HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-31 Housing Element Group 2022-08-16 Minutes
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 1
COMMUNITY WORKSHOP #2 | SUMMARY
August 16, 2022 6:30-8:00PM via ZOOM Virtual Meeting
The objective of the second San Rafael Housing Element Update community workshop was to
provide an overview and receive feedback on potential programs and policies. The intention of
the workshop was to present topic areas salient to housing issues in San Rafael and solicit
program ideas to improve equity and access to housing. Feedback received will inform the
content of future outreach events and will guide the preparation of the Housing Element Update.
The community workshop was held via Zoom on Tuesday, August 16, 2022 from 6:30-8:00 pm
and was facilitated by City staff and the consultant team. The meeting was well attended with
over 75 participants. Live Spanish and Vietnamese simultaneous interpretation services were
provided, and a small group discussion was facilitated in Spanish.The meeting agenda is
outlined below:
Agenda
1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Presentation
a. Housing Element Overview
b. Policies and Programs
3. Activities
a. Polling Questions
b. Small Group Breakout Discussion
c. Report Back
4. Next Steps
Attendance
75+ public participants
City of San Rafael, Housing Element Team
● Alexis Captanian, Housing Analyst
● Barry Miller, Consulting Project Manager
● Liz Darby, Engagement Consultant
City of San Rafael, support team
● Jeff Ballantine, Senior Planner
● Renee Nickenig, Assistant Planner
● Walter Gonzalez, City Manager’s Office
● Monica Ly, Senior Planner
● Jennifer Alcantara, Human Resources
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 2
Consultant Team
● Plan to Place - Dave Javid, Paul Kronser, Rachael Sharkland
Workshop Summary
Dave Javid, with Plan to Place, opened the meeting to participants and opened up the
interpretation channels for those requiring interpretation in Spanish or Vietnamese. Next, Alexis
Captanian, Housing Analyst with the City, welcomed participants and provided a brief overview
of the meeting's purpose and introduced the project team in the meeting. Following Alexis’s
welcome, Dave provided an overview of how the meeting was going to be facilitated along with
the agenda. Before beginning the presentation, Dave conducted a live demographic poll with
the meeting participants. The following is a summary of the results from the demographic poll:
Demographic Live Poll (full results from the poll are in the Appendix)
1. Where do you live? (select one)
● 85% live in San Rafael
● 11% live in Marin County but not San Rafael
● 4% live outside of Marin County
2. Where do you work? (select one)
● 73% work in San Rafael (including remote work)
● 12% do not in San Rafael, but in Marin County
● 0% work outside Marin County
● 15% do not work (retired, unemployed, unable to work, student, etc.)
3. If you work in San Rafael, how long is your commute? (select one)?
● 59% travel less than 20 minutes.
● 27% travel 20-30 minutes.
● 9% more than 60 minutes.
● 5% travel 30-40 minutes.
4. Which of the following describes why you decided to attend tonight’s workshop?
(select all that apply)?
● 19% want to know more about the Housing Element Update process
● 8% want to know more about obtaining housing in San Rafael
● 42% want to support more housing development in San Rafael
● 31% are concerned about more housing development in San Rafael
5. What is your current housing situation?
● 32% own a home
● 64% rent a home
● 4% live with family/friends (I do not own or rent)
6. What type of housing do you live in?
● 32% live in a house
● 7% live in a duplex
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 3
● 4% live in a townhome
● 57% live in an apartment
7. With which race/ethnicity do you self-identify? (Check all that apply)?
● 57% Hispanic/Latino
● 39% White
● 4% prefer not to say
8. Which bracket best describes your household income?
● 35% Below $45,000
● 19% $45,000-$68,000
● 15% $68,000-$100,000
● 8% $100,000-$150,000
● 12% $150,000+
● 12% prefer not to say
After the poll closed, Barry Miller, Consulting Project Manager, presented a brief overview of the
Housing Element process as well as accomplishments, changes, and challenges since the last
housing element update cycle (2015-2023). The bulk of the presentation was devoted to a high-
level overview of the goals, policies, and programs proposed for the 6th cycle Housing Element
Update (2023-2031). The goals, policies, and programs were organized into 8 topic areas
including: 1) tenant protection measures; 2) fair housing measures; 3) maintaining housing
health, safety, and quality; 4) increasing the housing supply; 5) options for first-time home
buyers; 6) options for lower-income renters; 7) housing for older adults and persons with
disabilities; 8) potential funding sources. For each topic area, examples were given regarding
what the City is currently doing and examples of what the City might propose to advance the
topic area goal. After each topic area was presented, participants were encouraged to type into
the chat ideas for how the City might better reach each goal.
