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69 Housing types suitable for ELI households include affordable rentals, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), emergency shelters, supportive housing and transitional housing. The town will meet this need through ADU construction and programs expanding opportunities for emergency shelters as well as supportive and transitional housing in Atherton.
Cost Burden and Severe Cost Burden
As expected, A low share of households in Atherton are cost burdened—spending more than 30% of their gross income on housing costs— compared to the county (2827% v.in Atherton, versus 3736% in the county).County, and 36% in the Bay Area), as shown in Figure HE-28.
FIGURE HE-28: PERCENTAGE OF INCOME USED FOR HOUSING IN ATHERTON, SAN MATEO
COUNTY, AND THE BAY AREA
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25070, B2509 Although there are far fewer Llower income households, they are more likely to experience housing cost burden. One out of seven households with income below 80% Attachment 2
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70 AMI are severely cost burdened – spending more than 50% of their gross income on housing costs. Cost burdened households have less money to spend on other essentials like groceries, transportation, education, healthcare, and childcare. Extremely cost burdened households are considered at risk for homelessness. Cost burden suggests that wages have not kept up with housing costs in the area. As seen in Table HE-5, of the 256 households in Atherton with Extremely Low or Very Low incomes, 219 (85%) are extremely cost burdened, spending more than 50% of their income on housing.
When cost burden is broken down by Area Median Income (AMI), there are stark differences. The chart below indicates these disparities. Although those with greater than 100% AMI likely spend the most on housing, their incomes can meet these costs. 80% of those in this group spend 0-30% of their income on housing. In contrast, 88% of those earning 0-30% AMI spend over 50% of their income on housing costs.
HE-5: PERCENT OF INCOME USED FOR HOUSING BY HOUSEHOLD INCOME COHORT Percent of Income Used for Housing
Count (Percent)of Atherton Households Count (Percent)of San Mateo County Households
Count (Percent)of Bay Area
Households
Income Group 0%-30% 30%-50% >50% 0%-30% 30%-
50% >50% 0%-30% 30%-50% >50%
Extremely Low
(0%-30% of AMI)
4 (0.2%)
10 (0.4%)
100
(4.4%)
5,315
(2.0%)
4,210
(1.6%)
23,190
(8.9%)
63,508
(2.4%)
59,990
(2.2%)
245,825
(9.2%)
Very Low
(31%-50% of AMI)
19 (0.8%)
4 (0.2%)
119
(5.3%)
8,405
(3.2%)
10,045
(3.9%)
11,540
((4.4%)
86,175
(3.2%)
98.055
(3.7%)
109,950
(4.1%)
Low
(51%-80% of AMI)
40 (1.8%)
30 (1.3%)
40 (1.8%)
20,290
(7.8%)
15,550
(6.0%)
6,510
(2.5%)
164,130
(6.1%)
129,050
(4.8%)
57,425
(2.1%)
Moderate
(81%-100% of AMI)
39 (1.7%)
23 (1.0%)
14 (0.6%)
17,555
(6.8%)
7,610
(2.9%)
1,625
(0.6%)
152,050
(5.7%)
76,080
(2.8%)
17,697
(0.6%)
Above Moderate
(> 100% of AMI)
1,454
(64.4%)
238
(10.5%)
125
(5.5%)
113,325
(43.6%)
13,055
(5.0%)
1,590
(0.6%)
1,237,595
(46.3%)
157,574
(5.9%)
18,312
(0.7%)
Totals 1,556
(68.9%)
305
(13.5%)
398
(17.6%)
164,890
(53.5%)
50,470
(19.4%)
44,455
(17.1%)
1,703,458
(63.7%)
520,749
(19.5%)
449,209
(16.8%)
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71 In Atherton, approximately 95 percent of residents earning under $75,000 annually are overpaying for homeownership. Per Census data, 23% of those making more than $75,000 are overpaying for their homes. However, Census data does not provide additional detail regarding the “more than $75,000” income category, and the lower-income limit for San Mateo County is $149,100. This makes it impossible to quantify cost burden by tenure, even if there is data stating that 255 of Atherton’s 2,244 households (11 percent) are cost burdened and that 10 percent of renters are cost- burdened against 12 percent of homeowners. This is seen in Table HE-6.
TABLE HE-6: HOUSEHOLDS OVERPAYING FOR HOUSING
Occupant Income
Atherton County Region
Count Percent Percent Percent
Owner-Occupied Less than $35,000 105 100% 80% 73%
$35,000 - $74,999 125 91% 52% 48%
$75,000+ 427 25% 20% 17%
Renter-Occupied Less than $35,000 0 0% 91% 91%
$35,000 - $74,999 0 0% 88% 65%
$75,000+ 25 13% 23% 15%
Source: US Census, 2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Note: Excludes Households with no income or cash rent
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72 As mentioned previously, racial and ethnic minorities living in Atherton are wealthier compared to the county and Bay Area as a whole.., A lower percentage of additionally, Asian/API and Hispanic households are less likely to be cost burdened than non-Hispanic white households. Households of other or multiple races experience higher rates of cost burden—56% are extremely cost burdened, compared to 16% in the town overall.
TABLE HE-7: HOUSEHOLDS OVERPAYING FOR HOUSING BY RACE
Racial /Ethnic Group 0%-30% of
Income Used
for Housing
30%-50% of
Income Used
for Housing
50%+ of
Income
Used for
Housing
Cost Burden
Not
computed
American Indian or Alaska Native,
Non-Hispanic
0 0 0 0
Asian / API, Non-Hispanic 70% (264) 15% (55) 12% (45) 4% (15) Attachment 2
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73 Black or African American, NonHispanic 0 0 0 0
White, Non-Hispanic 67% (1,255) 14% (255) 18% (340) 1% (15) Other Race or Multiple Races, NonHispanic 44% (8) 0 56% (10) 0 Hispanic or Latinx 85% (45) 8% (4) 8% (4) 0
Totals 68% (1,572) 14% (314) 17% (399) 30
As discussed, the majority of Atherton’s 2,190 housing units (1,950 or 89%) are owner occupied. Only 240 (11%) are renter occupied. Not only are a larger number of owneroccupied units cost burdened, but proportionally, when compared to renter-occupied units, a higher percentage of owner-occupied units are cost burdened, with 214 homeowners households paying 30% or more of their income for housing (9.77%) and an additional 345 homeowner households (15.75%) paying 50% or more of their income for housing. Only 30 renter households are overpaying for housing: 20 households (.091%) using more than 30% and 10 (.045%) using more than 50% of their income for housing.
TABLE HE-6: COST BURDEN BY TENURE
Tenure % Cost Burden Number
Percent
(of all households)
Owner Occupied 30% or more of income 214 9.77%
50% or more of income 345 15.75%
Renter Occupied 30% or more of income 20 0.91%
50% or more of income 10 0.45%
Source: HUD Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (2016-2020 ACS) There are also differences by tenure. In San Mateo County, 29.6% of homeowners pay more than 35% of their income towards housing and 42.8% of renters pay more than 35% of their income towards housing costs. This is higher than in Atherton, likely because there are more people over 100% AMI. In Atherton, 29% of owner-occupiers pay more than 30% of income towards housing. Statistics on renter income to housing costs are difficult to calculate because of the low number of renters in Atherton, thus 51% of renter cost has not been calculated in ACS data. From what exists, 65% of renter- occupied households pay more than 30% of income on housing costs and 11% pay 30-50% of income on rent.
