 Housing Elements Review HLC got some press coverage this week in The Almanac for our June 17 letter to Woodside. From the article: “The Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County, which was founded to build a network of people who support the development of new housing, gave [Woodside] several suggestions for improving its housing element plan. The group, in a letter to the town, said the town does not provide adequate evidence it can build the number of ADUs it promises. ‘This is not just a technical exercise; this is an opportunity to demonstrate Woodside's genuine commitment to promoting housing at all levels of affordability by implementing new policies,’ said HLC Policy Manager Jeremy Levine. The group has several suggestions. It notes the town could spur ADU development with pre-approved ADU designs and waiving impact fees for building ADUs. Levine also recommends commissioning an environmental impact report (EIR) to study the impacts of upzoning to allow 20 units per acre in Woodside in all neighborhoods located within half a mile of transit stops. The group would also like the town to allow development up to 20 units an acre in its commercial zone, and upzone for 10 units per acre within a quarter of a mile of this area to minimize the impact of new housing by allowing it in the center of town, near amenities and transit corridors.” We look forward to working with the Town of Woodside as they continue to revise their draft housing element. In other news, Belmont and South San Francisco currently have housing element drafts out and available for public comment. We expect drafts from Brisbane, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, and Half Moon Bay over the next few weeks. The 21 Elements consulting team, which is working on all 21 housing elements in San Mateo County, created a convenient webpage with up-to-date information on housing elements available for public comment. Over the past week, HLC submitted public comments on draft housing elements for Atherton and Portola Valley. Portola Valley’s draft housing element is the best HLC has yet seen across the county, with a number of substantive policy proposals to promote affordable housing, including: - Dedication of 2.48 acres of city-owned land to a 100% affordable housing project and commitment to issue a Request for Proposals by 2023. The city did their due diligence by accounting for setbacks and other restrictions when identifying this parcel, so this is 2.48 acres of buildable land.
- Preparation of pre-approved floor plans for accessory dwelling units, which will significantly decrease the cost to develop ADUs.
- Creation of three new zoning districts, two multi-family residential districts allowing 8 du/ac and 20 du/ac, and a mixed-use district allowing up to 6 du/ac. These would be the first multi-family zoning districts in Portola Valley’s history.
All of these programs make clear commitments to substantial policy change, with quantified metrics for success and discrete timelines for implementation as required by state law. No other jurisdiction in San Mateo County has yet made similarly concrete commitments to promote affordable housing development over the next eight years. At the July 13 town council meeting, Portola Valley’s council reaffirmed its vision for an inclusive city by voting to implement the draft housing element with minimal changes. Watch HLC’s policy manager Jeremy Levine and policy committee member Tim Clark give some of our favorite comments of the night. Portola Valley’s draft element is by no means perfect, but it is good enough that HLC recommends the State Department of Housing and Community Development certify the draft with only minor adjustments. After reviewing all nine draft housing elements released in San Mateo County thus far, Portola Valley’s draft is the first for which HLC has recommended certification. We hope to see more jurisdictions follow Portola Valley’s leadership! Opportunities to support affordable housing across San Mateo County: | 
