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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-31 Housing Element Group 2022-08-25 Agenda PacketAGENDA 2023-2031 SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE WORKING GROUP THURSDAY, Aug 25, 2022, 6:00 PM Members of the public may view this meeting as attendees and participate during public comment periods as noted in the agenda Meeting ID: 872 8700 1294 Public Link: https://tinyurl.com/he-2022-08-25 Call in: +1 669 444 9171 Working Group Member Log-In Will be Provided Via Email 1.WELCOME 2.RECORDING OF MEMBERS PRESENT AND ABSENT 3.ACCEPTANCE OF PRIOR MEETING SUMMARIES A.Summary of June 30, 2022 Meeting 4.PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY # 1 5.DISCUSSION ITEMS A.Director’s Remarks B.Summary of July 14 and August 16 Community Workshops. Staff will provide a recap of what we heard at the community workshops on July 14 (housing sites) and August 16 (policies and programs). Recommended time allowance: 10 minutes C.Housing Policies and Programs. Staff will provide an update on Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element policies and programs. The PowerPoint used at the August 16 community workshop has been abridged and will be presented to the Working Group, with an opportunity for comments and discussion after each of the eight topic areas. Recommended time allowance: 90 minutes CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) ADVISORY NOTICE In response to Assembly Bill 361, the City of San Rafael is offering teleconference without complying with the procedural requirements of Government Code section 54953(b)(3). This meeting will be held virtually using Zoom. The public may participate as follows: * Submit public comments in writing. Correspondence received by 5:00 p.m. on March 16 will be provided to the Working Group. Correspondence received after this deadline but by 3:00 p.m. on March 17 will be conveyed as a supplement. Send correspondence to barry.miller@cityofsanrafael.org and city.clerk@cityofsanrafael.org. * Join the Zoom webinar and use the 'raise hand' feature to provide verbal public comment, or dial -in to Zoom's telephone number using the meeting ID and provide verbal public comment. At the March 17 meeting, public comment will be taken at the beginning of the meeting and also at end of the meeting. Any member of the public who needs accommodations should contact the City Clerk (email city.clerk@cityofsanrafael.org or phone at 415-485-3066). The City will make its best efforts to provide reasonable accommodations to provide as much accessibility as possible while also maintaining public safety in accordance with City procedures. 6.PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY #2 This includes public comment on the previous agenda items as well as comments on other topics not on the agenda. 7.MEMBER AND STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS A.Staff Announcements and Upcoming Dates B.Member Announcements 8.ADJOURNMENT I, Danielle Jones, hereby certify that on Monday, August 22, 2022, I posted a notice of the August 25 Housing Element Working Group meeting on the City of San Rafael Agenda Board. 2023-2031 SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE WORKING GROUP Meeting #6 THURSDAY, June 30, 2022, 4:00 PM MEETING SUMMARY Attendance Members Present: Omar Carrera, Don Dickenson, Paul Fordham, Linda Jackson, Lorenzo Jones, Amy Likover, Diana Lopez, Rina Lopez, Jon Previtali, Daniel Rhine, Tom Monahan, Joanne Webster Members Absent: Cesar Lagleva Staff Present: Alexis Captanian, Alicia Giudice, Barry Miller, Liz Darby 1. WELCOME 2. RECORDING OF MEMBERS PRESENT AND ABSENT The meeting was called to order at 4.00 PM. Roll call was taken. 3. ACCEPTANCE OF PRIOR MEETING SUMMARIES A. Summary of May 19, 2022 Meeting Approved (Webster / D. Lopez) 4. PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY # 1 No public comment. 5. DISCUSSION ITEMS A. Director’s Remarks. Community Development Director Giudice provided an update on recent outreach efforts and plans for meetings in July and August. She further noted that staff would be presenting the housing opportunity sites to the Planning Commission and City Council. Staff will also be attending the meetings of existing community organizations as part of our engagement. We are planning virtual community workshops on July 14th and August 16th. These will be in English with Spanish translation. Director Giudice thanked the Working Group members for their participation. B. Housing Site Inventory. Staff delivered a PowerPoint with highlights of the Housing Site Inventory for the 2023-2031 Housing Element. At the conclusion of the presentation, Working Group members had the following comments: • Zoning exercise appears designed to respond to RHNA requirements, not to build housing per se. Is there a risk that rezoning may have unintended consequences and make land more expensive, especially for affordable housing projects? Also, please be mindful in the