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74 The map below shows cost burden by census tract. Discrepancies in the percentage of Atherton renters paying more than 30% of their income for rent may be attributed, as has been noted, to the difficulty of calculating these figures based on the low number of renters in Atherton. ACS 5-year 2019 data shows 20-40% of renters in Atherton are paying more than 30% of their income on rent. Atherton is largely surrounded by cost burdened communities. 60-80% of renters are cost burdened in the East Palo Alto and Redwood City area. It could be that there are more renters in these adjacent communities because Atherton offers few renter-occupied units. Thus residents of San Mateo County who cannot yet afford a house are forced to pay a high cost of housing as renters in areas outside of Atherton.
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75 Attachment 2
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76 Cost burden for homeowners is more significant in Atherton. This is not surprising given that there are more owner-occupied single-family homes in the town and therefore there is better data on owners than renters. At least 20% of homeowners in Atherton spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs. Southwest Atherton, which notably had fewer cost burdened renters than other areas of the town, has the town’s highest percentage of homeowners who are cost burdened in the town at 40-60%. Again, Atherton is surrounded by communities where over 20% of homeowners are cost burdened, suggesting that homeownership is still unaffordable to those even with relatively high incomes.
Attachment 2
CAHCD
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78 Overcrowding
The vast majority of households (99%) in Atherton are not overcrowded—indicated by more than one occupant per room, compared to 7.9% in the county, and 6.9% in the region.
39 Racial and ethnic minorities are more likely than non-Hispanic White households to experience overcrowding. Other races (21% of households), and Hispanic households (19%), experience the highest rates of overcrowding in Atherton as shown in Figure HE29.
In San Mateo County, 76.9% of households have more than one occupant per room.
This is slightly better than the state average of 8.2%.
FIGURE HE-29: OVERCROWDING IN ATHERTON BY RACE
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019 5-Year Estimates Table B25014.
Overcrowding is often related to the cost of housing with multiple households sharing a unit to make it possible to afford the unit. Below, the mapFigure HE-30 shows where overcrowding in Atherton and surrounding census tractsthe Bay Area is more common. East Palo Alto and Redwood City have the highest percentage of 39 U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019 5-Year Estimates Table B25014.
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79 overcrowding in the region, likely because of their high renter population. Multifamily rental units have less bedrooms than single family homes. There are also higher populations of Hispanic residents in these areas. Hispanicdue to large households tend to have larger, – including multigenerational households, which could account for the higher overcrowding rate – trying to fit in to smaller units due to lack of income and/or lack of availability of larger, affordable, units.
FIGURE HE-30: OVERCROWDING
Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) ACS tabulation, 2013-2017 release Substandard Housing
Data on housing conditions are very limited, with the most consistent data available across jurisdictions found in the American Community Survey (ACS)—which captures units in substandard condition as self-reported in Census surveys. According to data estimates, the share of housing units with substandard kitchen and plumbing facilities in Atherton is zero, despite an aging housing stock. This data estimate is further substantiated by direction from the Town’s Code Enforcement Officer. . This could be because alldue to the relative wealth and home-owning status of Atherton residents live in moderate or high resource areas where, making renovations are financially and logistically feasible and most residents are homeowners who are able to modify their Attachment 2
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80 units.. San Mateo County also has aan extremely low rate of substandard housing;
99.9% of households have complete kitchen and plumbing facilities. For the Bay Area region, 99.7% of households have complete kitchens and 99.8% have complete plumbing facilities.
As shown in the map belowFigure HE-31, residents who do not have complete kitchen or plumbing utilities tend also to live in severely overcrowded conditions, and are severely cost burdened, Atherton has less than 20% of residents in substandard conditions. In East Palo Alto and Southeast Redwood City, however, 40-60% of all households selected at least one of the substandard housing issues. Substandard housing congregates in areas of low income because these residents do not have the financial leverage to improve housing conditions, have landlords who are unwilling to make improvements, or do not ask for improvements or report conditions in fear of retaliatory eviction.
FIGURE HE-31: SUBSTANDARD HOUSING
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25053, Table B25043, Table B25049
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81 Homelessness.
In 2019, 1,512 people were experiencing homelessness in the county, 40% of these individuals were in emergency or transitional shelters while the remaining 60% were unsheltered. The majority of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness were in households without children. The majority of people in transitional housing were in households with children. These disparities may indicate there are more resources available in the County for families experiencing homelessness as compared to for single individuals experiencing homelessness. The 2019 count identified one person in Atherton experiencing homelessness. In the Bay Area region, the 2019 count identified 36,701 individuals.
People who identify as American Indian or Alaskan Native (6% homeless, less than 1% general population), Black (13%, 2%), White (67%, 51%), and Hispanic (38%, 28%) are overrepresented in the homeless population compared to their share of the general population. The disparities by race can be traced back to discrimination in the housing market and the exclusion of non-white populations from high resource areas. There are few housing options for low-income people in the region. Housing that is available at the market rate likely forces people to spend more than 50% of their income on housing, which puts households at risk for homelessness.
People struggling with chronic substance abuse (112 people), severe mental illness (305), and domestic violence (127) represent a substantial share of the homeless population in 2019. This indicates that there are not enough resources or beds for those experiencing mental illness, substance abuse, and domestic violence in the county.
Displacement
Owner households generally enjoy a greater amount of housing stability whereas renter households are more mobile. Atherton has no inventory of income assisted rental units. In San Mateo County, 417 units are at risk, accounting for 8% of the total assisted housing units in the county. In the Bay Area region, 2,907 (2%) of the region’s 116,459 income-assisted rental units are at risk.
Displacement Sensitive Communities
“According to the Urban Displacement Project, communities were designated sensitive if they met the following criteria:
They currently have populations vulnerable to displacement in the event of increased redevelopment and drastic shifts in housing cost. Vulnerability is defined as:
Share of very low-income residents is above 20%, 2017
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82 AND
The tract meets two of the following criteria:
Share of renters is above 40%, 2017
Share of people of color is above 50%, 2017
Share of very low-income households (50% AMI or below) that are severely rent burdened households is above the county median, 2017
They or areas in proximity have been experiencing displacement pressures.
Displacement pressure is defined as:
Percent change in rent above county median for rent increases, 2012-2017 OR
Difference between tract median rent and median rent for surrounding tracts above median for all tracts in county (rent gap), 2017”
Source: https://www.sensitivecommunities.org/
No census tracts in the town are vulnerable to displacement, however, housing cost burden is a risk for displacement and 88% of residents below 30% AMI pay more than 50% of their income on housing. Atherton’s rental cost is far above regional median rent, suggesting that there is displacement pressure in place. Assuming this number trend applies to the Town, that would mean that of the Town’s 149 extremely lowincome households, 131 are overburdened by their housing costs.
