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BACKGROUND State Planning and Zoning law requires each city and county government to regularly update its General Plan Housing Element to address its share of the regional housing need (RHNA). The due date for Bay Area cities and counties to submit their Housing Elements for the 2007 -2014 planning period was June 30, 2009. With the settlement of the Urban Habitat litigation, the City is now moving forward with this project. On September 7, 2010, the City Council authorized the City Manager to sign a professional services agreement with Jeff Baird of Baird + Driskell, Community Planning consultants and on October 19, 2010, the City Council confirmed an 11- member ad hoc Housing Element Task Force. HOUSING ELEMENT OVERVIEW The Housing Element is one of seven elements of the General Plan mandated by State law. Unlike other mandatory General Plan elements, the Housing Element is subject to detailed statutory requirements and mandatory review by the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). In addition, Government Code Section 65400 establishes the requirement that each city and county shall report annually on the status of the Housing Element and progress in its implementation. Housing Element law requires local governments to adequately plan to meet their existing and projected housing needs including their share of the regional housing need. In order to create a plan to meet housing need, State law requires the Housing Element include the following: • A review and evaluation of programs and policies in the previous element, looking at the effectiveness of the element and how the policies and programs could be amended and refined; • An analysis of population and employment trends; • An analysis and documentation of household and housing characteristics; • An inventory of land and an analysis of zoning and available public services; • An analysis of government and non - government constraints and efforts to remove them; • An analysis of special housing needs, including special populations such as the homeless, elderly, disabled, and large families; • An analysis of opportunities for energy conservation; • An analysis of assisted housing which may be eligible to conversion to market rate housing; • A statement of goals, quantified objectives and policies; and, • A five -year action plan to implement the policies and achieve the goals and objectives of the Housing Element. URBAN HABITA SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT The Settlement Agreement in the matter of Urban Habitat v. City of Pleasanton includes certain deadlines associated with the Housing Element update as well as a requirement related to drafting of non - discrimination policies and programs. The deadlines for completion of the Pleasanton Housing Element, include: Page 2 of 3