Housing elements must get serious about senior citizens

Anyone who spends time in Marin County will observe we are aging. The data matches the observations. Marin is in the midst of a demographic transformation. Our overall population is stable, but our population older than 65 years old is exploding, growing 43% from 2010 to 2021. Almost a quarter of our residents are now over 65.

Marin needs to get serious about this transformation. The housing element process requires planning for senior housing, but we are failing to plan.

Many assume we don't need to do much. The stereotypical older Marinite lives in a large house in the hills, purchased cheaply in the 1970s or '80s. This stereotypical person will age in place, using home equity or roommates to pay for caretakers and home maintenance. The Marin housing elements cater to this stereotype, offering accessory dwelling units, room-match services and senior support services as the primary solutions for our aging population.

This narrative is incomplete. Many older homeowners have attained great wealth via housing appreciation, but there are many older renters who have been shut out, leaving them vulnerable. As such, the proposed solutions are woefully inadequate. San Rafael rents increased 45% from 2019 to 2022. Those on fixed incomes cannot absorb steep rent increases. Not surprisingly, a third of our homeless are over age 50.

Many do not want to (or cannot) age in place. Living in the hills or rural areas can be isolating, especially for those who don't drive and have limited resources.

Downsizing can bring great improvements in the quality of life.

I spent Thanksgiving with older relatives who recently moved from a large home to a nice apartment. The move was ideal for them. The husband has moderate dementia, and his wife was able to care for him. But caring for him and a large home was too much. She welcomed the ease of apartment living. She appreciated the security and assistance of having a doorman. Her husband had wandered on occasion, and the doorman and neighbors quickly interceded. The doorman helps with large packages, and even small home maintenance tasks. The couple adores the baby and small children that live down the hall.

Sadly, this option would not exist for them if they lived in Marin. Considering that 10.7% of seniors over 65 have Alzheimer's dementia, Marin needs to build housing suitable to address this need.

Many older people would like to downsize into nice housing in walkable areas with amenities. Many want easily obtainable professional health care and other services. Currently, older residents have few options and multi-year waitlists. Affordable options are even more limited. Senior organizations advocate for more, but housing elements largely ignore their requests.

I served on the Sausalito Housing Element Advisory Committee. There were no conversations that connected individual sites with the ability to build senior housing. Can any parcels on the site inventory accommodate a senior community or a mixed-age community like my relatives enjoy? This wasn't addressed, even though it's something many residents and senior organizations want.

Ross' housing element suggests that it can outsource senior assisted-living needs. It states that if seniors can't age in place, they can go to nearby communities. It doesn't address the reality that the demand from those communities will leave no room for Ross residents.

Our policy decisions continue to hinder, rather than help, the development of housing appropriate for seniors. Marin County just implemented a new formbased code, which most Marin jurisdictions plan to adopt. This code does not permit more than 50 units in any individual building or “design site.” This is insufficient scale for supported senior living, or even an apartment building with doorman service. Density is what will allow our elders to find the right place to live in their later years.

It's easy to put off planning for the future. But this demographic transformation is happening quickly and many will be pushed out of our communities if we fail to plan. Aging should not mean having to leave Marin. We should demand more of our housing plans.