Special City Council Meeting on November 15
City of Piedmont staff will seek City Council authorization to submit the City’s Draft Housing Element, along with several proposed updates, to the California Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) for review at a special meeting on Tuesday, November 15, 2022.
The Planning & Building Department hosted an informational open house about the proposed updates and next steps on Wednesday, November 9th. See the exhibits from the open house.
Staff Report
Background
On August 1, 2022, the Piedmont City Council directed staff to analyze the viability of potential changes to the Draft Housing Element, including:
Increased reliance on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to meet State-mandated housing production targets
Relocation of affordable units in the proposed sites inventory from the Civic Center area to the mixed-use zone on Grand Avenue
Expansion of the Moraga Canyon specific plan study area to include all City-owned property along Moraga Avenue
Staff and consultants have completed the analysis directed by the City Council and will be presenting a revised sites inventory that reflects the results of that analysis.
The official State deadline for cities to adopt a compliant Housing Element is January 31, 2023. Once the City submits a Draft Housing Element for review, HCD has up to 90 days to return comments with requested revisions.
Working actively to minimize any period of non-compliance, Planning & Building staff are in regular communication with HCD reviewers. The City is optimistic that once submitted, Piedmont’s Draft Housing Element will move through the review process swiftly.