Westminster City Council
SUBJECT
Title
Housing Element Annual Housing Progress Report for Calendar Year 2025.
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From: Steven Mendoza, Interim Community Development Director
Requested by: Administration
Prepared by: Alice Tieu, Associate Planner
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Mayor and City Council receive and file the report and direct staff to submit the report to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR).
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BACKGROUND
Government Code Section 65400 requires each county and general law city in California to prepare and present, to its decision-making body, an annual report describing progress made in the following:
• Implementing its Housing Element and housing programs (a component of the City’s General Plan).
• Meeting its share of regional housing needs as determined through the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA).
The 2025 Annual Progress Report (APR) (Attachment 1) is the fourth reporting year of the 6th Cycle 2021-2029 Housing Element and discusses the progress that the City has made towards the implementation of all required Housing Element programs and towards meeting the City’s RHNA allocation. In addition to adopting the City’s Mixed-Use zoning standards and the Westminster Mall Specific Plan in 2022, the City Council adopted a resolution in November 2024 to implement recommendations made in an Economic Feasibly Study to increase the maximum residential density within the mixed-use zones and expand the number of properties with the Mixed-Use Zoning designation. These achievements, along with additional development within the City, have put the City on track to meet its Housing Element obligations.
Housing Element
State law requires each city to adopt a Housing Element as part of its General Plan. The Housing Element guides housing development in the City and addresses a wide range of housing issues through a series of established goals, programs, and objectives. California’s housing element law further requires each city to plan for its RHNA allocation by developing housing programs designed to meet its “fair share” of existing and future housing needs for all income groups. The Housing Element addresses the planning period of October 1, 2021 through October 1, 2029, known as the 6th Cycle. Westminster’s 6th Cycle Housing Element was established in accordance with State law and adopted by the Mayor and City Council on March 22, 2023 and later certified by HCD on May 22, 2023. The 2025 APR is based on the City’s certified Housing Element.
Since the 1980s, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has been required to establish housing need projections for jurisdictions in Orange County, officially known as the RHNA, and SCAG forecasts and allocates housing needs over an eight-year period. Each jurisdiction’s RHNA is further defined based on four household income categories: above moderate income, moderate income, low income, and very low income. It is important to note that the City does not have to build the number of RHNA units assigned, only to ensure that the units are planned for. The share of the region’s housing needs allocated to the City of Westminster is shown below in household income categories.
|
Very Low-Income (<50% AMI) |
1,881 units |
|
Low-Income (50-80% AMI) |
1,473 units |
|
Moderate-Income (80-120% AMI) |
1,784 units |
|
Above Moderate (>120% AMI) |
4,621 units |
|
Total |
9,759 units |
2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report (APR)
The 2025 APR (Attachment No. 1) discusses the specific progress the City has made toward the implementation of each Housing Element program, including the number of reviewed, approved, and permitted housing units for 2025. In 2025, the City permitted a total of 260 dwelling units and 232 dwelling units were completed (constructed). Consistent with past development trends, the progress report confirms that the residential development in the City is dominated by the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs); 83% of all the housing units completed (constructed) were ADUs (193 out of 232). 83% of the housing units permitted in 2025 were also ADUs (215 out of 260 units). However, the City has received a greater number of multiple-family housing proposals over the past year. In addition to ADUs, the City also permitted and finalized a 25-unit attached townhome project with 23 market-rate units and two very low-income affordable housing units.
The City is making important progress toward meeting the City’s RHNA allocation of 9,759 units. As of the completion of this report, the City still has a remaining RHNA of 8,824 units. It is anticipated that the City will continue to see a trend of a higher number of residential units permitted or constructed each year. On March 10, 2026, the Planning Commission considered a proposal to increase the density of all mixed-use zoned properties and expand the mixed-use areas. This effort is based on City Council’s direction and consideration of an economic feasibility study in 2024 as mentioned above. Additionally, a 2,250-unit mixed-use project on the former Westminster Mall property was submitted to the City in December 2025, a 54-unit affordable senior housing development is currently in plan check, and a 28-unit single-family residential project will be considered by the Planning Commission in April 2026. Collectively, these three projects represent over a quarter of the City’s remaining RHNA allocation. The City is actively working to encourage and accommodate higher density residential developments as required by the state housing laws. Table D of the 2025 APR discusses the specific actions taken by the City to implement the Housing Element programs and any associated goals during the past year.
The attached 2025 progress report has been prepared using the forms provided and required by the State. There is no applicable data to report for tables C, E, F, F2, G, H, J, K, and L. Thus, these tables have been left blank.
Recent Bills that Streamline Housing Development
The City continues to address new housing bills as they are approved and enacted by the state government. The City adopted several housing code amendments this past year to comply with recent state housing laws.
SB 450, which pertains to SB 9, took effect on January 1, 2025. This legislative update to SB 9 residential development prohibits City from imposing more restrictive development standards than what is uniformly applied to development in the underlying zone. For example, if single family homes in the R-1 Single Family Residential Zoning District are permitted a 35-foot maximum height, SB 9 units must also be permitted to have a maximum height of 35 feet. SB 1211, which became effective in 2025, increases the maximum number of detached ADUs allowed on existing multifamily properties from two (2) to eight (8) units, given that the number of ADUs on a property cannot exceed the maximum number of existing multifamily units. Every year, the State of California adopts new housing legislation to expedite the housing process. Staff has initiated and processed several code revisions this year to implement state law and to streamline housing development, including updating the City’s ADU, SB 9, density bonus, and Housing Overlay District zoning code sections in 2025. The City is also currently in the process of implementing a comprehensive code update to comply with state law, ensure that the Zoning Code meets the needs of the City, and to streamline housing processes.
FISCAL IMPACT
None
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed as to form.
CONCLUSION
Since the beginning of the 6th Cycle RHNA, the City has permitted a total of 935 housing units and continues to work towards providing a range of housing opportunities for the community, with over 2,500 units currently in plan check or going through the entitlement process. The City will continue to monitor and implement state laws, explore opportunities to create affordable units, streamline the City’s review processes, and remain in compliance with the City’s Adopted 2021-2029 Housing Element.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report
REVIEWED BY
Erin Backs, Finance Director
City Attorney’s Office
Christine Cordon, City Manager