The City of Moreno Valley is proud to announce it has officially received a Pro-Housing Designation from the State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
Governor Gavin Newsom's office officially announced the designation on Friday, July 14. Moreno Valley is among only 27 outstanding jurisdictions out of 540 across California—including cities and counties—to receive this exclusive designation.
“Moreno Valley has always been at the forefront of providing housing opportunities for all, and it is gratifying to see our hard work recognized at the state level,” said Mayor Ulises Cabrera. “Amid a housing crisis affecting every corner of California, this designation signifies Moreno Valley is meeting the moment to provide quality housing for those who need it. I commend our City Staff for their tireless dedication to our community.”
“Creative efforts to enhance state and local partnerships are essential to meeting ambitious and necessary state housing goals,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “We recognize today local governments that are breaking down barriers to affordable housing – and reward those good actors with incentives to enhance the work they are already doing.”
The Pro-Housing Designation Program was established in the 2019-20 Budget Act to acknowledge local governments that promote housing development. The program encourages jurisdictions to pass and implement policies that accelerate housing production, promote favorable zoning and land use, reduce construction and development costs, and provide financial subsidies.
The State of California highlighted the creation of new mixed-use zones as part of the MoVal 2040 General Plan, meeting the Real Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) requirements, providing a streamlined electronic plan submittal process through the innovative SimpliCITY Digital Plan Room, and offering an expedited plan review process as reasons for the Pro-Housing Designation.
As a designated Pro-Housing City, Moreno Valley can now receive priority consideration for several crucial grants and funding programs that can transform the community, including the Pro-Housing Incentive Pilot grant, the Affordable Housing & Sustainable Communities funding program, the Transformative Climate Communities funding program, and more.
This designation will also allow the City to speed up the production of housing development, allowing more Moreno Valley families access to high-quality homes, regardless of income level.
For more information about Moreno Valley’s dynamic Community Development efforts, visit moval.org/cdd.