The City of Davis prepared the 2021 – 2029 Housing Element to evaluate current and future housing conditions and identify housing sites to meet the community’s needs and remove barriers that housing development, particularly affordable housing. While updating the Housing Element is a state requirement, it is also an opportunity to track the City’s progress in meeting the housing goals put forth from the previous Housing Element in 2013.

The Housing Element 2021-2029 was adopted by the City Council on August 31, 2021 and has been submitted to HCD for certification.   

Housing & Community Development Comments 

Following the adoption of the Housing Element by the City Council on August 31, 2021, staff submitted the document to the California State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on September 10, 2021.  HCD responded with a letter to the City of Davis on December 8, 2021, in which HCD found that the housing element (as adopted) did not comply with State Housing Law (Article 10.6 of the California Government Code.)  A copy of the letter can be found HERE.   Therefore, the Housing Element is not currently certified.  

Since receipt of the HCD letter, city staff and the city consultant have been working diligently with the HCD staff to gain a better understanding of the comments made by HCD.   It is expected that a revised housing element will be available for public review in April or May of 2022, where it will be once again considered by the Planning Commission and City Council.  Following re-adoption by the city, the document will be sent back to HCD for consideration of certification again.   

Final Adopted Document Submitted to HCD

The City Council adopted the Housing Element 2021-2029 on August 31, 2021 and directed that it be submitted to the HCD for certification. Click this link to view a copy of the final adopted Housing Element for 2021-2029. 

A redline version of the above document is linked here to view changes made since the August 24, 2021 version, including changes voted on by the City Council. Final Davis Housing Element- Redline Version (Adopted 31, 2021)

Project Documents 

Staff Reports and Supporting Materials 

The first adoption hearing on the Final Housing Element 2021-2029 was held at the Planning Commission meeting on August 11, 2021. The City Council then adopted the 2021-2029 Housing Element on August 31, 2021. The staff reports and supporting materials for both the City Council (8/31) and Planning Commission (8/11) hearings can be found at the links below. 

• Housing Element Update 2021-2029 City Council Hearing Staff Report  (8/31)
• Housing Element Update 2021-2029 Planning Commission Staff Report (8/11)

Initial Study/Negative Declaration

An Initial Study/Negative Declaration (IS/ND) was released for a 30-day public review on July 23, 2021. The public comment period ended on August 23, 2021. The Notice of Intent (NOI) and IS/ND can be viewed at the links below: 

One comment letter was received from the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB), which has been posted above. 

Superseded Housing Element 2021-2029 Drafts 

August 24, 2021

This draft was reviewed and considered for adoption by the City Council, on August 31, 2021 and includes revisions recommended by the Planning Commission at their August 11, 2021 meeting. 

• Revised Final Draft Housing Element 08 24 2021
• Revised Final Draft Housing Element 08 24 2021 (Redline version)

August 2, 2021

 This draft was reviewed and considered by the Planning Commission at their August 11, 2021 meeting. This draft includes revisions based on feedback on the Public Review Draft from the public, City Council, Planning Commission, and HCD. 

Public Review Draft (May 2021) 

• Public Review Draft Housing Element 2021-2029 (May 2021)
• Appendix C: Draft List of Candidate Rezone Sites (May 2021)

Other Project Documents

• Public Review Draft Housing Element Release Memo
• HCD Findings Letter
• HEC 05202021 Recommendations
• Former Housing Element (2013-2021) 
• SACOG Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) Information Page
• SACOG Regional Housing Needs Plan
• Sacramento Valley Fair Housing Collaborative Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI)
• UC Davis Student Housing Projections (2018, revised 2019)
• RHNA Methodology for By the Bed Rentals

Community Engagement Materials 

The project team was challenged to hold extensive and meaningful community engagement for the Housing Element Update process during the Covid-19 pandemic, which unfortunately resulted in most City operations and meetings needing to be held virtually. Below are links to the community outreach materials: 

• Community Outreach & Engagement Plan
• Summary of Community Engagement Awareness Report

 Housing Needs Assessment Workshop 

The City hosted a Housing Needs public workshop on November 12 to obtain input from the community on housing needs in Davis, educate the public on the Housing Element requirements and build awareness about the Housing Element Update. Approximately 75 people, including several of the Housing Element Committee members, attended the workshop, which was held virtually. A recording of the workshop can be found on the Housing Element Committee page here. 

RHNA Virtual Community Workshop

From March 9 - March 23, the City hosted a Virtual Community Workshop to gather feedback on proposed rezoning strategies to meet the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) requirement. Participants were asked to provide their thoughts and feedback on five possible rezone strategies to help the City find enough land to zone appropriately for high density housing that could be affordable to lower income households. The project team received responses from 116 participants. A summary of the feedback received from the participants can be found at the following link: