Housing Element Update

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The City of Morgan Hill is required to adopt an updated Housing Element for the period covering 2023-2031 by January 31, 2023. The Housing Element is one of nine State-mandated elements that must be included in every General Plan. The Housing Element assesses housing needs for all income groups within the community and identifies implementation programs to meet those housing needs. The Housing Element must be updated every eight years, must address statutory requirements regarding its content, and is subject to mandatory review and certification by the California Housing and Community Development Department (HCD).

City Council Adopts 2023-2031 Housing Element

The City Council held a public hearing on January 25, 2023, adopting the City of Morgan Hill 2023-2031 Housing Element making the findings that the Housing Element is in substantial compliance with State Law. To view the City of Morgan Hill's Adopted 2023-2031 Housing Element, please use the following links:

Following the adoption of the City of Morgan Hill 2023-2031 Housing Element, the City of Morgan Hill submitted the adopted Housing Element to the California Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) for their statutory 60-day review process. Please refer to the February 1, 2023 Cover Letter to HCD (PDF) regarding the City's submittal.

On April 3, 2023, HCD provided the City their review letter on the adopted City of Morgan Hill 2023-2031 Housing Element.

In response to HCD's April 3, 2023 review letter, the City has proposed revisions to the 2023-2031 Housing Element. Pursuant to Assembly Bill 215 (AB 215), the City is posting the revisions to the City of Morgan Hill 2023-2031 Housing Element on its website and e-mailed a link to all individuals and organizations that have previously requested notices, or who have submitted comments, relating to the Housing Element for at least seven days before submitting the revised Housing Element to HCD on October 5, 2023. The revisions to the Housing Element pertain only to the following sections and are shown in red underline text for additions, and red strikethrough text for deletions:

Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element Submitted to HCD 90-day Review

On August 19, 2022, the City of Morgan Hill submitted the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for their 90-day review pursuant to Assembly Bill 215. On November 17, 2022, HCD provided the City their review letter on on the Draft Housing Element. To view HCD's letter please use the following link:

To view the City of Morgan Hill's Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element submitted to HCD for review, please use the following links:

City Council Meetings

DRAFT HOUSING ELEMENT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC REVIEW

The 30-day public review period of the DRAFT City of Morgan Hill Housing Element began on June 3, 2022, and ended on July 5, 2022. Links to the Draft Housing Element and Appendices are posted below. The Planning Commission will be holding a public hearing regarding a recommendation of the 2023-2031 Housing Element Update at the July 26, 2022, Planning Commission meeting.

Housing Element Summary/Fact Sheet

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To sign up for notifications and updates on the Housing Element Update, visit Notify Me.

Contact Us

  1. Adam Paszkowski

    Principal Planner
    Email Adam Paszkowski
    Phone: 408-310-4635

What is a Housing Element? 

A Housing Element is how local jurisdictions plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in the community. At its core a Housing Element is an opportunity to have a community conversation about how to address local housing challenges and find solutions. The Housing Element is one important part of a city or county’s General Plan, which serves as the blueprint for how a city or county will grow and address changing needs for development. Every eight years, every city, town and county must update their Housing Element and have it certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development.


A Housing Element is a local plan, adopted by a city, town or county that includes the goals, policies and programs that direct decision-making around housing. 

All jurisdictions in the Bay Area must update their Housing Element for the 2023-2031 planning period. Local jurisdictions look at housing trends, zoning and market constraints, and evaluate various approaches to meeting housing needs across income levels.

The Inventory of Available Sites, or “Sites Inventory,” is a key component of a Housing Element where jurisdictions identify if they have enough land zoned for housing to meet the future need.

Local governments must involve the public from all economic segments of the community in developing the Housing Element.

  • State law does not require that jurisdictions build or finance new housing, but they must plan for it.
  • Every city in California receives a target number of homes to plan for. This is called the Reginal Housing Needs Allocation or RHNA.
  • The State of California determines the number of new homes the Bay Area needs to plan for - and how affordable those homes need to be - in order to meet the housing needs of people at all income levels.
  • The Association of Bay Area Governments convened diverse stakeholders in a Housing Methodology Committee to distribute the region's housing allocation to each jurisdiction in the Bay Area.
  • Housing Elements must be updated every eight years and must be certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

What Are the Components of a Housing Element?

The Housing Element typically includes:
  1. Housing Needs Assessment: Examine demographic, employment and housing trends and conditions that affect the housing needs of the community.
  2. Evaluation of Past Performance: Review the prior Housing Element to measure progress in implementing policies and programs.
  3. Housing Sites Inventory: Identify locations of available sites for housing development or redevelopment to ensure that there is adequate capacity to address the Regional Housing Needs Allocation.
  4. Community Outreach and Engagement: Implement a robust community outreach and engagement program, with a particular focus on outreach to traditionally underrepresented groups.
  5. Constraints Analysis: Analyze and recommend remedies for existing and potential governmental and nongovernmental barriers to housing development.
  6. Policies and Programs: Establish policies and programs to fulfill the identified housing needs.

Housing Workshops & Town Hall Meetings

The City of Morgan Hill worked collaboratively with the other local jurisdictions within Santa Clara County on the Housing Element update, called Let’s Talk Housing Santa Clara County. The Let’s Talk Housing Santa Clara County collaborative hosted a series of community meetings regarding the Housing Element update process. To learn more, visit www.letstalkhousingscc.org.

Contact Information

For additional information, contact Principal Planner Adam Paszkowski via email or call 408-310-4635.