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Make Moraga Home
The Make Moraga Home webpage was launched in Fall 2021 as the Town initiated its Comprehensive Advanced Planning Initiative. The webpage was intended to be a “one stop shop” for information about the planning initiative, which included the General Plan Update, the Housing Element Update, zoning amendments and map changes, and environmental review. The information presented below provides an archival record of completed tasks that took place as part of the initiative.
Comprehensive Advanced Planning Initiative
The purpose of the Comprehensive Advanced Planning Initiative is to modernize the Town’s long-range plans and development regulations so that they comply with State laws, reflect community priorities and values, and effectively guide Moraga’s future growth in a consistent, objective manner.
The Comprehensive Advanced Planning Initiative was completed in two phases:
Phase One was completed in January 2023 and included:
- 6th Cycle Housing Element
- Rezoning of Housing Opportunity Sites
- Bollinger Canyon Rezoning
- General Plan Internal Consistency Amendments
- Environmental Impact Report
Phase Two was completed in November 2024 and included:
- General Plan Update
- Rheem Objective Design Standards
- Initial Housing Element Implementation
- Supplemental Environmental Review
Both phases included significant community engagement components, including workshops, presentations, focus groups, and meetings with Town Boards, Commissions and the Town Council.
Throughout 2025, the Town will continue to implement the Comprehensive Advanced Planning Initiative, with a focus on Housing Element actions. These actions primarily relate to Zoning Ordinance text amendments.
Components of the Comprehensive Planning Initiative are described below.
Moraga General Plan 2040 was adopted on November 13, 2024. The Plan updated the previous General Plan for Moraga, which was adopted in 2002. It included a new Economic Vitality Element, a new Sustainability and Climate Change Chapter, and an updated set of Guiding Principles. Policies and actions were comprehensively revised to look ahead to 2040, reflect new issues and challenges, and address State laws passed since adoption of the previous plan.
To review the adopted General Plan, click here.
The Housing Element is Moraga’s plan to meet future housing needs in the town over the eight-year period from 2023 to 2031. It includes an assessment of existing housing, as well as projected housing needs within the community, an analysis of adequate housing sites, and an analysis of potential constraints on housing development. It also establishes the community’s vision for local policies and programs on housing, consistent with State law. All cities, towns, and counties in the Bay Area were required to update their Housing Elements by January 31, 2023. Moraga met this deadline and has been found in compliance. For More Information, click here..
Rezoning of key sites: In order to create sufficient capacity to meet the Town's housing needs, as determined by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), the Town rezoned a number of properties to facilitate future housing development. For more information, click here.
Bollinger Canyon Rezoning: The 423-acre Bollinger Valley Study Area was rezoned in May 2023 and related amendments to the General Plan were adopted. For more information, click here.
As part of Phase One, the Town of Moraga amended its 2002 General Plan. State law requires that the General Plan is internally consistent, meaning each of its chapters (or "elements") should support each other. Because the new Housing Element promotes a diverse range of housing types as required by State law, the Town needed to modify some of the policies and narrative in its Plan that could have been interpreted as limiting future housing options. Amendments were also required to comply with new state laws for Safety Elements and Transportation Elements (setting targets for reducing the average number of vehicle miles traveled by residents and workers)
The General Plan Amendments ensured that all elements were using common assumptions, maps, and data, and were mutually supportive. The amendments went into effect in January 2023 and applied to the 2002 General Plan. Where feasible, they were incorporated into the new General Plan that was adopted in November 2024.
For more information, click here.
Environmental Impact Report (EIR): The Comprehensive Advanced Planning Initiative Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) has been prepared by the Town of Moraga to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the proposed Town of Moraga Comprehensive Advanced Planning Initiative. The EIR was certified on January 25, 2023. For more information click here.
The Objective Design Standards project was an element of the Comprehensive Advanced Planning Initiative. Its intent was to address the requirements of Senate Bill 330 (SB 330), which was adopted by the legislature to create greater certainty in the development review and approval process. Objective standards can benefit both the community and developers. They provide the community with a clearer understanding of what may be built on a given site, while developers are provided with expedited approval, provided they comply with all of the standards. Objective Standards were adopted for the Moraga Center Specific Plan area in 2020. In 2023, the Town adopted Objective Standards for the Rheem Park area (Rheem Valley Shopping Center and surroundings). In 2024, the Town adopted an illustrated version of the standards, providing photographic images that make the standards easier to visualize.
For more information, click here.
The Housing Element and General Plan Update processes both included extensive community engagement and outreach programs. These programs began in late 2021 and continued through late 2024. For information on these programs click here.
The Town continues to actively solicit public input on planning and zoning matters. Click the Planning Department home page for updates and additional information on how to participate in future meetings.
Archival Resources
The links below provide access to earlier versions of the General Plan and Housing Element for Moraga, including the 2002 Plan and the 2015 Housing Element. Both of these documents have been superseded by the more recent plans described on this website.