AGENDA
City of Monte Sereno
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Joint Special Meeting of the City Council and
Site and Architectural Commission
5:30 PM
Monte Sereno City Council Chambers - 18041 Saratoga -
Los Gatos Road, Monte Sereno, Ca 95030
How to Participate
To maximize public safety while still maintaining transparency and public access, members of the public can access and participate in the meeting as follows: To listen (only) by telephone dial US: ++1 669 444 9171 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 719 359 4580 or +1 720 707 2699 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 309 205 3325 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 386 347 5053 or +1 564 217 2000 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 646 931 3860. When prompted by the system enter participation Webinar ID: 862 0281 9696 and Password:
073285. To attend the meeting webinar with a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device: Please click this URL to join https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86202819696?pwd=bStvVjRwa3g4OS9zU3NWeEZva0RoUT09 Passcode:
073285. Or iPhone one-tap (telephone connection): +16694449171,,86202819696#,,,,*073285# US +12532158782,,86202819696#,,,,*073285# US (Tacoma) Passcode: 073285.
You will be prompted to install the webinar client appropriate for your device. Attendees are encouraged to install the needed software in advance at the following locations depending on the device being used. If you are unable to participate in real-time, you may email to the City Clerk at [email protected] with the subject line "Public Comment Item #__ " (insert the item number relevant to your comment) or "Verbal Communications - Non Agenda Item." Comments received by email will be read into the record, with a maximum allowance of three (3) minutes per individual comment, subject to the Mayor's discretion.
All comments should be a maximum of 350 words, which corresponds to approximately three (30 minutes of speaking time. If a comment is received after the agenda item is heard but before the close of the meeting, the comment will still be included as a part of the record of the meeting but will not be read into the record. Any member of the public who needs accommodations should email or call the City Manager who will use his best efforts to provide reasonable accommodations to provide as much accessibility as possible while also maintaining public safety in accordance with the City procedure for resolving reasonable accommodation requests. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Manager at 408-498-5285 or [email protected]. If requested of the City Manager, agendas and documents in the agenda packet can be made available in appropriate alternative formats to persons with a disability.
Page
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
NEW BUSINESS
1. Update from the Housing Element Update Ad Hoc Committees Regarding the Status of Outreach and Incentives for Creating Accessory Dwelling Units
3 - 7
Staff recommends that the City Council and Site and Architectural Commissioners discuss the Housing Element Update Ad Hoc Committee update on the ADU outreach and provide any direction to staff.
Staff Report - SR-22-206 - Pdf
Public Comment Received as of 9-20-2022
ADJOURN
STAFF REPORT
Meeting: Joint Special Meeting of the City Council and Site and Architectural Commission - Sep 20 2022
Agenda Heading: NEW BUSINESS
Staff Contact: Diana Perkins, City Planner
Department: City Planner
Title: Update from the Housing Element Update Ad Hoc Committees Regarding the Status of Outreach and Incentives for Creating Accessory Dwelling Units
Recommendation(s):
Staff recommends that the City Council and Site and Architectural Commissioners discuss the Housing Element Update Ad Hoc Committee update on the ADU outreach and provide any direction to staff.
Background Information:
The Housing Element is part of the City’s General Plan and identifies policies and programs to meet the housing needs of the city’s current and future residents. State law (Government Code Sections 65580-65589.8) requires that every city and county in California adopt a Housing Element, approximately every five or eight years. In addition, the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) reviews and certifies that each Housing Element meets all the requirements of the law. Monte Sereno’s current Housing Element was adopted in 2015 and the new document must be adopted by January 2023, but the state’s approval process can take several months.
Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)
Every city in California receives a required number of homes to plan for in the updated Housing Element. This is called the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). Monte Sereno’s RHNA for this upcoming Housing Element is 193, an over 300% increase from last cycle’s RHNA of 61. Under state law, cities do not need to ensure these homes are built, but do need to identify adequate housing sites, as part of their sites inventory, and put in place the proper zoning and address development constraints, so that the private sector can build the housing. The RHNA is broken down by income category, Monte Sereno’s income specific RHNA is:
Very Low Income: 53
Low Income: 30
Moderate Income: 31
Above Mod Income: 79
Total: 193
There are three main options for the Council to consider in order to plan for the required number of additional housing units: ADUs, projects constructed under the new SB-9 regulations, and rezoning sites to a higher density to allow for additional housing units. These options were discussed at the Joint Special Meeting of the City Council and Site and Architectural Commission on May 24, 2022, the consensus from the Council and Commissioners was that efforts should be focused on meeting the RHNA requirements through the construction of ADUs.
Ad Hoc Committee Formation
At the June 7, 2022 City Council meeting an Ad Hoc Committee for the Housing Element Update was formed and Councilmembers Leuthold and Mekechuk where appointed to the Committee. Similarly, the Site and Architectural Commission formed an Ad Hoc Committee with Commissioners White and Sharma appointed. The purpose of the Ad Hoc Committees is to develop a public outreach program to inform the community of the Housing Element Update project as well as solicit interest from property owners in creating an ADU on their property.
The goal of this effort is to obtain sufficient interest from property owners in creating an ADU on their property to satisfy the RHNA allocation without having to rezone portions of the city to higher densities.
The two Ad Hoc Committees had several meetings and developed a community-wide public outreach program to encourage creation of ADU units which includes the following:
• Informational postcards mailed to each resident/property owner; • Door-to-door neighborhood canvassing;
• Direct e-mails to interested parties, contractors, architects/designers; • Social media postings; and
• Information provided at the City-wide picnic on August 21, 2022; As an incentive to property owners to create an ADU, the City Council approved a 50% fee reduction for building permit and plan review fees for building permits that create an ADU, either through new construction or the conversion of an existing structure (i.e. pool house, garage, etc.). In order to receive the fee reduction, property owners are required to submit a written intention to construct an ADU and obtain a building permit by December 31, 2029.
For the door-to-door neighborhood canvassing program, each City Councilmember was assigned an area of the city for which they are responsible for providing information and incentives to encourage the creation of an ADU. One Site and Architectural Commissioner was assigned to work with each Councilmember in the assigned area of the city. Councilmembers may also recruit other volunteers to assist with this effort as needed.
Through September 14, 2022 a total of 165 intentions have been received out of the 225 goal for this effort. In order for the City Council to adopt the updated Housing Element in January 2023 as required, discussion and direction is needed from the City Council to determine if
continuing or expanded efforts can be made to achieve the 225 required ADU intentions or if other alternatives should be considered.
Public Noticing:
The City of Monte Sereno's council meeting agenda was posted on the bulletin board outside of Monte Sereno City Hall and the agenda with this staff report can be accessed on The City of Monte Sereno's website located at www.montesereno.org. Notification of this meeting was also emailed to a list of interested parties and posted on the City’s social media channels.