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Since Portola Valley’s decertified housing element made headlines in March 2024, town officials, staff and committee members have worked to pass necessary zoning ordinances to achieve substantial compliance with the state. Over a year later, Portola Valley’s housing element has been recertified as of May 28.
“This positive result was made possible by our town staff, who have been working very hard this year to understand and respond to HCD’s requirements and to engage with HCD to explain Portola Valley’s efforts to comply with those requirements,” said Mayor Judith Hasko in a statement to The Almanac.
The housing element was decertified on March 26, 2024, after the town failed to meet the state’s rezoning deadlines in the weeks after its initial certification on Jan. 30, 2024.
In recent months, the Town Council passed ordinances to rezone housing parcels to comply with state requirements to designate land as multifamily housing zones.
Interim Planning and Building Director Terrence Grindall said the reason the process to get recertified took so long was because the town took its “deliberate time to do things right.” It also took over four months for the state Department of Housing and Community Development to return feedback to the town, he added.
In an effort to meet state deadlines, the Planning Commission met on March 20, 2024, to expedite its work to amend the zoning code and introduce multi-family residential zoning districts. It was days later that the town received news on its decertified housing element, but the work to implement the required zoning codes was already underway.
“The step that’s happening now is a year after we essentially completed all of the work that was required for recertification,” said Planning Commissioner Ronny Krashinsky.
After the zoning ordinances were passed, the state asked the town to rezone the Dorothy Ford Park parcel, which was listed on the housing element as a potential housing site. This parcel was a challenge for the town, Grindall said.
“Dorothy Ford Park parcel was seven acres and only two and a half acres of it was supposed to be a housing element site and we were challenged to find a way to do that zoning,” he added.
The park is home to the local Little League and has been a community gathering space for generations. Town residents spoke up against the rezoning of the property and town staff struggled with the necessary zoning of the parcel. After the Town Council decided not rezone the park parcel and to pursue alternative sites, town staff had to convince the HCD that it was still committed to achieving its housing goals on different sites.
The town’s Ad Hoc Site Evaluation Committee identified four possible alternative sites to Dorothy Ford Park: Village Square, Thomas Fogarty Winery Open Space, Christ Church and Hawthorns Area.
According to Grindall, the HCD accepted the town’s alternative housing plans. He adds that the three sites that are likely to be brought into the housing element are the Village Square site, Fogarty property and Christ Church. Although Hawthorne was a recommendation made by the committee, Grindall said the site would only produce a few units and has a lot of impediments.
The possibility of housing for the Village Square appears promising. Its property owner has hired an architect to look into the feasibility of units. Grindall reported that Christ Church is currently working with designers and even secured a grant from its dioceses to help with the fees.
On the Fogarty property, the town is in discussions about setting aside a portion of the site for farmworker housing, he said. Town staff have acknowledged that some potential struggles with this parcel may include installing sewer lines or a septic system.
While the alternative sites are not confirmed yet, Portola Valley can now focus on implementing the housing programs that are outlined in the housing element as they continue to identify viable affordable housing sites across town, said Hasko.
As the interim planning and building director, Grindall was pleased to be involved in the certification of the housing element. A compliant housing element will make it easier for the town to hire a permanent director, he said.
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