The Planning and Zoning Law requires each county and each city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of that county or city, and specified land outside its boundaries, that includes, among other specified mandatory elements, a housing element. For the 4th and subsequent revisions of the housing element, existing law requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to determine the existing and projected need for housing for each region, as provided, and requires the appropriate council of governments, or for cities and counties without a council of governments, the department, to adopt a final regional housing need plan allocating a share of the regional housing need to each city, county, or city and county, as provided. Existing law requires a city or county to provide by April 1 of each year an annual report to, among other entities, the department that includes, among other things, the city’s or county’s progress in meeting its share of regional housing needs, as specified. Existing law defines various terms for purposes of requirements applicable to the housing element.

This bill would define “housing unit” for the 7th and subsequent revisions of the housing element, with respect to acutely low income households, to mean a house, an apartment, a modular home, a mobilehome or trailer, a group of rooms, or a single room that is occupied, or, if vacant, is intended for occupancy as separate living quarters, as specified.