San Mateo’s housing plan receives state approval

Housing regulators have officially said San Mateo’s state-mandated housing plans — outlining the city’s plan to build 10,000 homes by 2031 — are compliant with California housing laws.

“With a compliant housing element, the city can begin implementing its high-priority policies and programs, including code and policy amendments to simplify and streamline housing permit requirements, expanding investments in existing housing for middle- and lower-income residents, and enhancing tenant protections,” San Mateo said in a press release this week.

According to the city’s housing plan — officially known as the “housing element” — the city is planning to build about 10,000 new homes, about 40% more than its 7,000-unit target, with a significant portion planned along the busy El Camino Real thoroughfare. In this plan, 2,240 units are set aside for very low-income households, 1,095 units for low-income households, and 3,424 units for moderate-income households.

The state approval also means the city will no longer be subject to consequences like the builder’s remedy, which allows developers to bypass city zoning rules as long as 20% of the units are set aside as affordable in places without approved plans.

The certification by California’s housing board comes two months after the City Council voted to adopted a final round of revisions of its plan, taking into account input from the state.

In recent years, state regulators have been scrutinizing cities’ housing plans more closely than ever before, as the state struggles with soaring housing costs and a housing shortage.

According to the city, San Mateo’s housing element outlines five key goals for future housing policy and programs: promoting the development of new affordable housing, preserving existing affordable housing for lower- and middle-income households, preventing displacement of current residents, increasing public awareness of housing issues and supporting housing practices that promote racial equity and equal opportunities.

The plan has drawn criticism in the past from some residents and community organizations over the supposed lack of rezoning plans and the city’s property inventory, or sites identified for housing construction, already being occupied.

Mayor Lisa Diaz Nash acknowledged the criticism but said it was the city’s “reality.”

“There are very few places for us to go that aren’t already built,” Diaz Nash said in a previous interview with this news organization.

She said the city’s site inventory is constantly evolving.

“It’s not like that’s the end of it,” Diaz Nash said. “We’ll go back on an ongoing basis and monitor it. If something becomes a possible site, or someone raises their hand and says they want to develop here, we’ll add it to the map. If someone turns it into a commercial building, we’ll take it off the map.”

She was unavailable Wednesday for comment.

A compliant housing element also guarantees a city’s eligibility for various state grants and funding for housing, transportation and infrastructure projects.

The City Council also approved a new General Plan 2040 earlier this year. The plan, along with the Housing Element, will enable the development of an additional 19,700 housing units, pending voter approval this fall, according to the city.