Title
Report regarding the 2025 General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports (Billy Gross, Principal Planner and Stephanie Skangos, Senior Planner)
label
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council take the following actions:
1. Accept the 2025 General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports; and
2. Authorize its transmittal to the California Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LPI) and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
Body
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
California Government Code Section 65400 requires that jurisdictions prepare Annual Progress Reports (APRs) on the status and implementation of the current General Plan and Housing Element. The APRs must be submitted to the City Council, the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LPI), and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) by April 1st of each year (with a 60-day grace period). City staff intends to file the APR before the April 1st deadline. The General Plan Implementation Progress table is included as Attachments 1 and 2, and the Housing Element APRs are included as Attachments 3 and 4.
General Plan Annual Progress Report
Introduction
A General Plan is the local government’s long-term blueprint for the community’s vision of future growth. Each city is required by California law to have a General Plan, comprised of a minimum of seven mandated “Elements”, to guide its future land use decisions. South San Francisco’s last comprehensive General Plan update occurred in 2022 (Shape SSF 2040).
The Shape SSF 2040 General Plan was shaped through a three-year public engagement process, providing a roadmap for the City to implement policies and actions that create a resilient community, improve the quality of life of its residents, and expand economic development opportunities. The development of the plan was guided by an overarching vision, a set of community values, and guiding principles.
- Vision. South San Francisco is a place where everyone can thrive. Its high quality of life, diverse and inclusive community, livable neighborhoods and excellent services, culture of innovation, and environmental leadership ensure all people have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
- Community Values
o Diversity + Inclusion
o Livability
o Sustainability
o Innovation
- Guiding Principles
o Affordable, safe, attractive, amenity-rich neighborhoods
o High-quality and accessible services, facilities, and amenities for residents at all stages of their lives
o A safe, convenient, and accessible transportation network well-connected to the region
o A resilient community
o A prosperous downtown and local economy
Status of the Adopted Elements of the General Plan
State law requires that general plans include seven mandated elements: land use, housing, circulation, conservation, open space, noise, and safety. Cities such as South San Francisco that have identified disadvantaged communities must also address environmental justice and air quality in their general plans. Finally, State law allows the general plan to contain other elements for topics of local concern. Following is a breakdown of how the Shape SSF 2040 elements correspond with State requirements, and the year that each element was last updated.
Table 1: General Plan Elements
|
State Required Element |
Shape SSF 2040 Chapter |
Last Updated |
|
Land Use |
Land Use and Community Design |
2025 |
|
|
Sub-Areas |
2025 |
|
Housing |
Housing |
2023 |
|
Circulation |
Mobility and Access |
2025 |
|
Open Space |
Abundant Parks & Recreation |
2023 |
|
Safety |
Community Resilience |
2022 |
|
|
Climate Protection |
2022 |
|
Noise |
Noise |
2022 |
|
Environmental Justice |
Community Health and Environmental Justice |
2022 |
|
Others (not required) |
A Prosperous Economy for All |
2022 |
|
|
Equitable Community Services |
2022 |
|
|
Environmental and Cultural Stewardship |
2022 |
Compliance with State LPI General Plan Guidelines and State Legislation
The Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LPI) adopts and periodically revises General Plan Guidelines for the preparation and content of general plans, including detailed information on statutory requirements of the mandated general plan elements. Shape SSF 2040 was adopted in October 2022, and is consistent with all statutory requirements, including environmental justice considerations and consultation with Native American tribes.
New State legislation adopted in 2025 included Senate Bill 1425 (SB 1425), which requires the Open Space Element to be updated by January 1, 2026, to address equal access to open space for all residents, climate resilience, and rewilding opportunities. Shape SSF 2040 largely complies with the equal access and climate resilience provisions, and staff is finalizing a General Plan Amendment related to rewilding opportunities for City Council consideration in the second quarter of 2026. Assembly Bill 1889 (AB 1889) requires the Conservation Element to be updated on or after January 1, 2028, to analyze wildlife connectivity areas, identify wildlife passage features, and consider the impact of development on wildlife and habitat connectivity. Staff is proposing that these efforts, as well as a more in-depth rewilding opportunities analysis, be included in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update that is tentatively scheduled to begin later in 2026.