characterization of housing in the Canal neighborhood---it does not contain affordable housing, but rather market-rate housing occupied by lower income households. Staff responded that this is more than simply identifying the sites. Although ATTACHMENT 1 2 the City is not a developer, it must still facilitate construction. Staff noted that there are also strategies in the Housing Element that address issues other than housing construction, such as acquisition of existing units and conversion to affordable units. • Are there other surface parking lots that are opportunities? Staff indicated that most of the large municipal parking lots in Downtown have been included. • Maps included in agenda packet are helpful. Recommend adding names to major roads, freeway, landmarks. No need to show all the General Plan land use designations in the legend—just show the ones that appear on the map. • There are a number of sites near the freeway. Make sure we don’t put people in a place where there’s too much noise and pollution. • Is there more land owned by school districts that could be used? • Let’s not forget about “missing middle” housing and find sites that are compatible with this type of development. This could include sites for small multi-family projects in single family neighborhoods. • I support the idea of putting more housing near McGinnis Parkway near the SMART train. What about the Regency Cinema Center as a site? It has lots of parking and seems prime for mixed use. Also, consider Francisco Blvd West adjacent to Bret Harte area. Want to see more small mixed-use development in single-family neighborhoods to help increase diversity. • For making public presentations, use one example for each site type instead of 3 or 4. This is a lot to absorb otherwise. Is it possible to make the maps more interactive? • Car dealerships may be a thing of the past because people are buying cars in different ways now. Consider housing potential on these sites. • What are the opportunities to participate in this process once the Housing Element is complete? Staff noted that public participation in housing policy is an ongoing goal, and the annual report ensures accountability. The Housing programs represent a commitment that the City is making to the State. • Don’t shorten the presentation too much for the public. Agree with the earlier idea of using City parking lots for housing—maybe even keeping parking on the ground level and developing housing above. • As mentioned in the presentation, the hardest segment of the RHNA to meet is extremely low income units. That responsibility often that falls on nonprofits. Can we say in the Element that the City needs incentives to get lower income units built (such as setting aside a percentage of the hotel tax for housing?). Prioritize affordable housing for approval by Planning Commission, Design Review Board, City Council; long approval process are expensive and nonprofit developers can’t carry those costs. • Please clarify the requirement that sites carried over from the last Housing Element must allow affordable housing “by-right.” Staff explained the requirement. 3 • I agree with the goal of increasing income diversity in single family neighborhoods, but that is part of what SB9 is for. How can we support smaller multi-unit buildings in lower density neighborhoods in practice? • There is a vast amount of underutilized land at car dealerships. While there are desirable aspects of the revenue these lots generate, we should think about the future. These days, cars are often purchased on the internet and there may be better uses for these sites. • There is a large site at Dominican U that is missing from the sites list. It’s a hillside site that is being sold to a developer for market-rate estates. There are also several sites on the list where the only access is the N/B 101 freeway off-ramp (on top of Porto Suelo Hill); these may not be feasible development sites. These sites were subsequently removed. • SB35 development application at Grand and 4th St NE corner. Applicant is proposing to merge three properties. Is this allowed? Staff addressed this question. • I support staff recommendation to increase the allowable density on public/quasi-public sites. At the same time, take another look at the residentially zoned sites. Some are environmentally sensitive, hillsides, etc. and would be difficult to develop. I would take these sites off the list. • Be careful about identifying existing lots with small single family homes in the Montecito neighborhood for consolidation, even if they are zoned for high density housing. Some of these homes are relatively affordable. Look to other parts of the city. • Menzies lot has been considered for years for redevelopment and may have a deed restriction. • Don’t use proximity to freeway as reason to disqualify a site. There are design measures to mitigate impacts. • Has staff estimated how many sites would qualify for SB9 citywide? SB 9 is a good way to affirmatively further fair housing. • Identify all