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The Atherton City Council reviews a graphic showing the properties in the town that may be rezoned for multifamily housing as part of housing element process. Photo by Eleanor Raab.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development certified the Town of Atherton’s housing element as compliant with state law on May 5, 2025. 

The state rejected two previous versions of the housing element and requested changes in February. The town submitted the now-approved version on March 6, 2025. Since Jan. 31, 2023, Atherton has been at risk for penalties by the state and the use of “builder’s remedy,” which allows developers to bypass many zoning regulations. 

Atherton did not receive any builder’s remedy applications, according to the town’s website.  

As part of its housing element, Atherton must allow the construction of 348 new units by 2031 across several income categories. As of March 19, 2025, Atherton has allowed 111 new units, including 28 units designated for very-low and extremely low-income households. 

Atherton will be required to make several significant changes, including allowing mobile and manufactured homes, allowing lot splits and zoning for multifamily housing. 

The town hopes to complete most of its housing requirements through accessory housing units. It anticipates 26 ADUs will be constructed annually, totaling 208 units during the planning period. It anticipates 124 of those units will be available to very-low and low-income families, which would fulfill 84% of its requirements in those categories. 

In order to identify the affordability of units, Atherton requests property owners complete a voluntary survey identifying the monthly rent for an ADU. If no rent is charged, it counts as extremely-low income, which is classified under very-low income. The ADUs are not deed restricted so the rent could change at any time. 

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Arden Margulis is a reporter for The Almanac, covering Menlo Park and Atherton. He first joined the newsroom in May 2024 as an intern. His reporting on the Las Lomitas School District won first place coverage...

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2 Comments

  1. Atherton housing element requirement is 348 units. Atherton is one of the areas lowest housing densities and one of most expensive places to life and compared to Menlo Park that needs 3k in housing I wonder who our state representatives are working for.

    1. My take on it is that in general (obviously not everyone), Menlo Park and their elected officials want to pretend that they are very open to adding more affordable housing, but then residents NIMBY every project as hard as they can. Whereas Atherton makes no pretense about wanting more housing or even retail. There are state “formulas” to contend with too.

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