Multi-Family Objective Design Standards

Project Background

In the 2019-20 Budget, Governor Newsom allocated $250 million for all regions, cities, and counties to prioritize planning activities that accelerate housing production to meet identified needs of every community. With this allocation, the California Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) established the LEAP Grant Program with $119 million for cities and counties. LEAP provides one-time grant funding to cities and counties to update their planning documents and implement process improvements that will facilitate the acceleration of housing production and help local governments prepare for their 6th cycle regional housing need assessment (RHNA) and implementation of the subsequent Housing Elements.  

On June 16, 2020 the City Council authorized the City Manager to submit an application for a LEAP Grant to fund, in part, the preparation of Multi-Family Objective Design Standards for the City. The types of housing allowed in the Multi-Family zones in the City are the types of housing most in need in the State, according to HCD.  Citywide objective standards and process improvements would accelerate the time it takes for these types of projects to be approved by providing a framework for applicants to use to prepare their projects in advance, spend less time processing their project applications and with an anticipated reduced number of iterations processing projects among other improvements.

The City was awarded a LEAP Grant and the preparation of Multi-Family Objective Design Standards and process improvements is allocated approximately $200,000 of the grant award.  The preparation of the Standards a program in the City’s draft Housing Element Update and is planned to be implemented within the initial phase of the implementation of the update.  On April 19, 2022 the City Council authorized entering into an Agreement with Placeworks for Multi-Family Design Guidelines, and subsequently staff kicked-off the project in the summer of 2022.