of Miracle Mile and 4th Street west of Downtown. Be careful in the Medway area. Don’t displace legacy businesses—keep ground floor use and put housing above. • Market-rate housing can rent at affordable rates even though not its designated BMR. • In presentation, be really clear about what you want as an outcome. What is the reason for showing this to the public. Is it informational or are you seeking feedback? Tell a story and explain the need. Do a test run on people who have no clue what a Housing Element is. Define your objectives and set a strategic goal for community engagement. This is very important to have it be meaningful and productive. Recognize that some of your audience will have no terminology/background and are participating simply because they need a home. Where is the information you collect going to go and what is the mechanism for reporting back? • Is there a plan to bring developers together to walk them through an abbreviated presentation and hear from them about roadblocks and what they need? Developers are 4 a critical stakeholder group. They are also subject matter experts and we need to make sure and include them. • It’s very clear in looking at the list of sites how difficult this is going to be. There are multiple issues. The inventory is very well thought out but a lot of the sites have existing uses on them. This presents a challenge for low income housing tax credit deals. The question becomes how San Rafael can compete in the tax credit market, especially if there isn’t a lot of public funding on the City and County level? This is a separate issue, beyond the Housing Element, but it is going to be a challenge. • The low income housing tax credit process includes an amenity map section where you need to show you’re in proximity to grocery stores, transit, schools, etc. However, a lot of these sites are auto-dependent and not walkable. We have conflicting goals in that we want to give lower income people access to high-resource areas but these areas don’t score well for tax credit eligibility. • The City (and Working Group) should aim to prevent unnecessary costs for development by creating clear and linear approval processes. Developers should not have to spend years going to a variety of committees when their budgets are already tight. • Communication and messaging strategies are critical. Help people understand that we are in a housing crisis and that we’ve had immense challenges getting homes built. We need a PR campaign to explain why 3,220 units are needed. Expect push back and be prepared to respond. This is a great first step; but we need to bring the public along as allies. The message needs to be that this will enhance the community and not ruin it. • What assumptions does the site inventory make about SB 9? Staff indicated that we have not quantified a number of units that could be created through SB 9. There is no data on historic trends since this is a brand new law. An estimate is not required in the Housing Element, and the State will not allow cities to rely too heavily on these units to meet lower income needs. Some of the cities with very constrained land supply are relying on SB 9 units to meet some of their needs. In San Rafael, we have adequate capacity but we don’t have the resources to create the amount of affordable housing that is needed. 6. PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY #2 No public comment. 7. MEMBER AND STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS A. Staff Announcements and Upcoming Dates • The Committee discussed the summary report describing the Laurel Dell students’ project on the Housing Element and their key recommendations. B. Member Announcements • A committee member clarified a comment made during an earlier meeting regarding San Rafael’s demographics. 8. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:00 PM. 1 REPORT TO 2023-2031 SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT WORKING GROUP Subject: Input on Potential Housing Programs EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of the next Housing Element Working Group meeting is to solicit input on potential housing element programs. Staff has identified eight topic areas for discussion. The format for this meeting is similar to the format used at the August 16 community workshop. Each topic will be introduced, including an overview of what the City is doing now and the ideas that have been suggested for further consideration. Input from Working Group members will be solicited on each topic. ` We anticipate spending more time on some topics than others and we will look to the Working Group to select those that require the most time and attention. A copy of the PowerPoint presentation is included as Attachment 3 in the agenda packet. Please look the presentation over before the meeting. INTRODUCTION In the last 12 months, Staff has conducted three virtual community workshops, seven working group meetings, multiple stakeholder focus group meetings, a community survey, six Planning