Council approves housing element for state review

The Tiburon Town Council has voted to submit the town's housing element to the state.

The council decided unanimously during a special meeting Wednesday. Vice Mayor Noah Griffin was absent.

The final submission reflects a push to allow more residences under new state housing laws, as well as in mixeduse downtown sites. The city also approved a zoning change for a more than 9-acre property on Paradise Drive to allow for almost 100 residences there.

The housing element will be sent to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, which is overseeing the state mandate for localities to allow more housing.

“A lot of towns haven't even submitted to HCD yet, we're really on time and ahead of that process,” said Councilmember Holli Thier.

The town is required to show it can develop 639 more residences over the next eight years. The number includes 193 dwellings for very-low-income households; 110 for lowincome units; 93 for moderate-income; and 243 for abovemoderate.

The town is preparing to allow 698 more residences under its housing element. The number includes 217 dwellings for very-low-income households; 122 for low-income; 95 for moderate-income; and 264 for above-moderate.

Locations for proposed development include mixed-use sites on Tiburon Boulevard and Beach Road.

The town submitted its draft version of the document to the state on Sept. 26. Staff met with the state officials on Dec. 20 and received a comment letter with proposed revisions three days later. The council reviewed the draft on Jan. 18.

Christina O'Rourke, the city's housing consultant, said revisions included incentives for the development of residences under Senate Bill 9. The housing law, which took effect Jan. 1, modifies residential zoning rules to allow up to four homes to be built on a property zoned for one house.

The town is preparing to allow nearly 700 more residences over the next eight years to comply with the state mandate.

The council agreed to a reduction of a second dwelling fee and an increase in maximum size from 800 to 1,000 square feet. Officials also plan to engage a public program to encourage and facilitate SB 9 residence development.

The city set a deadline to adopt an updated SB 9 ordinance by July 1.

Revisions also included the deletion of a four-story bonus for ground-floor commercial

sites.

The town considered an increase of 31 to 35 dwellings an acre from 30 to 35 dwellings an acre, but declined to do so, with Mayor Jack Ryan calling the change “superfluous.”

The town also discussed lowering the Paradise Drive development projections, but opted to keep them as they are.

“I'm a little bit worried about lowering it,” said Councilmember Jon Welner. “It sounded to me like

the SB 9 numbers would have to be accepted in order for us to lower the Paradise number at all.”

“That was going to be my caution,” Director of Community Development Dina Tasini said.