State Certifies Updates To Fremont's Housing Element

FREMONT, CA — The State Department of Housing and Community Development 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.

The March 26 announcement makes Fremont the sixth city in Alameda County to receive state certification. Alameda, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, and San Leandro have also received state certification, according to the HCD website.

“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 said in a letter to the city.

According to the Housing Element Update posted on the city's website, key policy commitments include planning for approximately 300 units of housing on an 8.4-acre city-owned property at Fremont Boulevard and Decoto Road, updating city ordinances and standards to maximize residential density in certain areas and considering revisions to parking requirements in transit-oriented areas

“We are pleased that the State recognized Fremont’s strong support for housing at all income levels,” Fremont Mayor Lily Mei said. “We will continue to promote transit-oriented development, prioritize affordable housing, streamline approvals for accessory dwelling units , and implement other strategies to meet our housing targets.”

Under California law, all local governments are required to adopt a Housing Element and update it every eight years to help meet the housing needs of everyone in the community.

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.

To learn more about the City’s Housing Element, visit fremont.gov/housingelement.

Those interested in learning more about affordable housing in Fremont can access an interactive map of existing and upcoming developments here.