Community Survey

The Merced County region is developing a multi-jurisdictional housing element (MJHE) for the sixth cycle housing element update. Jurisdictions participating in the joint effort are the County of Merced, and the cities of Atwater, Dos Palos, Gustine, Livingston, Los Banos, and Merced. The Housing Element is a policy document that provides a comprehensive strategy for promoting the production of available, affordable, and adequate housing within the Merced Region.

To ensure that the Housing Element includes policies that represent the values and ideas of the cities’ diverse populations, we want to hear from as many residents and community members as possible. This survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for your time!

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* 1. Do you live, work, own a business or property, or go to school in one of the following jurisdictions? (Check all that apply)

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* 2. Do you represent a group, organization, or business? For example: community group, business organization, service provider for a special needs population, tenants’ rights group, or housing developer?

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* 3. If you live in the region, which best describes your housing situation?

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* 4. If you live in the region, what type of housing best describes where you currently live?

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* 5. If you live in the region, which of the following choices best describes your housing arrangement?

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* 6. Which of the following aspects are important to you when looking for housing? (Check all that apply)

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* 7. What do you believe is the single largest barrier to affordable desirable housing in the Merced County region?

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* 8. What do you believe are the most urgent housing challenges in the Merced Region? (Choose the three most urgent issues)

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* 9. What do you believe would be the most beneficial programs to assist residents with housing needs in the Merced County region? (Choose the three most beneficial programs)

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* 10. Using numbers from 1 through 7, with 1 being the most needed and 7 being the least needed, please rank the type of housing that you believe should be developed in the Merced County region:

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* 11. Using numbers 1 through 6, with 1 being the best and 6 being the worst, please rank the areas where you believe housing should be developed in the Merced County region:

  1 - Best 2 3 4 5 - Worst
Areas with existing housing (increasing the number of housing units that could be built on each property such as with fourplexes, courtyard houses, and other types of apartment complexes)
Areas near public transit stops, employment, and shopping centers
Downtown or town center locations
Agricultural land on the edges of the cities
Vacant land on the edges of the cities
On existing single-family properties (accessory dwelling units (ADUs) or granny flats)
Land that could be converted from an underutilized non-housing use (e.g., office/store) to residential or mixed-use (e.g., apartments or condominiums with ground floor stores or restaurants)

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* 12. Are there specific neighborhoods, streets, or areas in your city and/or local community where you would like to see housing developed? (Please specify)

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* 13. Which accessory dwelling unit (ADU) assistance services would be beneficial for residents? (Select all that apply)

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* 14. Would you be interested in developing an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on your property?

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* 15. Let us know if there is anything we missed! What other information or housing-related issues would you like to be considered for the Housing Element? (Please specify)

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* 16. Optional: What is your race/ethnicity:

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* 17. Optional: What is your age:

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* 18. Optional: What is your total annual household income:

This concludes the survey. Thank you so much for your participation! Please visit the Merced County Multi-Jurisdictional Housing Element website at for more information and to sign up for e-mail updates.

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