Commission and City Council meetings, and more than a dozen stakeholder interviews related to housing. The community workshops have included Spanish and English breakout groups. At the last virtual workshop, there were over 80 attendees and more than half were Spanish speakers. Staff has also attended more than two dozen community-based organization and neighborhood group meetings related to housing and has been participating in Housing Element monthly meetings with other Marin County jurisdictions. The engagement process has resulted in dozens of ideas for new housing programs, funding resources, and strategies for meeting the housing needs of San Rafael residents. Staff is in the process of developing goals, policies, and programs that incorporate this feedback. The goals, policies, and programs also respond to the technical studies completed as part of the Housing Element Update. These studies include the Needs Assessment, the Sites Inventory, the Constraints Analysis, and the AFFH (Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing) Analysis. The City is also responding to new State laws and best practices, including successful examples from other jurisdictions with recently certified 6th Cycle Housing Elements. The starting point for the 2023-2031 Housing Element programs is the existing 2015-2023 Housing Element. As the Working Group is aware, staff completed an evaluation of each goal, policy, and program in the early stages of this process. This required both a fine-grained review of each program as well as a “big picture” review of the City’s overall approach to housing policy. The evaluation included an assessment of the key accomplishments over the last eight years as well as the challenges the City faces (and will continue to face) in meeting its housing needs. MEETING DATE: August 25, 2022 AGENDA ITEMS: 5C ATTACHMENT: 2 2 Through the community engagement process, staff identified eight topic areas as requiring further program direction. Staff convened a community workshop on August 16 to solicit community input on these topics. In each case, staff provided a summary of current efforts related to that topic. This was followed by potential future steps that could be considered. The Working Group will be asked to weigh in on these topic areas and share its ideas for possible future programs. DISCUSSION TOPICS The eight topic areas are listed below: Tenant Protection Measures Tenant protection programs aim to improve housing security and stability for renters, many of whom have faced steep rent increases in recent years, or the threat of eviction. In 2019, the State approved AB 1482, which established statewide limits on rent increases (5% a year, plus cost of living, not to exceed 10% total). AB 1482 also established requirements for “just cause” eviction to reduce the number of tenants being evicted without cause. San Rafael adopted its own just cause ordinance in 2019, as well as a mandatory mediation program for tenants and landlords. The City also requires landlords to cover relocation expenses for tenants in “no fault” evictions (i.e., where the tenant is asked to move out because the unit is being taken off the market, etc.). While these measures have been helped many tenants retain their housing, tenant advocates and housing groups participating in the Housing Element Update have indicated that additional measures are needed. A coalition of organizations have suggested that local jurisdictions adopt a “tenant bill of rights” including anti-harassment provisions, further limits on no fault evictions, and additional resources for tenants. Some of these measures could have financial impacts on landlords and property owners and will require further discussion and input. Fair Housing Measures As noted throughout this process, the overarching goal of the Housing Element is to end housing segregation and discrimination, and affirmatively further fair housing. The City currently has inclusionary housing policies (requiring affordable units in market-rate projects) and contracts with Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California to conduct fair housing outreach, education, and enforcement. It also has adopted a “Source of Income Discrimination” policy, so that landlords may not disqualify a prospective tenant simply because they receive government assistance (this is now State law as well). The City is considering what additional measures can be included in the Housing Element to bolster its fair housing efforts. One important measure is to distribute housing affordable sites across the entire city rather than concentrating them in a single location. Other prospective measures include increasing fair housing education and awareness, and doing more outreach to HOAs, landlords, and homeowners. Additional ideas should be considered. 