As shown in Figure HE-32, the entirety of Atherton is identified as ‘Stable/Advanced Exclusive,’ meaning that it was a high-income tract in 2000 and 2018, and that housing costs have only increased. Although some of the jurisdictions neighboring Atherton have the same designation, there are also areas that indicate low-income areas are susceptible to displacement or are undergoing advanced gentrification. As discussed in the previous section regarding R/ECAPs, Atherton is near edge R/ECAPs in Redwood City and Menlo Park. This suggests that people who may be displaced from Atherton may migrate to these areas and that people within Redwood City and Menlo Park who are displaced cannot access resources within Atherton.
Displacement can also occur because of natural disasters. Atherton is in San Mateo County, which is on the San Andreas fault and therefore has a high likelihood of severe earthquakes. Houses in California are generally made to withstand earthquakes, but those who spend more than 30% of their income on housing costs likely cannot save Attachment 2
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83 enough to repair severe damage. This means those of lower income are more at risk of displacement.
FIGURE HE-32: DISPLACEMENT RISK
Source: Urban Displacement Project, urbandisplacement.org Access to Mortgage Loans
Disparities by race and ethnicity are prevalent for home mortgage applications, particularly in denial rates. In San Mateo County, Hispanic (60% denial rate) and Asian/API (29%) have the highest denial rates for mortgage loan applications in 2018 and 2019, compared to non-Hispanic White households (18%). These numbers suggest that traditional routes to homeownership are barriers to non-white households. Credit score, assets, and income disparities between races show in denial rates.
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84 FIGURE HE-33: DISPROPORTIONATE HOUSING NEEDS
Source: https://www.sensitivecommunities.org/.
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85 3.370 Site Inventory Analysis
There are no R/ECAPs or edge R/ECAPs located within the Town of Atherton. Edge R/ECAPs within unincorporated San Mateo County have proximity to portions of Atherton along the western edge of Town bounding El Camino Real.
The complete inventory of identified opportunity sites is included as Appendix 5 and expanded upon in Section 3.410. The Site Inventory analysis regarding AFFH is provided in Section 3.417: AFFH and Identified Sites
3.380 Local Data, Knowledge, and Other Relevant Factors The housing element must include local data, knowledge, and other relevant factors to discuss and analyze any unique attributes about the City related to fair housing issues. This information should complement federal, state, and regional data with local data and knowledge where appropriate to capture emerging trends and issues, including utilizing knowledge from local and regional advocates and service providers. The element must also include meaningful analysis related to historical practices and discuss past, present and future investment practices and other information.
As previously described Section 3.310, the federal Fair Housing Act passed in 1968 prevented denial of housing found to apply to local zoning laws. Since that time, fair housing law continues to evolve at the federal and state levels. This is evident in the State of California’s 2018 passage of AB 686, requiring jurisdictions to address how they Affirmatively Further Fair Housing in their local housing elements. Although there has been no published documentation of explicit exclusionary practices in Atherton, the town’s history is deeply connected to the exclusionary history of the Bay Area.
The area that is now Atherton is the aboriginal homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone.40 The Spanish empire colonized the region in the 18th century and in 1795 provided a land grant to Jose Dario Arguello for Rancho de las Pulgas that included what would become portions of San Mateo County and the jurisdictions of San Mateo, Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, Menlo Park and Atherton.41 By 1801 all of the people indigenous to the San Francisco Peninsula had located to Mission Dolores. By 1834, only 37 descendants of native San Franisco Peninsula people remained, and by 1842, 40 The Association of Ramaytush Ohlone, available at https://www.ramaytush.org/ramaytush-ohlone.html 41 Plat of the Pulgas Rancho, finally confirmed to Maria de la Soledad Ortega de Arguello et al., available at https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/hb6d5nb3xp/?brand=oac4 Attachment 2
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86 the population was 15.42 Throughout this time period the area surrounding present-day Atherton remained rural and agricultural, used predominantly as a cattle range.
Eventually, the Rancho was subsumed into the United States after the MexicanAmerican War concluded in 1848 and California joined the United States in 1850. As a result of political shifts and the economic pressures of new settlers arriving to California in search of wealth, the Arguello family had to defend their land titles in court. In their claim, the Arguellos attested that the Rancho was nearly three times larger than what was ultimately decided by U.S. Supreme Court.43 Therefore, while the family did receive a land grant, they were not successful in receiving their entire claim.
Additionally, their holdings were further diminished by a transfer of approximately 25% of their grant to their Attorney Simon Mezes as payment for legal representation.44 In 1866, the Southern Pacific Railroad established a station in the area in to ferry newlywealthy San Franciscans to their second homes in the valley.45 Accessibility between the region’s major city and the large rural lots of the mid-peninsula heightened the attractiveness of Atherton as a residential area. During the mid-nineteenth century as California experienced an increased in trade, population, and early industrialized development. Land ownership of the region’s rancheros transferred to increasingly smaller scale properties as a means for Spanish/Mexican owners to quickly gain capital and liquidate assets. Descendants of the indigenous populations, remained disenfranchised.
Atherton was incorporated in 1923 under pressure from neighboring Menlo Park, whose government was attempting to annex the land into its own boundaries in order to bolster their own property tax rolls (this was decades before Proposition 13 limited property tax increases in 1978). From the outside, early residents of Atherton intended to develop a town with large residential lots and no commercial uses (unlike Menlo Park, which had a commercial downtown with smaller parcels).
After its 1923 incorporation, Atherton remained small in the years before World War 2, with a population of 1,242 in the 1930 census and 1,908 in the 1940 census. The town nearly doubled after the war, with a population of 3,630 recorded in the 1950 census.
Already by this point Atherton was established as an exclusive outpost. The family 42 Randall Milliken at al. Ohlone/Costanoan Indians of the San Francisco Peninsula and Their Neighbors, Yesterday and Today. Oakland, CA: Archaeological and Historical Consultants, 2009. 43 Arguello v. United States, 59 U.S. 539 (1855)
44 ‘Who was Dona Arguello?” Published in Redwood City VOICE by James O. Clifford, Sr. https://medium.com/redwood-city-voice/who-was-dona-arguello-97075145a74d 45 Town of Atherton “History of Atherton” available at https://www.ci.atherton.ca.us/96/History-of-Atherton Attachment 2
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87 median income of $3,857 was about 17 percent higher than the average family income nationally. There were 237 private household workers (servants, gardeners, and butlers) employed in the town’s 1,140 homes, or roughly one for every five Atherton households. By the 1960 census, there were 7,717 residents – a 113 percent increase over 1960. However, the number of Black residents, only increased from 75 people in 1950 to 76 a decade later.
In the 1960s, continued disinvestment and urban renewal in areas surrounding Atherton, such as East Palo Alto, exacerbated housing and education inequality.
Frustrated families in East Palo Alto petitioned for redistricting to address their concerns about education. The lines were drawn and redrawn, and eventually many Black students were bussed to Menlo-Atherton high school. Entrenched housing segregation translated to tension within the school. Black students often felt unwelcome and white students described feeling unsafe in what developed as a microcosm of the exclusionary housing debate formed outside the school walls.46 The District Board of Trustees representing Menlo-Atherton High responded by limiting the policy to include only students living two miles or more from the school, strategically excluding Black neighborhoods as white students mostly had their own transportation. Protests and fighting ensued.
