What’s happening in housing? How does it affect us?
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 homelessness in Marin, including attempts to clear local encampments and solicit county-wide funding for supportive housing and case management. We provide updates below.
HOUSING ELEMENTS, HOUSING ALLOCATIONS: UPDATES AND APPEALS
Our two prior newsletters focused on the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) annual update numbers for year six of the 5thcycle (2015-2023), and the new RHNA for the upcoming 6th cycle (2023-2031).
Though Marin was only asked to permit 2,298 units in the 5th cycle, the 6th cycle calls for 14,405. Ten Marin jurisdictions (Belvedere, Corte Madera, Fairfax, Larkspur, Marin County, Mill Valley, Ross, San Anselmo, Sausalito, and Tiburon) have appealed these numbers so far, citing the drought, environmental hazards such as wildfire and sea level rise, mis-interpretation about the jobs/housing balance, and lack of buildable space. Notably, Novato declined to appeal; Mayor Pat Eklund observed that this exercise would cost staff time with little likelihood of success.
The last time around (RHNA 5th cycle, 2015-2023), eight Bay Area Jurisdictions appealed their allocations and only three were granted reductions. It’s a zero-sum game: any waivers granted this round would force other local jurisdictions to make up the difference, so collaborations are unlikely. MEHC is tracking the 6th cycle RHNA allocations which will be determined by the end of this year. Find out more about Marin’s progress on RHNA numbers using HCD’s new Housing Element and Implementation and APR Data Dashboard.
THE DROUGHT AND HOUSING: A BAN ON NEW WATER HOOKUPS??
At its June 1st meeting, the Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) Board of Directors considered banning all new water hookups due to the historic drought facing California and the west. While acknowledging that pending new construction projects would account for just 0.1% of the District’s current annual water use, many board members still felt the situation was dire enough to consider a moratorium as part of a broader strategy to conserve water.
Almost two dozen speakers protested this proposed ban. A number of speakers asked that MMWD exempt affordable housing (the water district has already proposed exempting accessory dwelling units). MEHC’s Linda Jackson noted that MMWD’s moratorium on new water hookups– in place for nine of the last 50 years– has caused irreparable damage to housing equity in Marin. The MMWD Board is unlikely to take this issue up again until assessing supplies midway through the rainy season this winter. The Board did seem sympathetic to an exemption for affordable housing. See MEHC’s letter to the Marin IJ, and MEHC Board member Linda Jackson and other housing advocates comments on this issue in a recent Marin IJ article>>
MILL VALLEY AFFORDABLE HOUSING: PUBLIC LAND STUDY MOVES AHEAD
Mill Valley’s Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) has continued to push forward an initiative to use public land to leverage community-generated affordable housing in the city. The HAC, with Mill Valley’s senior planner, Danielle Staude, reviewed every piece of city-owned land in Mill Valley, identifying a couple of parcels (now part of Scott Highlands Park) that could potentially be sold for housing development to fund an affordable housing project elsewhere. This proposal resulted in massive public outcry from neighbors.
With the approval of the Mill Valley City Council, the HAC then retained a consultant to research alternative city-owned parcels that could be used for affordable housing. The Consultants suggested another location, a parking lot near the City’s Public Safety Building, as the best site for this endeavor. This information was presented at the HAC’s May 25 meeting.
Some residents of the neighboring community organized a group to oppose this potential housing, erecting yard signs proclaiming “Save Hauke Park from high density development” (Hauke Park is across the street from the proposed site, and not in danger of development). Opponents also posted a picture of an unappealing development in Healdsburg, leading many to believe that the building pictured was the proposed design for the new project.
When the Mill Valley City Council considered allocating more funding to conduct a feasibility study of this site on June 21, almost 80 individuals spoke during public comment, and more than 550 written comments were submitted. The Mill Valley Community Action Network (MVCAN) organized social justice and housing advocates, including MEHC Board members David Levin and Jessuina Perez-Teran, to speak in favor. The Council voted unanimously to move ahead with funding the study.
HOMELESSNESS
Over the last year, cities and towns across Marin and statewide have seen more visible homeless encampments. Homelessness, already a crisis before 2020, appears to have increased during the economic shutdown brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Marin officialslet encampments stand over the last year due to concerns about moving people during the pandemic. Encampments, each with their own story, culture, and dynamics, sprung up in downtown Novato at Lee Gerner Park, in vehicles along Binsford Road near Rush Creek, in Dunphy Park on Sausalito’s waterfront, and under the freeway overpass in San Rafael.
Another factor in this growing visibility is the 2018 Martin v. Boise ruling, which dictates that a city without sufficient alternative shelter may not criminalize the act of sleeping on public property. However, in recent months, as the economy reopened due to rising vaccination rates and dropping COVID-19 case rates, Marin cities, like other California jurisdictions, started cracking down on homeless encampments. San Rafael determined that Marin v. Boises “does not require a city to allow camping/sleeping everywhere on public property,” and Novato moved to limit areas where camping could take place and prohibited daytime camping. Sausalito took down “Camp Cormorant” at Dunphy Park over the protests of camp residents and homeless activists and moved residents to a new location at Marinship Park.
The County continues to address this crisis through a “Housing First” model–getting unhoused people into housing and then providing services to help them stabilize. In late 2020, the County purchased two buildings for supportive housing for the homeless through Project HomeKey, one in Corte Madera and one in San Rafael. More Project Homekey purchases are on the way in 2021 as the state will distribute billions in funding for this purpose. In the meantime, the County is soliciting contributions from each town and city for homeless case management services for individuals that will be housed via emergency housing vouchers funded by the American Rescue Act. It is important to keep in mind that those living in encampments make up only 15% of homeless individuals in Marin. Marin has far too few shelter beds for the more than 1,000 unhoused people living in the county, making it imperative that communities find new solutions for temporary shelter, long-term supportive housing, and permanent affordable housing.
As usual MEHC will continue to follow these issues and report news and opportunities for education and advocacy.