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The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has asked Menlo Park to revise its housing element, pointing out that many sites slated for development are currently occupied.
Menlo Park got its housing element in just under the wire, adopting the 2023-2031 housing element at on deadline day, Jan. 31 meeting. The City Council passed it 4-1, with Drew Combs opposed.
The state requires cities to plan for future building with an eye toward balancing jobs and housing in a document known as a housing element. Menlo Park’s housing target, also known as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), says the city must plan for close to 3,800 new housing units by 2031.
The city’s current housing element plans for 7,185 units, 3,518 of which are affordable units. The previous RHNA cycle required planning for 2,946 units of housing.
Most of the changes required by the state are in the section addressing housing needs, resources and constraints. The city is required to do an analysis of concentrations of wealth to create strategies to address the needs of disadvantaged residents. More analysis is also required on the housing needs for the city’s homeless residents, the state said in a letter.
“The city of Menlo Park will work to address the requested revisions and ensure our Housing Element is comprehensive and effective in meeting the current and future housing needs of our community,” said Mayor Jen Wolosin in a statement released by the city Wednesday night, April 12.
Notable sites such as the United States Geological Survey (USGS) campus and Meta’s Willow Village in the Belle Haven neighborhood are being questioned by HCD as well. The city is required to describe barriers to development in Willow Village, which is expected to produce 1,730 new housing units, and describe when units will available and prove that sites of similar size were actually developed during the last housing element cycle. HCD is also requiring the city to analyze the feasibility of developing on the USGS campus.
The letter said that Menlo Park’s housing element relies on sites that are currently occupied to accommodate 50% or more of the housing needs for lower-income households and that it needs to be proven that the city is actually capable of building on this land.
Revision is required on three programs that the city plans to introduce, proactive outreach is required when implementing housing rehabilitation programs, additional information is required for support for countywide homeless programs and the city must describe actions it’ll take to encourage inclusionary accessible units and if there will be incentives.
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is there a deadline from the state for MP to revise the housing element?
Yes. The deadline is already passed, so if you want to build a 40 story skyscraper in the middle of Allied Arts using the builder’s remedy, have at it!
interesting comments. appears our council, planners and especially the consultants did a good job on this, only to have feedback on things that are clearly not detailed in the original HCD requirements document. Funny how one of their comments had to do with sites with current uses: “triggers requirements to make findings based on substantial evidence that the existing use is not an impediment and will likely discontinue in the planning period.” “The element must provide additional support and describe whether the City has contacted the owners regarding feasibility of development on these sites and whether they will be available during the planning period.” Again, how does one “prove” that a site will redevelop? Call the land owner and ask what? Then what, get them to “prove it”?
only people that will win in the end here are lawyers.