📣Housing Leadership Day 2022📣
✧Call for Workshop Proposals✧

Questions? Interested in joining the planning committee?
Contact vle@hlcsmc.org

Housing Elements Review 

We’ve got new housing element letters out for San Bruno and Woodside, whose public comment periods ended on 6/17 and 6/24, respectively. Portola Valley, Atherton, and Belmont have all released drafts of their housing elements in recent weeks, available at the bottom of this section. 

In other news, we recently sent a letter directly to the state department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) with comments on Redwood City’s draft housing element, which they submitted on April 12. HCD has 90 days to review housing element drafts after submission, so we expect to hear back from them in the next couple weeks. One easy way the city could improve its housing element is by codifying its Anti-Displacement Strategy directly into the draft element’s goals, policies, and programs. 

Redwood City’s Anti-Displacement Strategy is largely the product of hard work by our friends at Faith in Action. HLC is proud to have supported their efforts by co-writing and signing a public comment letter describing best practices for just cause eviction ordinances. During the June 27 city council meeting, the council voted to recommend implementation of the Anti-Displacement Strategy, instructing staff to identify potential funding sources to support the implementation of a tenant protection ordinance and update the council semi-annually. 

Committing to implement a tenant protection ordinance in its housing element will guarantee accountability for the city. Recent changes to state law requires Housing and Community Development to regularly review jurisdiction’s housing elements to ensure they are implementing their policies and programs as stated. By reiterating the Anti-Displacement Strategy in its housing element, Redwood City can ensure renters will be protected in the near future. 

Opportunities to support affordable housing across San Mateo County: 

• July 8: Deadline for public comment on Portola Valley’s draft housing element
• July 11: Deadline for public comment on Atherton’s draft housing element
• July 31: Deadline for public comment on Belmont’s draft housing element
• Unknown Deadline: Millbrae housing element update survey
• Unknown Deadline: Belmont fair housing survey
• Unknown Deadline: County of San Mateo housing element survey

Want to learn more about the housing element process? Check out our timeline infographic!

📲Updates📲

✧Redwood City Anti-Displacement Strategy Approved by City Council✧

As referenced in the above section, Redwood City passed a new Anti-Displacement Strategy on Monday! Congratulations to the organizing team at Faith in Action, who made this victory for tenants possible. We look forward to continuing to work with Redwood City to increase planning staff levels so that the city has staff capacity to implement its anti-displacement strategies. 

✧Menlo Park Neighborhood Protection and General Plan Consistency Initiative✧

On Tuesday (6/28) night, your leaders on the Menlo Park City Council voted 4-0 (Mueller not in attendance) to defer certification and to commission a 30-day impact study on the initiative put forth by Menlo Balance. Created in response to the Ravenswood City School District's (RCSD) proposal to construct up to 90 teacher and staff homes on district owned land, the initiative seeks to amend the City’s General Plan to prohibit it from redesignating Very Low Density and Low-Density residential sites throughout the entire city without voter approval.

The unbiased study (pg. F-3.1) will look at 7 key items:

1. Fiscal impact 
2. Effect on the internal consistency of the city’s general and specific plans, including the housing element, the consistency between planning and zoning, and the limitations on city actions
3. Effect on land use, impact on the availability and location of housing, and the ability of the city to meet its regional housing needs
4. Impact on funding for infrastructure of all types, including, but not limited to, transportation, schools, parks and open space. The report may also discuss whether the measure would be likely to result in increased infrastructure costs or savings, including the costs of infrastructure maintenance, to current residents and businesses. 
5. Impact on the community’s ability to attract and retain business and employment 
6. Impact on the uses of vacant parcels of land
7. Impact on agricultural lands, open space, traffic congestion, existing business districts, and developed areas designated for revitalization

Council also directed Staff to include the study of racial and economic equity, educational equity, the city’s ability to comply with state housing laws, climate and traffic impacts, and impacts to the existing sites included in the draft Housing Element in its findings.

While the initiative has gathered enough signatures for it to qualify for the upcoming November 2022 vote, the results of this 30 day study will ensure that the voters of Menlo Park will have ALL the facts needed to make an informed decision.

If you’d like to know more, please direct your messages to kchan@hlcsmc.org.

🎨Calling all artists!🎨

✧HIP Housing's Calendar Contest✧ 

HIP Housing’s Calendar Contest is back! HIP Housing is a non-profit affordable housing organization in San Mateo County. Each year, they host a Calendar Contest for children in kindergarten through 5th grade. You can find our prize information and entry form on their 2023 calendar contest page. Submit your drawings by Friday, September 23rd!

🤍💸We Need Your Help!💸🤍 

Do you want to help further support affordable homes in San Mateo County?

Sign-up to help and host an online or in-person fundraiser with the Housing Leadership Council this year (see an example online fundraiser)! 💸 

🔔We are hiring!🔔 

Are you or someone you know looking for a career in affordable housing? We are hiring an Organizer at HLC!

📧Update your info with HLC📧 

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