Meet the opportunity to lead, fulfill housing allocations

Housing is often a lively topic at local government meetings, but the conversation is intensifying as work begins on the 6th Housing Element Cycle, due January 2023.

This is a wonky, yet important process created in 1969 to address the California housing shortage. State officials estimate housing needs with the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, then jurisdictions document that they can provide it in the element report.

Embracing the process would lead to more equitable and environmentally friendly land use policies.

The historical housing element process has not worked. In the five previous cycles, there was little to no enforcement of the allocation expectations to ensure housing was built. Nobody likes to live near construction. It’s loud and inconvenient. As a result, jurisdictions did not create housing elements that actually produced housing.

This cycle, the rules have changed. The housing shortage has become so severe that voters are demanding action. More than half of the state’s households are cost-burdened by housing. Legislators have responded by requiring more realistic housing plans with greater accountability.

State officials have set the Bay Area RHNA at 441,000 housing units by 2030. Compared to the statewide 3.5 million housing unit shortfall, this is a reasonable goal.

Marin County has an allocation of 14,000 housing units — a mere 3.3% of the Bay Area total and far less than 1% of the total shortfall. This housing is desperately needed. We are in a crisis today. Most Marin workers commute from outside the area, causing traffic congestion, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Our schools struggle to recruit teachers, despite relatively high pay and excellent schools.

The shortage has created a demographic change in our population. The median age of Marin residents has increased from 33.7 in 1980 to 47.3 in

2019. 23% are over 65. We have not built for this demographic change. Many seniors are staying in family homes that are too large and ill-suited, as there is insufficient senior housing.

So far, the Marin response to our allocation has been to resist. Eleven of our 13 jurisdictions filed appeals. Most city officials sound apologetic discussing their RHNAs. Conversations on the housing element focus on what can be done to evade the numbers, rather than how to meet them.

This is a mistake. We can build this housing. We are not full. We have 504 people per square mile, compared to 18,629 in San Francisco. Alameda has 2,281 people per square mile and San Mateo is at 1,704. We can double our population and still be far below the Bay Area average. We are not too hilly. We are not too fire-prone. Not building in Marin pushes our workforce to even more fire-prone Napa or Sonoma counties.

It is only hard because we have made it hard. Marin has been a leader in land conservation. Development is prohibited or nearly prohibited on 85% of our land. Our open space is beloved by the community. However, we have greatly restricted what we can build elsewhere with single family home zoning, severe height restrictions and onerous parking requirements. We fight the few projects that meet our stringent requirements.

Consequently, Marin built very little new housing over the past 40 years. The U.S. population has grown 43% from 1980 to today, from 240 million to 330 million. During this period, Marin housing has only increased 12%.

There is another way. Instead of resisting, we can lead and create a better Marin. We can retain our green space by embracing density, even possibly highrises, for both market rate and affordable housing.

This would provide more efficient public transport, improve water and energy conservation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A greater diversity of housing types, including senior housing, apartments and townhouses, will create a more diverse community.

There are currently few housing options for those who don’t want the expense or time commitment required of maintaining a single family home. Many prefer an apartment lifestyle, with convenient amenities and the security of a doorman. A more diverse community that includes our workforce, teachers, artists and young families will enhance all Marinite’s quality of life.