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    Home   Departments   Planning   General & Specific Plans   Housing Element

    Housing Element

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    Burlingame has been updating its housing element. This is part of the City's commitment to developing housing to serve a range of households (learn more at www.burlingame.org/prohousing).

    Second Draft Housing Element - September 6, 2023
    A second draft of the Housing Element has been prepared, and was submitted to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on September 15, 2023. The second draft responds to comments in HCD's response letter to the first draft, as well as comments from members of the community.  A summary document provides responses to each finding in the HCD response letter.

     First Draft Housing Element - February 17, 2023
    A first draft of the Housing Element was submitted to the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on February 17, 2023. HCD provided a response letter on May 18, 2023. 
    Public Review Draft
    The Public Review Draft was available for review for 30 days, beginning on December 28, 2022 and concluding on January 27, 2023. The City thanks the community for its thoughtful comments. Copies of letters submitted may be found in     Appendix B: Community Outreach Summary (revised).

    City Council Review - January 17, 2023
    The City Council reviewed the draft and received public comments at its regular meeting on January 17, 2023. 

    Staff Report
    Presentation Slides (PDF format)
    Presentation Slides (Powerpoint Show format)

    Planning Commission Review - January 9, 2023
    The Planning Commission reviewed the draft and received public comments on January 9, 2023.

    Staff Report
    Presentation Slides (PDF format)
    Presentation Slides (Powerpoint Show format)

    Community Outreach
    There has been a series of online workshops, in-person "pop-up" events, and stakeholder meetings. Information and links are provided below:  

    Annual Joint City Council/Planning Commission Meeting
    The City Council and Planning Commission met on Saturday, April 23, 2022 for its annual joint meeting and discussed the Housing Element Update. 
    Presentation Slides

    City of Burlingame Housing Element Outreach Meetings
    The City of Burlingame held two interactive online workshops to obtain community input on the Housing Element. The first was held on March 23, 2022 and the second on April 6, 2022. The workshops included presentations, polling questions, use of chat for comments and questions, and public comment. 

    Workshop #1 on March 23rd provided a high-level overview of Housing Element requirements and the planning process. Participants were asked to share their comments and concerns and ideas related to specific housing sites.

    Workshop #1 Presentation Slides (pdf) - click here

    The video of the workshop is below:



    Workshop #2 on April 6th provided a review of the housing element process and the potential sites that would be included in the Housing Element. City staff shared some of the existing policies and identified seven new policy ideas for consideration. Participants were asked to share their opinion on the policies and then explain their response using the chat. The input provided a good understanding of community concerns along with some ideas for strengthening or bolstering these ideas.

    Workshop #2 Presentation Slides (pdf) - click here

    The video of the workshop is below:



    Let's Talk Housing San Mateo County
    In the fall of 2021, there was a countywide outreach program administered by the 21 Elements collaborative. 21 Elements includes all 20 San Mateo County municipalities, as well as unincorporated San Mateo County. The outreach was referred to as “Let’s Talk Housing San Mateo County” with the intention of increasing awareness of and participation in the Housing Element Update process. A dedicated Let’s Talk Housing website includes information on the Housing Element Update process, as well as a “Housing 101” primer. Four meetings were held virtually and can be viewed at www.letstalkhousing.org/past-events. There are also two general videos, “What’s a Housing Element” and “San Mateo County Housing Trends.” Videos are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic.

    About the Housing Element 
    The Housing Element is the City's master plan for accommodating the housing needs of Burlingame's current and future residents. It is a comprehensive document that addresses a range of housing issues such as affordability, design, housing types, density, and location. It includes a summary of past trends and future projections, the status of the City's housing stock, and opportunities for the development of new housing.

    All local governments within the State of California are required to periodically update their housing elements on a schedule determined by the State Office of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Burlingame adopted its most recent Housing Element in 2015, for an eight-year cycle.

    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. HCD provides a projection of future growth for the State, and this number is translated into housing units that should be built to accommodate this projected growth. Bay Area Metro (encompassing the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and Metropolitan Transportation Commission) has taken the housing number for the Bay Area region and provided each community with their Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) number, which is the number of housing units that the cities must provide for in the next eight years.

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    2015-2023 Housing Element
    The Burlingame City Council approved the Draft 2015-2023 Housing Element on January 5, 2015.

    Download: