The County of Marin Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted multiple changes to the Countywide Plan (CWP) with the approval of the Housing and Safety Elements and accompanying Environmental Impact Report, zoning and density changes, form-based code, and housing overlay districts on January 24th.

The vote concluded more than a year's worth of effort by the County and community members in the controversial update to the Housing Element that is required by the State of California every eight years.

We were not surprised by the outcome of the Board of Supervisors meeting–despite the Planning Commission's disapproval of the Housing Element on January 5th–due to the severe penalties the County would face if the plan was not submitted on time. 

At the start of 2022, we were shocked to discover the State of California had mandated a requirement for cities and counties to plan for more than one million new housing units, as part of the Regional Housing Needs Assessment or RHNA.

The RHNA happens every eight years and requires every jurisdiction to plan for a share of the state’s housing needs. For Marin County, the RHNA is more than 14,000 units. In unincorporated Marin, it’s more than 3,500 units. Here in West Marin, we are in dire need of affordable and residential housing. We support our local community land trusts and actions that support residential housing plans; however, we are very concerned about the number of units the state requires the County to plan for development in the next eight years.

On July 26, 2022, the County of Marin notified the public that on July 19th an updated version of the Draft Housing Element was submitted to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review that incorporates public feedback and comments received at the end of June.

The County has scheduled another joint public workshop with the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission on August 9, 2022 to review and accept Countywide Plan amendments and rezoning concepts (time and location of the meeting have not been released at this time)…

The County of Marin is currently updating the Countywide Plan (CWP) to meet the requirements of the State of California’s Regional Housing Need Allocation or RHNA (click here to read more about the RHNA and Marin County’s planning process). The first comprehensive round of public comments on drafts were due on June 30th. This commenting cycle is important to provide the County, Planning Commission, and Board of Supervisors with information on community feedback.

Most concerning in the Draft Housing Element is the proposal to change the environmental planning corridors (these corridors guide type of development and land-use based on physical geography of the County) and to rezone A60 agricultural conservation parcels in order to pave the way for development of more than 200 above-market rate homes!

These changes would set a precedent that Marin’s 50 years of sustainable community planning may be rolled back in the face of urban sprawl development pressure!

The Marin County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors received an update from the Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA) on June 14th regarding the recently released Draft Housing and Safety Elements. EAC attended the meeting, along with other members of the public raising questions about the public’s ability to comment on both the Safety and Housing Element drafts without the Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR), raised concerns about conservation zoning rollbacks, and changes to the General Plans environmental corridors in the face of pressure from the State to meet the Regional Housing Needs Allocation.

This Housing Element Update is unlike past updates. Locations identified for potential development in the next 8-years will most likely be subject to ministerial actions in the future for development. This is a real problem, as ministerial actions bypass local government review (are not subject to review by the Planning Commission and not appealable) and in some cases are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Therefore, it is absolutely essential to have locations inappropriate for development removed from any potential consideration lists before the end of the year.

The release of the Drafts highlights a huge land-use planning challenge in Marin County, how can the County plan for additional housing the State of California is requiring in areas vulnerable to wildfire, flooding, drought conditions, sea-level rise; and that lack appropriate infrastructure (roads, wastewater treatment, and public transportation)?

In one of EAC’s earliest campaigns, we joined forces with a diverse coalition to push back against the infamous 1960s Marin Countywide Plan that would have paved and subdivided our coast. If that plan had moved forward, Marin County would be a very different place today.

Fortunately, our local communities were successful in changing political leadership in the County that resulted in the County’s adoption of a precedent-setting ecological study, Can the Last Place Last? That was the basis for the updated Countywide Plan in 1973 and subsequent regional Community Plans that would guide land-use and community planning decisions for the next 50 years.

One important milestone to slow the push of urban sprawl was the creation of ‘A-60 zoning,’ a land use regulation that limits residential development to one house per sixty acres of agricultural land. A-60 zoning saved more than 136,000 acres of agricultural land that was viewed as vacant land and ripe for development.

You may have heard about A-60 zoning for the first time if you watched the documentary, Rebels with a Cause or read about it in Marty Griffin’s book, Saving the Marin-Sonoma Coast. A-60 zoning was an essential part of stopping the plans to subdivide the western portion of Marin County and construct a freeway from central Marin County all the way to Point Reyes Station.

