2027-2035 Housing Element Update Process

Updated February 10, 2026

The Planning Commission will be holding a working session on the Housing Element goals, policies, and programs on Thursday, February 26, 2026 at 5:00 PM at Town Hall (10183 Truckee Airport Road).. The State requires the Town to create a policy program with specific actions to guide the Town’s decisionmaking process on the production, conservation, and improvement of housing in Truckee during the eight-year planning period (2027-2035). 

Public notice flyer

A staff memo will published on the Town's event calendar on February 18, 2026. If you would like to provide written public comment ahead of the meeting, please use the Town’s public comment portal.

Updated December 10, 2025

On December 9, 2025, the Town Council and Planning Commission hosted a joint public workshop on the 2027-2035 Housing Element update. After the presentation where staff provided an overview of Housing Element and the purpose of the workshop and State requirements, approximately 30 members of the public along with the Town Council and Planning Commission broke out into six groups for facilitated discussions. The main question posed to the groups was: “Where should higher density housing go in Truckee?” Concerns and opportunities related to density and community priorities related to open space, viewsheds, and architectural design were also discussed. Each smaller group reported back to the larger group where some common themes emerged. Overall, there was general support for higher density in many areas of Truckee.

With the input from the workshop in mind, the Planning Commission provided a broad recommendation to the Town Council based on the feedback heard. The Planning Commission recommended the following guiding principles when considering where density should be considered:

• Increases in height are supportable but the heights should be kept in context with the neighborhood and environment. For example, the Planning Commission supported the idea of locating taller buildings at the base of sloping hills.
• Support mixed use development and opportunities for commercial development.
• Increased density should be located close to services, jobs, and amenities.
• Environmental constraints should be considered when contemplating density.
• Infrastructure is a key factor in determining where density should go. Higher trafficked roads would likely provide better infrastructure.

In general, the public, Commission, and Council, supported looking at a broad range of sites throughout the town – Gateway, Railyard, Brockway, West River Street, Gray’s Crossing were some of the key areas identified for consideration. The Council also wanted staff to look at increases of density more comprehensively through changes to zoning districts. The Council also expressed a desire to maintain existing industrial and manufacturing zoning districts and Truckee’s expectations for quality architectural design.

With Council’s direction, staff and the Town’s consultant, Ascent, will be working on creating a preliminary candidate rezoning sites list that will ultimately be included in a program within the 2027-2035 Housing Element.  This program will drive future Town work on potential rezonings to ensure compliance with State requirements and community expectations. A future Housing Element workshop is anticipated in early 2026 to work on the goals, policies, and actions that will be adopted as part of Housing Element that will guide future decisions about the location, features, and form of new housing development in the town.

Joint Town Council-Planning Commission Workshop Presentation 12.09.2025 (PDF)

Updated December 1, 2025

The Town Council and Planning Commission will hold a workshop on the 2027-2035 Housing Element update. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 9, 2025 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM and will focus on identifying potential areas for higher density housing. We will have a brief staff presentation, break-out groups, and reconvene for discussion by the Town Council and Planning Commission. You can view the flyer on the Town's public notice page.

A staff memo has been published on the Town's event calendar. If you would like to provide written public comment ahead of the meeting, please use the Town’s public comment portal.

The regular Town Council meeting will reconvene after the workshop at 7:30 PM.

Updated September 29, 2025

At the September 23, 2025 Town Council meeting, the Town Council kicked-off the 2027-2035 Housing Element Update process. 

The Housing Element is one of seven required elements of a General Plan and the only element that is required to be certified by the State of California. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) reviews and certifies housing elements. A Housing Element is required to have the following components: 

• Review of previous element
• Housing needs assessment based on the HCD’s analysis of the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). The RHNA is a state-mandated process where the State quantifies the need for housing for each local jurisdiction; the Town is then tasked with ensuring that there is enough land zoned for the required residential density.
• Inventory and analysis of adequate sites to meet RHNA requirements
• Analysis of potential governmental and non-governmental constraints 
• Housing policies and programs 
• Quantified objectives

The Town of Truckee’s current 6th Cycle Housing Element, adopted in 2019, applies to the 2019-2027 planning period. In order to ensure compliance with State law, the Town is required to adopt and certify an updated Housing Element by May 15, 2027 for the 2027-2035 planning period (7th cycle). State law requires that HCD review and certify the Housing Element, which requires a 90-day HCD review period and potential revisions and subsequent 60-day reviews. The length of HCD’s review period requires that the Town begin work early on the update to ensure that the Housing Element is adopted by the May 15, 2027 deadline. 

On June 25, 2025, the Town Council authorized a contract with Ascent Environmental (Ascent) to provide consulting services to help with drafting and adoption of the Housing Element. Since authorization of the contract, Ascent has created a timeline for the Housing Element, reached out to HCD to request the draft RHNA determination, and identified next steps.

Timeline

While the Housing Element is required to be adopted by May 15, 2027, HCD requires two reviews, one 90-day review of the public review draft and a second 60-day review once revised based on HCD comments. The two review periods create a tight timeline. Staff and the consultant team believe that in order to meet the required adoption timeline, the bulk of the work for the Housing Element will occur in the next nine months. During these nine months, staff and the consultant will be gathering demographic and background information, reviewing the available residential sites, identifying sites for rezoning (if necessary), reviewing housing policies and programs, analyzing the Town’s existing regulations, and conducting outreach. Figure 1 shows the anticipated timeline for successful adoption of the Housing Element. 

Figure 1: 2027-2035 Housing Element Adoption Timeline

If you would like more information on the Housing Element update process, please contact Yumie Dahn, Principal Planner, at ydahn@townoftruckee.gov or 530-582-2918.

If you would like to submit public comment, please use the Town's public comment form.