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CA Housing Legislation Approved! Funding & objective standards support affordable housing production The California legislature has just passed and Governor Brown has signed fifteen bills to promote housing and address homelessness. Of these, Senate Bill 35 will have the greatest impact on Marin County. Background: California counties, cities and towns are required to include and regularly…
Connecting the dots… Affordable Housing, Sea Level Rise and Marin’s Big Oil Lawsuit Two major county initiatives – the Marin Shoreline Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment (April 2017) and a lawsuit brought by Marin and San Mateo counties and the City of Imperial Beach against 37 oil, gas and coal companies – drive home the…
Marin homeowners benefit from laws, policies, and financial support New California laws took effect on January 1st that affect second units, now called “accessory dwelling units” (ADUs). Last month we discussed how this legislation makes it easier and cheaper to build an ADU. This month, we discuss a related new law which became effective last September. It gives…
Part 1: New State Laws make ADUs easier and cheaper New California laws took effect on January 1st that affect second units, now called “accessory dwelling units” (ADUs). This month we focus on how this legislation makes it easier to get approval to build an ADU and radically cut costs to create it. Next month we will look…
Rent vs Income: The Affordability Gap WIDENS Incomes are not keeping up with the cost of living here Low Income in Marin is $105,350 per year Bay Area media recently reported that a Marin family of four making $105,350 a year now qualifies as “low income.” But the more important news is that Marin’s “affordability…
There is a housing crisis in Marin. Is it a simple supply and demand problem? In large part it is undeniably driven by the clash, on the demand side, of robust job growth, against, on the supply side, Marin’s anemic housing development. MEHC has spoken often about how Marin’s land use policies have contributed to this problem,…
On, March 1, the Fairfax Town Council demonstrated the political will Marin needs. Council members pivoted to a new, less controversial path to getting to yes on Victory Village. Responding to overwhelming support from an overflow audience, the Council directed staff to: develop a new zoning district exclusively for senior housing, and process the Victory…
Speaking of political will, on March 14, the San Rafael Planning Commission upheld the Zoning Administrator’s decision to approve transitional housing at the Dominican Sisters’ Our Lady of Lourdes Convent. Rejecting an appeal from a few neighbors, the Commission approved conversion of 1,995 sq. ft. of existing space within the convent to a separate residential…
Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California have announced their upcoming conference: Inclusion, Community and Equity: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing in and Adverse Climate. Please see below and plan to attend.
On Wednesday night, March 1, the Fairfax Town Council pivoted to a new, less controversial path to getting to yes on Victory Village. Responding to overwhelming support from an overflow audience, the Council directed staff (1) to develop a new zoning district exclusively for senior housing, and (2) to process the Victory Village application in…