San Mateo County Grand Jury
• 2019-2020
Issue How are the County of San Mateo and its cities supporting homeowners who are considering
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 8 findings
F1
Page 13
The number of jobs in San Mateo County has grown beyond the number of new housing units available. More housing is needed and Second Units are one solution.
F2
Page 13
From 2016 to 2020, the number of Second Units constructed annually within the County dramatically increased by 450% (823) after related State laws were enacted in 2017. Effective January 1, 2020, several additional new State laws were enacted in order to make the construction of new Second Units easier for homeowners.
F3
Page 13
There are about 155,000 single-family homes in San Mateo County with only 4,000 Second Units on those properties, so there is a potential for thousands of new Second Units.
F4
Page 13
The County has an unknown but large number of non-permitted Second Units. The new 2020 State laws are intended to make it easier for those units to be made safer, and potentially to be brought up to permitting standards.
F5
Page 13
Barriers to building new Second Units and for upgrading non-permitted Second Units include: a lack of knowledge by homeowners as to potential lenders in financing the construction of a Second Unit and a lack of lenders in the region that have indicated their willingness to engage in such financing, homeowners’ difficulty in finding contractors willing to work on “small” projects such as Second Units, and the need to recruit and train more inspectors.
F6
Page 13
DOH and the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County have co-sponsored and coordinated the “21 Elements Project” which aids all jurisdictions in the County to work together on addressing their housing needs, including the development of Second Units.
F7
Page 13
The San Mateo County Department of Housing is updating its website and marketing plan that focuses on Second Units.
F8
Page 13
The City of San Jose has developed a Second Unit initiative that is worth examining closely and possibly emulating. (See Appendix D).
Recommendations 4
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R1Page 13The County and its cities should continue to develop or enhance existing outreach to homeowners about the new laws that simplify and streamline the construction and permitting of Second Units including but not limited to the following: 53 Bay Area Housing Post-Covid-19 https://www.kqed.org/news/11818184/bay-area-housing-post-pandemic- whats-in-store o posting relevant information on their websites regarding the process for the construction and permitting of Second Units including materials such as checklists and flowcharts; o increasing social media and other outreach regarding the above-referenced resources; o offering workshops (live or online) regarding the process for the construction and permitting of Second Units at least quarterly.
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R2Page 14By December 31, 2020, the County and its cities should commit to meeting for the purpose of finding collaborative solutions for: o developing and publicizing additional financial partners to help homeowners finance the construction of new Second Units as well as the upgrading of non- permitted existing Second Units; o developing solutions to address the shortage of licensed contractors willing to work on small projects including, but not limited to, the feasibility of licensed contractors engaging and supervising non-licensed “handymen” o identifying and collaborating with training institutions to recruit and train more general contractors and inspectors. Such meetings may occur in connection with 21 Elements Project meetings regarding Second Units, or through a separate platform.
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R3Page 14The County and each city should develop a marketing plan to focus on the needs and concerns of homeowners who have non-permitted units. This should be done by the end of the calendar year 2020.
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R4Page 14The County and its cities should determine whether it is feasible to retain an outside resource that can be shared among cities and the County to leverage Second Unit expertise. This determination should be made
No Responses Found 2
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
Elected County Office