City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: JUNE 16, 2026 FROM: COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WARDS: ALL
DEPARMENT
SUBJECT: HOUSING ON FAITH LANDS HANDBOOK
ISSUE:
Presentation of Housing on Faith Lands Handbook developed in partnership with Blue Zones Project Riverside.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council receive and file the Housing on Faith Lands Handbook update developed in partnership with the Blue Zones Project Riverside.
BACKGROUND:
On August 6, 2024, the City Council adopted a Resolution supporting the Blue Zones Certification initiative within the City of Riverside. Following stakeholder engagement and a Built Environment Policy Summit, Blue Zones Project Riverside published the Riverside Blueprint in May 2025. The Blueprint provides for certification criteria, including objectives, strategies, and measures to achieve its overarching goals regarding well-being, longevity and overall health. Four Built Environment policy objectives are provided for in the Blue Zones Blueprint for the City of Riverside:
Make walking a safe, easy and comfortable choice.
Improve proximity to parks, open spaces, and neighborhood gathering places.
Encourage social and economic activities in public spaces through placemaking, pop-up projects, and other initiatives.
Expand housing options to increase housing affordability and stability.
Objective 4 includes Strategy 4.2, to support the construction of affordable housing on church properties in accordance with Senate Bill (SB) 4 of 2023.
SB 4, the Affordable Housing on Faith and Higher Education Lands Act, is also known as the “Yes in God’s Backyard” bill. It requires local jurisdictions to ministerially approve projects to construct affordable housing on property owned by faith-based organizations and congregations, regardless of local zoning regulations, provided that the project meets specific criteria, including affordability and labor standards.
Title 19 (Zoning) of the Riverside Municipal Code (RMC) establishes Incidental Dwelling Units as a permitted use in conjunction with an Assemblies of People – Non-Entertainment use (i.e., places of worship), subject to the granting of a Conditional Use Permit. There is no limit on density for incidental dwelling units.
DISCUSSION:
The Planning Division of the Community & Economic Development Department has partnered with Blue Zones Project Riverside to develop, with technical support from Blue Zones, a handbook for faith-based organizations and congregations to assist with the decision-making process and help navigate financing, design, approval, and all other aspects of the development process. The purpose of the handbook is to demystify the development process for nonexperts and congregations to encourage more faith-based organizations to rise to the challenge and help address the affordable housing shortage in the City and the state.
The handbook is presented to the Council as part of a multi-part effort to publicize its availability, which will also include events, panel discussion, media announcements and tours.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report.
Prepared by: Matthew Taylor, Principal Planner
Approved by: Miranda Evans, Interim Community & Economic Development Director Certified as to
availability of funds: Julie Nemes, Interim Finance Director Approved by: Mike Futrell, City Manager Approved as to form: Rebecca McKee-Reimbold, Interim City Attorney Attachments:
Housing on Faith Lands Handbook
Presentation
Housing on Faith Lands Handbook ● Page 2