3 Maintaining Housing Health, Safety, and Quality San Rafael’s 2015-2023 Housing Element includes several programs related to periodic apartment inspections, residential building record (RBR) inspections, and code enforcement to ensure that all residents have safe, sanitary housing. The City also works with Marin County to help lower-income homeowners with home repair and maintenance projects. San Rafael’s General Plan includes measures to make housing more resilient to natural disasters (wildfire, flooding, earthquakes). It also includes measures to reduce home energy costs and make housing healthier and more sustainable. At the same time, participants in the Housing Element update—especially lower income renters—cited instances of unsanitary living situations, rodent and pest problems, and poor maintenance in rental housing units. The Housing Element Needs Assessment also found high incidences of overcrowding, such as multiple families sharing one and two-bedroom apartments. Additional programs are needed to address these issues, alleviate overcrowding, provide affordable rental housing with three or more bedrooms, and improve the physical condition of the City’s housing. Increasing the Housing Supply These programs address the “housing delivery” system—in other words, the production of new housing in the city. San Rafael permitted an average of 55 new housing units a year between 2015 and 2021. To reach the RHNA target for 2023-2031, the City would need to produce 400 housing units a year—nearly eight times the current volume. Existing programs to increase housing supply include compliance with State permit streamlining measures (SB 35, SB 330, SB 9, etc.), new zoning for Downtown San Rafael that allows denser construction, streamlined project review procedures, and allowances for housing in most commercial zoning districts. The City has also made it much easier to build accessory dwelling units, and has allows reduced fees for affordable housing projects. These measures alone will not enable the City to reach its housing production targets. Most of the new housing that is planned is “market-rate” and will not be affordable to lower income households. Some of the ideas suggested during the Housing Element outreach process include converting old motels to affordable housing, converting office buildings with high vacancy rates to housing, building affordable housing on City-owned parking lots, reducing parking requirements, and streamlining environmental review and technical study requirements. The City could also consider zoning regulations for the Northgate and Southeast San Rafael areas that are similar to those adopted in Downtown San Rafael, enabling additional housing units. Other ideas should be considered and discussed. Options for First-Time Homebuyers Home ownership is a goal for many San Rafael renters. However, with median home prices well over $1 million, the goal is out of reach for most low- and moderate-income buyers. The County of Marin has a downpayment assistance program available to local residents, but ultimately more creative solutions will be needed to make ownership a reality for San Rafael renters. One approach is to encourage additional for-sale housing that may be affordable “by design”, including condominiums, flats, and 4 modular construction. Another is to encourage novel forms of home ownership, such as cooperatives and land trusts, or even helping tenants purchase the buildings they are renting. The City is interested in other ideas for making home ownership more attainable for San Rafael residents. Options for Lower Income Renters The 2022 Housing Needs Assessment concluded that lower-income renters face the greatest housing cost burden of all sub-groups in the city. Nearly 30 percent of San Rafael’s renters spend half their incomes on housing. Among Latino households, the percentage is almost 40 percent. The City currently addresses this challenge by maintaining an Affordable Housing “Trust Fund” to assist in affordable housing production, and by connecting lower-income renters with County housing programs such as emergency rental assistance. It encourages accessory dwelling units, which are typically less expensive than market-rate apartments. It requires rent stabilization for mobile homes, and encourages higher-density housing types where affordability is easier to achieve. These steps alone are not sufficient to reduce housing cost burdens. One of the ideas suggested during the Housing Element Update is to more strongly support acquisition and rehabilitation projects. These involve non-profits and affordable home developers acquiring and renovating existing apartments and then limiting occupancy to lower income tenants paying ‘affordable’ rents. Other strategies and programs also could be considered. Housing for Older Adults and Persons with Disabilities Roughly 20 percent of San Rafael’s population is over 65. This age cohort, as well as the sub-populations over 75 and over 85, will grow significantly in the next decade. There is a need for more diverse housing choices for older adults, including affordable senior housing, assisted living, congregate care, single-level living units, and shared housing. San Rafael