Agenda packet, first session — Portola Valley City Council, May 10, 2023 (part 2 of 2)

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 126 of 285
over time at a local (e.g., neighborhood to neighborhood) and regional level (e.g., Town to region).

Disproportionate housing needs and Displacement Risk: The element does include data on overcrowded households, substandard housing conditions, but it must also analyze the cost burdened and extreme cost burdened rates for owner households.

Site Inventory: The Town is predominantly a highest resource category according to TCAC/HCD Opportunity Maps and is predominantly higher income. Sites should be analyzed in relationships to any RCAA identified. The element should also include specific analysis of the Town compared to the region and should formulate policies and programs to promote an inclusive community. For example, the Town should consider additional actions (not limited to the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) to promote housing mobility and improve new housing opportunities throughout the Town.

Contributing Factors: The element must prioritize contributing factors to fair housing issues, giving highest priority to those factors that most limit or deny fair housing choice or access to opportunity or negatively impact fair housing or civil rights compliance.

Contributing factors create, contribute to, perpetuate, or increase the severity of fair housing issues and are fundamental to adequate goals and actions. Examples include community opposition to affordable housing, housing discrimination, land use and zoning laws, lack of regional cooperation, location and type or lack of affordable housing and lack of public or private investment in areas of opportunity or affordable housing choices. The analysis shall result in strategic approaches to inform and connect goals and actions to mitigate contributing factors to affordable housing.

2. Include an analysis and documentation of household characteristics, including level of payment compared to ability to pay, housing characteristics, including overcrowding, and housing stock condition. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (a)(2).) While the element identifies the total number of overpaying households, it must quantify and analyze the number of overpaying lower-income households by tenure (i.e., renter and owner). For additional information and sample analysis, see the Building Blocks at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/hcd-memos.

3. An inventory of land suitable and available for residential development, including vacant sites and sites having realistic and demonstrated potential for redevelopment during the planning period to meet the locality’s housing need for a designated income level, and an analysis of the relationship of zoning and public facilities and services to these sites. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (a)(3).)
The Town has a RHNA of 253 housing units, of which 115 are for lower-income households. To address this need, the element relies on pipeline projects, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs), an Opt-in-SingleFamily Rezoning Program and adopting three new zoning districts to allow multifamily dwellings. To demonstrate the adequacy of these sites and strategies to accommodate the Town’s RHNA, the element must include complete analyses:

Page 18 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 127 of 285
Pipeline Projects: The Town’s RHNA may be reduced by the number of new units built since July 1, 2022. The element indicates 17 units affordable to low-income households are pending in the Willow Commons and Standford Wedge projects but must also demonstrate the affordability of the units. Specifically, the element must assign these units to the various income groups based on actual or anticipated sales price or rent level of the units or other mechanisms ensuring affordability (e.g., deedrestrictions) and demonstrate their availability in the planning period. For units in the pipeline, the element should describe the status of the application, required entitlements, and anticipated date of approval.

Realistic Capacity: While the element provides assumptions of buildout for sites included in the inventory, it must also provide support for these assumptions. For example, the element should demonstrate what specific trends, factors, and other evidence led to the assumptions. The estimate of the number of units for each site must be adjusted as necessary, based on the land use controls and site improvements, typical densities of existing or approved residential developments at a similar affordability level in that jurisdiction, and on the current or planned availability and accessibility of sufficient water, sewer, and dry utilities.

Opt-In-Single-Family Rezoning Program: In order to accommodate the remaining need for the above moderate-income RHNA, the town is proposing to develop a program where property owners can opt-in to rezone their parcel to allow for 4 units per acre and a maximum of four dwelling units per lot. The Town is expecting to increase capacity by 12 units. In order to count these proposed unit towards the RHNA, the element must further describe the potential for additional capacity using the Opt-InSingle-Family Rezoning Program within the planning period. This must include reviewing program guidelines and processes, include a description of existing uses, the number of parcels that could apply for the rezone including a sample parcel inventory, a survey or other methodology to show how many parcels would potentially rezone in the planning period, and incentives for property owners to opt into the program. Please be aware, pursuant to Government Code section 65583 (c)(1)(A), rezones to accommodate RHNA must occur within three years from date of adoption of the element. The element should include a program to monitor application of the program to ensure that rezonings have been completed within that timeframe and commit to rezone or amend the housing element to identify additional sites.

Affiliated Housing Sites: The element identifies two sites that will not be rezoned but are anticipated to be developed under the Affiliated Housing Site Program including the 42 Acre Sequoia Housing Site and the Christ Church Affiliated Housing site. The element must include information that demonstrates the potential for development within the planning period including, but not limited to, information on proposed projects within the planning period, analysis on existing uses and whether those existing uses could impede development, and approval procedures (see next section). The element could also include programs that commit to facilitating the development of these properties and commit to monitor production throughout the planning period and if necessary additional actions to identify additional capacity.

