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General Plan and Housing Implementation

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Envision Stockton 2040 General Plan

The City has updated its General Plan (GP) – Envision Stockton 2040. The Plan was adopted by Council on December 4, 2018.

General Plan
Approval Hearings
Environmental Reports and Studies
General Plan Supportive Documents
Previous General Plan (2035 General Plan)

The 2035 General Plan approved by City Council on December 11, 2007, and was superseded by the

Housing Plan and Implementation
Housing Element

The 2023-2031 Housing Element is currently being updated. Drafts of the update can be seen on the CDD Shape Stockton website located Housing and Safety Element (stocktonca.gov).

The previous Housing Element can be seen here 2015-2023 Housing Element

Housing Implementation

The Community Development Department manages housing policies and regulations. The Economic Development Department's Housing Division administers housing programs and provides critical funding resources that create housing opportunities for Stockton residents to ensure they have decent, safe, and affordable housing. The Housing Division also implements green building practices for rehabilitation and new construction projects and has identified the following housing priorities:

  • Preserve, improve, and expand the supply of affordable housing for low-income households
  • Provide homeownership opportunities for first-time homebuyers.
  • Provide housing and services for the City’s homeless population, including homeless prevention

Both departments work together to ensure that housing needs are met in the City of Stockton. The City of Stockton's General Plan is a foundational guide for long-range planning and zoning considerations. The Housing Element component of the General Plan directs housing policy and program recommendations for the City. Policies and programs are updated periodically by staff and revised based on past performance, market conditions, and available resources.

(NEW) City Awarded Prohousing Designation by the State

Cities and counties that earn the Prohousing Designation receive incentives such as additional points or other preferences in the scoring of competitive funding programs administered by California’s Housing and Community Development Agency (HCD), giving them an advantage over other jurisdictions.

(NEW) Residential Project Maps

Annual Progress Reports (Housing and General Plan)

California State Law requires cities to provide Annual Progress Reports (APR) to update the public on the implementation status of the General Plan and Housing Elements. These reports must be presented before the City Council for submittal to the State by the month of April of each calendar year.  Below are links to previous APRs completed by the City.

Housing Resources

There are various housing items and legislative updates that impact housing policy and standards. Please see the link topics and links below for more information on efforts being acted on by City staff.

ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS (ADUs)

ADUs are additional housing units typically placed on the same property as existing residential homes. These ADU units have complete independent living facilities for one or more persons, can be rented out, and has variations that can include:

  • Detached: The unit is separated from the primary structure.
  • Attached: The unit is attached to the primary structure.
  • Converted Existing Space: Space (e.g., master bedroom, attached garage, storage area, or similar use, or an accessory structure) on the lot of the primary residence that is converted into an independent living unit.
  • Junior ADU (JADU): A specific type of conversion of existing space that is contained entirely within an existing or proposed single-family residence.

ADUs and JADUs are flexible forms of housing that can help Stocktonians more easily access job-rich, high-opportunity areas. New policies are making ADUs even more affordable to build, in part by limiting the development impact fees that local jurisdictions may charge for ADU construction and relaxing local zoning requirements. ADUs and JADUs can often be built at a fraction of the price of a new single-family home, and homeowners may use their existing lot to create additional housing. Often the rent generated from the ADU can pay for the entire project in a matter of years.

For more information concerning ADUs, see the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) website.

The City’s ADU/JADU requirements are defined in SMC 16.80.310. See the Stockton Community Development Building and Life Safety Division ADU website for information on building an ADU. The website includes permit information and free pre-approved plans for ADUs construction within the City limits.

DENSITY BONUS

In 2021, the City increased allowable density bonus beyond the 35-percent allowed by State density bonus law (California Government Code Section 65915 to up to 100-percent as shown below:

  • State Density Bonus (0% to 50% Density Increase).
  • Tier-1 Supplemental Density Bonus (50% to 75% Density Increase).
  • Tier-2 Supplemental Density Bonus (76% to 100% Density Increase).

Applicants wishing to obtain a Tier-1 or Tier-2 density bonus must achieve a certain number of eligibility points defined by Stockton Municipal Code (SMC) 16.40.050. Eligibility points may be awarded for sustainable design, adaptive reuse of historic buildings, or development in housing priority areas or Opportunity Zones. Applicants requesting a density bonus must enter into a density bonus agreement as part of their housing development project submittal.