also has nearly 5,000 residents with disabilities. This includes a significant share of the older adult population, but also a sizeable population of children and adults, with varying housing and supportive service needs. Currently the City strongly supports senior housing in all forms. It assists older adults in retrofitting their homes in response to changing mobility needs. It enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and implements a “reasonable accommodation” ordinance that allows disabled residents to request variances from building and planning codes. As the County seat and largest city, San Rafael is home to a number of service organizations and non- profits that advocate on behalf of older adults and residents with disabilities. These organizations acknowledge housing as a significant challenge and would like to see additional programs in the Housing Element to meet local needs. Ideas that have been suggested included expanded home-sharing services and co-housing opportunities, housing designed for multi-generational households, universal design, more buildings with elevators and amenities for persons with limited mobility, and a significant increase in affordable senior housing production. 5 Potential Funding Sources The last issue is the need for additional funding. Housing programs have been under-funded at the State and federal level for decades, and the loss of local redevelopment agencies eliminated a critical source of funding for affordable housing. San Rafael has a housing trust fund (for housing impact and in- lieu fees paid by new development), applies for State and federal grants, and encourages private investment in housing. Ideas raised during the Housing Element process include a potential County or regional housing bond measure, and support for additional State and federal funding. At the local level, the idea of a tax on vacant housing units has been raised. Feedback from the Working Group on these ideas, and other ideas for raising revenue, is desired. NEXT STEPS The August 25 meeting is the last scheduled meeting of the Housing Element Working Group. Staff will finalize the Goals, Policies, and Programs shortly after this meeting. An internal (staff-level) review and vetting of this draft will be required before the document is publicly released. Staff and consultants are also completing outstanding sections of the document related to affirmatively furthering fair housing and non-governmental constraints. At this point, publication of the Draft is anticipated in late September. The Housing Element will be circulated for 30 days following its publication, as required by State law. Presentations to the Planning Commission and City Council will be scheduled during (or immediately after) this review period. At the end of the review period, staff will consider any comments that were received, make necessary edits, and submit the Working Draft to HCD. HCD has up to 90 days to review the Draft, meaning that comments will likely not be received until January 2023. Upon receiving State comments, the Housing Element will be revised as needed, and forwarded to the Planning Commission and City Council for adoption. Additional public input will be solicited through this process, and additional revisions will be made. Adoption is anticipated in early 2023. Working Group Meeting 7 August 25, 2022, 6:00 –8:00 PM 1 2 Goals, Policies, and Programs Objective A measurable, quantifiable outcome that results from implementation of a Housing Element program 2015-2023 Housing Element 49 Housing Programs •Inclusionary zoning •Fair housing •Funding for affordable housing •Preserving at risk units •Apartment inspections •Mobile home preservation •Code enforcement •Rehabilitation loans •Relocation assistance •Reasonable accommodation •Accessory dwelling units •Home sharing •Assisted living •Emergency shelter •Density/height bonuses •Fee reductions ……and more! 4 Accomplishments Since 2015 •Adopted new Downtown zoning •Streamlined rules for ADUs •Adopted short-term rental policies •Approved rent review/ mandatory mediation •Provided financial assistance to create new affordable housing •Facilitated renovation of existing affordable housing •Expanded renter protection measures •Permitted 388 new housing units •115 serving lower income households •273 serving moderate and above-moderate income households •Convened forums with developers and community members to identify strategies for removing barriers to housing •Comprehensive reforms to expedite project review and approval •Updated inclusionary zoning regulations •Changes to DRB structure and project review process •Updated density bonus ordinance •Streamline pre-application process •Policy resolution for awarding housing trust fund money •Designation of Northgate and SE San Rafael as PDAs 5 Accomplishments Since 2015 6 Challenges Since 2015 •Economic growth outpacing housing production •Rising rents •Rising home prices •Constrained funding for local housing programs •Challenges in tax credit