Housing Element Update

The City of Downey hasupdated its eight-year housing plan, called the Housing Element.  The Housing Element is one component of Downey’s General Plan, which establishes policy direction for long-term development in the City.   The Housing Element, updated every eight years, covers the planning period from 2021-2029. 

State law requires that every city and county in California have a current Housing Element to address local, regional, and statewide housing issues.  Downey is part of the six-county Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) region, which is required to plan for 1.3 million new homes during the 2021-2029 period.  Downey has been assigned an allocation of approximately 6,500 new residential units that it must accommodate in its housing plan.  This large allocation can reshape the community which presents a challenge that demonstrates the importance of engaging all Downey residents in developing this housing plan.

Adopted Draft Housing Element

The City of Downey’s Adopted Housing Element (2021-2029) is now available You can access the document below:

Adopted Housing Element

Housing Element Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the Housing Element?

The Housing Element is one of the mandatory chapters, or elements, which State law requires in a city’s General Plan. The Housing Element sets forth goals, polices, and actions that help the City plan for the housing needs for all segments of the City’s population and that expresses community goals regarding housing. The Housing Element is required to be updated every eight years and must be approved by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Most critically, the Housing Element focuses on identifying strategies to meet the existing and projected housing needs of people of all ages and incomes. 

When was Downey’s previous Housing Element prepared?

The City's previous Housing Element was adopted by the City Council in June 2013. On August 22, 2013, HCD issued a letter of certification for the adopted Housing Element, indicating that the Housing Element meets the requirements of State law.

Because the Housing Element is updated frequently, the previous element provides a foundation for this update. This update gives us the opportunity to evaluate the previous element and determine which parts have been effective and which should be improved. Read the 2014-2021 Housing Element for more information on existing policies and programs:

City of Downey 2014-2021 Housing Element 

What topics must the Housing Element address?

The Housing Element must cover the following topics:

• An analysis of the City’s demographic and housing characteristics and trends, including the number of people living in overcrowded housing, people paying more for their homes than they can sustainably afford, people with special housing needs, and affordable units at risk of converting to market rate.
• A review of the potential market, governmental, and environmental constraints to meeting the City’s housing needs
• An evaluation of resources available to address Downey’s “fair share” of regional housing (see discussion below of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment)
• An evaluation of progress implementing programs in the previous Housing Element
• A Housing Plan that includes housing goals, policies, and programs that the City will adopt to assist development of housing for different income and special needs groups, ensure equal housing opportunity, and preserve and improve the existing housing stock

What is the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA), and how does it relate to the Housing Element?

Every General Plan must contain a Housing Element that makes "adequate provision for the

existing and projected housing needs of all economic segments of the community."  The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) assigns growth allocations to regional governments, and those regional bodies in turn distribute “fair share” housing goals to local cities and counties.  As noted above, SCAG is the regional agency that develops these goals for cities in Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties. The draft 2021-2029 RHNA for Downey is 6,510 residential units, divided into four categories of income and affordability. The City is appealing this allocation.

While cities do not build housing – that is the function of private developers – they do adopt plans, regulations and programs that provide opportunities for how and where housing development occurs. An example of an adopted plan is the General Plan, which through its Housing Element provides housing programs and through its Land Use and Conservation Element shows where and at what densities housing can be built. The RHNA is a "distribution of housing development capacity" that each city and county must zone for to accommodate housing.

What happens if the City does not adopt a Housing Element or the Element does not comply with State law?

If Downey does not adopt a Housing Element by the October 15, 2021 deadline, the city would need to prepare a new Housing Element in just four years and could face fines per month until it approves a plan. A Housing Element can also be considered out of compliance if it does not meet the requirements of Housing Element law.  In addition, without an approved housing plan, the risk of housing-related lawsuits and challenges to the city’s entire General Plan increase. Having an approved housing plan avoids these significant problems, helps maintain local control over land use decisions, and makes the City eligible for state grants to help fund infrastructure improvements.

Who prepares and certifies the Housing Element?

The City of Downey prepares the Housing Element, but it must be certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). This certification creates a presumption that the Element is compliant with State law.