Marin County Seeks Guidance For Future Housing Development

MARIN COUNTY, CA — To accommodate population growth and adhere to state and regional quotas, the county of Marin will build new housing developments — and it's seeking input on that housing from local officials and the public.

The Association of Bay Area Governments' Regional Housing Needs Allocation calls for 3,569 new housing units — distributed among the "very low" to "above moderate" income categories — in unincorporated Marin, to be created during the 2022-2030 planning cycle.

County officials will begin examining potential locations in early 2022. In the meantime, the Marin County Planning Commissioners and Board of Supervisors will develop guiding principles for the selection process at a joint session on Dec. 7.

During the meeting, the Planning Commission and Board will consider whether the housing sites should "be distributed throughout Marin, address historic patterns of segregation, encourage infill and redevelopment of existing sites, leverage surplus land, and consider environmental hazards such as wildfire threat and sea level rise," officials said in a news release.

Preview documents for that session will be available here beginning the afternoon of Dec. 2.

Marin County residents and workforce members, too, can provide their input on the housing development process via an online survey open through Nov. 30.

The survey is available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, has 12 questions and takes about 15 minutes to complete. Officials said more than 500 people have already participated in it.

The Marin Countywide Plan calls for updates to the county's Housing and Safety Elements, and the project would address the "Housing Element," officials said.

"With the Housing Element update, the intent is to achieve an adequate supply of decent, safe, and affordable housing for Marin's workforce, residents, and special-needs populations at all income levels in unincorporated areas," officials said. "All California towns, cities, and counties must regularly update their Housing Elements."

California jurisdictions that do not meet the Regional Housing Needs Allocation by the end of the Housing Element cycle will face "stiff penalties" from the state, the news release said.

Officials said the lack of housing in Marin for households in lower income ranges has become "increasingly problematic," as the county's median home price is more than $1 million.

"There is also an increased awareness of fair housing policy and historical restrictive covenants that previously prevented people of color from becoming homeowners all over the United States, including in Marin," officials said. "[Marin County Community Development Agency] representatives plan to meet with councilmembers and staff from Marin's towns and cities to help ensure there is a unified message about overall fair housing and equity needs."

Anyone with questions or comments about the housing development process can email them to housingelement@marincounty.org, and the public can call (415) 473-6269 with questions as well.