The State of California requires that cities plan ahead for housing needs. Every eight years, the State assigns a target number of homes to every city and county in the State through a process called the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA. Dixon does not build these homes directly, but it is responsible for planning and zoning enough land so they can be built.
For the current cycle, 2023 to 2031 (6th Housing Element cycle), Dixon was required to plan for 416 new housing units across different income levels.
To show it can meet these requirements, the City must update its Housing Element every eight years and receive state certification of the Element. The Housing Element is one of the required elements (chapters) of a General Plan. State law also requires the City to continue processing housing applications and does not allow a full pause on reviewing them.
If a city does not meet these requirements or have a certified Housing Element, it can lose its compliant status with the State. In that situation, there are many negative implications to a CIty, including, but not limited to:
- Susceptibility to litigation from developers or State resulting in significant financial penalties
- “Builder’s Remedy,” which prohibits local control over zoning and design standards like density, height or city process for qualifying housing projects that include affordable units
- Loss of grants or state funding
Overall, these rules are intended to ensure cities plan for a range of housing types to meet regional needs over time.