Programs and Policies

Policies are organized around these four central goals, with an emphasis on facilitating development of housing affordable to lower and moderate income households in Marin. 

Goal 1: Use Land Efficiently

Use Marin’s land efficiently to meet housing needs and implement smart and sustainable development principles. 

• Policy 1.1: Land Use - Enact policies that encourage efficient use of land to foster a range of housing types in our community. 
• Policy 1.2: Regional Housing Needs Assessment - Maintain an adequate inventory of residential and mixed-use sites to fully accommodate the County’s RHNA by income category throughout the planning period. 
• Policy 1.3: Housing Sites - Recognize developable land as a scarce community resource. Protect and expand the supply and residential capacity of housing sites, particularly for lower income households. 
• Policy 1.4: Development Certainty - Promote development certainty and minimize discretionary review for affordable and special needs housing through amendments to the Development Code. 
• Policy 1.5: Design, Sustainability, and Flexibility - Enact programs that facilitate well designed, energy efficient development and flexibility of standards to encourage outstanding projects. 

Goal 2: Meet Housing Needs through a Variety of Housing Choices

Respond to the broad range of housing needs in Marin County by supporting a mix of housing types, densities, affordability levels, and designs. 

• Policy 2.1: Special Needs Groups - Expand housing opportunities for special needs groups, including seniors, people living with disabilities (including mental, physical, and developmental disabilities), agricultural workers and their families, individuals and families experiencing homelessness, single-parent families, large households, lower income (including extremely low-income) households, and other persons identified as having special housing needs in Marin County.  
• Policy 2.2: Supportive Services - Link housing to Department of Health and Human Services programs in order to coordinate assistance to people with special needs. 
• Policy 2.3: Workforce Housing - Implement policies that facilitate housing opportunities to meet the needs of Marin County’s workforce, especially those earning lower incomes. 
• Policy 2.4: Incentives for Affordable Housing - Continue to provide a range of incentives and tools to ensure development certainty and cost savings for affordable housing providers. 
• Policy 2.5: Preserve Existing Housing - Protect and enhance the housing we have and ensure that existing affordable housing remains affordable and residents are not displaced. 
• Policy 2.6: Preserve Permanent Housing Inventory - Preserve our housing inventory for permanent residential uses. Discourage or mitigate the impact of short-term rentals and units unoccupied for extended periods of time. 

Goal 3: Ensure Leadership and Institutional Capacity

Educate the community regarding the need for a diverse and balanced inventory of housing to further equal access to housing opportunities. Build and maintain local government institutional capacity and monitor accomplishments to respond to housing needs effectively over time. 

• Policy 3.1: Community Participation - Maintain an open channel of communications among the community, County staff, 
  and decision makers. Ensure inclusive and meaningful efforts are undertaken to 
  obtain input from diverse groups in the community. When needed, employ additional efforts to include those that are typically excluded or under-represented. 
• Policy 3.2: Coordination - Take a proactive approach in local housing coordination, policy development, and communication. Share resources with cities and towns and other agencies to effectively create and respond to opportunities for achieving housing goals. 
• Policy 3.3: Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation - Perform effective management of housing data relating to Marin County housing programs, production, and achievements. Monitor and evaluate housing policies on an ongoing basis and respond expeditiously to changing housing conditions and needs of the population over time. 
• Policy 3.4: Funding - Actively and creatively seek ways to increase funding resources for affordable and special needs housing. 

Goal 4: Combat Housing Discrimination, Eliminate Racial Bias, Undo Historic Patterns of Segregation

Lift barriers that restrict access in order to foster inclusive communities and achieve racial equity, fair housing choice, and opportunity for all local workers and current and future residents of Marin. 

• Policy 4.1: Tenant Protection - Implement policies and actions to protect tenants from unlawful evictions as well as direct and indirect (economic) displacement, and to promote greater education 
  around tenants’ rights. 
• Policy 4.2: Fair Housing Outreach and Education - Proactively conduct outreach and educate the community about fair housing rights 
  and responsibilities.
• Policy 4.3: Affirmatively Further Fair Housing - Ensure that the County’s land use, development, and housing policies further the goal of equal access to housing opportunities. 

Program 1: Adequate Sites for RHNA and Monitoring of No Net Loss

• Amend CWP to adjust Inland Rural/City-Center corridor boundary and ensure consistency between CWP and zoning districts.
• Maintain an inventory of available sites for residential development and make it available on the County website.
• Implement a formal evaluation procedure to monitor the development of vacant and nonvacant sites in the sites inventory.
• Update the Local Coastal Plan to be consistent with the CWP
• Meet with property owners of large sites and County-owned sites at least annually to facilitate development of housing on sites.
• Identify the appropriate avenues for development/redevelopment of County-owned sites.

