FORT BRAGG, CA., 11/10/26 — Fort Bragg is asking people what it’s like to find or keep a home in town as the city writes a plan to make room for 668 more homes.
Anyone can weigh in through the city’s online survey, in English or Spanish. City Manager Isaac Whippy told the City Council on Oct. 26 that the survey has about 20 questions. Paper copies are at City Hall, 416 N. Franklin St., and at outreach events, a city press release says.
The plan is called a Housing Element, and state law requires one. It shows how a city will make room for housing through zoning, permits, infrastructure and funding, a city staff report says. Fort Bragg’s next plan covers August 2027 to August 2035.
The state determined that Mendocino County and its cities need to plan for 6,456 additional homes. The Mendocino Council of Governments, the regional planning agency, divided that number among areas in the county and adopted its plan Oct. 5. Fort Bragg’s share of houses is 668, almost five times the 137 homes in its current plan.
Part of the jump comes from jobs. The report says 137 lower-income homes were added because Fort Bragg has many lower-wage jobs compared with the housing slated for lower-income workers. 385 of the newly mandated 668 homes are for lower-income households.
Fort Bragg has to plan and zone for those homes, not build them, the report says. The target works out to about 84 homes a year. Whippy said the city has approved about 163 homes in the last five years. The report says the city produced 51 homes in five years under its 2014 housing plan.
The plan has to be adopted before June 2027, Whippy said. Without a plan the state accepts, the report says, the city could lose its chance at many state housing, infrastructure and transportation grants. Some housing projects could be approved even if they don’t meet the city’s zoning, and the city could face lawsuits.
The release says the city wants to hear from young adults looking for a first apartment, families needing more space, seniors hoping to stay in town and employers trying to recruit and keep staff.
Survey results will go to the Planning Commission and City Council, the release says. The city also plans Farmers Market booths, pop-ups, workshops and town halls, and says dates will be posted on its project webpage.