Housing and educational boundaries go hand in hand. Over the years, overt tension has abated, but the effects of District policies and land use decision-making can still be seen. The zoning code in Atherton limits parcel size to primarily 1-acre parcels. This land use policy impacts student demographics (1) by limiting the overall number of students and (2) by skewing upward the household income level of those students due to the extremely high land cost. The zoning code in Atherton has almost exclusively permitted 1-acre parcels and single-family developments.
3.390 Fair Housing Issues, Contributing Factors, and Town Actions The factors contributing to fair housing challenges within Atherton is the high cost of land acquisition, zoning primarily for single family homes, and little affordable housing for those with moderate and low income who work in the town, other than ADUs and housing at local school sites. Per an analysis completed in 2022, the average land acquisition cost for a single acre in Atherton is approximately $7-8 million. The affordability of land is a high bar to the creation of affordable housing and the greatest barrier to development. The Town has taken a muti-pronged approach to 46 Tara Madhav, “Community Control and Desegregation in East Palo Alto, California, 1958-1986” (UC Berkeley Charlene Conrad Liebau Library Prize for Undergraduate Research: April 2021), available at https://escholarship.org/content/qt84n6s7t0/qt84n6s7t0.pdf?t=qv7av0 Attachment 2
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88 address affordable housing. The best opportunities for affordable housing include ADUs and multi family units on school sites where the land is already owned by the entity. In addition, the Town has identified several properties for upzoning to permit multifamily housing. Coupled with the new multifamily zoning districts, the Town will adopt an inclusionary ordinance to ensure a portion of the new multifamily housing units are available as affordable housing to lower income households. These steps will address fair housing issues, including segregation.
The Town is continuing to see success in the creation of additional ADU units. The Town estimates that 60% of new rental ADU units will be rented at very low or low-income levels. Based on existing precedent, these units are often used for housing for a senior family member, employees of the homeowner, students, or in other similar circumstances where the renter would otherwise be unable to find similar accommodations locally. Consequently, the ADU occupants do not displace others from low-income housing that is available locally.
ADUs have several other advantages. They can be constructed at significantly lower cost than the cost to build a new multifamily unit. They can be located anywhere within the Town, which means such low-income units are geographically spread throughout Atherton. They are also politically popular and easy to permit.
The Town is implementing several strategies to further utilize ADUs as a tool for providing fair housing opportunities, including:
▪ Expanding community outreach to realize additional ADU development. ▪ Developing assistance programs for JADUs to make alterations easier and more cost effective so that additional units can be developed within the existing building envelope of houses and made available at more affordable rates. ▪ Amending the Zoning code to eliminate the occupancy limitation on other accessory units, such as guest houses and pool houses.
▪ Creating an inventory of existing pool houses and guest houses, and then working with a nonprofit to connect homeowners to prospective renters. ▪ Amending the Zoning code to increase the height limit to allow ADUs to be constructed above garages.
▪ Amending the Zoning code to allow two ADUs to be constructed on parcels that are 2 acres or greater.
▪ Amending the Zoning code to allow multiple ADUs to be rented on a property. ▪ Amending the fee resolution to remove the planning review fees for ADUs. ▪ Adopt an affordable housing impact fee on single family construction. The Town will make available funds from this program to provide very low-income rental assistance for eligible households identified by HIP.
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89 The Town’s complete strategy related to encouraging ADU production and the rental of these units is provided in section 3.812.
Further to provide greater diversity in the housing stock and opportunities for lower income households, the Town has included programs to rezone several properties to allow multi-family housing. These properties have been strategically identified to be near transit and services.
Additionally, the Town will be providing additional fair housing resources and training for property owners, real estate agents, and tenants, per section 3.823 E. This will be provided through a collaboration with other cities and towns, Project Sentinel, or other similar organization. This will provide information on reasonable accommodation and issues related to income and other forms of discrimination. This training could be mandated for multi-family developers, property owners and any resident renting an ADU or similar unit. The Town will also create a webpage to host this information and improve awareness around fair housing training, issues and available programs. The webpage will also provide information on filing fair housing complaints with HCD or HUD.
Lastly, as part of its ADU rental strategy, the Town will implement a program to affirmatively market low-income units to households that are under-represented in the Town in comparison to neighboring jurisdictions and the County. To examine the effectiveness and interest in the ADU strategy, a survey of potential renters in the area, such as employees of homeowners, school and city staff, and elderly individuals is also being pursued.
Attachment 2
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90 3.600 REVIEW OF 2015-2022 HOUSING ELEMENT
PERFORMANCE
3.610 Effectiveness of the Element
This update of the Atherton housing element provides an opportunity to reflect on past achievements and challenges, identifying what is working and what is getting in the way in meeting Atherton’s housing needs. This section reviews the previous cycle’s progress in meeting RHNA, reviews the previous (5th Cycle) Housing Element programs, and discusses the implementation of those previous cycle programs.
3.620 2015-2022 RHNA Progress in Implementation
A comparison of the number of projected or planned housing units (i.e., 2015-2022 Housing Need Allocation) with what was actually achieved is summarized in Table HE10 below. The Town’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for the prior (2015- 2022) period was 93 units. This included 35 very low income units, 26 low income units, 29 moderate income units, and 3 above moderate income units as seen in Table HE10. Actual housing construction during the 2015-2022 period was 247 units.
TABLE HE-10: PROGRESS IN IMPLEMENTATION
5-2022 Actual RHNA Achievement
Income
Group
2015-2022
Allocation
Private
Construction
Accessory
Dwelling Unit
Program
Total Met (M),
Exceeded (E), or
Fell Short (S) of Goal
Very Low 35 - 72 72 E
Low 26 - 22 22 S
Moderate 29 - 21 21 S
Above
Moderate
3 132 132 E
Totals 93 132 115 247 E
Note: Totals through Dec. 2021
There were a number of notable accomplishments related to implementation of the Atherton housing element over the past eight years:
ADUs (often referred to as second units or in-law units) have become increasingly popular after the Town adopted amendments to the ADU ordinance, most recently in 2020. Prominent Ordinance revisions which support this projection and increased production trend from prior years beyond those amendments as prescribed by Government Code Sections 65852.2 and 65852.22 included additional floor area Attachment 2
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91 exemption up to 1,200 square feet beyond the first 800 square feet and increased public education on the construction of ADUs. It is noted that throughout 2022, a total of 27 new single-family permits were issued and these permits included a total of 26 new ADUs, and 5 ADU conversions. This nearly one to one ratio is a direct correlation to the Town’s encouragement to produce ADUs. The total number of ADUs permitted and/or constructed between 2015 and 2022 (the last year with data available) was more than 125115. This exceeded the Town’s RHNA allocation. This is important, not only because ADU construction is the most viable form of new housing in Atherton, but also because rental surveys of ADUs show that these kinds of units are more affordable.
These ADUs were categorized under the RHNA Income Groups of Very Low, Low, and Moderate. The 115 ADUs exceeded the Town’s RHNA allocation of these RHNA categories by 25 units (the total RHNA allocation for Very Low, Low, and Moderate groups was 90 units). Additionally, results from a recent Town-wide survey indicate significant support for the development of ADUs over the next 8 years showing a more than 200 property owner commitment to do so.
