Housing Element adopted by City Council on March 20^th

Published March 10, 2023 | Updated March 21, 2023

UPDATE (March 21 2023): The City Council unanimously voted to adopt the 6^th Cycle Housing Element at their March 20, 2023 meeting. A video recording of the meeting is available for streaming or download at the City's online video archive.

Planning staff will bring the City’s updated Housing Element and accompanying Initial Study-Negative Declaration (IS-ND) to City Council for adoption at their regular meeting on Monday, March 20^th.

UPDATE (March 17, 2023): Agenda materials for the March 20^th Council meeting are now available:

• Meeting Agenda
• Agenda Report and Public Hearing Draft Housing Element (Public Hearing Draft Housing Element begins on page 121)

The City submitted its Draft 6^th Cycle Housing Element to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review on November 18, 2022. Since receiving HCD’s comments on February 16^th, staff and consultants have been working diligently to address issues raised by State reviewers – primarily adding clarity, elaboration, and definitive scheduling for a number of the proposed programs.

The Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the City Council approve the Housing Element and IS-ND at their January 12, 2023 meeting.

Revised Housing Element available for review starting March 17

The revised Housing Element will be published on Friday, March 17^th, as part of the agenda packet for the March 20^th Council meeting. The updated document will be available for download on the City’s website at piedmont.ca.gov and on the homepage of Piedmont Is Home, the City’s online hub for the Housing Element update and housing policy work. Revisions from the previously submitted draft will be shown in track changes.

Once the updated draft is published, community members will have 7 days to provide comments before the City submits the revised Housing Element to HCD on March 24^th. This will mark the start of a second HCD review period, this one lasting 60 days.

Implementation already underway

After the City Council adopts the Housing Element, the City will have three years to implement a substantial number of the proposed programs and regulatory changes outlined in the document. This process involves additional environmental review, which is already underway – the City is currently in the process of preparing a programmatic EIR that studies the impacts of the new homes and residents that could come to Piedmont once implementation is complete.

Even as the Housing Element awaits adoption, implementation work has already begun. Last year, the City established a new incentive for affordable ADUs and made it easier to convert existing spaces into new housing. The City is currently soliciting proposals for a consulting firm to lead the preparation of the Moraga Canyon Specific Plan, a centerpiece of the proposed Housing Element. This process will study all City-owned land in Moraga Canyon, including Blair Park, Coaches Field, Kennelly Skate Park, and the City’s Corporation Yard, with the end goal of creating a detailed plan for how to maintain and improve existing City facilities, open space, and recreational amenities in the area while also improving traffic and wildfire safety and incorporating 132 units of new housing, 60 of which would be reserved for lower income households. .

For more information about the Housing Element update, visit PiedmontIsHome.org, or subscribe to the City’s Housing Updates email newsletter to receive news directly. With questions, email [email protected].