Small Group Breakout Discussion
After the presentation the remainder of the meeting was devoted to small group discussions
intended to understand which of the 8 topic areas were the most important to participants and to
go into more depth about suggested actions that participants entered into the chat. Prior to
breaking into small groups, Dave gave an overview of the breakout room logistics and then
opened the rooms into which participants were randomly assigned. A facilitator and notetaker
from the project team were assigned to each breakout room.
Feedback was recorded in four breakout rooms on a virtual spreadsheet that participants could
view in response to the discussion prompts below. The summary below provides a high level
overview of themes that emerged from the small group discussions. Please note that chat
comments and small group discussions were in English and Spanish. All comments have been
translated into English for the summary below, but are included in their original language in the
appendix.
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 4
Small Group Discussion Prompts
The following discussion prompts were used to facilitate the discussion with meeting
participants in the small groups.
1. Which of the eight topic areas described in the presentation should be the City’s highest
priority?
2. What program ideas should the City consider for each of the eight topic areas described
in the presentation?
Key Takeaways from Small Group Discussion
The following are key takeaways from the discussions in each of the breakout rooms,
categorized by Discussion Prompt:
1. Which of the eight topic areas described in the presentation should be the City’s
highest priority? The three topic areas listed below received the most overall
comments/suggestions
○ Tenant protection measures
○ Fair housing measures
○ Maintaining housing health, safety, and quality
2. What program ideas should the City consider for:
Tenant protection measures
○ Regulate rent control
○ Provide education for tenants on their rights, eg. 60 days to vacate once an
eviction notice is received
○ Create protections for subletters, eg. tenants that are renting a room in an
apartment, but are not on the lease
○ Enforce eviction protection and tenants right to counsel
○ Make rentals available to people without a social security number, allow people
to use Tax Identification numbers (TIN)
○ Enforce oversight and regulations for inspectors, so that property owners and
managers are required to make needed improvements
○ Educate landlords and managers about legal regulations and requirements
○ Investigate the evictions at 400 Canal Street
Fair housing measures
○ Require a higher percentage of inclusionary housing
○ Locate affordable housing in high resource neighborhoods
○ Locate affordable housing near mass transit
○ Ensure consistent and reliable inspections
○ Increase the frequency of required inspections annually and enforce these
requirements
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 5
○ Prequalify renters to mitigate discrimination
○ Ensure transparency in land ownership; implement an ownership disclosure
requirement on shell companies
○ Develop innovative programs and support coalition building among non-profits to
facilitate economic support, timely assistance, and fair rental and labor practices
for low-income renters; eg. the Canal Alliance
○ Create a grant/ loan program for down payments to purchase a home; many
renters can afford the monthly payments, but don’t have the resources for the
initial down payment
○ Provide all materials and presentations in Spanish
Maintaining housing health, safety, and quality
○ Increase the frequency of required inspections
○ Hire more City inspectors and enforce inspection
○ Allow people to use their TIN for construction opportunities
○ Coordinate between housing, municipal and public space design so that
Interventions to mitigate sea level rise improve quality of life, safety and security
for everyone
○ Improve housing security in the Canal
Increasing the housing supply
○ Allow for by-right approval for projects with more than 15% affordable
○ Streamline the approvals process, eg. eliminate design review board
○ Change zoning to allow housing
○ Provide emergency housing for families
○ Create more opportunities for mobile homes, RVs and boathouses
○ Broaden the income category for affordable housing eligibility so more people
can access affordable housing
○ Create publicly subsidized affordable housing
○ Develop City-owned properties for affordable housing
○ Create a building permit program for people that have ITIN
Options for first-time home buyers
○ Require more affordable housing construction
○ Create education programs for paths to ownership
○ Provide financing opportunities and subsidize down payments for ownership
○ Implement COPA/TOPA Policies to give Tenants and CBOs first right of refusal
for purchasing existing dwellings
○ Reduce property tax for low-income residents
Options for lower-income renters
○ Create a vacancy tax to penalize property owners of vacant lots
○ Incentivize aging seniors to “gift” portions of their properties (SB9 lot splits)
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 6
○ Develop education programs about relevant State and Federal funding
opportunities
○ Allow for by-right construction for seniors and developments with no parking,
higher density etc.
○ Subsidize or create a grant/ loan program for current homeowners to add ADUs if
they guarantee they will rent to lower-income tenants, especially section 8
voucher residents
Housing for older adults and persons with disabilities
○ Design programs that target undocumented persons, the elderly, and people with
disabilities
○ Subsidize home sharing; provide job training for people to become in-home care-
givers
○ Locate senior housing in communities with adequate amenities and access to
transit
○ Support programs to develop co-housing
○ Promote policies for senior housing in all zones
Potential funding sources
○ Create a program of projects to obtain a construction license with ITIN holders
○ Leverage state funding
○ Support a state-run, public bank to subsidize housing construction and home
ownership
○ Support the Bay Area Housing Finance Agency
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 7
APPENDIX
In Meeting Live Poll Results:
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 8
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 9
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 10
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 11
Transcript of Public Comments Received through Zoom Chat in the Main
Room During Initial Presentation
The following are chat comments received after each of the eight topic areas were presented,
please note comments in Spanish have been translated into English.
General Comments:
Since 2015 only permitted 388 new housing units were permitted, 115 lower income = 55/yr!?! Is it at
all reasonable that you can ramp up so much to meet new "requirements"? And, I mean with
consideration of lawsuits, etc. I'm not criticizing, and now I hear you commenting on this subject. Thank
you!
How much coordination is there between the city and other cities in the region? It seems that things like
public transportation and traffic management need to be considered as a whole since all are
interconnected.
Any plans for public housing or will we left to the whims of private developers?
Es muy importante q alguien nos pueda dedicar un poco d su tiempo para hablar con nosotros al
respecto del desalojo injusto d los apartamentos 400 ojalá q nos puedan ayudar para parar esto por
favor
comenzando con protección al inquilino seria fenomenal
Porfavor pedimos que en esas condiciones consideren a nosotros los latinos con ITIN, y consideren un
control de renta y protección para inquilinos , somos capaces de comprar Vivienda si nos dieran
oportunidad, necesitamos Igualdad no discrimination por ser latinos
Siguiendo con control de renta seria maravilloso
Tenant Protection Measures
Original Translation
Does the program include associated development of
community parks, small stores and restaurants?
Todas estas viviendas No dan la oportunidad a personas
sin seguro social
All these housing units do not give the
opportunity to people without social
security.
Rent subsidies.
Any plans for public housing or will we left to the whims of
private developers?
rent control
Eviction protection for families
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 12
More rent subsidies and rent increases limited due to
Income
Original Translation
Limiting rent increases is not driven by market conditions
today or in the future. It will discourage new rental housing
being built
we have rent control at Contempo marin
Control de renta que no la suban porque lamentablemente
nuestro sueldo es muy bajo .
Rent control because unfortunately our
salary is very low.
Rent control in Canal Area
pueden subir la renta can raise the rent
Necesitamos control de renta en canal We need rent control in the Canal
Derecho a un abogado en casi de desalojo Right to counsel in quasi-eviction.
renters on fixed incomes are particularly vulnerable to rent
increases
Marcelo ceron
Tener súpercion en higiene en la mayoría de los edificios
de área del canal
To have hygiene supervision in most of
the buildings in the canal area.
Eviction process in canal area
Necesitamos protección para inquilinos We need protection for tenants
Fair Housing Measures
Original Translation
10% of new units to be affordable seems too low how about
20 to 25%?
Affordable housing should be located in high resource
neighborhoods
Invertir en Programa de Desarrollo laboral para vivienda?
Invest in Workforce Development
Program for housing?
considerer personas sin Seguro social consider people without Social Security
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 13
Hola buenas tardes mi nombre es XXX y soy voluntaria de
voces del canal el problema es que estan incrementando la
renta y necesitamos inspectores para que revisen los
apartamentos la verdad suben la renta pero no arreglan los
apartamentos programas para las viviendas justas
Hello good afternoon my name is XXX
and I am a volunteer of voces del canal
the problem is that they are increasing the
rent and we need inspectors to check the
apartments the truth is they increase the
rent but they do not fix the apartments fair
housing programs.
hacer alcance comunitario Community outreach
Original Translation
I would add protection for people who cannot or feel they
cannot access the legal process to protect their rental rights).
