After multiple review cycles, the state has found San Mateo’s housing element to be in compliance with state law, nudging the city one step closer to full adoption of a plan that has been the subject of numerous revisions and council meeting discussions for the better part of 2023.
Adam Loraine
The housing element is a state mandate requiring jurisdictions to create zoning and housing plans outlining how their policies will allow a certain amount of development growth in each municipality. According to the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, which determines the exact number of homes each city must plan for, San Mateo will need to lay the groundwork to accommodate a little over 7,000 new housing units over the next eight years.
The plan is not officially certified by the state, but confirmation that it’s in substantial conformance with state laws is a sign the plan is moving in the right direction, said Councilmember Adam Loraine.
“I'm pleased to learn that the [Department of Housing and Community Development] found our housing element substantially compliant with state law. It was a lot of work on behalf of a number of folks,” Loraine said.
But San Mateo is not fully in the clear, as a key part of its successful execution hinges on whether a controversial ballot measure passes in November, which would increase height and density limits in certain areas, particularly those close to Caltrain stations. Those standards outlined in the housing element are currently out of compliance with Measure Y, a 2020 ballot initiative capping building heights at 55 feet throughout most of the city. The November ballot initiative would amend the measure to be in accordance with the housing element, but if voters don’t approve, the city will have to work on a Plan B, something that Assistant City Manager Christina Horrisberger said would be a very complicated process.
Loraine said the amendments are the best way to assuage long-term residents’ concerns over height limits while still ensuring there is adequate housing built over the coming decades
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“Our city just cannot meet our anticipated housing needs through 2040 or beyond under Measure Y as it applies citywide today,” he said. “I think [the amendment] also embodies the spirit of Measure Y and keeps Measure Y largely intact through most of the city, but it just allows for that compromise.”
Jeremy Levine, policy manager at Housing Leadership Council, said he is glad to see San Mateo making strides on previous impediments to housing, such as boosting approvals for developments between two and 25 units.
“The city of San Mateo made the important policy commitments that are necessary to actually receive certification. They committed to reduce parking requirements beyond the minimum of what's state law, and they committed to improve their entitlement timelines, especially for smaller unit development,” Levine said. “ San Mateo advocates provided a lot of really important policy recommendations, and the Planning Commission provided a lot of really important policy recommendations to actually get that housing element approved.”
The City Council will still have to adopt the housing element, at which point they will send it back to the state for final certification.
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