In case you missed a very important public meeting hosted by the Community Development Agency (CDA) on January 20th, we are providing an update. The meeting was focused on the California Regional Housing Needs Allocation or RHNA.
The RHNA requires jurisdictions to update the housing elements in community plans every eight years. The RHNA for 2023 to 2031 requires 441,176 new housing units in the Bay Area. With 14,210 of those units being constructed in Marin County. In unincorporated Marin County, there is a requirement to build 3,569 new houses. This is a huge increase when compared to the last three RHNA cycles. The last RHNA cycle for 2015-2022 required only 175 units for unincorporated Marin County.
TIMELINE:
The County has a deadline of December 2022 to complete their planning for the new units and submit for approval. In 2023, the County will undertake environmental review and actions to change zoning, etc. to make the implementation of the plan possible.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
Leading up to this deadline, the CDA will be holding informational meetings and providing updates to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. Last year, the CDA received guidance to help shape the analysis and selection of housing sites, including: 1) Countywide distribution, 2) address racial equity and historic patterns of segregation, 3) encourage infill and redevelopment opportunities, and 4) consider environmental hazards (like flooding, sea level rise, wildfire, etc.).
This guidance has been folded into a series of maps that have been released for public review (Four Scenarios, Site Suggestion Map, Draft Sites Inventory Map)
These maps outline the potential parcels that could be considered for development in this scoping phase.
The County is looking at a broad range of possibilities, including: vacant lots, counting ADUs (that have not been approved or submitted yet), use of public lands, up-zoning (increasing density that may translate to rezoning A-60 areas or allowing for mixed use in commercial areas), religious institutions’ parking areas, undeveloped land, and school sites (surplus areas that are unused by schools or new uses at existing schools).
Screenshot from the “Inventory Map” that highlights “draft candidate housing sites” in Point Reyes Station.
Screenshot from the “Inventory Map” that highlights “draft candidate housing sites” in Bolinas.
Screenshot from the “Inventory Map” that highlights “draft candidate housing sites” in Inverness, Inverness Park, and Seahaven.
Screenshot from the “Inventory Map” that highlights “draft candidate housing sites” in Stinson Beach.
The CDA is relying on community comments and feedback on the potential sites that could accommodate housing development.
We are not thrilled with the mapping tools that the County has created as a primary means for public engagement and feedback. The tools are inequitable since they will only be accessed by individuals with access to the internet and the ability to understand and navigate online mapping systems. In addition, the maps are difficult to understand and use. This high-tech feature will likely reduce public involvement, narrow the demographic of who is contributing information, and reduce the overall community understanding of the concepts and scope of the project. We personally find the Balancing Act mapping system to be more confusing than helpful to the public and we love using maps over here!
In addition, the future planning meetings on this critical topic are all scheduled to take place online!! For a housing update of this scale, the County should be holding public meetings with appropriate public health guidelines to ensure robust participation and maximum understanding of the concepts that are being suggested.
Since the RHNA requires 3,569 new housing units and the County proposes spreading them across the unincorporated coastal villages, the County needs to get the direct feedback from the residents in the villages on the proposed site locations.
This is best done with in-person meetings that feature posters and information for the public to view, ask questions, and make comments directly at the meeting either on poster boards or in a public comment box.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
The next public meeting on this topic is Tuesday, February 2, 2022 at 5pm before the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors (agenda item 12) to hear an update on the required updates for the Safety Elements that are also required for update.
Safety in this context refers to environmental hazards including flooding, sea level rise, wildfire, etc. EAC will be in attendance and will update our blog to reflect the most up to date information.
We encourage you to review the information shared by the County and to voice your concerns to the Planning Commission on Tuesday with your concerns on flooding, sea level rise, wildfire, etc.
You can submit written comments to the Board of Supervisors in advance of the meeting that are focused on the Safety Element of the plan by emailing bos@marincounty.org. You can also attend the public meeting online or in person and provide comments directly on Tuesday.
EAC is planning on engaging heavily on this critical issue in the coming months and will keep our community updated and informed.
HOUSING ELEMENT RESOURCES:
Housing Element Update: CDA website with links to meetings and interactive maps.
Four Scenarios: Options to look at the proposed locations
Site Suggestion Map: Google map for community members to drop pins to suggest sites for development.
Draft Sites Inventory Map: List of draft candidate housing sites to be considered.
Jan 20, 2022 Recording: Webinar Recording by CDA
