Legal Assistance, SB 35, San Rafael Inclusionary, Sausalito GP

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 mediation services for landlords and tenants through the Marin County District Attorney’s Office. MEHC spoke in support of this move and urged the BOS to consider additional protections for tenants and advocate for assistance for property owners. See Marin IJ story here>>

SB 35 Housing: There are a number of proposals underway in Marin to use Senate Bill 35 to develop affordable housing. At least two proposals are from a for-profit developer, AMG & Associates—including one in downtown Novato, and one in Marin City.  SB 35 is a statute streamlining housing construction in California counties and cities that fail to build enough housing to meet state mandated housing construction requirements. Projects can be approved by a ministerial process bypassing planning and design review processes. See Marin IJ story here>>. To see which Marin jurisdictions are eligible for SB 35 projects, see this interactive map from The California Department of Housing and Community Development.

San Rafael Inclusionary Zoning Changes: After intensive study and a series of workshops last year, the City of San Rafael is exploring decreasing the percentage of affordable units for-profit developers are required to build in order to develop in the city. Many developers say the current requirement of 20% affordable is a disincentive to new development. The San Rafael Planning Commission and City Council will be considering these recommended changes further in October. Find out more>>

Sausalito General Plan: The City of Sausalito has just 38 units of affordable housing, all senior housing. The city is exploring changes to its General Plan that might allow for the possibility of developing housing in the Marinship area. However, the City will not work on its Housing Element until much later. The City will hold meetings in late September and in October on this issue. Find out more>>