Prequalify renters via third party so landlords can't see who it
is.
Necesitamos control de renta We need rent control
muchas injusticias pasan an la comunidad, por favor vean
nuevas tablas de ingresos Look at developing more income tables
Increase the amount of affordable housing
Could you please comment on regulations in place for
housing for disabled residents?
Have more affordable rent for everyone
Don’t write more rules, just enforce what is already on the
books.
Derecho a un abogado en caso de desalojo y que haya
protección para los que subrentan por ejemplo los que
rentan un cuarto o sala Que sepan que son 60 días para
desalojar
Right to a lawyer in case of eviction and
that there is protection for those who are
renting a room, for example, to know that
there are 60 days to evict.
Permitir que las personas sin seguro social pueda construir
apartamento
Allow people without ssn to build their
own apartments
Make available EV charging points to renters
Oportunidades de programas de renta a personas sin
Seguro social
Opportunities to create programs for
rental assistance for those without SSN
Make sure that bus routes are adjusted when new
developments are located in areas that don't have sufficient
public transportation
enforce what we are doing until we reach a threshold of new
units reached then reevaluate the policies/programs
Work with MAR and others to make sure knowledgeable
landlords.
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 14
Escucharnos cuando pedimos ayuda Listen to us when we ask for help
Igualdad en las viviendas Housing equality
parar abuso de inquilinos Stop abusing tenants
Transparency in land ownership. The city must implement an
ownership disclosure requirement on shell companies.
Rent is high and no improvements are done to the property
(ie creating sanitary spaces for the families living in buildings)
Original Translation
Older immigrants who don't qualify for SS are vulnerable and
deserve affordable senior housing.
Protections for sub-renters - who may only have a verbal
contract - as well as renters
Derechos de los inquilinos Tenants rights
Maintaining Housing Health, Safety, and Quality
Original Translation
No han inspeccionado los apts en mucho tiempo
The apts have not been inspected in a
long time.
Licencia de contrición con ITN para nuevas oportunidades
Construction license with ITN for new
opportunities
need to inspect apartments more than once a year
Encourage homeowners to build ADUs to enable students,
low income people, caregivers, low-income relatives to live
in neighborhoods to increase ethnic, economic and age
diversity.
Porque nos quieren desalojar Because they want to evict us
Ya tenemos 4 años casi con COVID y no ha
inspeccionado nada
We have almost 4 years with COVID
and we still have no inspections
los inspectors estan retrasados, y esta causando que
muchas personad esten enfermas
inspectors are backlogged, and it is
causing many people to be sick.
Nesesitamos inspectores para que revisen vien los
apartamentos
We need inspectors to check the
apartments.
la ciudad necesita mas inspectores the city needs more inspectors
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 15
Hacer una inspección justa para los departamentos que
muchos están en estados precarios con condiciones
insalubres para los habitantes
Make a fair inspection for the
apartments that many are in precarious
states with unsanitary conditions for the
inhabitants.
pido que cambien la poliza de inspeccionar de 5 anos a 3
anos
I request that the inspection policy be
changed from 5 years to 3 years.
Inspections need to happen more than just one time in a
year
Teneos 4 años sin infección ?
What streamlined approaches are there so more
inspections can happen?
por favor entrenen un grupo de personas para que
inspecciones el retraso de 3 anos
please train a group of people to inspect
the 3-year backlog.
Interventions to protect the entire community from sea
level rise, should also be designed to improve public
space, quality of life, safety and security for everyone.
Que tengan más inspección más frecuente To have more frequent inspection
Echoing @XXX, we need in many ways to include seniors
as progressively "disabled". Our population is aging and
we need to help those folks offer housing and find
appropriate housing.
Los inspectores no llevan ni librarás cómo piensan
acordarse de todo
The inspectors don't even have
notebooks with them, how can they
remember everything?
Inspections need to happen more than just one time in a
year
Derechos de los inquilinos Tenant rights
Increasing the Housing Supply
Original Translation
Los invitamos a visitar las viviendas en canal necesitamos
tener una vivienda saludable
"We invite you to visit the housing in
canal we need to have healthy housing.
Echoing @XXX, we need in many ways to include seniors
as progressively "disabled". Our population is aging and
we need to help those folks offer housing and find
appropriate housing.
En Canal los adultos mayores no tienen acceso apropiado
In Canal, older adults do not have
proper access.
