Housing Element Update

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.

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:

HCD Review Letter (PDF)

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

On January 25. 2022, the City Council held a public hearing adopting the 2023-2031 Housing Element and directing Staff to submit the adopted 2023-2031 Housing Element to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review: materials and video and PDF presentation.
On August 17, 2022, the City Council held a public hearing directing Staff to submit the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review: materials and video and PDF presentation.

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

To access and review the Draft Housing Element please use the following links to download the pdf version:

Town Hall on Zoom June 23, 2022, at 5:30 p.m.

The City held a virtual Town Hall Meeting regarding the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element Update to accept verbal public comment during the 30-day comment review period on Thursday, June 23, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: video and PDF presentation.

Notify Me

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

The City of Morgan Hill is in the process of initiating the 6th cycle (2023-2031) of the Housing Element Update. The Housing Element is Morgan Hill's housing plan that identifies our city’s housing needs and opportunities and establishes clear goals and objectives to inform future housing decisions.

At its core, the Housing Element is an opportunity to have a community conversation about how to address local housing challenges and find solutions. The Housing Element is an important part of Morgan Hill 2035 General Plan, which serves as the blueprint for how we will grow and address changing needs for development.

The Housing Element must be updated every eight years and be certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

Planning Commission Meetings/Workshops

On July 26, 2022, the Planning Commission held a public hearing recommending the City Council directs Staff to submit the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element to HCD for review: materials and video and PDF presentation.
On May 24, 2022, the Planning Commission held a final "2023-2031 Housing Element Update" workshop: materials and video and PDF presentation.
On May 10, 2022, the Planning Commission held a "Constraints Analysis" workshop as part of the 2023-2031 Housing Element Update: materials and video and PDF presentation.
On April 26, 2022, the Planning Commission held an "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH)" workshop as part of the 2023-2031 Housing Element Update: materials and video and PDF presentation.
On April 12, 2022, the Planning Commission held a "Goals and Policies" workshop as part of the 2023-2031 Housing Element Update: materials and video and PDF presentation.
On March 8, 2022, the Planning Commission held a "Review of the Prior Housing Element" workshop as part of the 2023-2031 Housing Element Update: materials and video and PDF presentation.
On February 22, 2022, the Planning Commission held a "Site Inventory for the 2023-2031 Housing Element Update" workshop: materials and video and PDF presentation.
On January 25, 2022, the Planning Commission held an "Introduction to the 2023-2031 Housing Element Update" workshop regarding what is a Housing Element: materials and video and PDF presentation.

Available Housing Element Documents

Community Meeting (Town Hall)

Due to technical difficulties experienced during the February 10, 2022, Town Hall Meeting, The Virtual Town Hall: Morgan Hill's Housing Element Discussion was rescheduled to Thursday, February 17, 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Spanish interpretation was available.

City of Morgan Hill staff recorded the following video discussing what is a Housing Element, new Housing Element laws, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) requirements, Morgan Hill's Housing Needs Assessment, what is RHNA (Regional Housing Need Allocation), the cities Sites Inventory, and Morgan Hill's Housing Element process. We encourage you to watch the below presentation at your convenience.

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.

The Housing Element typically includes:

Housing Needs Assessment: Examine demographic, employment and housing trends and conditions that affect the housing needs of the community.
Evaluation of Past Performance: Review the prior Housing Element to measure progress in implementing policies and programs.
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.
Community Outreach and Engagement: Implement a robust community outreach and engagement program, with a particular focus on outreach to traditionally underrepresented groups.
Constraints Analysis: Analyze and recommend remedies for existing and potential governmental and nongovernmental barriers to housing development.
Policies and Programs: Establish policies and programs to fulfill the identified housing needs.

Housing Workshops & Town Hall Meetings

The City of Morgan Hill is working 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 will host a series of community meetings regarding the Housing Element update process. Links to register for the community meetings will be posted on the Let's Talk Housing Santa Clara County webpage. To learn more, visit www.letstalkhousingscc.org.

The City of Morgan Hill hosted a series of Housing Workshops and Town Hall Meetings themed: a roadmap of housing in Morgan Hill; how we got here and the future of housing for current and future residents. These workshops covered the what, why, and how housing will change per State law and listening to residents on creating the best version of Morgan Hill for the future. To view the Housing Workshops presentations and videos please visit the 2021 Housing Conversation webpage.

Contact Information

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