The City’s density bonus requirements are defined in SMC 16.40.

PARKING REDUCTIONS

Reducing or eliminating parking for residential development has led to decreasing housing development costs, leading to increases in housing production for all types of housing and income levels.  Reducing the dependance of automobile parking, also supports the use of alternative transportation such as train, bus, biking, and walking. From 2020 to 2022, the City Council adopted a variety of parking reduction options per SMC Section 16.64.050.

  • A new ministerial parking reduction process (SMC 16.64.050.C)
  • New reductions for projects in certain areas (Magnolia Historic District, Downtown) and for projects located close to Transit Stops or that proposed adaptive reuse of a historic building.
  • Greater reductions for multi-unit housing (duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes)
  • Greater reductions for multifamily housing in all areas of the City (SMC 16.64.040.I Table 3-8
  • More allowance for the parking in the Downtown area for project’s wishing to be part of the City’s Downtown Parking Improvement District No. 2001-1

In addition to the above reductions, City Council has adopted enhanced requirements for bicycle parking, scooter/motorcycle parking, freeway-oriented uses, carpools, electric vehicle charging stations, and additional requirement exemptions for applicable small lot-infill projects on properties less than 6,500 square feet in size. 

The City’s parking and loading standards are defined in SMC 16.64.

MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING

What does Missing Middle housing mean?

Missing Middle is a housing term used to describe housing diversity and typically includes a range of multi-unit or clustered housing types compatible in scale with single-family homes. Housing diversity can include duplexes, fourplexes, and bungalow courts in addition to single-family detached homes or apartment complexes and emphasizes walkable communities with locally serving retail, and public transportation options. Through providing housing options at varying densities, Missing Middle housing encourages affordable housing through increased housing unit production and marketable housing types.

While the City adopted various flexible housing standards as part of the Zoning Inconsistency Effort “Phase” Code Amendments, the City is continuing to explore housing diversity options as part of the ongoing Development Code Overhaul effort.

Please visit the effort's website to learn more about the Overhaul effort or get involved.

HOUSING IN COMMERCIAL ZONING

While not common knowledge, the City of Stockton allows various housing types by-right in all residential zoning districts and in all commercial zoning designations except for the Commercial-Auto (CA) zone. 

Please get in touch with the City Planning division at Planning@stocktonca.gov or 209-937-8266 for more information.

SENATE BILL 9 (SB 9)

What is Senate Bill 9 (SB 9)?

On January 1, 2022, Senate Bill 9 (SB 9) established a streamlined process to develop two primary residential dwelling units on one eligible single-family zoned parcel and to split one eligible single-family zoned parcel into two separate parcels of approximately equal size. 

Is my project eligible for the SB 9 Application Process?

To be eligible for the streamlining provided by the bill, a parcel must meet specific criteria identified by the State and City. Before requesting SB 9 streamlining, an Applicant must meet City Planning staff to confirm that the project is eligible under the criteria required by State law. Additional information and/or revisions to the project may be required before a project can be submitted to ensure it is consistent with SB9 standards for streamlining.

Please get in touch with the City Planning division at Planning@stocktonca.gov or 209-937-8266 for more information.

ASSEMBLY BILL 686 - EQUITY & AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERING FAIR HOUSING

What is AFFH?

In 2018, California passed Assembly Bill (AB 686) as the statewide framework to affirmatively further fair housing (AFFH) to promote inclusive communities, further housing choice, and address racial and economic disparities through government programs, policies, and operations. AB 686 defined “affirmatively furthering fair housing” as “taking meaningful actions, in addition, to combat discrimination, that overcome segregation patterns and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunity” for persons of color, persons with disabilities, and other protected classes. The Bill added an assessment of fair housing to the Housing Element, which includes the following components:

  • A summary of fair housing issues and assessment of the jurisdiction’s fair housing enforcement and outreach capacity.
  • An analysis of segregation patterns, racially/ethnically concentrated areas of poverty, disparities in access to opportunities, and disproportionate housing needs; • An assessment of contributing factors; and
  • An identification of fair housing goals and actions.

For more information concerning AFFH, see the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) website or the City’s Housing Element Update website for more information and details on how to get involved.

Last Update : 05/07/2024, 9:34:28 AM