Marin County Housing Element Supplemental Environmental Impact Report

Location

Countywide.

Project Description

The purpose of the Housing Element is to achieve an adequate supply of decent, safe, and affordable housing for Marin’s residents at all income levels, particularly the workforce, seniors and other special needs populations. The Housing Element assesses housing needs for all income groups and lays out a program to meet these needs. Housing affordability in Marin County and in the Bay Area as a whole has become increasingly important as climate change issues are addressed. A strategic infill approach that supports affordable housing for members of the workforce at selected mixed-use locations near existing jobs and transit, along with an emphasis on green building and business practices offers Marin communities a way to carry out the four E’s of sustainability (Environment, Economy, Equity and Education) while also preserving agricultural land, open space, sensitive resource areas and existing single family neighborhoods. As noted above this strategy follows the Countywide Plan goal of focusing what little growth unincorporated Marin is expected to experience within the City-Centered Corridor. This approach has been in effect and adhered to for the past 40 years. The overall goal of the Housing Element is to present goals, objectives, policies, and action programs to facilitate housing for existing and future needs in a balanced way that retains these attributes.