Los Gamos will provide 192 needed rental homes

MEHC supports the Neighborhood at Los Gamos apartment project. This project will provide 192 badly needed rental homes, including 20 affordable units. These apartments will support the local workforce, shorten commute trips, and help meet San Rafael’s RHNA obligations in the next housing element cycle. This project demonstrates that increased height and density, well designed and in the right location, promote housing equity and environmental sustainability.

The housing need in San Rafael is urgent. County-wide, the median household income for renters is $75,953, and the average rent for a two-bedroom is $2,797. This requires a household income of $111,880 to meet the recommended 30% cap on their income for rent. This means that most Marin tenants struggle to meet their other basic needs – food, childcare, and health services. The over-payment problem is due in part to shortage of rental housing generally, and the lack of affordable rentals in particular. This is why the State of California significantly increased the number of homes Bay Area communities must plan for over the next eight years. The Los Gamos project would satisfy 6% of San Rafael’s RHNA Requirement.

The proposed General Plan amendment and the rezoning are good environmental and sustainability practices. The height and density limits established under the current zoning would restrict development at this site to no more than five single family homes on the entire ten-acre site. This low density would likely result in disturbance to the entire property. The proposed General Plan amendment and rezoning would avoid this waste by boosting the housing opportunity, at the same time minimizing site disturbance by allowing the higher permitted density to be concentrated on the lower and least sensitive portion of the site. 

The design will create a sense of community for the surrounding area as well as the project site. The sensitive “stepped” configuration of the buildings and the grading plan, along with the landscaping, will transition into open hillside above the property. The attractive residential design and the included park and open space, the market, and the community center will create a neighborhood. The market will serve the employees in the nearby office buildings as well as the new residents, thereby helping the project blend with the surrounding area and strengthening the sense of community. The overall design meshes well with the adjacent office and commercial structures on Los Gamos.

The project, due to its location at the end of Los Gamos, will not require extending roadways or other infrastructure such as water or sewer. The project will not add infrastructure that will induce growth in adjacent areas and will not route traffic through other neighborhoods. Finally, we want to commend the applicants for declining the option to pay an in-lieu fee for affordable units. The in-lieu fee option in these inflationary times represents a loss of affordable housing opportunity. This is an environmentally sustainable project that will help address our urgent housing needs.