The Town approved dormitory housing consisting of 147 units or a total of 291 beds at Menlo College. Of these, 19 of the units were dedicated for low-income students with incomes at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). The new dormitory housing alleviated demand for other units from students and housed a number of students who were previously unhoused. As student housing not open to the public at large, these units do not count towards meeting RHNA.
Construction of new Above Moderate market rate housing also exceeded the Town’s RHNA allocation. A total of 9 net new Above Moderate market housing units were constructed during the 2015-2022 cycle. On the required CA Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) form the summary Table B only counts newly constructed units and does not account for demolished units. There were 132 new units constructed and 123 existing units demolished.
3.630 Future Opportunities Review of Prior Housing Element Programs The following summary highlights key accomplishments and challenges from the previous housing element’s planning period (2015 to 2022). This information will help ensure that the updated element for 2023 to 2031 builds on success, responds to lessons learned and positions us to better achieve our community’s housing priorities.
A more detailed program-by-program review of progress and performance is in Table HE-11.
Accomplishments
As noted in Section 3.620, ADUs have become increasingly popular after the Town adopted amendments to the ADU ordinance. Prominent Ordinance revisions support Attachment 2
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92 this increased production trend from prior years as prescribed by Government Code Sections 65852.2 and 65852.22. ADUs are a Town asset in accomplishing RHNA goals and providing more affordable housing units for low-income and special needs populations.
The Town’s approval of dormitory housing for Menlo College contributed to the market-rate and below market-rate units in the Town of Atherton. Not only does dormitory housing provide additional housing options for students, but it also alleviates the student-demand for other units and frees up non-dormitory housing for other Town residents.
Challenges
While the Town has several achievements, there is still work to be done. Some of the challenges that kept the Town from achieving all of its housing goals include:
The Town does not have any commercial activity – which means there are no retail sales taxes, commercial development impact fees or other related sources of revenue available to other cities. The Town has very restricted tax revenue. This restricts the option of financial incentives or participation by the Town in building new and affordable housing.
During the 2015-2022 Planning Period, it was anticipated that new housing would be constructed at Menlo School and Menlo College. A net of eleven new faculty units affordable to very low- and moderate-income households were planned at Menlo School and 79 new units affordable to lower income and moderate-income households were planned at Menlo College. Although the plans for these units remain on the Master Plans for these institutions there were insufficient funds available to construct them during the Planning Period.
It is recommended that this program be carried forward and expanded forto the 2023-2031 Planning Period.
Ongoing Efforts
Despite the setbacks noted in the prior section, tThe Town continues to move forward withon its goals and actions outlined in the prior cycle’s Housing Element. In addition, the trends and lessons learned from the prior cycle have been thoroughly analyzed and considered for effective incorporation in this Sixth Cycle Housing Element. These include:
Imposition of an affordable housing impact fee on single family building permits to fund programs to assist in development and assistance for affordable housing.
Implementation and promotion of SB 9 lot splits.
Attachment 2
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93 Expansion of ADU programs through the consideration of various development and incentive programs.
● Amendment of PFS zoning to permit multi- family housing by right ● Creation of a new mult–ifamily zoning district RM 10
● Adoption of a new affordable housing Inclusionary Ordinance See Table 3.710 for 2015-22 Update Programs and Objectives Analysis. The following describes how the objectives and programs of the 5th Cycle Housing Element will be updated element incorporateand how changes will be incorporated resulting from the evaluation.
Program 3.710: New Construction, Conservation, and Rehabilitation Program 3.711: New Construction of Above-Moderate Income Units -– The program of providing new construction of Above-Moderate income units has, in the past, depended on the construction of single-family detached homes throughout the Town’s R1-A and R1-B lots. The program has been hampered by the lack of available land and the low- density character of the community. New construction invariably results in the demolition of a n existing unit, leading to nearly a net zero increase in housing units. The adoption and implementation of SB 9 by the State of California is projected to allow the creation of additional lots with higher densities and thus permit the development of a greater number of Above-Moderate housing units during the 2023-31 planning period. Further, the Town will create two new multi-family zoning districts, RM 20 and RM 10 that will facilitate the development of additional abovemoderate income units.
Program 3.712: New Construction of Affordable Units - The program of providing new construction of affordable units has, in the past, depended primarily on the construction of ADUs and JADUs. While the objective was met in the 2015-22 planning period, the RHNA objectives for 2023-31 is markedly higher.
Consequently the 2023-31 Update includes Housing Program 3.813 addressing multifamily housing development on school and other properties and creation of two new multifamily zoning districts, RM 20 and RM 10. that will be applied to several properties. In addition, an Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance will be adopted which requires a percentage of units to be set aside for lower-income housing. These new programs should be sufficient to meet the 2023-2031 objectives for affordable units.
Program 3.712a: Conduct Affordability Surveys - While housing affordability surveys during the 2015-22 planning period have been required as a condition of approval, they typically reflect anticipated rent, and therefore affordability, as opposed to Attachment 2
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94 actual affordability. Changes in the 2023-31 Update are proposed that require a survey every two years of actual rents in order to determine the actual affordability level of low and moderate income ADUs, JADUs, multifamily and other known affordable units. This change will provide data that can be used to adjust programs during the planning period, if necessary.
Program 3.712b: Faculty and Student Housing – The program of providing additional faculty and student housing on or near school campuses and there appears to be a desire on the part of the schools to construct additional faculty and student housing.
The 2023-2031 Update includes new programs such as Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance that could assist in funding construction and zoning changes such as increased height, reduction of setbacks and similar changes that could allow increased densities, all helping to reduce barriers to development of new faculty and student housing.
Program 3.712c: Maintain Contact with Affordable Housing Developers – Atherton management and planning staff have regular contact with developers of affordable housing, exchanging ideas and proposals about expanding affordable housing opportunities in Atherton. This program continues into the 2023-31 planning period in order to take advantage of affordable housing opportunities as they arise.
Program 3.713: Conservation and Rehabilitation of Existing Units -– The Atherton Planning Department works closely with the Building Department to encourage the conservation and rehabilitation of housing in Town, with particular attention to affordable housing. The Town will continue to assist the property owners and development community in the housing development, conservation and rehabilitation process. The Town will establish a building inspector ombudsman to assist property owners navigate the rehabilitation process. This program continues into the 2023-31 planning period with a projected 50 to 100 permits being issued for improvement, rehabilitation and conservation projects.
Program 3.720: Special Housing Needs
Program 3.721: Seniors – The Town has a number of programs supportive of Seniors.
These programs include permitting residential care facilities and providing information on home repairs assistance and the Property Tax Postponement Program. The Town will continue these programs and others, in support of senior populations in the 2023- 2031 Housing Element.
Program 3.722: Disabled and Developmentally Delayed Persons – The Town has a number of programs supportive of persons with disabilities. These programs include, enforcing ADA compliance in new residential developments and major remodels, Attachment 2
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95 providing referrals and information to the County’s Housing Accessibility for Disabled Persons Program, and providing information on housing and services for persons with developmental disabilities. These programs will continue in the 2023-2031 Housing Element.
