Farmworker Housing Tools & Resources

This is a template ordinance that streamlines the permitting process for agricultural employee housing. This ordinance allows for agricultural employee housing that meets the included criteria to be processed through a planning clearance instead of a discretionary use permit. This ordinance provides increased flexibility and available options of agricultural employee housing, streamlined permitting and approval, as well as prevention of misuse for non-applicable housing types. 

This template provides materials for a jurisdiction to develop a forgivable loan program for the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). State legislation has made ADUs a category of housing that is exempt from many requirements and provides for ministerial approval, making them a cost-effective method to increase housing supply. A forgivable loan to cover construction costs can be an incentive for homeowners to construct an additional unit. If sponsored by a County, these loans can encourage ADU production in both the rural unincorporated county and in incorporated cities. Jurisdictions can set terms of the loan so that the loan is only forgiven if the ADU is rented out to a specific population (i.e., farmworkers) or at an affordable rent (i.e., tenants who make at or below a set income restriction). This resource includes template documents to create a forgivable loan program for ADUs and highlight opportunities to apply this solution for farmworkers.

These case studies outline ways in which cities and counties can work together to promote farmworker housing. This resource is applicable if your jurisdiction may have viable farmworker housing development sites in contiguous areas that straddle an unincorporated county and an incorporated city boundaries.
 

This is an overview of sample farmworker housing projects in the Bay Area.
 

This process map can serve as an informational tool to help applicants make strategic decisions about the timing of work and feasibility of their project before they invest.