An eight-year plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in the community
Under State law, all local governments in California are required to adequately plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in the community by adopting a Housing Element as part of their General Plan. State law also requires that local governments update their Housing Elements every eight years to periodically address the changing housing needs of their communities, establish action plans to meet those goals, and report on progress toward meeting those goals.
The City of Fremont updated its Housing Element in early 2023 to plan for the housing needs for the next eight-year planning period (2023–2031).
A detailed analysis of Fremont's demographic, economic, and housing characteristics
A comprehensive analysis of constraints to producing and preserving housing
A review of the City’s progress in implementing housing policies and programs from the previous Housing Element
An identification of goals, objectives, and policies, in addition to a full list of programs that will implement the vision of the plan
A list of sites that could accommodate new housing, demonstrating the City’s ability to meet its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)
Fremont’s assigned share of the region’s housing need for the next eight years is almost 13,000 new residential units, over 7,000 of which are intended to be affordable. In 2022 alone, the City permitted 1,133 housing units, including 298 affordable units. An additional 947 units of affordable housing are currently under construction or in early phases of the development pipeline in Fremont.
Latest Implementation News
Update to City Ordinance to Implement Fremont’s Housing Element
On December 5, 2023, the Fremont City Council adopted an ordinance amending Title 17 (Subdivisions) and Title 18 (Planning and Zoning) of the Fremont Municipal Code. The amendments to the ordinance will become effective on January 4, 2024, and are geared towards reducing barriers to housing and supporting the development of more affordable housing.
One of the key components of the Housing Element is the Sites Inventory. The Sites Inventory identifies and analyzes specific areas of land (sites) that are available and suitable for residential development. The purpose of the Sites Inventory is to determine the City’s capacity to accommodate residential development and reconcile that capacity with the City’s Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA).
For the eight-year time frame (2023–2031) covered by the current Housing Element, Fremont’s RHNA is 12,897 units. Of the 12,897 units, 60% are designated for very low-income, low-income, and moderate-income affordability levels.
Per "Implementation Program 40 of Fremont’s Housing Element," the information on this page is intended to promote the inventory of vacant and underutilized opportunity sites for residential development. As part of the Housing Element update, City staff analyzed sites in all geographic areas of the city for the potential to provide new housing during the 2023–2031 planning period. Sites were reviewed parcel by parcel, utilizing local knowledge and a variety of data sources.
The assessment of whether a site was “available” for housing development considered factors such as physical features, location, and competitiveness for affordable housing funding.
Sites Inventory Table and Maps
The following table and maps include a list of land that is available and suitable for residential development. The inventory includes information about the size, zoning, and potential development capacity of each site. The inventory also includes information about the existing uses, development and market trends, and incentives as factors that may affect a site’s development potential.
For more information or questions, please contact the City's Planning Division by email.
Housing Element Background Information
2023–2031 Update Process
Housing Element Update Completed – March 22, 2023 On Wednesday, March 22, 2023, the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) announced that the City of Fremont's updated 2023–2031 Housing Element, which is part of the City's General Plan, is in full compliance with State law—becoming the sixth city in Alameda County to receive State certification.
“HCD applauds the leadership of the City in taking significant steps to affirmatively further fair housing and accommodate the future housing needs of all segments of the community,” HCD’s Senior Program Manager Paul McDougall stated in a letter to the City.
Key policy commitments in the City’s updated Housing Element include:
Planning for approximately 300 housing units on an 8.4-acre City-owned property at Fremont Boulevard and Decoto Road,
Considering revisions to parking requirements in transit-oriented areas, and
Updating City ordinances and standards to maximize residential density in certain areas.
“We are pleased that the State recognized Fremont’s strong support for housing at all income levels,” said Fremont Mayor Lily Mei. “We will continue to promote transit-oriented development, prioritize affordable housing, streamline approvals for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and implement other strategies to meet our housing targets.”
Fremont’s assigned share of the region’s housing need for the next eight years is almost 13,000 new residential units, over 7,000 of which are intended to be affordable. In 2022 alone, the City permitted 1,133 housing units, including 298 affordable units. An additional 947 units of affordable housing are currently under construction or in early phases of the development pipeline in Fremont.
State Certification Review – March 14, 2023 In January 2023, City staff submitted the Adopted 2023–2031 Housing Element to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for certification review. As part of their review process, HCD staff requested to see an aggregated matrix of the City’s AFFH (Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing) programs with the corresponding geographic targets and metrics. City staff provided HCD with the requested matrix and incorporated it into the Housing Element as Appendix C.
