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particularly for housing in proximity to transit. The "housing package" builds upon and <br /> expands these existing measures. <br /> The City of Pleasanton adopted its most recent Housing Element in 2015, covering a <br /> period from 2015 to 2023. On the basis of a legal settlement between the City and the <br /> State, the 2015 Housing Element identified a total of twelve housing sites suitable for <br /> high density housing; to date, six of these sites have been developed. The City's next <br /> RHNA is anticipated in 2022, allowing the City to have an updated Housing Element <br /> adopted by January 31, 2023. <br /> DISCUSSION <br /> The 2017 Housing Package <br /> The 15 bills in the Housing Package all of which seek to address the housing shortfall <br /> with their strategies generally falling into five categories: <br /> • providing financing for affordable housing production; <br /> • streamlining local review processes to facilitate housing; <br /> • increasing local accountability and reporting requirements for accommodating a <br /> fair share of new housing development; <br /> • allowing funding to pay for affordable housing development through inclusionary <br /> zoning; or <br /> • preserving the affordability of existing subsidized housing. <br /> The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is still in the process <br /> of creating regulations and guidelines to implement of the Housing Package, and local <br /> jurisdictions are just starting to see projects being proposed under the new legislation. <br /> As a result, the precise impacts and outcomes of the 2017 legislation are still being <br /> ascertained. <br /> Detailed Summary of Senate Bill (SB) 35, SB 166, and Assembly Bill (AB) 1397 <br /> SB 35 (Streamlined Approval Process) <br /> This is one of two bills (SB 35 and SB 166, discussed below) approved by the State that <br /> could have the most impact on the City of Pleasanton. SB 35 requires cities and <br /> counties to follow a streamlined local review process for some types of housing projects <br /> if the jurisdiction has failed to meet certain established goals for accommodating the <br /> Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). Specifically, if the defined number of units <br /> in any assigned RHNA income category has not been constructed in the city, projects <br /> within that jurisdiction are eligible for the streamlined development process. This bill <br /> essentially uses progress towards meeting RHNA targets as a key factor in determining <br /> whether or not a developer can choose the streamlined review process. <br /> Under the new streamlined process (which is largely at the developer's option based on <br /> meeting the criteria referenced above) these projects would not be subject to the <br /> California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), would require staff-level design review <br /> only, and would not be required to provide more than one parking space per unit and in <br /> Page 2 of 6 <br />