Like the cities that make up San Mateo County, county officials are bracing for the development of thousands of new housing units in the coming decade but a more rigorous review process by the state will likely force officials to make substantial changes to its plan.
San Mateo County must plan for more than 2,883 homes to be built in the unincorporated area over the next eight years as part of its Regional Housing Needs Allocation determined through the state’s Housing Element process.
Will Gibson, a project planner with the county’s Planning and Building Department, said staff is planning for a total of 3,580 units, more than 700 units over what the state is demanding. That goal would be achieved with 675 coming from vacant single-family sites, 250 from vacant multi-family sites, 1,384 through redevelopment, 726 units from projects currently in the pipeline, 355 through accessory dwelling units and 176 units developed through Senate Bill 9, legislation that allows for up to four units to be developed on a single-family zoned lot.
But members of the public took issue with the assumptions during a county Planning Commission meeting Wednesday. Some argued during public comment that the county was overestimating how many ADU and SB 9 units would be built in the coming years and others questioned whether the state’s Housing and Community Development department, which must sign off on the document, would accept those types of assumptions in the Housing Element at all.
Members of the public and commissioners also shared concerns for building in areas near known fire risk zones, arguing that by including units in those areas the county would be encouraging developers to propose projects there.
“My worry is it’s in the forested area where we have high fire dangers and how we proceed in the past is not the way we need to proceed in the future,” said Commissioner Fred Hansson who went on to ask whether the county planned for a “fire-wise community” in the area before expanding into wooded spaces.
Gibson said planning staff avoided calling out parcels in very high-risk fire zones and some in high fire zones and would continue to refine the list. Given the number of parcels already identified, Gibson said those in fire zones wouldn’t need to be developed for the county to meet its goal.
Building in rural areas was also a concern given that residents would be far away from amenities or public transportation that could get them to where they needed to go. Instead, community members suggested the county increase density and upzone in areas already zoned for housing.
All parcels currently called out in the county’s Housing Element are currently zoned for residential use, including those in sensitive areas, Gibson said. Community Development Director Steve Monowitz also noted many eligible sites would need discretionary approval to obtain permits, allowing concerns to be addressed.
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“We’re trying to go out to the public, we’re trying to get community input, we’re trying to see how people feel about the policies that we have but we’re not changing the zoning or what’s allowed on any parcel,” Gibson said. “Were every parcel in the inventory to be developed, there probably would be concerns about many of them but they are sites that allow residential development. We’re not changing anything that’s allowed.”
Additional adjustments will be made to the current draft number after Commissioner Lisa Ketcham and other local organizations noted staff overestimated how many units could be built on some sites.
Gibson said staff will revisit the idea of including tiny homes in their assumptions, a recommendation from Hansson, and Grimes recommended the county call out safe parking spaces within the document as well.
Recognizing substantive changes from HCD are likely, staff recommended the Planning Commission make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors that it submit the plan to HCD. From there, any comments provided by the state would then be incorporated into the updated Housing Element and formally adopted before the state’s deadline of Jan. 31.
“We are trying to move as quickly as possible because we are on a tight deadline with the state,” Gibson said, noting staff are hoping to have the draft publicly available in October. “In this cycle, we have tried to anticipate every possible change but I know we have not done so. Every jurisdiction has had a significant list of comments and changes from HCD so it doesn’t make much sense to adopt it twice or multiple times.”
If the county does not have a Housing Element that’s been approved by the state and adopted by the deadline, a builder’s remedy would kick in, removing land control from the county and allowing developers to bypass zoning laws if their projects contain an adequate amount of affordable housing.
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(3) comments
The county’s going to keep dragging their feet like they’ve done for years and years. Saying they don’t plan to change the current zoning, and then identify parcels is great, but no timeline or specifics around implementation is articulated. SMC has always been NIMBY with more locals worried about property values over true social equity, despite all the liberal posturing and virtue signaling. That’s why BART ends in Millbrae.
If the county does not have a Housing Element that’s been approved by the state and adopted by the deadline, a builder’s remedy would kick in, removing land control from the county and allowing developers to bypass zoning laws if their projects contain an adequate amount of affordable housing. WHAT KIND OF LAW IS THIS? DEATH BY DEVELOPERS
Sounds like this is a win-win. A win for developers and a win for the county via additional property taxes. Now where’s the discussion about water? Aren’t we still in a water crisis or are housing folks assuming water will magically appear? Or will proponents of more housing continue to ignore water supply issues? In both rural and suburban areas, will we see outhouses marketed as rustic-themed bathrooms? As a perk, heated seats can be marketed along with natural air conditioning.
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