Community Land TrustsTaking the cost of land out of the cost of housing, by Tom McCafferty, MEHC board member; Community Land Trust Association of West Marin (CLAM) Project Manager Marin can ensure long-term affordability and enhance communities by utilizing the Community Land Trust model. In an era of escalating home prices and stagnant wages, finding affordable housing…
RHNA Tracking and Housing Element ImplementationJurisdictions will need significant resources to meet commitments Marin’s 6th Housing Element Cycle officially kicked off Jan 31, 2024. Although several Marin cities and towns are still finalizing their housing elements, all jurisdictions must still take action to meet their state housing goals (RHNA, the Regional Housing Needs Allocation). Every April, each jurisdiction…
HOUSING AND TRAFFIC: Growth restrictions have displaced workers by Warren Wells We’ve all heard that California, and Marin in particular, are facing a severe housing crisis. Home values and apartment rents keep rising, leading owners to cash out and renters to be pushed out. We’ve heard from politicians that we need to build more to keep…
What’s happening in Marin? A review of active, inactive, and completed housing projects. Every day, it seems there is another headline about a housing project. It might feel like we are experiencing a building boom here. But while we are considering some of the largest projects to be built in decades, such as the Northgate Town Center project…
A short primer on affordable housing, BAHFA and BAHA, and potentially game-changing funding! Marinites overwhelmingly want more affordable housing.According to the Marin County 2023 Community Survey, it is the #1 issue that Marinites would like our local governments to address. But how can we build more affordable housing? And what does this have to do with the…
There have always been portions of the population unable to afford market rate housing. At one time, the government directly financed, owned and managed housing projects for these populations, commonly referred to as public housing. While the government still manages some housing projects it often doesn’t do a good job at this – just look…
Happy New Year, fellow housing nerds and policy wonks!There is a lot to catch up on! The 2023 California legislative season ended in October with record-setting housing activity, November was for equal parts pats-on-the-back and wound-licking, and December was the time to rest and get ready to start the maddening but addictingly fun process all over…
Housing is #1 priority for Marin residents2023 was a very busy year for housing, and so for MEHC. The housing crisis in California continues to worsen; we have responded. We strengthened programs and introduced new strategies. We are working hard to build relationships throughout the County. Importantly, more and more Marin residents are understanding the need to act. A recent Marin…
Marin County is more racially segregated than ever. Marin County is more racially segregated than ever, and we have a severe shortage of affordable housing [note]. Many Marinites consider these issues to be unrelated, but they are linked. Social justice is a component of MEHC’s mission, and so we strive to evaluate housing through a racial equity…