Page 19 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 128 of 285
ADUs: The element relies on 92 ADUs to accommodate a portion of the Town’s RHNA.

For your information, HCD records indicate permitted ADUs of 7 in 2018, 7 in 2019 and 3 in 2020. The element should reconcile these numbers and adjust assumptions as appropriate. The element must clarify these ADUs numbers in relationship to the projections, reconcile these numbers and adjust assumptions as appropriate.

Depending on the analysis, the element must commit to monitor ADU production and affordability throughout the planning period and implement additional actions if not meeting target numbers within a specified time period (e.g., within six months). Finally, if necessary, the degree of additional actions should be in stride with the degree of the gap in production and affordability. For example, if actual production and affordability of ADUs is far from anticipated trends, then rezoning or something similar would be an appropriate action. If actual production and affordability is near anticipated trends, then measures like outreach and marketing might be more appropriate.

Environmental Constraints: While the element generally describes a few environmental conditions within the Town (page 68), it must describe any known environmental constraints within the Town that could impact housing development in the planning period. (Gov. Code, § 65583.2, subd. (b).) For additional information and sample analysis, see the Building Blocks at http://www.hcd.ca.gov/communitydevelopment/building-blocks/site-inventory-analysis/analysis-of-sites-andzoning.shtml#environmental.

Sites with Zoning for a Variety of Housing Types:
• Emergency Shelters: The element should describe the development standards of the zone that allows emergency shelters by-right and should provide an analysis of proximity to transportation and services for these sites, hazardous conditions, and any conditions in appropriate for human habitability. Specifically, the element. In addition, the element should describe how emergency shelter parking requirements are in line with AB139/Government Code section 65583, subdivision (a)(4)(A) or include a program to comply with this requirement.
• ADUs: The element indicates the Town modified its zoning code to ease barriers to the development of ADU’s. However, after a cursory review of the Town’s ordinance, HCD discovered several areas which were not consistent with State ADU Law. HCD will provide a complete listing of ADU non-compliance issues under a separate cover. As a result, the element should add a program to update the Town’s ADU ordinance in order to comply with state law.

4. An analysis of potential and actual governmental constraints upon the maintenance, improvement, or development of housing for all income levels, including the types of housing identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), and for persons with disabilities as identified in the analysis pursuant to paragraph (7), including land use controls, building codes and their enforcement, site improvements, fees and other exactions required of developers, and local processing and permit procedures. The analysis shall also demonstrate local efforts to remove governmental constraints that hinder the locality from meeting its share of the regional housing need in accordance with Government Code section 65584 and from meeting the need for housing for persons

Page 20 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 129 of 285
with disabilities, supportive housing, transitional housing, and emergency shelters identified pursuant to paragraph (7). (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (a)(5).) Multi-Family Zoning and Mixed-Use Zoning Districts: As stated above, to accommodate the town’s RHNA, three new multifamily zoning districts will be created to accommodate 4 units, 6 units, and 20 units per acre respectively. While HCD recognizes that zoning has not yet been created to implement the new zones, the element should generally describe and commit to expectations for development standards in these zones. For example, the element should describe expected height limits, parking, and other standards that will facilitate development at the densities proposed. This is particularly critical because the Town currently does not have any zoning districts that specifically allow for multifamily.

Minimum Density Equals Maximum Density: The element states that the density for the new multifamily district allows 20 dwelling units an acre. However, the element must clarify if the minimum density for the rezone is also the maximum density. The element must analyze this narrow range of density (20 units per acre) as a potential governmental constraint on housing development including potential impacts resulting from site constraints, financial considerations, and other development factors.

Zoning, Development Standards and Fees: The element must clarify compliance with new transparency requirements for posting all zoning, development standards and fees on the Town’s website and add a program to address these requirements, if necessary.

Design Review (D-R) Combining District: The element must further describe and analyze the Design Review Combining District and Architectural and Site Control Commission (ASCC). The element must include a description of any guidelines and design criteria, approval procedures, and decision-making criteria, for their impact as potential constraints on housing supply and affordability. For example, the analysis should consider processing and approval procedures and timeframes, level of review, subjectivity of approval findings and any discretionary approval procedures. The element should also indicate if housing under the new multifamily zoning districts will be subject to this procedure. The element must demonstrate these processes are not a constraint or it must include a program(s) to address this permitting requirement, as appropriate.

Affiliated Housing Program: The element identifies two sites within the inventory for potential for development through the Affiliated Housing Program. While the element provides a brief description (page 82), it must include further information and analysis on how projects proposed under this program are approved. For example, what development standards apply to the project, what types of finding are necessary to approve the conditional use permit, standards that are required to opt-in to the program, and other requirements that impact the feasibility of development on sites within the overlay.

Streamlining Provisions: The element must clarify whether there are written procedures for the SB 35 (Chapter 366, Statutes of 2017) Streamlined Ministerial Approval Process and add a program to address these requirements as appropriate.

