2021–2029
Cerritos Housing Element Update
Updated September 20, 2022
JUMP TO: Overview | Housing Element Components | RHNA | Public Participation
On September 1, 2022, the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) deemed the City of Cerritos’ 2021-2029 Housing Element in full compliance with applicable State housing law and has been certified accordingly.
Overview
As required by State housing law, the City of Cerritos is currently in the process of updating its Housing Element for the 2021-2029 planning period. A Housing Element is a State-mandated policy document within the City’s General Plan, which provides a roadmap for the development of housing units within the City, as well as a guide for future housing policy decisions. In accordance with State housing law, cities are required to adopt plans and regulatory systems, in the form of a Housing Element, that provide opportunities for, and do not unduly constrain, housing development. A Housing Element is therefore a mechanism by which the State is able to require both cities and private sector entities to provide a variety of housing options and strive toward reaching regional housing needs, while maintaining civic and local responsibility toward economic, environmental and fiscal factors, and community goals stated within adopted General Plan documents. A Housing Element serves as a detailed, narrowly focused plan for adoption and implementation of housing goals and development in each city. Housing Elements are required to be updated every eight (8) years.
Housing Element Components
Pursuant to State housing law, a Housing Element document is required to include the following components:
- Housing Needs Assessment: Analysis of the City’s demographic, household and housing characteristics for the purpose of identifying and analyzing the existing and projected housing needs of a City
- Site Inventory: An inventory of resources and constraints relevant to meeting a city’s housing needs, including an inventory of adequate sites and zones for future housing development
- Constraints Analysis: Analysis of potential market, governmental, environmental and infrastructure constraints to the development of housing
- Goals, Policies and Objectives: A statement of goals, policies, quantifiable objectives and financial resources available for the preservation, improvement and development of housing
- Housing Programs: A list of housing programs setting forth actions and timelines for the implementation of established policies and goals set forth in the Housing Element
Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA)
In addition to the State’s requirement for the adoption and certification of a Housing Element, the State is responsible for determining the regional housing needs for each city based on population and demographic information. The Housing Element update process begins with the State of California issuing a Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) determination for the Southern California region. For the 2021-2029 planning period, the State determined that 1.34 million housing units need to be constructed throughout the Southern California region. The region’s planning entity, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), therefore established a methodology based on household growth, job accessibility and transit accessibility to equitably distribute the 1.34 million housing units to each city within the Southern California region. The SCAG methodology was established to ensure that housing units are allocated to each city fairly and that there is no disproportionate distribution of housing income groups.
Over the past three (3) years since the sixth cycle Housing Element RHNA process commenced, the City of Cerritos worked diligently to represent the City in SCAG’s RHNA determination process. This included the City providing local input, submitting comment letters, attending numerous public hearings and providing public testimony, in an effort to protect local control and to ensure that the City receives a RHNA allocation that is feasible and conducive to the existing built-out, primarily single-family residential composition of the City of Cerritos. These efforts resulted in the City of Cerritos receiving a RHNA allocation of 1,908 housing units, consisting of the following allocations for each income category:
| Income Category | Total
Number of Units Required |
|---|---|
| Very-Low Income | 679 |
| Low Income | 345 |
| Moderate Income | 332 |
| Above-Moderate Income (Market Rate) |
552 |
| Total | 1,908 |
This RHNA allocation represents the minimum number of housing units the City is required to plan for in the City’s 2021-2029 Housing Element. Planning for these additional housing units in the City’s 2021-2029 Housing Element includes identifying sites within the City of Cerritos to accommodate future housing development for the purpose of fulfilling this RHNA housing allocation. It should be noted that this RHNA allocation represents a planning/zoning target for new residential growth and is not a building requirement.
Public Participation
The City of Cerritos welcomes and encourages public participation in the City’s 2021-2029 Housing Element update process.
Past Workshops and Meetings
- May 27, 2021 City Council Study Session—
2021-2029 Housing Element
City Council Agenda Report (PDF)
City Council Presentation (PDF) - June 30, 2021 Community Workshop—
2021-2029 Housing Element
Community Workshop Presentation (PDF) - September 13, 2021 City Council Study Session—2021-2029 Housing Element
City Council Agenda Report (PDF)
City Council Presentation (PDF) - January 12, 2022 Planning Commission Consideration of Draft 2021-2029 Housing Element
Planning Commission Agenda Report (PDF) - January 27, 2022 City Council Consideration of Draft 2021-2029 Housing Element
City Council Agenda Report (PDF)
For more information, please contact the Dept. of Community Development at (562) 916-1201.
