Fairfax commission advances housing element for approval
Planning commissioners recommended that the Town Council adopt the document, which envisions nearly 600 additional dwellings in the near future.
The Fairfax Planning Commission has unanimously recommended that the Town Council adopt the long-delayed housing element and a corresponding environmental impact report.
The commission voted at its meeting on Wednesday.
Under the state’s mandate, Fairfax must allow 490 more homes in the next eight years. The town initially submitted a plan to accommodate 583 new residences, but it increased the number to 598 after some back-and-forth with the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
Andrew Hill, the town’s consultant, said the town made adjustments in workforce housing and changed some low-income housing to moderate-income housing. The town has a 22% buffer above state requirements, he said.
“That buffer is important to ensure that there is adequate capacity if any of the sites don’t develop with the number of units anticipated in the inventory,” Hill said.
The housing plan includes “pipeline projects,” or proposals in a pre-application stage. One such project is at School Street Plaza, where 175 new residences are being proposed, and another is at the Fairfax Market, where eight residences are planned.
The plan also includes 37 dwellings at sites in the downtown area and along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.
The housing element also includes the development of about 20 accessory dwelling units or junior accessory dwelling units a year. The town previously permitted an average of 11 ADUs and JADUs a year since 2018, Hill said.
The town submitted its draft housing element to the state housing department on May 9. It was the last municipality in Marin to submit its initial draft for review.
Under the state edict, the plan must include programs and policies to allow at least 86 more residences designated for low-income households and 149 for very-low-income households. It also includes 71 dwellings for moderate-income households and 184 for above-moderate-income households.
Robert Jansen, a member of the Planning Commission, said it was pressed to recommend adoption, noting that the changes identified were still just proposed.
“It’s just to be able to make a convincing case to the state that according to this plan you can reach the number that they are looking for,” Jansen said. “We are not really actually changing much. Tomorrow, Fairfax is still the same.”
The town’s environmental impact report found that most effects from potential development would be less than significant. There would be some effects on air quality, biological resources and cultural and tribal culture resources that could be mitigated, Hill said.
Greenhouse emissions and transportation effects were considered the most significant. The new dwellings are projected to lower vehicle traffic by about 10%, short of the state’s target for municipalities at 15%, a staff report said.
“The risk of not moving forward, of further delaying our recommendation to council, carries a greater risk than what I perceive coming from public comments in terms of negative impacts, unavoidable impacts,” said John Bela, a planning commissioner.
In a letter on Aug. 11, the state identified a series of concerns in the Fairfax housing element that included the site inventory, fair housing access, capacity projections and constraints on development. The state said the element must focus on fair housing and how the distribution of new homes will affect a diversity of groups.
A revised draft of the housing element and environmental impact report is available on the town’s website. The Town Council will review the documents at a special meeting on Dec. 13.