What is a Housing Element
What is a Housing Element?
Every jurisdiction has a General Plan that serves as the local government's "blueprint" for the future, prescribing policy goals and objectives to shape and guide the physical development of the local jurisdiction. It includes seven (7) mandatory elements: land use, transportation, conservation, noise, open space, safety, and housing. The state law mandating that housing be included as an element of each jurisdiction's general plan is known as "housing-element law," and the document is called a "Housing Element."
A Housing Element is how local jurisdictions plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in the community. Every eight (8) years, every city, town, and county must update their Housing Element and have it certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
The Town of Los Altos Hills' current Housing Element is for the planning period 2015-2023, and we must update our Housing Element for the 2023-2031 planning period. The updated Housing Element is required to be reviewed by HCD and adopted by the City Council by January 31, 2023.