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The city of Livermore made strides last year toward meeting its housing needs, according to an annual progress report presented at Monday’s City Council meeting.
In 2024, the city issued building permits for 364 new units, which was significantly higher than the previous two years, according to a staff report prepared by assistant planner for the city of Livermore, Shannon Pagan.
The permitted units signify progress towards accommodating 4,570 new units between 2023 and 2031, a state-assigned goal through the Regional Housing Needs Allocation. The dwellings must consist of four categories of units including 1,317 very-low, 758 low, 696 moderate and 1,799 above-moderate income. Half of the very-low-income units are extremely-low-income units.
These income categories are based on the area median income, which is $142,800 annually for a family of four in Livermore. For that family, low income is $112,150 (80% AMI), lower income is $88,740 (60% AMI), very-low income is $73,950 (50% AMI), extremely-low income is $47,900 (30% AMI) and moderate income is $177,500 (120% AMI).
Looking toward the future, city staff anticipate residential building permit activity will continue to increase over the next several years, through construction of projects in the Arroyo Vista Neighborhood Plan in eastern Livermore and the Isabel Neighborhood Specific Plan in northwest Livermore as well as smaller-scale residential projects like Garaventa Hills.
The housing update and outlook came as part of the 2024 General Plan Housing Element annual progress report, presented to city council at the March 24 regular meeting. This state-mandated report covers the city’s progress towards RHNA targets and implementing programs in the general plan housing element.
“We’re growing smart,” Mayor John Marchand said during the meeting. “This isn’t rampant unchecked growth. This is very precise, very strategic growth that we are allowing in this community, so that it really welcomes everyone.”
Projects that contributed to RHNA goals last year include Serenity, Triad West Cava and Arroyo Vista, all of which are currently under construction.
Of the 364 building permits issued last year, 14 were very-low-income, 14 were low-income, 69 were moderate-income and 267 were above-moderate-income units. No building permits were issued for extremely-low-income units, according to the report.
Approximately 90% of the building permits were for multi-family housing units in the Isabel Neighborhood Specific Plan area. Accessory dwelling units accounted for approximately 9% and single-family units made up the remaining 1%.
The gains in 2024 add to the prior year, wherein the city issued building permits for 45 moderate, 21 above-moderate and zero very-low or low income units. In total, the city has issued building permits to 486 of the required 4,570 units.
Of the required units, the greatest housing need in Livermore is in the very low-income (29% of RHNA) and above moderate-income (39% of RHNA) categories, according to the report, citing the percentages as consistent with most Bay Area cities.
Livermore’s RHNA also reflects a need for workforce and senior housing in the low- and moderate-income categories, 17% and 15% of the RHNA, respectively.
But across jurisdictions, there are challenges to building lower income units, Pagan said at the meeting.
The high costs of land, construction, and labor often exceed the revenue generated from lower rent and for-sale prices, the staff report states. In effect, the projects almost always require substantial subsidies, either through a developer or public contributions.
In response to the ongoing need for lower income units, the city continues to implement the inclusionary housing ordinance requirements to necessitate affordable units in new residential projects as well as its encouragement of partnerships between supportive housing providers and private developers.
Also the city continues to implement housing assistance programs and funding local nonprofits and homelessness programs.
Looking ahead, city officials were optimistic about continued progress toward RHNA housing goals.
“We are slowly starting to contribute to those RHNA targets in the affordable categories and anticipate further progress as approved projects come to fruition,” Pagan said during the meeting.
Projects approved in 2024 and expected to contribute to targets in the coming years include Isabel Crossing (1,299 for-sale and rental units, including 363 affordable), Aura (164 for-sale units, including 33 affordable), Parkview (31 for-sale units, including 6 affordable) and Garaventa Hills (44 for-sale units, including 6 affordable). Of note, units are counted toward RHNA targets once the building permits have been issued.
Additional projects that are expected to contribute to RHNA targets include Triad East Amarone (172 for-sale units, including 34 affordable, Cornerstone (253 for-sale and rental units, including 114 affordable) and Pacific and Livermore (115 for-sale units, including 23 affordable). Triad East Amarone was approved in 2023, Cornerstone was approved in January 2025 and Pacific and Livermore is currently under review.
Units at approved projects like Pacific Avenue Senior Living (140 very-low- and low-income senior units) and Assisted Living at the Well (84 assisted-living suites, 44 memory care suites) will also contribute to RHNA once their building permits are issued.
“A lot of times, these conversations — when we talk about affordable housing — there’s stigma attached around it,” Vice Mayor Evan Branning commented.
New teachers living alone would qualify as low income, he said to put the income levels in perspective.
For individuals living alone in a studio, earning $31,000 or less per year is considered extremely-low-income. “We’re not talking about someone who doesn’t have an income,” Branning added. “That is roughly the annual minimum wage.”
The Cornerstone housing project, which is set to exceed the required number of affordable units, received his commendation.
“I appreciate very much the community that stepped up recently, particularly with projects like Cornerstone, where they’ve gone above and beyond providing extremely-low, very-low and low-income housing,” Branning said. “Because without projects like that, there is absolutely no way we would ever meet our RHNA numbers for those levels.”
The dollar value of these income thresholds can be hard to see, Councilmember Steven Dunbar agreed.
But affordable housing allows young people to move out of their parents’ homes and for people to spread their roots in the city, he said.
Branning told the audience that sometimes change can be difficult, but it is necessary. “This is allowing our teachers, our service workers, our city employees to live in our city,” Branning said.
Following the council’s unanimous approval of the progress report, it must be submitted to the state by the April 1 deadline.