By right approval for projects with more than 15%
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 16
affordable
Not just seniors but those who will be caring for them
should also live in SR
Why didn't all the approved units get built? Any ideas there
to streamline/alleviate barriers?
We ask that we get more trained inspectors cause
sometimes the work in apartamento don't get done and it's
not fair for the people renting the apartments!!
Construyan vivierndas en las zonas que no son asignadas
para vivienda
Build housing in the areas that are not
allocated for housing.
Original Translation
Vivienda de emergencia 4 familias perdieron sus casas y
la ciudad no hizo nada para ayudarles
Emergency housing 4 families lost their
homes and the city did nothing to help
them.
en los 400 se an descuidado de recoger la basura y esta
avisen desalojo masivo se siente inseguro con tanto
desalojo hoy son los cesión mañana podemos ser
nosotros
in the 400 they have neglected to pick
up the garbage and this is warning
massive eviction feels unsafe with so
many evictions today, tomorrow it could
be us.
boat housing make docks for floating homes
por favor construyan áreas para mobile homes o trilas
please build areas for mobile homes or
trailers.
eliminate the design review board
allow multifamily developments in our single family zoned
neighborhoods
Crear viviendas accesibles para residentes que no
entramos en el rango de lo que el condado cataloga como
ingresos extremadamente bajos
Create affordable housing for residents
who do not fall within the range of what
the county classifies as extremely low
income.
parar el aumento de renta stop the rent increase
Adaptive reuse of old buildings, warehouses, empty
spaces. Allow for housing to be built on top of 1 story
commercial areas such as Montecito.
Build RV parks
parar el aumento de renta stop the rent increase
Crear viviendas accesibles para residentes que no
entramos en el rango de lo que el condado cataloga como
ingresos extremadamente bajos
Create affordable housing for residents
who do not fall within the range of what
the county classifies as extremely low
income.
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 17
Options for First-time Home Buyers
Original Translation
Incrementar en las construcciones
viviendas para bajos recursos y dar la
oportunidad a latinos a comprar casas
Increase low-income housing construction and give
Latinos the opportunity to buy homes.
Crear programas para comprar nuestra
propia Vivienda con la ayuda de otras
organizaciones
Create programs to buy our own Housing with the help of
other organizations.
Original Translation
Programas para las personas que quieren
comprar casa Programs for homebuyers
city loans for down payments, more
mobile home parks,
Implement COPA/TOPA Policies to give
Tenants and CBOs first right of refusal for
purchasing existing dwellings
San Rafael CLT to develop City-owned
properties for affordable housing?'
All good ideas that you propose, but there
are no barriers in the way to enacting
those immediately!
Implement COPA/TOPA Policies to give
Tenants and CBOs first right of refusal for
purchasing existing dwellings
Que los latinos tengan también las
mismas oportunidades que otra personas
que tengan seguro
That Latinos also have the same opportunities as other
people who have a SSN
Que les permitan usar su número itin Que les permitan usar su número itin
city loans for down payments, more
mobile home parks,
San Rafael CLT to develop City-owned
properties for affordable housing?'
All good ideas that you propose, but there
are no barriers in the way to enacting
those immediately!
Implement COPA/TOPA Policies to give
Tenants and CBOs first right of refusal for
purchasing existing dwellings
Property tax reductions for low income
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 18
residents
Personas sin seguro social puedan
comprar casas
more education on paths to ownership
crear una mentoria para personas que
desean comprar su propia casa. pagamos
tantos raxes y no nos ayudan aca
estamos, los necesitamos
create a mentorship for people who want to buy their
own house. we pay so many taxes and they don't help
us. we are here, we need you.
Ditto XXX- CLT
Que les permitan usar su número itin To be allowed to use the itin number
Options for Lower-Income Renters
Original Translation
Creative opportunities for aging seniors to “gift” portions of
their properties (SB9 lot splits?) Could be a win-win
situation?
Personas sin Seguro social no saben de estos programas,
Deben haber mas informacion y aceptar mas personas sin
Seguro social
People without social security do not
know about these programs, there
should be more information and accept
more people without social security.
More education about the availability of programs. State
and federal have hundreds of different programs. The City
could consolidate the info and work with the Mortgage
Bankers Association to do that.