Program 3.723: Equal Housing Opportunity – The Town will continue to refer housing discrimination complaints to the appropriate groups, as well as disseminate fair housing information at Town Hall and on the Town website. The 2023-2031 Housing Element will include additional program elements that expand on the implementation of the outreach campaign, zoning code amendments, adoption of an affordable housing impact fee, increase awareness of equal housing resources for eligible population and increase the number of housing available to lower income renters/residents.
Program 3.724: Emergency Shelters, Transitional and Supportive Housing – The Town will continue to support the possibility of Emergency Shelters, Transitional Housing, and Supportive Housing in Atherton. The 2023-2031 Housing Element will also include a program expanding on the protocol in the event such housing is needed.
Program 3.730: Consistency with State Requirements
Program 3.731(a-c): Energy Conservation -– The Town has regulations that encourage energy conservation. These regulations include permitting solar installations, and promoting through various public education programs, energy efficient design. The Town also requires native landscaping to the greatest extent feasible, which reduces the need for both water and energy. All of these policies and regulations will continue.
Program 3.731d: Employee Housing – The Town will continue to ensure compliance with State Health and Safety Code Sections 17021.5. Furthermore, the Town will expand on this program and the code will be revised consistent with Section 17021.6.
Program 3.740: Other Housing Programs
Program 3.741: Shared Housing -– The Town will continue to support the Human Investment Program (HIP) and continue to make information available at Town Hall and on the Town website. This program will continue into the next planning cycle. The Town will include additional housing programs in the 2023-2031 Housing Element. These are reflected in Section 3.800.
Cumulative Evaluation of Effectiveness of 5th Cycle Element in Addressing Special Housing Needs
The State Department of Housing and Community Development has requested that the Town “analyze the cumulative effectiveness of the previous Housing Element goals, Attachment 2
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96 policies, and programs on special needs populations (e.g., elderly, persons with disabilities, large households, female-headed households, farmworkers, and persons experiencing homelessness).”
Of the special needs populations, the 5th Cycle Housing Element particularly focused on seniors, who make up 22.4% of Atherton’s population. There were four programs specific to seniors (Program 3.721a-3.721d). These were related to residential care facilities, home repairs assistance, property tax postponement, and creating a senior friendly plan. The last program was not implemented due to lack of funding and interest in this type of program. The first three programs however, were implemented and are continued into the 2023-2031 Housing Element. Many older Atherton residents have been able to age in place, modify their homes, and continue living in the Town as a result of these programs and policies. Understanding how seniors might be costburdened is of particular importance due to their special housing needs, particularly for low-income seniors. Senior households often experience a combination of factors that can make accessing or keeping affordable housing a challenge. They often live on fixed incomes and are more likely to have disabilities, chronic health conditions, and/or reduced mobility. The 2023-2031 Housing Element supports diverse housing options that allow senior households to have more mobility as well as programs that support seniors in maintaining their homes.
There were three programs specific to disable and developmentally delayed persons in the 5th Cycle Housing Element (Program 3.722a-3.722c). People with disabilities can face additional housing challenges. Encompassing a broad group of individuals living with a variety of physical, cognitive, and sensory impairments, many people with disabilities live on fixed incomes and need specialized care, yet often rely on family members for assistance due to the high cost of care. The three programs were implemented and are continued into the 2023-2031 Housing Element.
In the 2022 San Mateo County One Day Homeless Count and Survey, there were 3 homeless individuals counted in Atherton, less than 1% of the Town’s population.
Atherton historically has one of the lower homeless counts in San Mateo County.
Shelters and homeless assistance programs are the main resources available to homeless residents of San Mateo County. Program 3.724a of the 5th Cycle Housing Element supports the facilitation of interested developers pursuing Emergency Shelters, Transitional Housing, and Supportive Housing in Atherton.
Large family households often have special housing needs due to a lack of adequately sized affordable housing available. In Atherton 13% of households are large households with five or more people sharing the same income. The higher costs required for homes with multiple bedrooms can result in larger families experiencing a Attachment 2
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97 disproportionate cost burden than the rest of the population and can increase the risk of housing insecurity. The 2023-2031 Housing Element facilitates the development of multifamily housing, as well as SB 9 lot splits and ADUs, that provide a variety of housing options for large family households.
In Atherton, 5.4% of households are female-headed households. Households headed by one person are often at greater risk of housing insecurity, particularly femaleheaded households, who may be supporting children or a family with only one income. ContinueDifficulty in finding affordable housing can result in disproportionate cost burden on female headed families compared to the rest of the population and can also increase the risk of housing insecurity. The 2023-2031 Housing Element includes programming that supports HIP Housing in facilitating secure housing for femaleheaded households.
All of these factors were considered in the evaluation of related programs from the past cycle and informed the recommendations as noted below in Section 3.640, as well as the development of new programs in Section 3.800.
The Town’s 5th Cycle Housing Element included specific goals addressing the needs of seniors, disabled persons, and homeless (emergency shelters). Cumulatively, these measures have contributed to the health, safety, and welfare of all Atherton residents and to the quality of life and condition of housing in the town. However, the 5th Cycle could have been better in including programs addressing the needs of the remaining special needs populations, including large households and female-headed households. There were the affordable housing programs (Program 3.712), one program related to Equal Housing Opportunity (Program 3.723a), and one program related to Shared Housing (Program 3.741a). The Town will expand its programs related to special needs populations in the 6th Cycle Element by doing the following:
Expanding the programs related to Equal Housing Opportunity with eight additional programs.
Continuing the program to support the possibility of Emergency Shelters, Transitional Housing, and Supportive Housing in Atherton from the 5th Cycle Element (Program 3.724a), and expanding the specifics of this with an additional program in the 6th Cycle Element.
3.640 Implementation Status and Analysis of 5th Cycle Housing Element Programs A detailed analysis of the goals, objectives, policies and programs of the 2015-2022 Housing Element Update is presented in Table HE-11 below.
Attachment 2
TABLE HE-33: ANALYSIS OF THE OBJECTIVES AND PROGRAMS CONTAINED IN THE 2015-2022 HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE Housing Element
Program Name/Number
Program Description
and Objective
Timeframe and
Achievements
Program Evaluation and
Recommendation
Program 3.710: New Construction, Conservation, and Rehabilitation
3.711 New Construction of
Above Moderate
Units
Continue to facilitate and expedite the
development of new above
moderate-income housing units in
order to achieve the construction of
net 3 new above moderate-income
units.
(2015-21) A net of 9 new units were
constructed during this period. Although
the HCD Annual Progress Report shows 132
new units, that does not account for
demolished units. Market has limited
construction to reconstruct 1 unit for each
demolished unit.
Objective met and exceeded.
3.712 New Construction of
Affordable Units
During the previous RHNA cycle the
Town amended the Zoning Ordinance
to remove constraints on the
development of ADUs. During the
2015-22 cycle the Zoning Ordinance
was amended to conform to new ADU
provisions in State law. Continue to
facilitate and expedite the
construction of new affordable units in
order to achieve 90 new affordable
units.
(2015-21) 115 new ADUs were constructed
during this time frame. Construction
increased as a result of zoning ordinance
changes.
Objective met and exceeded. This
program has been effective in
providing housing for lower income
families and individuals.
Recommend continuance.
