I. RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No.4307 to 1) accept the 2025 Annual Progress Report (APR) for the City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element and General Plan, 2) find that the project is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as set forth in Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA guidelines, and 3) authorize the City Manager, or designee, to submit the APRs to the California Department of Housing and Community Development and the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation.
II. BACKGROUND:
Government Code Section 65400 requires every city and county to prepare two annual progress reports (APRs): one on the Housing Element and one on the General Plan, and to submit both to the local legislative body, with copies to the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) and the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The Housing Element APR is intended to monitor whether the housing element is effectively planning for and facilitating housing opportunities for all income levels in the community. The General Plan APR is intended to confirm that the general plan continues to guide land use decisions and remains an effective, up-to-date “constitution” for a community’s long-term physical development. Because the general plan must be periodically reviewed and updated to reflect changing conditions, the APR serves as a key monitoring tool for local planning agencies. The General Plan APR also provides LCI with statewide information on local planning activities and land use trends, supporting its role as California’s statewide planning agency.
III. DISCUSSION:
The Housing Element required reporting is entered into an Excel sheet provided by HCD, which allows staff to enter and edit year-to-year housing data. The 2025 calendar year is the second year of the current Housing Element cycle of 2023-2031. The attached Housing Element APR identifies the housing activity data for the 2025 calendar year and status of Housing Element programs.
The General Plan required reporting is separate and independent from the Housing Element APR. The General Plan APR requires the City to provide a document in Microsoft Word or PDF and complete the online form provided by LCI. The attached General Plan APR summarizes the progress and implementation of the General Plan programs as of the 2025 calendar year.
Environmental Review:
The City is the Lead Agency for the APRs under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Preparation, consideration, and submittal of the Housing Element and General Plan Annual Progress Reports are administrative reporting activities that do not, in themselves, authorize or modify any physical development. They therefore qualify for the “common sense” exemption in CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), which provides that CEQA applies only to activities that have the potential to cause a significant effect on the environment; where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility of such an effect, the activity is not subject to CEQA. The APRs summarize implementation of existing General Plan and Housing Element policies and programs and do not change land use designations, increase development capacity, or otherwise alter the development potential already established by the City’s adopted General Plan and zoning regulations.
Planning Commission Recommendation:
On February 10, 2026, the Planning Commission, at their regular meeting, recommended approval to the City Council.
City Council Action: Move to adopt Resolution No. XXXX to 1) accept the 2025 Annual Progress Report (APR) for the City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element and General Plan, 2) find that the project is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as set forth in Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA guidelines, and 3) authorize the City Manager, or designee, to submit the APRs to the California Department of Housing and Community Development and the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation.
IV. ALTERNATIVES:
None. The Housing Element and General Plan APR are required. Failure to submit the Housing Element and General Plan APR to the LCI and HCD could limit the City’s ability to apply for and be issued grants and/or funding for projects administered by the State Housing and Community Development Department including but not limited to the Community Development Block Grant Program.
V. FISCAL IMPACT:
None. |