The City of Goleta has a Housing Element for the next eight years. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (State HCD) determined the City of Goleta’s Housing Element 2023-2031 meets all statutory requirements and substantially complies with State housing element law. Following notification from the State by letter on February 5, 2024, Goleta City Manager Robert Nisbet publicly announced the State’s certification at the Goleta City Council meeting last night, February 6, 2024. A link to the letter from the State is here: http://tinyurl.com/5n6mbw7c.

City Manager Robert Nisbet said, “I want to thank our staff, the Council and the community for putting us in a place to have a certified Housing Element.”

Mayor Pro Tempore Luz Reyes-Martín said, “We extend our appreciation to staff, who have worked countless hours over a long period of time to get us here and we rightfully acknowledge the participation of our community in this process. This is a planning document and we needed the state certification. While this in many ways only the beginning of the process, it’s an important milestone.”

The Goleta City Council adopted the City’s Housing Element 2023-2031 on December 5, 2023, as recommended by the Planning Commission. It included the rezoning of eleven sites to accommodate Goleta’s share of the regional housing need, as mandated by the State. The City subsequently submitted it to the State HCD for a 60-day review period.

The City is now in the process of implementing the state-certified Housing Element to maintain and improve existing housing supply and expand housing-related resources for the benefit of the community.

For more information on the City’s Housing Element Update project, go to https://CityofGoleta.org/HousingElement. If you have any questions about the project, please email City staff at HousingElement@cityofgoleta.org. For inquiries in Spanish, please contact Marcos Martinez, Spanish Engagement Specialist, at (805) 562-5500 or mmartinez@cityofgoleta.org.