Marin County Board of Supervisors[PDF]

R1

No later than December 31, 2022, the Marin County Board of Supervisors and Marin's city and town councils should jointly create a regional authority, or empower an existing authority such as the Transportation Authority of Marin, to coordinate affordable and workforce housing policy on a countywide basis. This recommendation will not be implemented in the recommended timeframe because it is not warranted or reasonable. Although the County agrees that more collaboration on housing policy with the cities and towns would be beneficial, the creation of a regional authority by December 31, 2022 is not achievable. In fact, it would likely impair our shared efforts to meet statutory deadlines and to submit our housing elements by January 31, 2023. In future years, however, the County remains open to additional collaboration and/or more formal arrangements depending upon interest among Marin's cities and towns. Below is a brief summary of existing and recommended new pursuits for strengthening interjurisdictional coordination and planning around affordable and workforce housing: Existing collaboration The County has long spearheaded housing collaboration with its cities and towns, beginning in 2008 with the development of the countywide Housing Element Workbook, which provided a shared template, background information and model programs and policies for development of the 2009 Housing Element. This effort resulted in all Marin municipalities receiving certified housing elements, which in turn made more housing funds available. In 2019, County staff reconvened a countywide working group of Planning Directors and planning staff to encourage interjurisdictional collaboration on housing issues and solutions, with a specific focus on responding to new state legislation to streamline housing developments. The working group established common goals and coordinated on housing legislation, planning, production, and preservation of existing affordability. The working group meets once monthly and has evolved from briefings and discussions regarding state housing legislation into collaboration on projects to facilitate the development of more housing in Marin County. The working group applied jointly for SB2 planning grants in the summer and fall of 2019 and has started to collaborate on these grant projects, including Objective Design and Development Standards, an ADU Workbook and Website, and inclusionary housing program updates. The group received funds from ABAG to work collaboratively on shared Housing Element deliverables including translation dollars, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing products, visualizations, and a countywide website. Future collaboration The County intends to expand collaboration with its cities and towns in the following ways: 1. Commit to collaboration: In the County's draft 2023-2031 Housing Element, a proposed new program would "Collaborate with Marin County, cities and towns to address regional planning and housing issues" • This would require the County, and each city and town, to commit resources to collaboration and hold a public hearing annually to report on progress to the County of Marin Response to Grand Jury Findings and Recommendations County of Marin Response to Grand Jury Report Findings and Recommendations "Affordable Housing: Time for Collaboration in Marin" (June 24, 2022) respective decision-making body and report to the State through the Annual Progress Report (APR). 2. Implementation of Housing Element programs: During implementation of the 2023- 2031 Housing Element, the County, cities and towns will collaborate on program implementation, especially those related to Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing and tenant protections. This will include: ■ Model ordinances: developing model ordinances to be considered by the Board of Supervisors and City Councils. ■ Outreach and community engagement: Conducting shared outreach and community engagement. 3. Housing Element Collaboration: Develop a deeper and more formalized collaboration on the Housing Element in the future. This could include: • One Housing Element: Develop one document with shared background, outreach, programs and policies. This would provide consistency, save funds and improve accessibility for stakeholders and housing developers. • Consider a Subregional approach: The County and cities and towns will consider developing a subregional approach to meeting the Regional Housing Need Allocation in the next housing element cycle. • Shared consultants to conserve resources and develop more consistent policies and programs, the County, cities and towns will seek to hire the same consultants to prepare parts of the housing element, conduct regional outreach and conduct any needed environmental review. 4. Funding collaboration: explore ways to more effectively collaborate on shared funding for affordable housing. This could include: • lnclusionary policies: Developing more consistent policies and fees to encourage and facilitate more affordable housing as part of new market rate developments and increase funding for affordable housing. • Regional housing trust fund: Consider the establishment of a regional housing trust fund which would make state applications more competitive and lower the administrative burden for cities and towns. • Community Development Block Funds: Continue to collaborate as an entitlement community on using CDBG funds to fund affordable housing and leverage other State and Federal Sources. • Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA): Continue to collaborate as an entitlement community to use PLHA funds on housing-related projects and programs that assist in addressing the unmet housing needs of our local communities. • The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA): Actively participate and support the efforts of BAHFA to raise funds to help address affordable housing and housing stability. 5. Shared staffing: With the exceptions noted above, the County, and cities and towns address most housing issues individually, and often with limited staff and financial resources. Programs and policies in the Housing Element require concrete goals and County of Marin Response to Grand Jury Findings and Recommendations County of Marin Response to Grand Jury Report Findings and Recommendations "Affordable Housing: Time for Collaboration in Marin" (June 24, 2022) deliverables which will be difficult for smaller jurisdictions to achieve with all of the other obligations associated with their work. Shared staffing initiatives would encourage coordination and working together to tackle the housing crisis on a larger scale through shared housing staff to provide expertise and local knowledge to support affordable housing developers. This would also result in consistency throughout the county and adoption of best practices. County of Marin Response to Grand Jury Findings and Recommendations

R2

Implementation of Housing Element programs: During implementation of the 2023- 2031 Housing Element, the County, cities and towns will collaborate on program implementation, especially those related to Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing and tenant protections. This will include: ■ Model ordinances: developing model ordinances to be considered by the Board of Supervisors and City Councils. ■ Outreach and community engagement: Conducting shared outreach and community engagement.

R3

Housing Element Collaboration: Develop a deeper and more formalized collaboration on the Housing Element in the future. This could include: • One Housing Element: Develop one document with shared background, outreach, programs and policies. This would provide consistency, save funds and improve accessibility for stakeholders and housing developers. • Consider a Subregional approach: The County and cities and towns will consider developing a subregional approach to meeting the Regional Housing Need Allocation in the next housing element cycle. • Shared consultants to conserve resources and develop more consistent policies and programs, the County, cities and towns will seek to hire the same consultants to prepare parts of the housing element, conduct regional outreach and conduct any needed environmental review.

R4

Funding collaboration: explore ways to more effectively collaborate on shared funding for affordable housing. This could include: • lnclusionary policies: Developing more consistent policies and fees to encourage and facilitate more affordable housing as part of new market rate developments and increase funding for affordable housing. • Regional housing trust fund: Consider the establishment of a regional housing trust fund which would make state applications more competitive and lower the administrative burden for cities and towns. • Community Development Block Funds: Continue to collaborate as an entitlement community on using CDBG funds to fund affordable housing and leverage other State and Federal Sources. • Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA): Continue to collaborate as an entitlement community to use PLHA funds on housing-related projects and programs that assist in addressing the unmet housing needs of our local communities. • The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA): Actively participate and support the efforts of BAHFA to raise funds to help address affordable housing and housing stability.

R5

Shared staffing: With the exceptions noted above, the County, and cities and towns address most housing issues individually, and often with limited staff and financial resources. Programs and policies in the Housing Element require concrete goals and County of Marin Response to Grand Jury Findings and Recommendations County of Marin Response to Grand Jury Report Findings and Recommendations "Affordable Housing: Time for Collaboration in Marin" (June 24, 2022) deliverables which will be difficult for smaller jurisdictions to achieve with all of the other obligations associated with their work. Shared staffing initiatives would encourage coordination and working together to tackle the housing crisis on a larger scale through shared housing staff to provide expertise and local knowledge to support affordable housing developers. This would also result in consistency throughout the county and adoption of best practices. County of Marin Response to Grand Jury Findings and Recommendations