Supervisors Approve Unincorporated Housing Plan

After two years of discussion in the community and by the Municipal Advisory Committees (MACs), the Alameda County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution last week that hopes to add 4,711 units of housing aimed at various income levels in unincorporated areas over the next seven years.  

The resolution, part of the County’s General Plan, covers the Housing Element, a California mandate requiring cities and counties to add housing for the next generation of residents based on Census projections. The supervisors approved the plan by a 3-2 vote on Thursday, December 12, during its planning meeting. A second review was set for yesterday, December 17.

The state’s deadline for adopting the housing element, which sets forth how the county plans to meet state-mandated housing requirements, was December 31. If that deadline is not met, various repercussions follow, including loss of some state funding and even loss of any local control over what new construction is allowed. Cities have their own general plans and pass their own housing elements. Alameda County was one of the last jurisdictions that had yet to approve its housing plan.

Supervisors Nate Miley, whose District 4 covers Castro Valley and several other unincorporated areas, and District 1 Supervisor David Haubert voted against the plan. They argued for a further 45 days of study by the area’s MACs and the county’s planning department.

“As long as the state sees that we are working toward an appropriate housing element ... we wouldn’t face litigation,” Miley said. 

Other supervisors saw little chance of major changes if the update was considered further. Supervisors Lena Tam (District 3), Keith Carson (District 5), and Elisa Márquez (District 2) voted to approve the update. 

The 4,711 units the county hopes to add include 1,251 units for very low-income families, 721 for low-income, 763 for moderate income, and 1,976 for above-moderate income.

The state housing requirement is up 166 percent from the 1,769 units required in 2015-2023 when the housing element was updated. The county doesn’t have to build the units; just remove any impediments to developers building that many. 

In late November, the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) voted 6-0 to wholeheartedly reject the county’s housing element document citing insufficient infrastructure and loopholes for investors and builders.

A copy of the full housing element plan is available at www.acgov.org/cda/planning/housing-element/housing-element.