Never mind the record-shattering atmospheric river that hit the Bay Area this October, Marin (like most of the western US) is still in a state of extreme drought. Despite the fact that local reservoirs are now up to 57% of capacity from a paltry 32% in early October, this is still well below the annual…
UPDATES AND APPEALS In late September and Early October, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) heard appeals from ten Marin jurisdictions disputing their Regional Housing Needs Allocations numbers. None of these appeals were granted. Now that the appeals hearings have concluded, Marin towns and cities are conducting public engagement workshops for their 2023-2031 Housing…
By Will Houston PUBLISHED: November 18, 2021 Developers in central and southern Marin County could be required to pay tens of thousands of dollars in new fees or add water-saving upgrades to their projects under a proposal to reduce demand on water supplies. After facing the potential of running out of water during the drought,…
Marin Updates:Some important Marin housing issues have emerged in the last several months. These include the start of a new Housing Element update cycle for 2023-2031, MMWD’s proposed ban on new water hookups, the Mill Valley Housing Advisory Committee’s proposal to explore city-owned land for a proactive affordable housing initiative, and the rising visibility of…
All across California, local planning departments are gearing up for a new set of “RHNA” numbers and revising their “Housing Elements” for 2023-2030. You will be hearing about this from here on out. But, what is a “Housing Element” and what is “RHNA,” and why should you care? MEHC has created a handy-dandy HOUSING ELEMENT PRIMER…
On January 29, Governor Newsom signed legislation extending the State’s eviction moratorium through June 2021 and implementing a rental assistance program designed to help renters pay rent and property owners receive rental income.
UPDATE San Rafael, Novato & County: On January 19th, the City of San Rafael City Council adopted a temporary “rent freeze” ordinance for tenants residing in certain residential units through December 31, 2021. The temporary moratorium solely applies in two designated US Census Tracts, Tract Nos. 1122.01 (Canal Neighborhood) and 1122.02 (Southeast San Rafael and Canal neighborhood), which have been…
The countywide moratorium on pandemic-related evictions expired in September, having been replaced by a statewide moratorium that provides relief through January 31, 2021 for tenants who submit a declaration form and pay at least 25% of their September–January rent. On January 12th, the Marin County Board of Supervisors re-instituted its local moratorium, which will remain effective…
LOCAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING NEWS Funding for Legal Assistance for Tenants: On September 15, the Marin County Board of supervisors voted to provide $400,000 for legal assistance to low-income tenants and mediation of landlord-tenant disputes. Most of this funding will go to Legal Aid of Marin to provide assistance to tenants, while another portion will provide…
Many analysts are projecting a massive surge of COVID-19-related evictions when eviction moratoriums around the state and nation expire. While many California counties have been working to reopen their economies, the number of COVID-19 cases is increasing and an increase in the number of homeless people on our streets would exacerbate this public health crisis. …