City Council Selects Preliminary List of Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) 'Opportunity Sites'

At the June 20, 2023 Monterey City Council meeting, City Council reached an important milestone by providing direction to staff regarding a preliminary list of housing sites to include in the Draft Housing Element of the General Plan Update. The State mandated 3,654 new houses for the City of Monterey over the next eight years to accommodate the projected need. Referred to as “opportunity sites”, the preliminary housing locations will facilitate the production of the City’s regional share of housing. Staff will prepare the proposed list as they continue to work on the Draft Housing Element as part of the Monterey 2031 General Plan Update, along with the Land Use and Safety Elements, to respond to emerging issues and new State laws. The Draft Housing Element will continue to receive further review by the public and City Council.

City Manager Hans Uslar said, “We achieved a big step in the process at Tuesday night's Council meeting by designating locations for future housing in Monterey – an important milestone in the 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA).” (see full news release)

Community Survey Report Results

The Monterey 2031 Community Survey was conducted from March 1, 2023 to April 30, 2023 to provide residents, business owners, and people working or attending school in Monterey with an opportunity to share input that will inform strategies for the Monterey 2031 General Plan Update. The survey focused in particular on eight areas of Monterey with the greatest potential to accommodate new housing or other types of development over the next 10 years. The questions were designed to solicit feedback that will help plan where new housing, employment, and shopping should be located, and how to achieve other community objectives like improving transportation options, revitalizing older commercial streets, and preserving and enhancing neighborhood character. The survey was conducted in both English and Spanish. An online version of the survey was available via a link on the Have Your Say Monterey website, allowing people to access it on their own time from their laptop, smartphone, or home computer. A paper version of the survey was also available at the Monterey Public Library.

City staff and consultants implemented a robust program of outreach activities to raise awareness of the survey and promote participation. Mailers were sent to every address in Monterey, with provisions to ensure that both homeowners and renters received notifications. Using a “go to them” strategy, a total of eight "pop up" events were held at locations around town where community members gather. The pop-up events featured stop-and-talk stations that provide community members with opportunities to learn about the project and share input. Participation was also promoted through citywide newsletters, email blasts, posters, and posts on social media.

In total over 1,050 survey responses were received, which includes 907 online responses, input from about 120 people at pop-up events, and 42 paper comments. This survey report documents the survey methodology, provides a demographic profile of respondents, and presents key implications for the planning process. A full and complete record of all comments received is included in the report.

View the Community Survey Report

Preliminary Sites Inventory and Key Strategies Memorandum

A Preliminary Sites Inventory and Key Strategies memorandum has been prepared that provided context for decision-maker meetings in June. The memorandum is organized to:

Provide relevant background information regarding State guidance for site suitability and community input on locations and strategies for new housing;
Introduce several areas of the City with the greatest potential to accommodate new housing, an assessment of the capacity for new housing in each, based on State site suitability guidelines and potential strategies to facilitate development in the area; and
Summarize the total potential housing capacity of the sites with implementation of the potential strategies in relation to Monterey's RHNA allocation.