2023 HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE                                        

The City of Gonzales's current Housing Element of the General Plan was approved in 2014 and outlines the City's housing goals from 2015 through 2023. The State of California requires that each jurisdiction's housing element be updated every eight (8) years and certified by the State Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD). The City is currently updating its Housing Element for the 2023-2031 period. A major component of this update is the 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment ("RHNA"), in which the State estimates each region's housing needs for all income groups.  

If you have specific questions or would like to be added to the contact list for the Housing Element Update, please email to Vivienda@ci.gonzales.ca.us  or Housing@ci.gonzales.ca.us

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT 

Relevant documents, public meeting notices and other resources will be posted here, please check back often.  Send us an email at Vivienda@ci.gonzales.ca.us  or Housing@ci.gonzales.ca.us so that we can add you to our mailing list for information and updates regarding the Housing Element Update. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

List upcoming events 

The initial Housing Element Update Study Session is scheduled for the March 13, 2023, Planning Commission meeting. This study session will provide an update on the RHNA allocation, the anticipated timeline for Housing Element preparation and adoption, and opportunities to become involved.  When available, meeting materials will be provided below.  Instructions regarding how members of the public may participate in this meeting and provide public comments can be found on the agendafor this meeting. 

Planning Commission Study Session – March 13,2023. Update on RHNA, Outreach, Timeline

What is the Housing Element? 

State law requires each jurisdiction to adopt a General Plan, which is a comprehensive, long-term plan for its physical development. General Plans include several "elements" that address various topics. The Gonzales General Plan includes the following elements:

While complete General Plans are often updated every 20-25 years, State law requires that the Housing Element be updated every 8 years. Housing Element planning periods are referred to as “cycles.” The City's current Housing Element covers the planning period extending from 2014 to 2022, which is referred to as the "5th Housing Element Cycle" in reference to the five required updates that have occurred since the comprehensive revision to State Housing Element law in 1980. All cities in the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments ("AMBAG") region are now required to prepare a Housing Element update for the 6th Housing Element cycle, which spans the 2023-2031 period. The AMBAG region includes all jurisdictions within the counties of Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz.

Check this page often for updates. Relevant documents, public meeting notices, and other resources will be posted here.

What is the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA)

The Regional Housing Needs Assessment ("RHNA") is a part of State housing element law that determines the projected and existing housing needs for each jurisdiction in the State.  In its Housing Element, the City must demonstrate to the State that there are no unnecessary barriers to the housing approval process in order to meet the RHNA allocation for the City.

In September 2022 AMBAG released its draft allocation of housing units for each jurisdiction in its region, which can be found here. The City has received a final allocation of 1266 new housing units for this upcoming planning period compared to 293 units in the last 8-year RHNA Cycle (5), representing more than a four-fold increase from the last planning cycle.

Additional information on RHNA can be found at Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) and at California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).