3.712a Conduct
Affordability Surveys
This program called for housing
affordability surveys to be conducted
every two years. In lieu of conducting
surveys, the Town has chosen to
request affordability information from
each new ADU developer/owner at
the time of Building Permit issuance.
(2015-22) Affordability surveys are required
from each new ADU developer/owner at
the time of Building Permit issuance.
Objective met. This program has
been effective in providing ADU
affordability information.
Recommend continuance.
Attachment 2
3.712b New Construction of
Affordable Faculty,
Student and Staff
Housing on Private
Schools’ Property
Work and cooperate with Menlo
School, Menlo College and Sacred
Heart Schools to facilitate
development of affordable faculty,
student and staff housing on school
properties and provide incentives for
development through an expedited
review process.
(2015-22) In 2020-21 the Town approved
dormitory housing consisting of 147 units or
a total of 291 beds at Menlo College. Of
these, 19 of the units were dedicated for
low-income students with incomes at or
less than 80% of the Area Median Income
(AMI).
Objective partially met. This program
has been effective in providing
housing for 19 lower income students
at Menlo College. Recommend
continuance.
3.712b
cont’d
Additional
Affordable Housing
at Oakwood
Community at
Sacred Heart Schools
The Oakwood Community at Sacred
Heart Schools is currently developed
with housing for the retired religious in a
“single room occupancy” style. These
units are all affordable to extremely
low-income households. The program
allows for expansion of the housing
should demand warrant.
(2015-22) During the prior RHNA cycle the
Town amended its Zoning Ordinance to
allow multi-family residential uses that
provide housing for very low- and lowincome households. Discretionary review is required related to the location, size,
proximity to heritage trees and
environmental aspects of the project but
may not result in the denial of the use. A
project is currently proposed at Oakwood
consisting of the addition of 5 new rooms
for permanent occupancy and 3 new
guest rooms.
Objective is being met, no changes
to Ordinance are recommended.
This program has been effective in
providing housing for lower income
individuals.
Recommend continuance.
3.712b
cont’d
Faculty and Student
Housing
Annually, at the time for review of their
master plans, work with private schools
to facilitate development of
affordable, multi-family faculty,
student, and staff housing on their
properties. Achieve construction of 11
new faculty units at Menlo School, 79
new faculty and student units at Menlo
College. It is anticipated that about 1/3
of the units will be rented in the
extremely low-income category.
(2015-22) The Town has annually worked
private schools to facilitate development
of affordable, multi-family faculty, student,
and staff housing on their properties.
During this cycle the schools were only
partially able to achieve their goals due, in
part to unavailability of funds. In 2020-21
the Town approved dormitory housing
consisting of 147 units or a total of 291 beds
at Menlo College. Of these, 19 of the units
were dedicated for low-income students
with incomes at or below 80% of the Area
Median Income (AMI).
Objective partially met.
Recommend that Town continue to
work with private schools to meet
objectives.
Attachment 2
3.712c Maintain Contact
with Affordable
Housing Developers
Continue to maintain contacts with
agencies and developers of
affordable housing in the midpeninsula area in order to consult about resources that might be
available to and from the Town for
affordable housing. Contacts exist with
agencies such as the San Mateo
County Department of Housing and
Community Development, non-profit
developers such as MidPen Housing,
Bridge Housing and Habitat for
Humanity.
(2015-22) Town Staff continues to maintain
contact with agencies and developers of
affordable housing in the mid-peninsula
area. The Town offers expedited planning
and building processing through use of
contract plan checking services and
support for applications for funding.
Objective met.
3.713 Conservation and
Rehabilitation of
Existing Units
Continue to facilitate and expedite the
rehabilitation and reconstruction of
existing housing through improved
review times and project assistance.
(2015-22) Between 50 and 100 permits
issued each year for improvement,
rehabilitation and conservation of existing
units.
Objective met. Recommend
continued implementation.
Housing Element
Program Name/Number
Program Description
and Objective
Timeframe and
Achievements
Program Evaluation and
Recommendation
Program 3.720: Special Housing Needs
3.721 Seniors See Actions 3.721a through 3.721d below.
3.721a Residential Care
Facilities
Continue to facilitate the provision of
board and care opportunities,
particularly for seniors, some of whom
may be longtime Atherton residents
who can no longer remain in their
homes and who wish to continue living
in Atherton. State law provides that a
residential care facility (defined as a
(2015-22) Zoning Ordinance was
amended in 12/2010 to state that a
residential care facility is a residential use
and must be permitted wherever
residential uses are allowed, specifically in
the R-1A and R-1B zones.
Objective met. Recommend
program continuance.
Attachment 2
facility serving six or fewer persons) is a
residential use and must be permitted
wherever residential uses are allowed,
specifically in the R-1A and R-1B zones.
3.721b Home Repairs
Assistance
Publicize at Town Hall and in the
Town'’s newsletter home repairs
assistance programs offered by Senior
Centers in the County and the
County'’s Home Repair Program.
(2015-22) Handouts provided at Town Hall
publicizing repairs assistance programs
offered by Senior Centers in the County
and the County'’s Home Repair Program.
Publication in Town'’s newsletter was not
accomplished. Program publicized on
Town website in lieu of in newsletter.
Objective met. Recommend
program continuance.
3.721c Property Tax
Postponement
Program
Continue to support the County'’s
Property Tax Postponement Program to
support seniors in staying in their homes.
Publicize the program at Town Hall and
in the Town newsletter.
(2015-22) City Council'’s declaration of
support of the County'’s Property Tax
Postponement Program stated in
adopted Housing Element. Handouts
provided at Town Hall publicizing the
program. Program publicized on Town
website in lieu of in newsletter.
Objective met. Recommend
program continuance.
3.721d Create Senior
Friendly Plan
The Town will create a plan to meet the
needs of the growing senior
population, which will double over the
next decade and a half. The best way
to identify the necessary changes to
ensure that Atherton is senior friendly is
to conduct a thoughtful process,
receiving input from various
stakeholders and then identifying the
policies and programs which are right
for Atherton.
(2015-22) This program was not
implemented during this cycle because of
a lack of funding. There appears to be
little interest in developing this type of
program in Atherton.
Objective not met. Recommend
abandon program.
3.722 Disabled and
Developmentally
Delayed Persons
See Actions 3.722a through 3.722c below.
Attachment 2
3.722a ADA Compliance Continue to review new residential developments and major remodels for
ADA compliance.
(2015-22) Building Department on-going
program.
Objective met. Recommend
program continuance.
3.722b County Housing
Accessibility for
Disabled Persons
Program
Continue to support the program,
direct inquiries for house modifications
for the disabled to the program and
publicize the program at Town Hall and
through the Town'’s newsletter.
(2015-22) City Council'’s declaration of
support of the County Housing
Accessibility for Disabled Persons Program
stated in the adopted Housing Element.
Building and Planning Dept. staff directs
inquiries for house modifications for the
disabled to the program. Handouts
provided at Town Hall publicizing the
program. Program publicized on Town
website in lieu of in newsletter.
Objective met. Recommend
program continuance.
3.722c Information on
Housing and Services
Available for Persons
with Developmental
Disabilities
Work with the Golden Gate regional
center to implement an outreach
program that informs families within the
city on housing and services available
for persons with developmental
disabilities. The program could include
the development of an informational
brochure, including information on
services on the City’s website, and
providing housing-related training for
individuals/families through workshops.
