San Rafael, CA – The County of Marin is fine-tuning a list of potential locations for future housing in the unincorporated parts of the county and discussing programs and policies that will dictate how such planning will take place through 2030.
With feedback from residents, the Planning Commission, and Board of Supervisors, the team of staff and consultants is preparing for an April 12 update to the two governing bodies. On March 29, about 150 people participated in an online discussion about programs and policies related to the Housing Element update that needs to be submitted to the State of California by January 2023. On March 31, staff presented additional sites for public comment and questions to over 100 people.
Staff will present four categories of policies and programs for discussion including: housing opportunities in existing units, affirmatively furthering fair housing, special needs housing, and programs required by state law.
Staff from the Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA) plans to ask the Board and Planning Commission to review the master list of all potential housing locations in unincorporated Marin that address the Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA). Parcels throughout all five supervisorial districts have been identified as potential RHNA housing sites in all unincorporated areas, factoring in state laws about housing suitability; incorporated towns and cities conduct their own Housing Element updates. Land owned by schools, houses of worship, businesses, nonprofits, private owners and the county government is all open for consideration as part of the County’s update.
To meet the state requirement and local needs, the County must plan for at least 3,569 new units in unincorporated areas during the eight-year cycle that begins in 2023.
The consequences of noncompliance with housing requirements could be stiff. If a jurisdiction does not meet its housing goals, it becomes ineligible for state funding to serve local transportation needs and may be subject to statewide streamlining rules, which allow for housing development with limited public review process. California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has a new division that is designed to enforce accountability with plans to meet housing needs.
The April 12 session is prerequisite for an official environmental review of all potential housing locations. By recommendation, several properties have been taken off the list and several others have been added since the last joint session of the Board and Planning Commission on March 15.
The environmental review, set to take place this spring and summer, will examine how any proposed housing development might affect nearby traffic, schools, quality of life, and be vulnerable when faced with environmental hazards.
The environmental review is a critical step in updating the Housing Element section of the Countywide Plan, a task that is required by state law every eight years. The Housing Element must show how the County plans to accommodate population growth through housing needs if developers seek permits to build new homes. Those must be distributed among all income categories, from extremely low to above moderate.
The County is also updating its Safety Element and factoring in environmental hazards and addressing the effects of climate change. Details about the Housing and Safety Elements are online.
Questions and comments can be emailed to staff and phone inquiries can be made to (415) 473-6269. Regular updates can be found on the Housing and Safety Elements update webpage.
For disability accommodations, please phone (415) 473-6358 (voice), CA Relay 711, or e-mail the Community Development staff at least five business days in advance of the event. The County will do its best to fulfill requests received with less than five business days’ notice. Copies of documents are available in alternative formats, upon request.