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ZONE FOR HOMES: Planning for Future Needs through Housing Elements

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We all want our communities to be vibrant and prosperous places. We want opportunities for our children and safe, sustainable choices for our elders, employees and ourselves. To realize this vision, we need to address our most pressing challenge: The cost of renting or buying a home is too expensive in San Mateo County. Too many people do not have the opportunity to buy or rent a home they can afford, and so our neighbors, co-workers and families cannot afford to live here.  The Housing Element update process - one occurring right now in communities throughout San Mateo County - is an opportunity to resolve this problem. By state law, every city and county in California must have a General Plan that serves as the guide to development and land use in that community. Every General Plan has several elements, or chapters. By law, the Housing Element of each jurisdiction's General Plan has to be updated every seven to eight years. Housing Leadership Council brings together information and advocates to help local governments write Housing Elements that will meet San Mateo County's need for housing into the future.

HOT TOPICS:

Recommended Housing Element Strategies

HLC has developed a list ideas, strategies and principles for Housing Element updates, which cover some key policy areas. they include:

Ensuring that all new development includes homes with a full range of affordability.

Identifying new sources of funds to create more affordable neighborhoods.

• Creating more effective zoning plans and regulations

.

• Encouraging better use of our limited space for development

.

You can download a full list of recommended principles (pdf, 1 page), or see our expanded recommendations (pdf, 2 pages) which cover more specific policy areas.

Learn

From the California Department of Housing and Community Development:

Housing Strategies to Strengthen Communities  (Adobe PDF)

Housing Elements: Tool to Create Vibrant, Livable Communities  (Adobe PDF)

Research

The cooperative website 21elements.com provides a comprehensive database of policies that are listed in the Housing Elements of San Mateo city and county governments. Specifically:

Local Housing Elements: Jurisdiction-Specific Reports

Existing Housing Need

 Available Sites for Housing

Act

You can find upcoming meeting dates and locations at www.21elements.com/Meetings-and-Events.

Want to get involved and advocate for more affordable homes in your community? Contact HLC staff at organize~at~hlcsmc.org and we'll help you get started! Or, Find your San Mateo County local government's website below:

[Credit: City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County, C/CAG]

San Mateo County

Cities of San Mateo County

Atherton

Belmont

Brisbane

Burlingame 

Colma

Daly City

East Palo Alto
 

Foster City

Half Moon Bay

Hillsborough
 
Menlo Park

Millbrae

Pacifica

Portola Valley
 

Redwood City
For details  and related documents- including the draft housing element, visit  www.redwoodcity.org/generalplan.  Be sure to check the General Plan website for neighborhood workshops and other meetings.

San Bruno 

San Carlos
   
San Mateo   

South San Francisco

Woodside

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