Que no les vendan las casas a las constructoras ya que
estas las remodelan y las venden a un precio muy elevado
Que les den oportunidad a los residentes
They should not sell the houses to the
construction companies, since they
remodel them and sell them at a very
high price.
Give the residents a chance
aca solo trabajamos para la renta here we only work for rent
We need SROs for older renters and very low income
young people - by-right construction/no parking required/ no
density limits
Subsidize current home owners to add ADU or tiny home
and base on income.
Crear un program de prestamos. Create a loan program.
city owned and built housing on city owned land
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 19
Que tengamos una oportunidad de comprar nuestra casa.
Porque no es justo que nosotros los latinos hacemos taxes
. Y no tengamos o podamos comprar nuestra propia casa.
Que confíen en uno y que nos den un prestamos
That we have a chance to buy our
house. Because it is not fair that we
Latinos do taxes. And we don't have or
we can't buy our own house. Trust us
and give us a loan.
multar a duenos de lotes vacios y comprarlo para poner
viviendas
fine owners of vacant lots and buy them
for housing
Monitor ADU's to verify that they are actually being used for
housing.
Grants/loans to homeowners to build ADUs, especially if
rented to section 8 voucher residents.
Original Translation
Ustedes pueden ver en la encuesta que acaban de pasar
que somos mas los que rentamos aparatamentos es mas
bajo el porcentaje de personas que tienen casa es
imposible aqui en marin poder comprar una casa o
apartamento y ustedes acaban de decir que es bien
limitado en los programas que tienen
You can see in the survey that you just
did that there are more of us who rent
apartments, the percentage of people
who own homes is lower, it is impossible
here in marin to buy a house or
apartment, and you just said that the
programs you have are very limited.
y que con los homeless indocumentos, por favor tomenlos
en cuenta
and with the undocumented homeless,
please take them into account.
put more street lights in canal
Housing workshops and building ADU workshops, provide
existing plans and reduced permit costs.Yes, XXX! That is
truly a problem in Marin.
Yes, XXX! That is truly a problem in Marin.
lower the rent in canal
Drastically expand access and opportunities to other
affordable housing programs, implement rent control, and
proactively protect communities from gentrification.
Housing for Older Adults and Persons with Disabilities
Original Translation
It would be nice to not spend tax dollars on programs and
not to expand unfunded liabilities for the City.
un taller para comprar nuestras casa de seguro a workshop to buy a home
Invertir en programas innovadores que faciliten el acceso
a familias de bajo recursos
Invest in innovative programs that
facilitate access to low-income families.
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 20
Something to look out for cause we thr parents don't have
a social security number but we do have a valid ITIN
number. While our kids born here.
Co-housing policies haven't resulted in any of these in San
Rafael. By-right?
se necesita un program de Vivienda especificamente para
personas indocumentadas yh tos aquellos mayores y con
incapacidades. en Canal no existen, revisen los edificios,
protejan a nuestros mayores.
a housing program is needed
specifically for undocumented persons
and those who are elderly and have
disabilities
Senior housing should be close to public transportation -
we should consider having SMART build a new SR station
Original Translation
Que haya mas organizaciones con apoyos económicos
para el desarrollo laboral de vivienda
That there be more organizations with
financial support for the development of
labor housing.
subsidize home sharing; provide job training for people to
become in-home care-givers
Que no les vendan las casas a las constructoras ya que
estas las remodelan y las venden a un precio muy
elevado.
Que les den oportunidad a los residentes
They should not sell the houses to the
construction companies because they
remodel them and sell them at a very
high price.They should give the
residents a chance
crear un comite de alcance c omunitario especialmente
para personas mayores adultas
create a community outreach committee
especially for elderly adults
Policy in favor of housing for older people anywhere in the
city (ie, no prejudice against senior housing).
Programas innovadores para compradores por primera
vez Innovative programs for first-time buyers
Potential Funding Sources
Original Translation
La mayoría de los edificios de canal no tienen rampas
para que las personas mayores puedan subir a sus
apartamentos. Se necesita.
Most canal buildings don't have ramps
for seniors to get up to their apartments.
It's needed.
Leverage available state funding for housing.
debemos hacer lo mismo de Oakland we must do the same as Oakland
support a state run bank to loan cities and counties money
to build housing for their residents
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 21
the Housing Element should support the Bay Area
Housing Finance Agency
like the vacancy tax idea on commercial spaces??