market •High construction and labor costs •Pandemic-related economic challenges •Limited land supply/lack of redevelopment and tools for site consolidation Policies and Programs for 2023-2031 8 Mandatory New Programs •Objective design standards that allow for streamlined approval •“Carry over sites” (sites included in prior Housing Element) are eligible for streamlined approval if they include 20% or more affordable units •Low Barrier Navigation Centers allowed by right in Mixed Use zones •Allow SB9 lot splits and ADUs to create more opportunities in single family neighborhoods •Cannot “disallow” tenants with Section 8 vouchers •Additional program focus on fair housing 9 Tenant Protection Measures What we’re doing now •Limits on annual rent increases per State law •Mandatory mediation •Just cause for eviction measures •Increased tenant relocation allowances*Please share your ideas Ideas to Consider Continue to enforce existing programs More programs to limit rent increases, protect tenants from eviction, and ensure tenants are secure in their housing 10 Fair Housing Measures What we’re doing now •Inclusionary housing Requirements* •Contracting with Fair Housing Advocates of Northern CA to do counseling, education, and enforcement •Source of income protection (landlords may not deny apartments to those using Housing Choice Vouchers) Ideas to Consider More programs to ensure housing is sold and rented without discrimination (e.g., more enforcement, more outreach and education to realtors, HOAs, landlords, owners) Please share your ideas 11 Maintaining Housing Health, Safety, and Quality What we’re doing now •Code enforcement •Residential Building Record inspections •Periodic Apartment Inspection Program •Participating in Marin County residential rehab loan program Ideas to Consider Continue monitoring residential buildings through our code enforcement program More programs to ensure housing safety (e.g., protection against flooding, air filtration near freeways, programs to abate pests, green building measures) Please share your ideas 12 Increasing the Housing Supply What we’re doing now •Implementing State laws such as SB 35, SB 330, and SB 9 •New Downtown zoning that allows taller, denser buildings* •Streamlining project review procedures* •Allowing housing on most commercially zoned sites* •Encouraging ADUs and JADUs* •Density/Height bonuses •Lower fees for affordable units Ideas to Consider Continue to support residential development and improve streamlined review process More programs to increase supply (e.g., increasing workforce housing, office to housing conversions, housing on City parking lots, reduced parking requirements, plans for North San Rafael and Canal, CEQA streamlining)) Please share your ideas 13 Options for first -time home buyers Ideas to Consider More programs to facilitate home ownership (e.g., community land trusts, rentals converted to condos, publicize below market rate units, etc.) What we’re doing now •Encouraging residents to apply for down payment assistance through County* •Encouraging lower-cost ownership options such as condos, co -ops, and pre- fabricated homes Please share your ideas 14 Options for Lower-Income Renters What we’re doing now •Providing funds to facilitate affordable housing development* •Encouraging ADUs* •Providing opportunities for SRO hotels, emergency shelter, and supportive/ transitional housing* •Preserving “at risk” units •Mobile Home Rent stabilization* Ideas to Consider Continue supporting innovative approaches to house lower-income renters. More programs to create more housing for lower-income renters (Convert hotels to housing, convert market -rate apartments to affordable units, promote ADU construction, etc.) Please share your ideas 15 Housing for Older Adults and Persons with Disabilities Ideas to Consider Continue to support housing for older adults and persons with disabilities More programs to increase housing options for older adults and disabled residents (e.g., home sharing, elevator buildings, intergenerational housing, universal design) What we’re doing now •Strong support for senior housing and assisted living* •Assist owners with “age in place” retrofits* •Encourage co -housing* •Ensuring ADA compliance* •Reasonable accommodation Please share your ideas 16 Potential Funding Sources Ideas to Consider Continue to seek funding opportunities to leverage the City’s resources and support affordable housing More programs to raise funds for housing programs (e.g., support County/ regional housing bond, tax on vacant housing units) What we’re doing now •Affordable housing “trust fund” with proceeds from fees charged to new development* •Apply for State/ federal grants* •Participate in County programs providing loans, grants, etc.* •Encouraging private investment Please share your ideas Stay Involved •Draft document in late September •Planning Commission hearings in October •HCD Comments in January •Revise and adopt in early 2023 www.sanrafaelhousing.org www.sanrafaelhousing.org 18 Thank you!