Belmont facing affordable housing challenge

The city 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 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 development, increasing opportunities for housing development and, in turn, creating affordable housing units. The current sixth RHNA cycle requires Belmont to plan for 1,785 housing units compared to 468 in the sixth cycle. All cities in San Mateo County saw a significant increase due to new state requirements.

Stone liked what the city had done with the previous RHNA cycle to hit its numbers and expects Belmont will reach its goals despite the significant increase.

“I think the number is attainable for Belmont over the six-year period,” Stone said.

At a May 11 special meeting, the Belmont City Council discussed its housing element plans to address affordable housing issues. The housing element is part of the Belmont General Plan and identifies policies and programs to meet the city’s housing needs. Every city must adopt a housing element every eight years with approval and certification from the state. Belmont last adopted its housing plan in 2015, with plans to adopt its new one by January 2023. A housing element addresses goals, policies and objectives while supporting housing programs for development and preservation.

Belmont staff said the city is making excellent progress in meeting the sixth RHNA cycle but will face a challenge this cycle to identify sufficient housing sites to meet requirements. Of the 1,785 housing units in the sixth RHNA cycle, 488 units will be very low income, 281 are low income, 283 moderate income and 733 above moderate income.

If the city had a non-compliant housing element, it would be ineligible for infrastructure funding and grant programs. A non-compliant housing element could also lead to lawsuits and less local control over land-use decisions.

Stone supported more affordable housing but wants the state to provide more help to meet RHNA requirements, given how expensive and time-consuming the process is.

“I really wish the state would be mindful of the strain this puts on local city halls. I wish they would find more carrots and money to help us get to the goals,” he said.

Belmont plans to meet the sixth RHNA cycle by expanding current zoning to meet very-low- and low-income unit requirements, with densities needed to be at least 30 dwelling units per acre.

Diana Elrod, a consultant to the city, said Belmont zoning in many parts is essentially above 30 units to the acre, making it easier to meet its housing numbers.

The city can also use Accessible Dwelling Units, or ADUs, to meet its RHNA units. City staff said Belmont adds around 10 to 15 ADU units annually each year.

Belmont will begin community engagement on the housing element this month, with plans to begin starting the document in December before an April 2022 public draft housing element. The council would adopt the housing element in November 2022.

City staff said an April 8 community meeting found mixed emotions on changing the El Camino Real landscape from a primarily business corridor to multi-family housing.

Councilmember Tom McCune asked what would happen if the city did everything right, but developers don’t build enough units. Elrod said the city would not be responsible and noted that there is not much money available for affordable housing development.

“Once you demonstrate you’ve done everything possible you can think of to help encourage housing, then there’s really nothing that happens other than the state says, you didn’t have very much development, why not, and then we explain,” Elrod said.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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