Housing Element conditionally approved by State

Published on December 20, 2023

The City of Menlo Park has received conditional approval of its 2023-2031 Housing Element from the State of California. In a letter received Dec. 20, the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) deemed the Housing Element to be in substantial compliance with state law upon re-adoption by the City Council and approval by HCD.

The City Council adopted the Housing Element Jan. 31 and most recently submitted a revised Housing Element for HCD review Nov. 3 to address requested changes. The Housing Element is a state-mandated part of the City’s General Plan and identifies how the city will accommodate its regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) of nearly 3,000 units at different levels of affordability and affirmatively further fair housing across the community.

On Jan.8, 2024, the Planning Commission is scheduled to make a recommendation to the City Council on a General Plan amendment to re-adopt the State-approved Housing Element. Later in January 2024, the City Council will consider the recommendation and take action. For information on the January 2024 meetings and for more details about the City’s Housing Element Update project, visit menlopark.gov/housingelement.