Housing Element Update & More

Housing Element Update                                                                                          

Draft Housing Location List & Meeting: January 20 at 6pm Via Zoom  

The County of Marin is in the process of updating the Housing and Safety Elements of the Countywide Plan. State law requires counties to plan for future population growth and update their housing elements on a regular cycle – and this planning cycle will address needs for the years 2023-2031. 

In spring 2021, the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) set by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) directed Marin to plan for 3,569 new housing units in unincorporated areas for the 2023-2031 Housing Element. Those units include all income categories, from very low to above moderate.  

Join staff of the Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA) this Thursday for an important meeting to kickstart the housing sites discussion: Thursday, January 20 at 6pm via Zoom, registration is now open. Spanish translation will be provided. 

At the meeting, a draft list of potential housing locations/sites under consideration in unincorporated Marin will be released (which is being determined by a set of criteria established at public meeting of the Marin County Board of Supervisors and the Marin County Planning Commission in December 2021). It is important to note that no final decisions have been made regarding the draft list of sites, and this meeting is an opportunity to begin the community engagement process.  

In addition to the meeting on January 20, CDA staff is engaging in myriad of community discussions, speaking with local homeowners' associations, design review boards, community-based organizations, local elected officials, as well as other advocates to help collect feedback and generate engagement with the community. CDA will document the feedback collected and present it to the Marin County Board of Supervisors and Planning Commissioners at a public meeting in early March. 

The Housing Element, along with the accompanying Safety Element, needs to be completed by the end of 2022 so it can be submitted to the State of California for approval.   

The consequences of noncompliance with State housing requirements could be stiff. If a jurisdiction does not meet its goals, it becomes ineligible for state funding to serve local transportation needs and may be subject to statewide streamlining rules, which allow for housing development with limited public review process. California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has a new division that is designed to enforce accountability with plans to meet housing needs. 

Questions and comments can be emailed to staff and phone inquiries can be made to (415) 473-6269. For more information and to subscribe to receive email updates, visit the Housing and Safety Elements webpage. 

Marin County Cities and Towns are also required to adopt updated Housing Elements which will likely be of interest for our community. For a one-stop-shop, a new website has been created that includes news about Housing Element updates in all of Marin’s municipalities. Check out housingelementsmarin.org to learn more.  

Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests 

At-home COVID-19 tests continue to play an important role in our community’s fight against the spread of COVID-19, but they can be hard to find. The US Government has launched a program to provide four free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests to every household in America. Orders are expected to ship in 7-12 days. Order your tests now so you have them when you need them. 

UPDATE: Community Blood Drive Postponed  

In my last newsletter, I reported that Thompson Builders was hosting their first annual community blood drive and BBQ on February 9. With the recent surge of Covid in our community, they have decided to postpone the blood drive until March 30. Stay tuned for more information on how to sign up! 

Please do not reply to this message, as it will go to a general mailbox that is not routinely monitored. Contact the District 5 Team at the email addresses below with any questions, comments, or concerns: 

Supervisor Judy Arnold: JArnold@marincounty.org 

District 5 Aides: 

Tanya Albert: TAlbert@marincounty.org 

Leslie Weber: LWeber@marincounty.org 

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