Program 2: By Right Approval

• Update Development Code to address the by-right approval requirements.

Program 3: Replacement Housing

• Update the Development Code to address the replacement requirements (see Program 1).

Program 4: Accessory Dwelling Units

• Permit on average 35 ADUs/JADUs per year (280 over 8 years).
• Update ADU webpage semi-annually, or more frequently as needed, to ensure information addresses questions raised by applicants.
• Create an ombudsperson position to help property owners navigate the ADU pre-development process.
• Develop pre-approved plans for different ADU sizes.
• Annually, pursue and allocate financial incentives to support ADU construction with the annual goal of assisting 5 lower income households with ADU construction or deed restricting 5 ADUs as affordable housing.
• Develop incentives or strategies to encourage the use of ADUs as housing units.
• Review the production of ADUs to ensure the County is meeting its overall goal of at least 280 ADUs during the planning period.

• Develop a fair housing factsheet to be included in the ADU application packet.

Program 5: SB 9 Mapping Tool

• Develop and implement an online mapping tool that will identify areas in unincorporated Marin that are eligible to use SB 9.
• Conduct feasibility of applying SB 9 within the coastal zone.

• Develop a fair housing factsheet to be included in the SB 9 application packet.

• Develop outreach material to educate the community regarding SB 9 opportunities, particularly in higher resource neighborhood. Goal is to achieve 40 SB 9 permits over eight years.

Program 6: Efficient Use of Multi-Unit Land

• Amend the Development Code to: establish minimum densities for multi-unit and mixed-use zones, and specify the rounding up to the whole number in calculating density.
• Explore the development of target density for each zone and create a residential combining district that allows for form-based objective development standards.

• Annual outreach to developers and property owners to promote multi-unit housing opportunities, with the goal of creating 800 units in multi-unit housing.

Program 7: Religious and Institutional Facility Housing Overlay

• Conduct outreach to religious and institutional facilities regarding the Overlay opportunity.
• Establish a Religious and Institutional Facility Housing Overlay.

Program 8: Development Code Amendments

• Amend the Development Code and Title 24 to facilitate a variety of housing types, especially for special needs populations.

Program 9: Parking Standards

• Amend the Development Code and Title 24 to reduce parking requirements for multi-unit housing and to revise parking requirements for supportive housing meeting certain criteria and emergency shelters.

Program 10: Objective Development Standards for Off-Site Improvements

• Establish objective development standards for off-site improvements.

Program 11: Water and Sewer Availability

• Promote sustainable strategies, such as water conservation and recycling.
• Collaborate with water service providers to conduct a strategic water supply assessment.
• Upon adoption of the Housing Element, submit it to all water and sewer districts and notify all water and sewer districts of the requirement to prioritize water allocation for new affordable housing development.
• Issue RFP for Drought and Water Storage Risk Mitigation Plan.

• Annually, pursue funding for infrastructure improvements to facilitate affordable housing development.

Program 12: Septic for Multi-Unit Housing

• Initiate study to identify alternative approaches to sewage disposal.
• Upon completion of study, update the County's methodology for calculating septic capacity.
• Develop standards for multi-unit development in septic areas.

• Annually, pursue funding for infrastructure improvements to facilitate affordable housing development.

Program 13: Reasonable Accommodation

• Offer expedited review and approval of Reasonable Accommodation requests.

Program 14: Universal Design and Visitability

• Study policies/incentives for implementation to encourage requirements for universal design and visitability.

Program 15: Housing for Farmworkers and Hospitality Workers

• Develop strategies for addressing farmworker and hospitality worker housing, with the goal of increasing housing for these employees by 20 percent.
• Annually convene with interested employers and affordable housing developers to pursue implementation of strategies for affordable housing and pursue funding at state and federal levels.
• Assess the effectiveness of strategies and modify the approach if necessary.

Program 16: Project Homekey

• Identify locations that may be appropriate as Project Homekey sites and conduct outreach to interested nonprofit developers to pursue funding from HCD.
• Pursue Project Homekey funding annually and if Project Homekey funds become unavailable, pursue other funding sources.
• Develop 20 units using Project Homekey over 8 years.

Program 17: Housing for Seniors

• Explore expansion of home match services to help match over-housed seniors with potential lower income tenants or other seniors to save on housing costs.
• Develop incentives and development standards to facilitate various senior housing options.

Program 18: Short-Term Rentals

• Evaluate and adopt strategies for regulating short-term rentals.

