San José Housing Catalyst Work Plan

To coordinate implementation of housing production, preservation and protection work across multiple departments, the housing Catalyst Team was established in 2018. The team meets on a biweekly basis and is composed of staff from the Business Development team in the Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs, the Citywide Planning Division of the Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement, the Policy and Planning Team and Residential Development Division of the Housing Department, and the Planning Team of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services. In June of 2023, City Council approved the Housing Catalyst Work Plan, which is the successor to the Housing Crisis Work Plan. The Housing Catalyst Work Plan contains the strategies, programs, and policies from the City’s 2023-2031 Housing Element, adopted by City Council on June 20, 2023, that are currently underway or that staff anticipates initiating in the next two years.

The Housing Catalyst Team Work Plan draws on the experience and lessons learned from the Housing Crisis Work Plan and provides an opportunity to further align the City’s goals across multiple departments as it relates to housing. The unified work plan captures the full body of work being done across the City and facilitates the implementation of the 6^th Cycle Housing Element, which includes over 130 strategies and programs focused on housing preservation, protection, and production over the eight-year period.

As a part of the Housing Crisis Workplan, the Housing Catalyst Team provides an annual update to the Community and Economic Development Committee and the City Council, once in the spring. The update includes reporting on housing production and coincides with the Housing Element Annual Progress Report. Staff also provides an update on the individual items within the workplan.

Housing Catalyst Work Plan Timeline:

• June 20, 2023 – City Council adopted the City Council adopted the 2023-2031 Housing Element. The work is intended to facilitate the production and preservation of housing units in San José and facilitate the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) of 62,200 units.
• June 26, 2023 – Staff presented the first version of the Work Plan to the Community and Economic Development Committee.
• August 22, 2023 – City Council accepted the report on the Work Plan and directed staff to return to Council with a regular report on near-term work items.
• January 29, 2024 – HCD certified the City’s 2023-2031 Housing Element.
• February 26, 2024 – Housing Catalyst Team Work Plan was presented to the Community and Economic Development Committee.
• March 19, 2024 – City Council accepted the report on the Work Plan.

Housing Catalyst Work Plan Dashboard:

For a full description of work items, and defined impact/effort levels, please see here.

The Housing Catalyst Team

The Housing Catalyst Team is an interdepartmental team composed of staff from the Business Development Team of the Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs (OED), the Citywide Planning Division of the Department of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement (PBCE), the Policy and Planning Team and the Residential Development Team of the Housing Department, and the Planning Team of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services (PRNS).

The team meets on a biweekly basis to facilitate the strategies, programs, and policies from the 6^th Cycle Housing Element. As a part of the Housing Catalyst Work Plan, the Housing Catalyst Team provides two annual updates to the Community and Economic Development Committee and the City Council, once in the spring and once in the fall. The update includes a report on the City’s overall housing production as well as individual items within the workplan.