I love the vacancy tax. Cause leaving a vacancy in place
in hopes of higher rent goes against real estate 101
Crear un programa de proyectos para obtener la licencia
de construcción con personas que cuentan con ITiM
Create a program of projects to obtain a
construction license with ITIN holders
Small Group Comments
The following are chat and verbal comments taken from each of the breakout rooms organized
according to topic area:
Priorities
would like to know how the City housing handles the mobile home park
How does the City monitor fair housing? Berry: It is broken by zipcode
City partner with county to require landlords to sign up for the registry.
Parking, infrastructure, water, roads, need to be taken into consideration. There's not enou gh parking in
higher density neighborhoods which create an overflow into other neighborhoods that cannot handle it.
There aren't the right infrastructure for density.
I think there is a lot of opportunities for developers for non-profit and for profits to develop
what XXX said was a good idea. Create senior communities. There is an example in SoCal.
What are the funding sources. I only know of banks. Berry: Low Income Tax Credits. Maybe cities
should provide a reduction in fees and/or a speedier process. Target certain areas of SR.
Tenant Protection Measures
Canal area - need apartments for families, people like to live among relatives
Prioritize and expand options for low income renters, and tenant protections for renters and subrenters
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 22
Advocate for renter protection; 400 Canal Apartments, for 20 years, father worked as maintenance,
building now under new management and everyone was fired, and rent was raised; new company put
flyers only English, phone number on the flyer was not connecte d.
Rent control
Que la comunidad hispana tengamos más oportunidades de adquirir nuestra vivienda como casas
móviles que creo que es algo más realista , y pienso que. Un préstamo para un inmueble de este. Índole
creo que si lo podremos .
Protección de inquilino. En los 400 están queriendo sacar a la gente y subir las rentas. Y muchos no
saben que hacer. Tiene que ver más protección para no subir renta y también abogados para proteger a
los inquilinos
access/opportunities to purchasing homes w/our income, fixing up older homes, access to programs,
using programs that other cities use (Hayward/San Francsico housing), lots for purchasing to place RV's
access to lawyers for tenants- was givin 15 days notice to evict and later found out it could've been 60
days
Did not know that there is a right to a lawyer when they are being kicked out, need to increase
information to the community
minimum access to programs due to income min/max
tenant protection & rental control, building maintenance. Tenants are afraid to ask for apt fixings due to
increase in rent
more inspections, fix buildings & older tenant protections
tenant protection, create a policy for contracts re: rental control, including those who rent in living area,
rental control
400 canal- ordinance for when owners sell building and do not notify current tenants of new ownership
Yo estoy abogando para que los inquilinos tengan el derecho a un abogado y que sepan que tienen 60
dias para desalojar. También para que exista algún programa de protección para los que sub-rentan por
ejemplo un cuarto o una sala. Yo vivi en un cuarto y durante la pandemia no califiqué para ninguna
ayuda por falta de contrato de renta. Y también sufri un desalojo injusto por falta de protección.
Fair Housing Measures
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 23
Yes, I agree about adding more programs and also setting a lower rent cap for extremely low-income
residents
Modify current policies/program to include those w/o social security, homeless. More inspections, better
programs for older tenants
Pools are being closed in canal, activities for kids, lack of maintenance of city parks, buildings
Mi nombre es XXX
Soy miembro de voces de Canal
Yo quiero tocar el tema Invertir en programas de desarrollo Laboral para vivienda?
1-programas innovadores que faciliten el acceso a familias de bajos recursos .
2-que haya mas organizaciones con apoyos económicos para el desarrollo laboral de vivienda como por
ejemplo :canal alliance.
3-programas innovadores para compradores por primera vez
4-proyectos individuales de desarrolló de vivienda para futuros proletarios
5-mas programas como Habit que faciliten la ayuda oportuna con necesidades de una vivienda
6-Crear un programa de proyecros para obtener la licencia de construcción con personas que cuentan
con un ITIM
7.Clases de Inglés .