General Plan Amendments
Two minor amendments to Shape SSF 2040 were made in 2025.
1. Land Use Element: As part of the Infinite 131 Life Science Campus Project, the land use designation for the project site and five adjacent parcels was amended from Mixed Industrial High (MIH) to Business Technology Park High (BTP-H).
2. Circulation Element: Ancillary to Genentech’s acquisition of certain public rights-of-way within the Genentech Campus, General Plan Amendments were made to incorporate the potential future closure of DNA Way within the Genentech Master Plan Area. The General Plan uses a base street network map throughout all figures within the General Plan to provide context, and this base map often shows DNA Way as a Connector Street. Within Chapter 9: Mobility and Access, Figure 14: Proposed Roadway Network was modified to remove DNA Way as ‘Existing Connector (Collector)’, and Figure 16: Truck Network was modified to remove DNA Way as a designated “Truck Route”.
Shape SSF 2040 Implementation
Shape SSF 2040 was adopted with a 20-year time horizon, and implementation of its goals and policies is intended to be a short-, medium-, and long-term effort over that span. Across its eleven Elements, Shape SSF 2040 includes 569 policies; 402 of those policies have no separate associated actions, while the remaining policies have 362 associated actions. This results in a total of 764 separate policies/actions for which staff is tracking implementation. Due to the sheer number of items, it is important to note that not all policy and action items are part of current work plans.
Since the first year of reporting after adoption in 2022, the following changes to status of the 764 policies and actions have occurred:
- Items considered “Completed” or as “Ongoing” have increased from 51% to 58%
- Items considered “Underway” have increased from 17% to 20%
- Items with “No Action” have decreased from 32% to 22%
The following table summarizes the status of all items by Element; a detailed table showing the 2025 status of all policies/actions is attached (Attachment 1 is a PDF version, Attachment 2 is an Excel version).
Table 2: General Plan Implementation Status
Housing Element Annual Progress Report
Introduction
California requires each jurisdiction to prepare a Housing Element as part of its General Plan to ensure that all jurisdictions are planning for the projected housing demand throughout the State. Unlike other elements of a General Plan, the Housing Element must be updated on timelines set by the State. The Housing Element is the blueprint for future housing development in the jurisdiction and includes goals, policies, and programs that direct decision-making regarding residential development and housing policy. The Housing Element is required by State law to identify how and where the housing needs of each community will be met.
The process begins with the State advising a region of its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), which is the estimated number of housing units that will be needed over the planning period (usually eight years). This allocation is further subdivided among four household income categories: very-low, low, moderate, and above moderate.
The City adopted a new Housing Element in January 2023, that covers a planning cycle running from January 31, 2023, to January 31, 2031. RHNA allocation for Cycle 6 is on a slightly different timeline and covers the period from June 30, 2022, to December 15, 2030. The City of South San Francisco has a RHNA allocation of 3,956 units for RHNA Cycle 6. If a jurisdiction does not comply with the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) requirements for their Housing Element, there is a risk of Housing Element litigation, loss of local land use control, the RHNA numbers (allocation) becoming cumulative (per AB 1233), and/or ineligibility for qualifying for State Housing Funds and other infrastructure funds.