Program 19: Vacant Home Tax

• Study the feasibility of a vacant home tax as a strategy to discourage unoccupied units and increase revenue for affordable housing.

If appropriate, pursue ballot measure to establish tax.

Program 20: Monitoring of Rental Housing

• Continue to implement the Landlord Registry and Condominium Conversion ordinance.
• Expand Landlord Registry requirements to cover all rental units in the unincorporated County.

Program 21: Rehabilitation Assistance

• Provide rehabilitation loans to 10 households annually (80 households over 8 years).
• Provide support for 6 households to make accessibility improvements (48 households over 8 years).
• Continue to support nonprofit organizations in providing rehabilitation assistance to lower income renters and homeowners.

Program 22: Habitability

• Expand the inspection services to cover the entire housing stock.

Program 23: Preservation of At-Risk Housing

• Annually monitor the status of at-risk rental housing projects with the goal of preserving 100 percent of at-risk units.
• Ensure tenants are properly notified by the property owners should a Notice of Intent to opt out of low income use is filed. Notices must be filed three years, one year, and six months in advance of conversion.
• In the event of a potential conversion, conduct outreach to other nonprofit housing providers to acquire projects opting out of low income use. As funding permits, assist in funding the acquisition or support funding applications by nonprofit providers.
• Annually monitor the status of the mobile home parks. In the event of a potential conversion, ensure the owners adhere to relocation requirements mandated by State law.
• Consider a Community Opportunity to Purchase Act/Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA/TOPA) program (see Program 30).

Program 24: Inclusionary Housing

• Modify the Inclusionary Housing program to expand affordability ranges and to comply with State law.
• Coordinate with other County jurisdictions to align inclusionary housing requirements for consistency.

Program 25: Incentives for Affordable Housing

• Continue to offer incentives to facilitate affordable housing.
• Annually conduct outreach to affordable housing developers to evaluate the effectiveness of incentives and make appropriate adjustments, and to identify and pursue development opportunities.
• Provide support (incentives, technical assistance) to school districts to develop district-owned parcels in unincorporated Marin as affordable educator housing.
• Facilitate the development of 300 affordable units over 8 years.

Program 26: Below Market Rate (BMR) Homeownership Program

• Maintain 90 BMR units for continued affordable housing for lower and moderate income households.
• Successor Agency funds will be exhausted within the 8-year timeframe of the Housing Element. In 2024 and annually thereafter, pursue additional funding from local, State and federal programs to expand affordable homeownership opportunities for first-time buyers.

Program 27: Community Land Trust

• Continue supporting the operation of CLTs.
• Subject to funding availability, establish additional CLTs in other CPAs.

Program 28: Affordable Housing Funding Sources

• Annually pursue additional funding from State and Federal housing programs.
• Facilitate the development of 300 affordable housing units (excluding 200 units projected from the Inclusionary Housing program).

Program 29: Place-Based Planning and Neighborhood Improvements

• In 2023, initiate planning activities and adopt the plan for Marin City by 2025.
• Annually prioritize CIP and pursue funding to implement planning and improvements in lower income neighborhoods.

Program 30: Fair Housing Outreach and Enforcement

• Assist an average of 50 residents annually with tenant/landlord dispute resolution and fair housing inquiries and investigations.
• Update annually, or more frequently as needed, the County's Landlord and Tenant Resources webpage.
• Increase fair housing outreach to Homeowners Associations, realtors, property managers and brokers, as well as individual property owners (such as single-unit homes, duplex/triplex units and ADUs used as rentals). Specifically promote the State's Source of Income Protection bills (SB 329 and SB 222).

Program 31: Tenant Protection Strategies

• Continue to implement the County's Landlord Registry requirement.
• Begin community outreach to discuss various tenant protection strategies. Study the administrative and financial feasibility and relative efficiency of each strategy.
• Based on the outcome of community outreach and also assessment of feasibility, adopt appropriate tenant protection strategies.
• Continue to work with Marin cities and towns to consider similar policies.
• Annually work with Marin Housing Authority to promote the use of HCVs, especially in High/Higher Resource and higher income areas.

Program 32: Comprehensive Review of Zoning and Planning Policies

• Conduct comprehensive review of zoning and planning policies and make appropriate revisions to remove discriminatory language and policies.

Program 33: Community Engagement and Regional Collaboration

• Develop a work plan and present to BOS to identify new geographic areas/populations for outreach and establish a protocol for conducting outreach, with coordinated efforts with County CDA.
• Continue working with the regional working group on housing to coordinate and collaborate on regional solutions to housing issues.