Kids don't have enough access to safe play, maintenance for buildings
Maintenance are only done for "major" issues
Que nos den la oportunidad a las personas que no tenemos seguro, queremos tener viviendas en
buenas condiciones
Maintaining Housing Health, Safety, and Quality
Future floodings, worries about rental increase
Seismic retrofitting; incentivize home owners, and landlords to make retrofits, and have better tax
benefits
Inspectors don't do notetaking when doing inspections to write what is wrong, more inspections (change
from 5 to 3 years), programs for kids, older tenants, neighborhood safety,
Si en los 400 hay mucho problemas con el nuevo manager, el problema de que valla a subir la renta y
desalojar inquilinos sin decir porque
Si necesitamos mucha ayuda con la situación en los 400 porfavor
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 24
Yo quisiera nos trataran de ayudar porque si ellos nos quieren desalojar tienen que proever un lugar
donde uno pueda quedarse
senores yo estoy aqui por el tema de desalojo que esta pasando aquí en el 400 canal street y no es
justo que nos vengan a saquar hace de la nada porque no es fácil encontrar un lugar donde vivir y no
es justo lo que están haciendo con nosotros etc…
En vivienda justa sería muy bueno que la cuidas contemple un plan donde se tome en cuenta a las
personas que no cuenten con un número de seguro social y puedan usar su itin number crear
programas para calificar para comprar una vivienda justa tomando otros programas de otras ciudades
para tener acceso a la compra que nos dejen comprar viviendas baratas para remodelar y que no sean
vendidas a las grandes constructoras que después sobre venden préstamos de gobierno o federal
como el de FHA que actualmente está disponible para condado de Marín pero no para la ciudad de
San Rafael 94901 o tomar como ejemplo los proyectos de Eden Housing en Hayward o Habitat en San
Francisco
Canal has lesser access to police presence, safety, they prohibit a lot, not equal to other
neighborhoods, lighting
En los apartamentos del área de canal también hay edificios que las escaleras están no están en
buenas condiciones. Que está peligroso que alguien se puede caer.
Opportunities for those w/o social security to build, Inspections in canal
Necesitamos ayuda para evitar el desalojo injusto d los apartamentos 400 necesitamos Apollo d la
ciudad
Programs for purchasing homes, do more advertising for canal residents
Licencia de contrición para construcción y asi crear nuevas oportunidades para la comunidad latina
Increasing Housing Supply
Competition with those of higher incomes, there is a need to increase housing availability like other
programs, take on ideas from other cities like Eden Housing, Habitat for Housing SF.
General Discussion
Very concerning at low production numbers less than 400 units over 8 years. City will do a great job
selecting sites and protecting resources.
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 25
Process about getting projects approved - northgate project. Process was poorly done. Design review
board members not sure of what their roles were
Anything that can be done in the review process would be good. By -right approvals and would be a
good part to stop
Need more units to meet the need
also what is holding back those units from getting built. But if not breaking ground, we're off a creek
Marin builders associatin concerned - members getting older and reitring. Nobody in marin to build the
Process of breaking ground
Lot of units in the pipeline to approve.
How come they're stuck in the pipeline
Make existing housing cleaner - existing housing not adequate
Schools, families - goal affordable housing for families. Great if there wer more diverse housing in
neighborhood
ADU's - more transperent process (allow for opportunity) Maybe an association with incentives for
development of ADU's
Preferred suppliers?
Supportive in a lot of areas.
Giving up due to complexity of reviews, etc. Steps. If there was an agency to go to it would help
City has some ideas on how to adjust them - Liz
Renter protections - look at unintended concquences:
No turnover of housing - new people wouldn't be able to come to San Rafael
Ask that if they can't be looked at, then if restricting housing in the long run will not allow those wanted
into San Rafael
Has the City thought of procurring developers to come in for affordable housing projects?
For schools, it would allow City to have more influence
Housing element plans don't allow it - make san rafael a more appeasing for developers, use tools to
streamline the process
Deep dive into steps to determine
Sea level rise - important in terms of housing
SAN RAFAEL HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE | Community Workshop #2 Meeting Summary 26
Programs to consider - protections, rent control (cap) renters/sub-renters
Right to a lawyer
Expanded options for housing in those of low income
Just absorbing all the information - thanks for allowing us to be here
Looking for economies of scale - more resources available to people - all schools will be impacted.
SOurces of water will be impacted, recognizing that we all are in the same goals and challenges.
Need to be more collaborative - in terms of policies and programs, still need to address same issues in
City's and towns. Work more closely with county/jurisdiction
When do we anticipate releasing draft element? ~ 30 days away from circulating draft for 3 0 day public
comment
Adopting before Jan 31st? - Have until end of May to be certified (grace period for revising document
and responding to comments)
Deadline for adoption if not met, 4 year recertification cycle?