Housing Element Compliance with HCD Guidelines
The South San Francisco Housing Element covers the period of 2023-2031, and this APR represents the yearly update on housing production. The formatting for the report continues to evolve to match the State’s high priority for new housing units. This APR provides a comprehensive view of entitlement and building permitting activity. The Annual Housing Element Progress Report (Attachment 3 in PDF and Attachment 4 in Excel) includes the following tables:
• Summary Tab of Entitled Units, Submitted Applications, and Streamlining Provisions
• Table A - Housing Development Applications Submitted
• Table A2 - Annual Building Activity Report Summary - New Construction, Entitled, Permits, and Completed Units
• Table B - Regional Housing Needs Allocation Progress - Permitted Units Issued by Affordability
• Table C - Sites Identified or Rezoned to Accommodate Shortfall Housing Need - Not Applicable to SSF
• Table D - Program Implementation Status
• Table E - Commercial Development Bonus Approved - None
• Table F - Units Rehabilitated, Preserved, and Acquired for Alternative Adequate Sites - None
• Table F2 - Units Converted - None
• Table G - Locally Owned Lands included in the Housing Element Sites Inventory that have been sold, leased, or otherwise disposed of - None
• Table H - Locally Owned or Controlled Lands Declared Surplus - None
• Table J - Student Housing Development with a Density Bonus - None
• Table K - Tenant Preference Policy
• Table L - Historic Designations - None
• Local Early Action Planning (LEAP) Grant Reporting - None
The Housing Element Progress Report is informational only and does not change adopted policies or authorize any action or expenditure of funds.
Regional Housing Needs Allocation Progress Summary
For 2025, the City is reporting building permit issuance for 593 new residential units, which includes two (2) single-family homes, 543 multi-family units (for 7 S. Linden Avenue), and 48 accessory dwelling units (ADUs). New units that receive building permit issuance during the reporting year are counted towards the current RHNA allocation.
In addition to the new units issued a building permit above, a total of 97 new residential units received a final building inspection or a certificate of occupancy in 2025. This includes three (3) single-family homes, nine (9) small multi-family units (located within two-to-four-unit structures), 56 multi-family units (for Baden Station and 889 McLellan Drive), and 29 ADUs.
The City also approved Planning entitlements for 232 new residential units, consisting of 76 single-family homes (70 of which are part of the Gateway Project on Railroad), 12 small multi-family units (located within two-to-four-unit structures) and 144 multi-family units (for 500 and 522 Linden Avenue.
The following table summarizes the total number of residential units entitled, permitted (building permit issued), and completed (building permit finaled) by structure type. This table, along with more detailed information is included in the attachments (Attachment 3 is a PDF version, Attachment 4 is an Excel version).
Table 3: New Residential Units Entitled, Permitted, and Completed in 2025
This is the reporting year for 2025, the third year of the RHNA Cycle 6 eight-year reporting cycle (2023-2031). Following is a snapshot of cumulative progress to date:
1. The City had issued building permits for 19.5% of the expected housing units for the City for a total of 770 units out of the 3,956 units allocated through RHNA.
2. For the Above Moderate housing category, the City has issued a building permit for 27.1% of the expected housing units for a total of 505 units (RHNA allocation is 1,863 units).
3. For the Moderate housing category, the City has issued a building permit for 12.1% of the expected housing units for a total of 87 units (RHNA allocation is 720 units).
4. For the Low housing category, the City has issued a building permit for 21.7% of the expected housing units for a total of 109 units (RHNA allocation is 502 units).
5. For the Very Low housing category, the City has issued a building permit for 7.9% of the expected housing units for a total of 69 units (RHNA allocation is 871 units).
Program Implementation Status
Table D of the Housing Element Progress Report provides the status of implementing the current Housing Element programs. Most programs are implemented and monitored on an ongoing basis; however, some programs have deliverable dates prior to the end of the Housing Element cycle of 2031. Following is a brief summary of the Housing Element programs that were completed in 2025. The full implementation status for each program is attached (Attachment 3 is a PDF version, Attachment 4 is an Excel version).
Table 4: Housing Element Programs Completed in 2025
FUNDING
Submittal of the APRs to LCI and HCD will have no financial impact on the City but does continue to make the City eligible for regional grant funding.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that the City Council, by motion, accept the 2025 General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports on the implementation of the General Plan and Housing Element and authorize its transmittal to the California Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation and the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
Attachments
1. Shape SSF 2040 Implementation Status Tables for 2025 in PDF format
2. Shape SSF 2040 Implementation Status Tables for 2025 in Excel format
3. Annual Housing Element Progress Report for 2025 in PDF format
4. Annual Housing Element Progress Report for 2025 in Excel - tabbed sheets