Santa Clara County is nearly two years behind on receiving state approval for its housing plans, allowing developers to push projects forward in unwanted ways.
County officials submitted their fourth draft of the housing element on Nov. 1 and expect to hear back from the state Department of Housing and Community Development by Dec. 31. Lacking state approval has left the door open for 40 builder’s remedy applications, which don’t need to adhere to county housing guidelines.
The housing element details how the county plans to meet state housing goals, as California sets new goals every eight years to account for population growth and other community needs. The deadline for cities and counties to have their 2023-2031 housing element approved was Jan. 31, 2023. All 15 municipalities in the county have had their plans approved, though most approvals came in late…