively further fair housing (AFFH)

• Housing Opportunities: An overview of existing resources that can help build housing

• Housing Plan: The policies and programs that will help us meet our goals

Jurisdictions can face a number of consequences for not having a certified Housing Element. If a city does not comply with State housing law, it can be sued – by individuals, developers, third parties or the State. In addition to facing significant fines, a court may limit local land use decision-making authority until the jurisdiction brings its Housing Element into compliance, and local governments may lose the right to deny certain projects. Conversely, having a certified Housing Element makes cities eligible for numerous sources of grant and affordable housing funding. For more information on the Housing Element, see the Housing Element Update Frequently Asked Questions.

Click here to read the Housing Element Update Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Get Involved

The City hosted a variety of community engagement events for the Housing Element Update beginning in February 2022. Thank you to everyone who attended our virtual workshops, stopped by our booth at the farmer's Market, or participated in our online survey. Workshop materials are provided below.

Video and Presentation links for Virtual Workshops:

Virtual Workshop Feb 24

Feb. 24th Powerpoint Presentation

Feb. 24th Video Presentation

Virtual Workshop Feb 28

Feb. 28th Powerpoint Presentation -English/Spanish (English)

Feb. 28th Powerpoint Presentation -English/Spanish (Spanish)

YouTube Video YouTube Video Feb. 28th Video Presentation (English)

YouTube Video YouTube Video Feb. 28th Video Presentation (Spanish)

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Please sign up to receive updates on the Housing Element and other announcements, materials, and study session packets related to the Housing Element. See link below for a guide to sign up for the City's newsletter.

-How to sign up for Union City Newsletter

Project Schedule

The Housing Element update process began in July 2021 and will continue throughout 2022. Community engagement will begin in early 2022, with a Public Review Draft anticipated in Spring 2022. After public review, revisions will be made to the Housing Element to prepare and submit for review by HCD in Summer 2022. The Final Housing Element is anticipated to be brought forward for adoption by the City Council along with the Final CEQA document before the State-mandated deadline of January 31, 2023.

Please check back here often for updates on the schedule.