COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

Planning and Building Department

DATE:

October 18, 2010

BOARD MEETING DATE:

November 2, 2010

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

10-Day Notice

VOTE REQUIRED:

Majority

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

Jim Eggemeyer, Community Development Director

SUBJECT:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Consideration of a Resolution certifying a Negative Declaration for a revision to the County Housing Element, and directing staff to submit the revised Housing Element to the California Department of Housing and Community Development for review.

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a Resolution:

1.

Certifying the Negative Declaration as complete, correct and adequate, and prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act and applicable State and County Guidelines, and

2.

Directing staff to submit the updated General Plan Housing Element to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review and certification.

BACKGROUND:

Staff is proposing that the Board of Supervisors submit an updated and revised General Plan Housing Element to the California Department of Housing and Community Development for review and certification. Consistent with State law, the proposed amended Housing Element provides an updated assessment of the County’s existing and projected housing needs, identifies opportunities and constraints relevant to meeting those needs, evaluates the effectiveness of current housing programs, and develops new policies, programs, and quantified objectives to meet identified housing needs in unincorporated areas. Staff has also completed an Initial Study and proposed Negative Declaration for the draft Housing Element, based on environmental analysis demonstrating that adoption of the amended Housing Element will not have significant environmental impacts.

DISCUSSION:

Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Certification

The County must submit the revised Housing Element to HCD for review at least 60 days prior to adoption. HCD must review drafts and report findings within 60 days of receipt of the draft revision or amendment. HCD’s comments must be considered by the Board of Supervisors prior to adoption of the Housing Element.

Changes from the Prior Housing Element

All parts of the Housing Element have been revised to reflect current conditions, housing needs, best practices, the requirements of State law, and input from stakeholders and County residents. The most significant changes are: a proposed amendment to the PC zoning district to meet new requirements of State law (described below); more detailed inventory of sites that may be suitable for housing, to meet changes in State law; greater emphasis on senior and special needs housing; greater emphasis on transit-oriented development; greater emphasis on green building; and an inventory of parcels proposed for future analysis, which may be suitable for future changes to zoning and land use designation to allow greater intensities of development.

The revised Housing Element proposes, in Policy HE 15, one zoning text amendment, addressing new requirements of State law. This proposed amendment to the text of the Planned Colma (“PC”) zoning district would allow the creation of emergency shelters in PC-zoned areas without a use permit. Shelters are currently allowed in the Colma PC-zoned area, but must apply for and receive a use permit in order to operate. This amendment would be considered for adoption separately from the Housing Element, and would be examined by separate environmental analysis, but adoption of the revised Housing Element approves Policy HE 15 in principle. Apart from the proposed amendment to the PC zoning district, the Housing Element does not propose any changes to the amounts, intensities, rates, locations or types of development permitted in unincorporated San Mateo County.

Public Participation

The updated Housing Element is based on extensive public participation, including guidance from a steering committee, stakeholder and community workshops, stakeholder interviews, a survey on housing issues, and other methods.

Consistency with the General Plan and Other County Land Use Plans

The revised Housing Element has been reviewed for consistency, and is consistent with all other elements of the County’s General Plan, with all area plans, with the County’s Local Coastal Program, and with the County’s Comprehensive Airport Land Use Plan.

Planning Commission Consideration

The San Mateo County Planning Commission reviewed the revised Housing Element and related Negative Declaration on September 8, 2010, and recommended that the Board of Supervisors certify the Negative Declaration complete, and that the Board direct Planning staff to submit the revised Housing Element to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, with minor modification recommended by the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission’s suggested modifications include greater explanation of how the policies and programs in the Housing Element address greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, and the addition of a policy to work with the County Housing Department and C/CAG to create a map of transit-oriented development opportunity sites, in 1/4 and 1/2 mile proximity to major transit routes, indicating sites by their suitability for housing at various income levels. These changes have been added to the revised Housing Element.

Environmental Review

County staff has completed an Initial Study of the project (proposed adoption of a General Plan Amendment replacing the current Housing Element with the revised Housing Element) and prepared a Negative Declaration stating that adoption of the updated Housing Element will not have any significant environmental impacts.

County Counsel has reviewed and approved the Resolution as to form and content.

Submittal of the updated General Plan Housing Element to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, and eventual adoption of the revised Housing Element, contributes to the 2025 Shared Vision outcome of a Livable Community by promoting affordable housing for San Mateo County residents.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The updated Housing Element, once adopted, will commit County staff to a number of programmatic actions. However, these actions are within the scope of normal work by Planning and Building Department staff, Housing Department staff, and other County staff. Submittal of the updated General Plan Housing Element to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, and eventual adoption of the revised Housing Element, will not have any fiscal impact to the County.