Belmont achieving housing goals

Belmont has 928 housing units in the pipeline, with 316 units under construction and 330 restricted affordable units. The city is currently processing several multifamily residential developments, with most being apartment rentals and some affordable. Most new developments are in the city’s El Camino Real transit corridor. Belmont has been concerned about a shortage of housing and affordable housing for years and, over the last several years, has made affordable housing a priority, particularly near transit.

Belmont is updating its Housing Element for 2023 through 2023, which identifies policies and programs the city puts in place to meet the current and future housing needs. The city must adopt it by 2023. Belmont expects this housing element process to be more difficult due to a state-mandated increase in its Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA, compared to the last eight-year cycle. RHNA numbers are mandated by state housing law and require a city to plan for the development of additional housing units and remove constraints to growth, which will increase opportunities for housing development and create affordable housing units. It does not have to build the housing, but it must provide the zoning opportunity for development. The Association of Bay Area Governments, the agency responsible for assigning the goals, has allocated Belmont 1,785 units in the upcoming sixth RHNA cycle but only gave Belmont 468 in the fifth cycle. Of the 1,785 housing units in the sixth cycle, 488 units are very low income, 281 are low income, 283 are moderate income and 733 are above moderate income. The city plans to zone the units on El Camino Real and Old County Road, which the city said the area could accommodate. Belmont staff said it would require small but not significant zoning changes.

Councilmember Davina Hurt highlighted the council’s development focus along the transportation corridor and was excited about bringing more families to Belmont through other housing development projects. The city, in 2017, adopted a Belmont Village Specific Plan, which would create a downtown center for the city centered around the Belmont Caltrain Station and near the intersection of El Camino Real and Ralston Avenue. The area has been designated a priority development area for future growth because of its proximity to transit, jobs and commerce. The city plans to promote mixed-use housing and more affordable housing for longtime residents and newcomers as it reimagines a downtown area.

“We have more things on our list, like a bus lane and town center full of activities and things to do, and so that to me is the next priority,” Hurt said. “That town center is coming with a lot to do.”

Mayor Julia Mates praised the work of current and previous councilmembers and staff for setting the standard on the Peninsula and ensuring Belmont is meeting its housing goals.

“This is great news,” Mates said.

Councilmember Tom McCune asked how the city factored in state laws like Senate Bill 9 to its RHNA housing requirements. SB 9 allows some property owners in single-family residential areas to build up to four housing units on their property by splitting lots into two and building two units on each new lot. However, the city has seen little interest from residents in dividing lots. Jennifer Rose, the city’s Housing and Economic Development manager, said the city is not assuming SB 9 units would be part of its RHNA numbers.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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