On June 27, 2023, the City Council adopted the Housing Element and considered the initial set of Housing Element Implementation programs including changes to the City’s Land Use and Development Code. The Council approved the first reading of the ordinance; the ordinance received a second reading on July 25, 2023 and went into effect on August 25, 2023.

On September 18, 2023, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) determined that the City of Vacaville’s 6^th Cycle (2023-2031) Adopted Housing Element is in substantial compliance with the State Housing Law.

• Certified 2023-2031 Housing Element
• Certification Letter from HCD (September 18, 2023)

The Housing Element is one of seven mandatory elements, or chapters, of the City of Vacaville’s General Plan. The Housing Element outlines goals, policies, implementation programs, and quantified objectives that will help the City plan for the housing needs for all segments of the City’s population. It also functions as a plan to meet the City’s regional housing needs allocation (RHNA), described in more detail below. 

State law mandates that local governments adequately plan to meet the existing and projected housing needs of all economic segments of the community. Unlike other mandatory General Plan elements, the Housing Element is required to be updated every eight years and must be reviewed and certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). In addition to preparing an update to the Housing Element every eight years, the City is required to report annually on the implementation of the Housing Element through a State-mandated Housing Element Annual Progress Report (APR). The City of Vacaville APRs for the current Housing Element cycle (2015-2022) can be found in the Annual Status of the General Plan Report.

• Housing Needs Assessment:  Analysis of existing and projected housing needs.
• Fair Housing Assessment: Identifies fair housing issues and strategies to address any barriers to fair housing.
• Housing Sites Inventory:  Inventory of land to accommodate new housing units.
• Constraints Analysis:  Analysis of potential constraints to housing (i.e., Permit processing procedures, fees, etc.)
• Evaluation of Past Performance:  Evaluates implementation progress on the past Housing Element housing programs
• Goals, Policies, and Programs:   Includes new housing programs to comply with state law and reflect the plan for accommodating the community’s housing needs.

The Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) is the number of housing units the State has determined to be the City’s “fair share” of housing that is needed to meet California’s housing needs this Housing Element cycle (2023-2031).

The City is required to plan for these housing units based on affordability levels. The housing affordability levels are based on a household of four making a specified percentage of Solano County’s Area Median Income (AMI). In 2021, the Solano County AMI was $99,300. The City must plan for housing units and housing programs to provide housing that is affordable to the following housing incomes. The Solano County AMI is updated annually by HCD, and can can be found online. 

No.  Local governments must adopt plans and regulatory systems that provide opportunities for, and do not unduly constrain, housing development. The private housing development sector addresses the housing needs and demands based on opportunities provided by the Housing Element.

The City retained the consulting team (EPS Team) comprising Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. (EPS) and PlaceWorks to prepare a strategy to address current and future housing needs. The EPS Team conducted several technical analyses, including a socioeconomic context assessment and residential market demand study, and engaged the community using a robust public involvement approach, culminating in a series of recommended strategies to meet the community’s housing objectives.

This housing analysis and strategy was developed during a similar timeframe as the Housing Element, which was prepared by PlaceWorks for the General Plan and is meant to be used as a resource that can help inform both the community and the Housing Element.  To learn more, review the Housing Analysis and Strategy Study.

Since 1969, California has required that all local governments (cities and counties) adequately plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in the community. California’s local governments meet this requirement by adopting housing plans (aka housing elements) as part of their “general plan” (also required by the state). General plans serve as the local government’s "blueprint" for how the city and/or county will grow and develop and include seven elements: land use, transportation, conservation, noise, open space, safety, and housing.

Each jurisdiction (city council or board of supervisors) must prepare an annual progress report (APR) on the jurisdiction’s status and progress in implementing its housing element using forms and definitions adopted by the HCD. (Government Code Section 65400.) Each jurisdiction’s APR must be submitted to HCD and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) by April 1 of each year (covering the previous calendar year (CY).

For more information, email Damiere Powell, Associate Planner, or call (707) 449-5515.

• 2024 Housing Element Annual Progress Report
• 2023 Housing Element Annual Progress Report
• 2022 Housing Element Annual Progress Report

City of Vacaville RHNA Informational Meeting

City Council and Vacaville Planning Commission - Study Session

Housing Element Workshop

• January 26, 2022 - Recording
• January 27, 2022 - Recording

Housing Needs Assessment Findings

• March 30, 2022, 1pm - Recording

• March 30, 2022, 6pm - Recording

Fair Housing Workshop

• June 1, 2022, 1pm - Recording

Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Public Comments