San Mateo makes tweaks to housing plans

The council updated its site inventory capacity for several large sites, which analyzes specific sites suitable for redevelopment, and reduced the number of acres the city is looking at for housing at the Bridgepointe Shopping Center Site from 22.4 to 8.5 acres, taking the total capacity from 672 units to 340 units. The Hillsdale Shopping Center site still calls for a capacity of 1,200 new units but decreased the affordable units to 15%, going from 559 affordable housing units to 180 units, based on information from the site owners, according to city staff. The site inventory still has a significant buffer to more than meet state requirements but has deficits in the number of very low-income and moderate-income units identified. Staff also noted the housing element will need to include alternative options if a proposed ballot measure does not pass in 2024 because the site inventory approach relies on an amendment to Measure Y, which limits heights and densities in the city. In April, the council expressed interest in putting an updated Measure Y ballot initiative on the November 2024 ballot. It reaffirmed its willingness to move forward with a ballot initiative but wants staff to consider additional options if unsuccessful.

“I think we do need to make sure we have a backup plan if Measure Y updates do not pass,” Councilmember Robert Newsom said.

The site inventory changes also include a scoring system for each site to provide a better picture of realistic housing capacity from 2023 to 2031. The council agreed to reduce its parking standards required to align with state law. For a one-bedroom unit, the existing requirement of 1.8 would go to one space under state law, while two-bedroom units would go from 2 to 1.5, with three-bedroom units going from 2.2 to 1.5 spaces. Newsom remained concerned about what the reduced standards would mean for residents and parking overflow.

“Parking is already challenging, and I worry when we build hundreds of units and don’t have any parking and what that does to the quality of life for my neighbors,” Newsom said.

The council also agreed to look further into creating an affordable housing overlay for quasi-public sites, like churches. An affordable housing overlay adds a zoning layer on top of existing zoning regulations in an area. However, city staff noted it was challenging to use quasi-public sites to build affordable housing because of recent court decisions that make it harder to count units toward a city’s state requirements.

Councilmember Adam Loraine asked for an additional session so the Planning Commission could review the document, although the council declined, given the two to three extra months it would add to the overall timeline. The council instead decided to include a Planning Commission review in the schedule if the city received another comment letter from HCD asking for significant further improvements. The city plans to submit its revised housing element to HCD for a third review in July or August.

“I think there may have been an opportunity to involve them a little earlier in the process,” Loraine said.

The city has held multiple public hearings and study sessions on its draft housing element and has received state feedback, with plans to resubmit to the state in August for a third review and to hopefully achieve compliance. The state has a review period of 60 days before providing comments back to the city.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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