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6th Cycle Housing Element Update
The 2023 Housing Element has been certified! Santa Cruz County is now in the implementation phase of the Housing Element Update, and rezoning of select parcels identified in the 2023 Housing Element is now underway! Go to our Housing Element Rezone Program page to learn more.
The Housing Element is one of seven required elements of the General Plan, which guides land use planning and development activities in the unincorporated area of Santa Cruz County. Every eight years, the state requires local communities to update their Housing Element to ensure the supply of adequate housing to meet community needs. After nearly a year of public engagement, multiple outreach meetings and focus groups, and review by several commissions, the Board adopted the 2023 Housing Element in November 2023 that addressed all requirements of housing element law for the 2023 - 2031 planning period. The 2023 Housing Element was certified by HCD in April 2024 and the complete document can be accessed here: 2023 Housing Element.
Under California law, the Housing Element must ensure land is zoned and available to accommodate the housing needs of everyone in our community, known as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). Right now, Santa Cruz County is experiencing a housing crisis of both supply and affordability, and the 2023 Housing Element identified that the total number of units that could be developed under current zoning falls short of the required RHNA. To address this shortfall, the Housing Element identified 75 parcels for rezoning in order to increase housing unit capacity. The Housing Element Rezone Program is currently underway to implement the zone district and land use designation changes in the 2023 Housing Element and meet state law requirements.