Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Steve Monowitz, Director of Planning and Building
Subject: The County’s Housing Element Annual Progress Report for calendar year 2024
RECOMMENDATION:
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Receive the County’s Housing Element Annual Progress Report for calendar year 2024 regarding the County’s progress towards implementing the County’s 2023-2031 Housing Element and meeting the County’s 2023-2031 Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).
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BACKGROUND:
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors initially adopted the County’s 2023-2031 Housing Element of the General Plan in April 2024. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) requested revisions to the County’s Housing Element, which the County completed, and determined that the County’s Housing Element is consistent with State law in March 2025.
The Housing Element, as required by law, assesses the County’s existing and projected housing need, describes the County’s RHNA and the sufficiency of existing developable or re-developable residential sites to meet the RHNA, and establishes policies and programs to facilitate, incentivize, and directly support housing production and rehabilitation. The County’s Housing Element is available <https://www.smcgov.org/planning/housing-element>.
The Housing Element’s Section 3, Housing Plan describes the County’s RHNA, which is the County’s share of regional housing need from 2023-2031, as estimated by the HCD and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and provides an inventory of developable or re-developable sites to meet the RHNA. The Housing Plan also presents the Housing Element Policies and Programs.
Per California Government Code Section 65400, each jurisdiction with an adopted Housing Element must complete an annual report on the progress of implementing the policies in its Housing Element and must also provide a report on annual housing production, for comparison against the jurisdiction’s RHNA. This report must be completed on forms prescribed by HCD, and must be:
1. Submitted to both HCD and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR); and
2. Reviewed at an annual public hearing of the local legislative body.
The APR is a summary of ongoing and completed activities and requires no action by the Board of Supervisors apart from receiving the report.
DISCUSSION:
Attachments A and B provide the information required, in the prescribed form, to meet the annual reporting requirements in Government Code Section 65400. The attachments show:
a. The number of new units permitted since the beginning of the Housing Element period, by year and affordability level.
b. The number of new units created compared to the affordability targets of the County’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation.
c. The policies of the Housing Element, their objectives and implementation timelines, and implementation status.
The County’s 2023-2031 RHNA is shown below.
|
San Mateo County Regional Housing Needs Allocation, 2023-2031: |
|
|
Income Level |
RHNA 6 Allocation |
% |
|
Very Low Income (50% AMI) |
811 |
29% |
|
Low Income (60% AMI) |
468 |
17% |
|
Moderate Income (80% AMI) |
433 |
15% |
|
Above Moderate Income (120% AMI) |
1.121 |
40% |
|
TOTAL: |
2,833 |
100% |
As shown in Appendix A, housing permitting and production has remained fairly steady over the last several years, although the County remains below the specific levels of affordable housing required for the RHNA. However, a number of partly affordable or 100% dedicated affordable multifamily projects that were begun in the 2014-2022 Housing Element period are still in the development pipeline. The ultimate completion of these projects will significantly address these shortfalls.
The County Housing Element contains 42 policies. Each policy is implemented by various programs, and each policy and program has a designated lead agency (or agencies), an implementation timeline, and various goals, objectives and milestones related to implementation. The status of policies and programs is presented in more detail in Attachment B. In general, the County remains on the anticipated implementation timeline for most policies, although it remains early in the 2023-2031 implementation cycle.
Examples of policies incorporated in 2023-2031 Housing Element include:
a. Expanded rezoning in North Fair Oaks to incentivize additional residential development (complete)
b. Updates to the Accessory Dwelling Unit regulations to comply with State law (complete, but State law has subsequently been amended in 2024/2025, and further updates are needed)
c. Rezoning program to rezone multiple parcels to allow higher density multifamily residential development, to meet the County’s unmet RHNA need (underway)
d. Monitor and regulate mobile home park rent increases, closures and conversions (ongoing)
e. Assess viable sites for Farm Labor Housing production in the rural South Coast (underway)
f. Revision of the County’s zoning regulations for consistency with State law regarding emergency shelters, transitional and supportive housing, group homes, and other special needs housing (to begin in June 2025)
g. Creation of objective design standards for various types of housing, to comply with various State laws prohibiting the imposition of subjective standards of project review (underway)
h. Updates to the County’s Density Bonus Ordinance (to begin in 2025)
i. Continue various County programs providing funding for housing production, fair housing assistance, renter protections, homeless prevention and assistance, and a variety of other programs supported by County funding and other assistance (ongoing)
The County will continue to implement the policies and programs in the Housing Element throughout the 2023-2031 Housing Element period.
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
The Annual Progress Report process helps the County track its progress in achieving the Housing Element’s goals of increasing housing availability, affordability, and accessibility for all County residents, with a specific focus on the equitable provision of housing resources for disadvantaged communities, including racial/ethnic minorities, lower-income residents, special needs communities, and other groups disproportionately impacted by the unavailability of affordable housing and housing designed for the particular needs of specific populations.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This is an informational item only. Receipt of the report on the APR has no fiscal impact.
ATTACHMENTS:
A. RHNA Progress
B. Housing Element Policy and Program Status