Vallejo is falling behind on meeting the number of housing units that the state is requiring the city to build by the end of this year.
Cities across California have been required since 1969 to plan for their shares of state housing needs. The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), a local jurisdiction overseeing more than 100 regional cities, mandates they build a certain number of housing units over a span of eight years to address needs across residents with varying income levels.
Vallejo, according to an annual planning department progress report sent to the city council on Wednesday, is failing to meet the goal set for the 2015-23 window.
ABAG requirements are outlined for municipalities in what's referred to as the Regional Housing Need Allocation Plan (RHNA). Cities can set policies regarding land types and their potential uses in their General Plans, which serve as roadmaps for city councils to consider in planning decisions to meet the requirements.
The current RHNA cycle requires Vallejo to develop roughly 1,300 housing units, with a third of them specifically for low and very-low income residents.
But the city had only completed 75 of its anticipated 208 low-income units by the end of 2022 — a figure that reflects "good progress," according to the report.
"While much of this unmet need is beyond the ability of the city to create, staff continues to look for ways to incentivize housing throughout the city," the report reads.
The city report, formally known as the Housing Element Annual Progress Report, is submitted to the Governor's Office of Planning and Research and the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The latter entity has the power to enforce such state mandates.
According to HCD, localities failing to comply with state requirements may be subject to legal suits, suspended permitting authority, fines and court receivership as a way to bring them into compliance.
"A housing element is no longer a paper exercise – it's a contract with the state of housing commitments for eight years," said HCD Deputy Director Megan Kirkeby in a 2021 press release.
The city does, however, have potential units in the works. The planning department identified 17 locally owned surplus land sites, and the report stated the city approved 124 new dwelling units and entitled 122 units all last year.
The 2023-31 plan, drafted two years ago, expects Vallejo to establish close to 3,000 additional units. Local governments within ABAG can appeal their mandated allocations, but neither the city's nor the current RHNA plan indicate if Vallejo submitted an appeal.
All appeals, with the exception of one from Contra Costa County, were denied.
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