Members of the Riverbank City Council met with the Planning Commission members for a joint public hearing this past week to begin the process of updating the city’s Housing Element.

The session was hosted in the Riverbank Community Center, on Wednesday, July 31. The idea behind the joint hearing was to solicit input from residents on how the city should add to its available housing in coming years.

The work focuses on the Housing Element of the city’s General Plan, to update it to comply with state law. It will become the sixth cycle planning period of the General Plan. The one in place now took effect June 30, 2023 and runs through Dec. 31. 2031.

‘Adjustments to Housing Policies, Programs and Needs’ will be included as part of the process.

The presentation was designed in both English and Spanish, and included live translators for anyone in attendance who needed translation services.

The workshop began with a detailed PowerPoint display, in both languages, outlining the update process.

It started by defining what a housing element is, a required element of the city’s General Plan. It includes a sites inventory to meet the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, along with policies and programs necessary to accomplish needed changes.

Officials noted the Housing Element assesses and addresses constraints to housing development here, guides policies and identifies opportunities to meet the city’s housing needs over coming years.

The update process is expected to be completed by February of next year.

Members of the crowd were able to ask questions following the main presentation at the public hearing, as the council and planners begin the process of acquiring the required public input before updating the current document.