Belmont has exceeded its housing goals over the past eight years, according to a city report, with officials working on getting the new housing element into compliance.
A housing element is a state-mandated plan for how the city will accommodate new housing units over an eight-year cycle assigned by the Association of Bay Area Governments, a regional planning agency. Belmont was responsible for providing the zoning conditions so 468 units could be built in the 2015 to 2023 cycle, with 732 units built during the eight years.
Staff provided an annual progress update on the city’s efforts at the council’s April 11 meeting, noting that of the 732 units, about 22 of the units were for very low income, 109 low, 78 moderate and 523 above moderate.
“I am extremely proud of our staff, the City Council and our previous council from 2015 up until now,” Mayor Julia Mates said of meeting its previous housing goals. “It wasn’t easy, and I’m proud of where we are today.”
Vice Mayor Davina Hurt said the city’s goal is to provide more housing for a diverse and vibrant community by putting housing near transit and ensuring Belmont retains its charm.
“We are doing our best to make that happen but also preserve all the things we love about Belmont, so it has been a balance,” Hurt said.
Mates noted the city is doing all it can to meet current and future housing goals, pointing to the Firehouse Square development that recently started welcoming residents at the corner of O’Neill Avenue and El Camino Real. The 66 affordable housing units and 3,750 square feet of commercial space at 1300 El Camino Real are in an area seen as critical for future downtown changes. The city is providing up to $2.5 million to ROEM Development Corporation for the development of a 125-unit 100% affordable project at El Camino Real and Belmont Avenue. The city has also agreed to provide a $1 million loan to help jump-start an affordable housing development at 870-900 El Camino Real and 800 Hill Street with 37 units.
“I think we intentionally and thoughtfully found those parcels and parts of towns that we could not only identity for housing but do everything we could to make it attractive for developers to come in,” Mates said.
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While the city has met its current housing goals, it faces sterner tests to meet future state requirements. The city is responsible for accommodating 1,785 housing units over the next eight years, a significant increase from the 468 expected this cycle. The city zoned for around 3,000 units to ensure a buffer and comply with state housing laws.
The city recently received comments from the Department of Housing and Community Development about its 2023 to 2031 proposed housing element. A housing element must get certification from HCD, as it certifies all city housing elements in California. Failure to meet state housing law can result in several consequences, including loss of local control over policy. The state letter asked the city to make additional revisions to substantially comply with state housing element law. City staff will make revisions to respond to the comments and go through the readopting process in May.
“We are hoping to quickly move ourselves back into compliance,” Housing, Economic Development, and Finance Manager Jennifer Rose said at the April 11 meeting.
Mates said her understanding from city staff is the state’s comments are straightforward and something the city can address. Mates said there was nothing of grave concern, with the belief any changes would be manageable and not require large changes for the numbers or zoning plan itself.
Note to readers: This story has been changed. It had previously incorrectly stated Jennifer Rose was the Community Development Director for the city of Belmont. She is the Economic Development, and Finance Manager.
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