How does a Housing Element get approved?

A final Housing Element has to be approved by the State.

The Housing Element Draft was released for public review and discussed at community, Council and Commission meetings. Staff then integrated this subsequent round of public input and developed a final Housing Element which was adopted by Council and certified by the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to ensure compliance with state housing laws. 

The Newark Housing Element is now part of the General Plan and legally informs the housing policy and programs over the next 8 years. 

While Newark now has a plan to meet the target RHNA number, there is no guarantee that all planned housing will be built. Recognizing that housing is built by private actors – not cities and towns themselves – the Housing Element ensures it is possible to meet our goals and creates a path forward for housing to be built