REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: JENNIFER K. CLARK, AICP, Director
Planning and Development Department
BY: ASHLEY ATKINSON, AICP, Assistant Director
Planning and Development Department
PHIL SKEI, Assistant Director
Planning and Development Department
SOPHIA PAGOULATOS, Program Administrator
Planning and Development Department
SUBJECT
Title
HEARING to Receive Public Comment on the 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council: 1) Hold a public hearing to receive public comment on the 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report; and 2) Accept the 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In accordance with Section 65400 of the California Government Code, the City of Fresno is required to submit a Housing Element Annual Progress Report (APR) that outlines the status of the City’s 2023-2031 Housing Element and the progress made toward achieving its goals and policies. This APR covers calendar year 2025, highlighting the City’s accomplishments in housing production and program implementation. The report must be submitted to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) by April 1 each year. Government Code Section 65400 requires that the APR “…shall be considered at an annual public meeting before the legislative body where members of the public shall be allowed to provide oral testimony and written comments.” The City is further required by Housing Element Program 10 to respond to the public input received. Staff will be required to formulate written responses to the public comments received at the public hearing prior to submitting the APR on April 1.
BACKGROUND
The Housing Element is one of the seven mandatory elements of the General Plan and serves as the primary housing policy document for the City of Fresno, addressing housing development goals, policies, and programs. The City of Fresno’s 2023-2031 Housing Element, adopted in 2024 and certified by the State in January 2025, provides a comprehensive and coordinated strategy aimed at meeting the housing needs of the City’s residents. It is designed to ensure sufficient zoning capacity for housing development, reduce constraints on housing production, and improve housing opportunities for special needs populations. Grounded in community input and data, the document identifies key housing needs and establishes policies and objectives and outlines 37 programs to achieve them.
The APR summarizes the status of each of these programs and provides certain required data about housing development in the City. In compliance with HCD reporting requirements, the APR is organized into the following sections:
1. Table A - Housing Development Applications Submitted
2. Table A2 - Annual Building Activity Report Summary: New Construction, Entitled Units, Permits, and Completed Units
3. Table B - Regional Housing Needs: Permitted Units Issued by Affordability
4. Table C - Sites Identified or Rezoned to Accommodate Shortfall Housing Need and No Net Loss Law
5. Table D - Program Implementation Status
6. Table E - Commercial Development Bonus Approved
7. Table F - Units Rehabilitated, Preserved, and Acquired for Alternative Adequate Sites
8. Table F2 - Above Moderate-Income Units Converted to Moderate Income
9. Table G - Locally Owned Lands Included in the Housing Element Sites Inventory that have been Sold, Leased, or Otherwise Disposed of
10. Table H - Locally Owned Surplus Sites
11. Table J - Student Housing Development for Lower-Income Students Granted a Density Bonus
12. Table K - Tenant Preference Policy
13. Table L - Historical Resources
14. Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) Reporting
The APR is attached as Exhibit A and is available online at https://www.fresno.gov/planning/housing-community-development/#housing-finance-production <https://www.fresno.gov/planning/housing-community-development/>.
In its first year of implementing the 2023-2031 Housing Element after its approval by the State, the City made noteworthy progress in housing production and program implementation milestones. Highlights from the 2025 report include:
Housing Production
• Building Permits Issued: Residential building permits were issued for 2,014 dwelling units. Of these, 1,249 were single-unit dwellings, 101 were accessory dwelling units (ADUs), 75 were mobile/manufactured dwellings, and 589 were multi-unit buildings.
• Certificates of Occupancy: A total of 2,058 dwelling units received certificates of occupancy. Of these, 951 were single-unit dwellings, 41 were ADUs, 7 were mobile/ manufactured dwellings, and 1,059 were multi-unit dwellings.
• Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA): The City’s RHNA for the 2023-2031 period requires the City to provide capacity for 36,866 housing units. As of 2025, 12.5% of the RHNA has been realized, with a total of 4,621 dwelling units produced.
Program Implementation
• Program 2: Variety of Housing Opportunities in High Resource Areas: Housing capacity for 5,355 dwelling units was created in Highest and High Resource areas through the November 2025 development code amendment that allows ministerial approval of:
o Office-to-dwelling conversions and new residential development on vacant office-zoned land;
o Multi-unit development in the RM-1, RM-2 and RM-3 zone districts within ½ mile of a bus stop; and
o Mixed-use development in the CMS, CR, NMX, CMX and RMX zone districts within the Infill Priority Area.
• Program 12: Local Housing Trust Fund: $6.7 million was invested to preserve La Hacienda Mobile Estates and build 78 new affordable deed-restricted housing units at Clinton Avenue Apartments.
• Program 13: State and Federal Funding Sources: Applications were submitted for $34 million in state and federal funding, and $25 million to provide additional permanent supportive housing for veterans. $4.9 million in Homekey funds was secured for La Hacienda Mobile Estates, serving veterans at risk of homelessness.
• Program 19: Home Buyer Assistance: 49 families were provided with down payment assistance of up to $100,000 per family.
• Program 22: Housing Rehabilitation: 56 households were provided rehabilitation resources through the CDBG Senior Exterior Repair Program.
• Program 33: Mobile Home Parks: The Mobile Home Replacement Program was submitted to HCD for approval for mobile homes manufactured prior to 1980, since 73% of mobile homes in Fresno fall into this category. Eight mobile homes were repaired through the City’s PLHA-funded mobile home repair program.
APR Outreach
Four community meetings were held to inform the public of the availability of the 2025 Housing Element APR and answer questions about the City’s housing programs. A public hearing notice was published in the Fresno Bee on March 4, 2026, informing the public of the report and a 15-day public comment period leading up to the City Council public hearing on March 19, 2026. To advertise these opportunities, flyers were distributed on FAX buses, posts were made on social media, and emails were sent to the City’s housing distribution list (see flyer as Exhibit B). These communications directed the public to the City’s webpage, which hosts a multi-lingual video to summarize and explain the 2025 Housing Element APR.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Pursuant to Section 15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, this item does not qualify as a “project” and is therefore exempt from the requirements of CEQA.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
N/A
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct impact on the City’s General Fund as a result of this action.
Attachments:
Exhibit A - City of Fresno 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report
Exhibit B - Outreach Flyer
Exhibit C - Presentation