The Concord City Council is set to consider a series of actions aimed at strengthening the city’s compliance with state housing law and advancing fair housing goals outlined in its 2023-2031 Housing Element.
The agenda item calls for the Council to take steps to implement Objective 8.6 – Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH), a state-mandated requirement intended to reduce housing discrimination and expand access to opportunity in communities across California.
If approved, the Council would:
-
Adopt a resolution amending the City’s General Plan Land Use Element, and
-
Introduce an ordinance updating Concord’s Development Code to create a new Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Overlay District.
The ordinance would amend multiple sections of Title 18 of the Concord Municipal Code, including zoning districts, residential districts, office and commercial districts, development approvals, and zoning clearance procedures. It would also add a new Chapter 18.120 establishing the AFFH Overlay District and rezone approximately 20 acres to apply the new designation.
City planning staff say the changes are designed to ensure Concord remains aligned with California housing law, which requires cities not only to prohibit discrimination but to take proactive steps to promote inclusive communities. The Housing Element adopted in 2023 identified policies and programs to increase housing opportunities in areas with access to jobs, transportation, and services.
The proposed overlay district would serve as a regulatory tool to implement those commitments, potentially allowing for housing development in areas that previously had more restrictive zoning.
The ordinance would be introduced by title only, with further reading waived, a common procedural step for municipal code amendments.
Members of the public will have the opportunity to address the City Council before or during consideration of the item, with speakers typically limited to approximately three minutes.
The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 24, 2026, starting at 6:30 PM. The meeting will take place at the City Council Chambers, 1950 Parkside Drive, Concord, CA 94519.
Oh geez here we go again state mandated fair housing! F those people!
There is plenty of housing already available. We have the right to discriminate. It is our lives and lands. The State has gone past berserk and reaping the rewards of their mis managed Mandate policies. You and your staff will be thoroughly investigated and subject to civil action. You are hereby on Notice.
I kind of feel sorry for City Councils when the state strong arms you into making little pockets of poverty in your communities.
Yes. Which is not the current case in Concord. Concord is looking for something the BART housing growth won’t give them. Financial and Empirical control over the developers and union labor comes to mind.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we voted in someone besides a Socialist City Council and if Valerie Barone’s replacement were on the side of Concord’s current taxpayer residents
What makes it fair? Do we have unfair neighborhoods? Is Malibu, Russian Hill, Carmel, Tiburon unfair? If so, how can we make them fair? Can this ever happen? Someone should ask the council.
WC—Creeker,
.
Wealthy cities like those you mentioned have or will also do rezoning, they just rezone parcels of land that will never be redeveloped in the near futur, if ever. Wealthy cities play the same game that the state is playing in regards to rezoning, but middle-class and poorer cities aren’t able to play that same game.
The city council only does what benefits them, certainly not anything that benefits the people or any state law.
This is just another overreach to fill their pockets.
This ties right in with the story last week about poor, poor BART.
A new state law to create more high-density housing near transit stops by overriding local zoning restrictions may add housing units in San Diego, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. However, “The new law exempts any city and county with less than 16 major transit stops — a carve-out affecting Contra Costa County.. “
The law will completely bypass Contra Costa County!
—
Concord, North Concord, Bay Point/Pittsburgh P.Hill, Walnut Creek….. all have already approved BART’s plan to build high-rise varied-income housing at all of the Transit Stations. Add housing coming to the old Naval housing on Oliveria Rd… and someday…the base in self.
Concord is in this for something… something other than increasing income from property taxes. The thing holding BART up is lack of funds… which we’ve already discussed.
The question is…what? Is Concord selling out the existing residents just to gain more low income voters?
https://richmondconfidential.org/2025/10/15/contra-costa-is-exempt-from-new-law-to-spur-housing-will-richmond-build-anyway/
Amazing! I remember what were referred to as ‘conspiracy theorists’ talking about this years ago. The cities going along with the “sustainability” or “green” agenda in order to get government funds.
Well, the government is coming for that favor to be returned and this is what it looks like.
Perfect. Set the meeting to be during The State of the Union address, so the people who would be against this farce, will be watching the President.
They need to grab the space behind Trader Joe’s and Peet’s coffee.
This could be for the Palestinians from Gaza.
They can start Sharia law .
This would be good for Concord and California