City Council Adopted Housing Element – January 10, 2023 On January 10, 2023, the Fremont City Council voted unanimously to adopt the 2023–2031 Housing Element for Fremont. The City submitted the adopted Housing Element to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to review for certification. HCD is responsible for reviewing all local jurisdiction housing elements to determine whether they comply with the requirements of state law.
City Council Considered Adoption of Housing Element – December 30, 2022
On December 22, 2022, the City's Planning Commission reviewed the Adoption Draft of the 2023–2031 Housing Element and voted unanimously to recommend adoption to the Fremont City Council.
In making their recommendation, the Planning Commission incorporated several minor amendments to the draft, including adding responses to recent public comments and making clarifications. The Adoption Draft of the Housing Element was updated to reflect those amendments.
The City Council considered adoption of the 2023–2031 Housing Element at their regularly scheduled meeting on January 10, 2023. The agenda is available online at city.fremont.gov/agendacenter.
Planning Commission Considered Revised Housing Element - December 15, 2022 City staff prepared a revised draft of the 2023–2031 Housing Element which incorporated several changes based on comments received from the State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Please note that revisions to the draft based on preliminary HCD comments and questions in October 2022 are noted in red underline. Revisions based on the November 2022 HCD comment letter are noted in purple underline.
On December 22, 2022, the City's Planning Commission held a public hearing to consider recommending adoption of the City’s 2023–2031 Housing Element to the Fremont City Council. The agenda is available online at city.fremont.gov/planningcommission.
Updated Housing Element - November 30, 2022 City staff presented an updated 2023–2031 Housing Element to the City’s Planning Commission on Thursday, December 22, 2022. At this public hearing, staff asked the commission to make a recommendation to the Fremont City Council to consider adoption. The agenda is available online at city.fremont.gov/planningcommission.
Comments Received from State on Draft - November 22, 2022
On November 22, 2022, the City received a letter from the State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) regarding Fremont’s Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element. The letter indicated that the Draft Housing Element addresses most statutory requirements and identified a few areas of the document that needed to be revised to comply with State Housing Element Law. Staff revised the Draft Housing Element in accordance with HCD’s feedback and scheduled public hearings with the City's Planning Commission in December 2022 and the Fremont City Council in January 2023 to consider adoption.
Revised Draft Made Available for Public Review - November 10, 2022 The City received preliminary written comments from the State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) regarding the Draft 2023–2031 Housing Element. The comments highlighted areas in which staff can improve the draft Housing Element to provide clarification and comply with statutory requirements.
Revised Draft Submitted to State for Review - August 2022
The City thanked everyone who contributed feedback on the Draft 2023–2031 Housing Element. The revised Draft 2023–2031 Housing Element incorporated public comments and suggestions that staff received regarding the original draft. Staff have prepared Appendix B, an overview of public comments and staff responses, in order to show the public where changes have been made.
The revised Draft 2023–2031 Housing Element was submitted to the State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for their review and comment. HCD reviewed the Housing Element for compliance with state laws and regulations.
Public Comment Period - July to August 2022 The 30-day public comment period on the Draft 2023–2031 Housing Element took place July through August 2022. Members of the public were encouraged to review the draft and share their opinions with staff. Staff provided several opportunities for community members to learn more about the draft and provide feedback, including a Planning Commission meeting, an in-person Open House event, and the opportunity to schedule one-on-one virtual meetings with staff. Staff also encouraged the community to email their comments to housingelement@fremont.gov.
Draft Housing Element - July 2022 In July 2022, the City of Fremont Draft 2023–2031 Housing Element was made available for public review and input. The entire draft and each individual chapter are available below.
On July 12, 2022, City staff kicked off the public comment period by presenting an overview of the draft to the Fremont City Council. The staff report and a recording of the meeting are available below:
Update - April 2022 As the City moved forward with preparing an updated 2023–2031 Housing Element, City staff asked for community input to help guide the needs analysis and goals, policies, and program development included in the update.
City staff presented the Housing Element to City Boards and Commissions in March and April 2022 to provide information about the Housing Element update project, answer questions, and collect input. Meetings included:
The video below provided an overview of the Housing Element update process and what to expect. Subtitles are available in the following languages: Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Punjabi, and Persian. If other languages are needed, please select YouTube's Auto-Translate option or send the project team an email.
Update - January 2022 In December 2021, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) adopted the Final Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) Plan for the Bay Area. The plan distributes a share of the region's projected housing needs for 2023–2031 to local jurisdictions. Fremont’s allocation has been finalized at 12,897 units. Under State law, the City became responsible for updating the Housing Element by January 2023 to show where this housing can be built and the policies and strategies necessary to meet that target.
