2023 - 2031 Draft Housing Element

Today, August 2, 2023, the 2023-31 Draft Housing Element is being released for public review. The Draft Housing Element is a comprehensive update to the Housing Element of the General Plan, undertaken to accommodate the City’s share of the regional housing need and address new State law. The Housing Element is an integrated part of the General Plan, published under separate cover. It is an eight-year plan that is updated more frequently than other General Plan elements to ensure its relevancy and accuracy.

Amid the ongoing housing shortage in California, Monterey is required by law to plan for 3,654 new housing units over the next 8 years. As a community with few vacant lots, steep topography, airport safety zones, and significant areas of flood, wildfire, and liquefaction risk, accommodating new housing will require a thoughtful approach that integrates new homes to serve local needs while preserving the unique and historic sense of place so important to our community.

Public Review Period for the Draft Housing Element: August, 2, 2023 - September 4, 2023. Public review comments on the Draft Housing Element can be sent to: City of Monterey, Planning Division, 580 Pacific Street, Monterey, CA 93940 or emailed to Christy Sabdo, Associate Planner: sabdo@monterey.org

2023 - 2031 DRAFT HOUSING ELEMENT

The Housing Element consists of the following major components organized as described below:

Chapter 1 – Introduction (Spanish version): An introduction to the purpose of the document and the legal requirements for a Housing Element, together with an overview of the community and the community involvement process.

Chapter 2 – Community Profile: Documents population characteristics, housing characteristics, and current development trends to inform the current housing state of Monterey and to identify community needs.

Chapter 3 – Adequate Sites for Housing: An inventory of adequate sites suitable for construction of new housing sufficient to meet needs at all economic levels.

Chapter 4 – Housing Action Plan (Spanish version): Articulates housing goals, policies, and programs to address the City’s identified housing needs, including those of special needs groups and the findings of an analysis of fair housing issues in the community. This Housing Element identifies a foundational framework of five overarching goals to comprehensively address the housing needs of Monterey residents and workers.

Appendix A – Sites Inventory: Summarizes the City’s ability to accommodate the RHNA on available land, and the selection of sites that advance Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) federal law requirements.

Appendix B – Housing Needs Assessment: Presents community demographic information, including both population and household data, to identify Monterey’s housing needs.

Appendix C – Constraints Analysis: Includes an analysis of constraints to housing production and maintenance in Monterey. Constraints include potential market, governmental, and environmental limitations to meeting the City’s identified housing needs. In addition, an assessment of impediments to fair housing is included, with a fuller analysis of actions needed to comply with AFFH is included in a separate appendix.

Appendix D – Fair Housing Assessment (Spanish version): Identifies fair housing issues and solutions to meet Monterey’s AFFH mandate.

Appendix E – Fifth Cycle Accomplishments: Summarizes the City’s achievements in implementing goals, policies, and actions under the previous Housing Element.

Appendix F – Additional Analysis and Information in Support of Housing Projections: Includes additional details to demonstrate the viability of sites included on the inventory of housing sites and the projections for housing development during the 2023-31 period, as well as a letter of intent from the Monterey Peninsula School District.

Appendix G – Outreach Materials: Includes outreach materials, summaries, and a description of how community and stakeholder input has been reflected in the Housing Element.

2023 - 2031 Draft Housing Element (complete document)