(2015-22) City Council’s declaration of
support for the Golden Gate regional
center to implement an outreach
program that informs families within the
City on housing and services available for
persons with developmental disabilities.
Planning Dept. staff directs inquiries for
housing and services for the
developmentally disabled to the
program. Handouts provided at Town Hall
publicizing the program. Program
publicized on Town website in lieu of in
newsletter.
Objective met. Recommend
program continuance.
3.723a Equal Housing
Opportunity
Refer housing discrimination
complaints to Midpeninsula Citizens for
Fair Housing. Disseminate fair housing
information at various sites and through
the Town newsletter and website.
(2015-22) Planning Dept. and City
Attorney'’s Office on-going program. Fair
Housing information available at Planning
Dept. and City Attorney'’s office. Program
publicized on Town website in lieu of in
newsletter.
Objective met. Recommend
program continuance.
Attachment 2
3.724a Emergency Shelters,
Transitional and
Supportive Housing
Continue to support the possibility of
Emergency Shelters, Transitional
Housing, and Supportive Housing in
Atherton.
(2015-22) During the previous cycle the
Public Facilities and Schools zoning district
was amended to allow emergency
shelters as a non-conditional use when
located within the Town Civic Center
property.
Objective met.
Housing Element
Program
Name/Number
Program Description
and Objective
Timeframe and
Achievements
Program Evaluation and
Recommendation
Program 3.730: Consistency with State Requirements
3.731 Energy Conservation See Actions 3.731a through 3.731c below.
3.731a Title 24 Compliance Continue to require Title 24 compliance, and disseminate
information on other agency'’s energy
conservation programs, such as
PG&E'’s solar subsidy program and
energy audits.
(2015-22) Building Dept. continues to
require Title 24 compliance, and
disseminate information on other
agency'’s energy conservation programs,
such as PG&E'’s solar subsidy program and
energy audits.
Objective met. Recommend
program continuance.
3.731b Green Building Continue to support Green Building in Atherton through upholding the Green
Building Ordinance.
(2015-22) Building Dept. continues to
implement and enforce the Green
Building Ordinance.
Objective met. Recommend
program continuance.
3.731c Energy Conservation
Promotion
Continue to promote energy
conservation through energy audits,
participation in PG&E and Cal Water
programs, and encouraging
conservation retrofits.
(2015-22) Building Dept. and Public Works
Dept. continues to promote energy
conservation through energy audits,
participation in PG&E and Cal Water
programs, and encouraging conservation
retrofits.
Objective met. Recommend
program continuance.
Attachment 2
3.731d Employee Housing Ensure that the city is in compliance with State Health and Safety Code
Sections 17021.5, which concerns
employee housing that serves six or
fewer employees.
(2015-22) It was determined that the Town
is in compliance with State Health and
Safety Code Sections 17021.5, which
concerns employee housing that serves six
or fewer employees.
Objective met.
Housing Element
Program Name/Number
Program Description
and Objective
Timeframe and
Achievements
Program Evaluation and
Recommendation
Program 3.740: Other Housing Programs
3.741 Shared Housing
3.741a Shared Housing The Town will continue to support the Human Investment Program (HIP), a
non-profit organization that matches
people needing housing and people
owning a home who desire additional
income and/or companionship. The
Town will make information about the
Home Sharing program available at
Town Hall and will publicize the effort
through the Town’s newsletter.
(2015-22) Planning Dept. and on-going
program. HIP Home Sharing information
available at Planning Dept. Program
publicized on Town website in lieu of in
newsletter.
Objective met. Recommend
program continuance.
Attachment 2
Town of Atherton 2023-2031 Housing Element – DRAFT
January 2023April 2024
Town of Atherton 2023-2031 Housing Element – DRAFT 105
January 2023
105
Attachment 2
Town of Atherton
Housing Element Text Changes
(Housing Needs for Special Populations)
City Council & Planning Commission
April 29, 2024
1
Purpose
Receive a summary of recommended text changes to the
adopted 2023-2031 Housing Element.
2
April 29 Study Session
3 • 3.100 Introduction
• 3.200 Assessment of Housing Needs
• 3.300 Atherton Fair Housing Assessment
• 3.400 Housing Resources
• 3.500 Constraints on Housing
• 3.600 Review of 2015-2022 Housing Element Performance • 3.700 Housing Goals, Policies, and Programs
• 3.800 Quantified Objectives
• 3.900 Efforts to Achieve Community Engagement
3.100 Introduction
4 Revisions include:
• Standardized Headings and References for Tables and Figures • Updated Locator Map
• Income Categories Transparency
3.200 Assessment of Housing Needs
5 Revisions include:
• Expansion of Section 3.210 (Housing Needs Detailed Analysis) • Use of MTC/ABAG data to assert consistency with other jurisdictions • Overview of Section 3.211 (Summary of Key Facts)
• Providing context for section
• County and Regional Comparisons
• Add or clarify comparative data and analysis for demographic data • Special Housing Needs
• Expand analysis for each population group requiring special housing needs
3.300 Atherton Fair Housing Assessment
6 Revisions include:
• Updated Section 3.321 (Primary Findings)
• Updates to summarize Fair Housing Assessment
• Expanded Section 3.330 (Outreach and Capacity)
• Identifies how the town receives, compiles and refers fair housing complaints • Indicates how the town will proactively conduct educational outreach to increase awareness of fair housing rights
• Housing Specific Policies Enacted Locally
• Removed partial list of housing policies under consideration by Council • This information is included in other section
that provide a full list of housing programs and policies
3.300 Atherton Fair Housing Assessment
7 Revisions include:
• Barriers to Housing
• Section 3.300 previously included a discussion of barriers to housing in Atherton • This section will be relocated to Section 3.500 (Constraints on Housing) • Integration and Segregation
• Section 3.340 includes more data and analysis on socio-economic patterns in Atherton, San Mateo County, and Bay Area region
• This is required by HCD to fully explore all potential housing needs in town • Discussion of Racially or Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty and Affluence (R/ECAP & RCAA) moved from 3.350 to 3.340 to facilitate robust consideration of all indicators of integration and segregation
3.300 Atherton Fair Housing Assessment
8 Revisions include:
• Local Data and Knowledge
• Moved from Section 3.330 to Section 3.380 and expanded to address history of zoning and land use, as well as impacts on fair housing issues as required by HCD • Access to Opportunity
• Section 3.350 discusses disparities in access to opportunity as required by HCD • This will assist in identifying:
• Constraints on housing for low-income households and special needs populations, especially persons with disabilities
• Cost-burdened households within the town
3.600 Review of the 2015-’22 HE Performance
9 Similar to Annual Progress Reports (APRs), this section compiles all APRs for previous (5th) Cycle and assesses effectiveness
Revisions include:
• Table HE-11 (Analysis of the Objectives and Programs Contained in the 2015-2022 Housing Element Update
• Relocating text analysis that was embedded in table to ease HCD review • Special Populations
• Additional analysis of special needs populations, as required by state law
Recommendation
Receive a summary of recommended text changes to the
adopted 2023-2031 Housing Element.
10
Thank you
11