Specifically, A-60 zoning is a type of conservation zoning that safeguards agricultural lands from subdivision and development by allowing only 1 house per 60 acres of land. In other counties, like Napa, agricultural zoning may be up to 120 acres.

During the suburban boom of the 1960s, the countryside of Marin County was identified as areas ripe for development. A-60 zoning was the first step to stop irresponsible development plans that would have destroyed forever the landscapes we love in West Marin. A-60 zoning was passed on March 25, 1972, and was followed by the 1973 Countywide Plan that is hailed today as the basis for Marin’s environmentally sustainable and forward-thinking development that seeks to balance development with safeguarding our essential environmental ecosystems.

The County of Marin is hosting another public meeting where community members can learn about the proposed plans that would identify locations to construct 3,569 new housing units in unincorporated Marin County.

Join the County on Tuesday, March 29th from 6:00 – 8:00 PM for an interactive online workshop to discuss policy and program ideas to support the development of housing. This is the fourth in a series of workshops. There will be live Spanish interpretation.

March 15th the Marin County Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission received an update from the Community Development Agency (CDA) about potential locations to develop more than 3,500 new homes in unincorporated Marin County where 134 members of the public attended and more than 20 people provided public comments.

EAC spoke at the meeting, highlighting areas of concern that could be squeezed into our two minutes, and submitted a comment letter ahead of the meeting. We were heartened to hear the voices of other community members raising concerns about the housing allocation totals in West Marin.

Tuesday, March 15th, the Marin County Board of Supervisors will hear from the Community Development Agency (CDA) regarding the Housing Element update and potential locations to develop more than 3,500 new homes in unincorporated Marin County. This update includes an update from the March 1st Workshop, recommendation of one of the two proposed alternatives (countywide or environmental hazards alternatives), and review of site selections. The Supervisors are being asked to provided direction on the potential housing locations to continue to narrow down the site list for additional consideration at the April 12th Supervisors and Planning Commission Workshop.

COMMENTS DUE: MONDAY, MARCH 14TH BY 5PM

Today, EAC submitted our comments regarding the initial phase of the Housing Element proposal that is focused on potential housing development locations. Over the last fifty years, EAC has worked to support A-60 zoning to protect Marin’s agricultural lands; supported collaborative efforts to address water quality issues, preventing sewage from being discharged into our watersheds; worked collaboratively within our coastal communities and with the County to identify sustainable pathways for development and growth; participated extensively in the Local Coastal Program Amendment update; and supported countywide efforts to adapt, mitigate, and build community resilience to the effects of the climate crisis. Read our Comment Letter

Housing is a balance of people and place that requires careful planning and community participation to ensure appropriate development that is not harmful to our environment, does not displace residents, and retains unincorporated village's rural values. For decades, residents in unincorporated Marin County have worked to develop community plans that balance all of these needs.

Community engagement at this stage is critical. The County is in an early scoping stage asking for public feedback on where new development could take place. In EAC's opinion, this is the wrong starting question. Starting with the focus on where housing should be developed and not how housing can be developed is far removed from community collaboration.

This is Not a Numbers Game!

Housing is a balance of people and place. Please attend the County's West-Marin focused online meeting Wednesday, February 16th at 6pm to learn more about where the County is proposing to create housing and how you can participate.

It's important for residents to provide the County with feedback to ensure that residential development is balanced to protect our waters, open space, and agricultural lands, as well as being in alignment with local and regional Climate Action Plans.

In case you missed a very important public meeting hosted by the Community Development Agency (CDA) on January 20th, we are providing an update. The meeting was focused on the California Regional Housing Needs Allocation or RHNA.

The RHNA requires jurisdictions to update the housing elements in community plans every eight years. The RHNA for 2023 to 2031 requires 441,176 new housing units in the Bay Area. With 14,210 of those units being constructed in Marin County. In unincorporated Marin County, there is a requirement to build 3,569 new houses. This is a huge increase when compared to the last three RHNA cycles. The last RHNA cycle for 2015-2022 required only 185 units for unincorporated Marin County.