Press Release

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

CITY OF TURLOCK RESPONDS TO STATE HOUSING ELEMENT NOTICE

Turlock, CA | March 25, 2026 -The City of Turlock is in receipt of a recent notice issued by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) regarding the status of the City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element and would like to provide an update to the community.

The Housing Element is a required component of the City’s General Plan and outlines how Turlock will plan for future housing needs at all income levels, as mandated by the State. Like all jurisdictions in California, Turlock must identify opportunities for housing development to meet assigned regional housing needs.

The City submitted its initial Housing Element draft in 2025 and has taken a proactive approach by engaging a professional consultant to work closely with staff and HCD throughout the review process. Together, City staff and the consultant have been actively addressing HCD’s comments, making substantial updates and revisions to ensure the Housing Element meets state requirements and reflects the needs of the community.

Although progress has been made, the HCD review process has taken longer than anticipated. The City requested clarification on several remaining items in January of this year and is waiting for a response from HCD staff in order to finalize revisions and formally resubmit to the state with a view to completing the process.

The City remains committed to working collaboratively with HCD. The City’s goal is to submit a comprehensive Housing Element that reflects all required updates, rather than advancing a document prematurely and extending the overall review timeline.

The City also notes that Turlock is not alone in this process – six of ten Stanislaus County jurisdictions are also still working toward full compliance with State Housing Element law.
The City of Turlock is committed to serving its community through thoughtful and responsible planning. The City is working to ensure the Housing Element is completed in a manner that reflects the needs of Turlock residents and meets state requirements. While the process has taken time, the City remains focused on moving forward and completing this work.
The City will continue to provide updates as progress is made.

For more information about the Housing Element update, please visit https://www.cityofturlock.org/buildinginturlock/planninglandusepermitting/housingelementupdate/index.asp

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