Page 21 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 130 of 285
Building Codes and Enforcement: While the element states that it has adopted the 2019 building code, it must also describe any local amendments to the building code and enforcement of the codes for impacts on housing supply and affordability.

Constraints on Housing for Persons with Disabilities: The element briefly describes its reasonable accommodation measures (page 51). However, the element should describe the process and decision-making criteria such as approval findings and analyze any potential constraints on housing for persons with disabilities.

The element must also address how non-licensed group home facilities that serve seven or more residences is permitted. Zoning and standards should simply implement a barrier-free definition of family instead of subjecting, potentially persons with disabilities, to special regulations. Zoning code regulations that isolate and regulate various types of housing for persons with disabilities based on the number of people and other factors may pose a constraint on housing choice for persons with disabilities.

The element should include specific analysis of these and any other constraints for impacts on housing for persons with disabilities and add or modify programs as appropriate.

Water Sewer Priority: For your information, water and sewer service providers must establish specific procedures to grant priority water and sewer service to developments with units affordable to lower-income households. (Gov. Code, § 65589.7.) Local governments are required to immediately deliver the housing element to water and sewer service providers. HCD recommends including a cover memo describing the Town’s housing element, including the Town’s housing needs and regional housing need. For additional information and sample cover memo, see the Building Blocks at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/priority-for-water-and-sewer.

5. An analysis of potential and actual nongovernmental constraints upon the maintenance, improvement, or development of housing for all income levels, including the availability of financing, the price of land, the cost of construction, the requests to develop housing at densities below those anticipated in the analysis required by subdivision (c) of Government Code section 65583.2, and the length of time between receiving approval for a housing development and submittal of an application for building permits for that housing development that hinder the construction of a locality’s share of the regional housing need in accordance with Government Code section 65584. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (a)(6).)
Developed Densities and Permit Times: The element must be revised to include analysis of requests to develop housing at densities below those anticipated, and the length of time between receiving approval for a housing development and submittal of an application for building permits that potentially hinder the construction of a locality’s share of the regional housing need.

6. Analyze any special housing needs such as elderly; persons with disabilities, including a developmental disability; large families; farmworkers; families with female heads of households; and families and persons in need of emergency shelter. (Gov. Code, §

Page 22 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 131 of 285
65583, subd. (a)(7).)
While the element quantifies some of the Town’s special needs populations, it must also analyze their special housing needs. The element must also quantify the number of the elderly and large households. For a complete analysis of each population group, the element should discuss challenges faced by the population, the existing resources to meet those needs (availability senior housing units, # of large units, # of deed restricted units, etc.,), an assessment of any gaps in resources, and proposed policies, programs, and funding to help address those gaps.

C. Housing Programs

1. Include a program which sets forth a schedule of actions during the planning period, each with a timeline for implementation, which may recognize that certain programs are ongoing, such that there will be beneficial impacts of the programs within the planning period, that the local government is undertaking or intends to undertake to implement the policies and achieve the goals and objectives of the Housing Element through the administration of land use and development controls, the provision of regulatory concessions and incentives, and the utilization of appropriate federal and state financing and subsidy programs when available. The program shall include an identification of the agencies and officials responsible for the implementation of the various actions. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c).)
Programs must demonstrate that they will have a beneficial impact within the planning period. Beneficial impact means specific commitment to deliverables, measurable metrics or objectives, definitive deadlines, dates, or benchmarks for implementation.

Deliverables should occur early in the planning period to ensure actual housing outcomes. To address the program requirements of Gov. Code section 65583, subd. (c)(1-6), and to facilitate implementation, programs must include: (1) specific actions the local government will take during the planning period; (2) timelines that result in beneficial impacts within the planning period; (3) objectives, quantified where appropriate; and (4) identification of responsible agencies and officials.

Additionally, all programs should be evaluated to ensure meaningful and specific actions and objectives. Programs containing unclear language (e.g., “Evaluate”; “Consider”; “Encourage”; etc.) should be amended to include more specific and measurable actions. Programs to be revised include, but are not limited to, Programs 1-1-4, 2-1. 3-2, 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, and 6-3.

Transitional Housing and Supportive Housing: The element must include a program to amend the zoning ordinance to permit transitional and supportive housing as a residential use in all zones allowing residential uses and only subject to those restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same type in the same zone. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(3).) For additional information, see the Building Blocks’ at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/zoning-for-a-variety-of-housing-types and HCD’s SB 2 memo at http://www.hcd.ca.gov/community-development/housing-element/housingelement-memos/docs/sb2_memo050708.pdf.

Page 23 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 132 of 285
Developmental Disabilities: The element must include a program to assist in the development of housing for persons with developmental disabilities (SB 812). Program actions could include proactive outreach and assistance to non-profit service providers and developers, prioritizing some funding for housing developments affordable to special needs households and offering financial incentives or regulatory concessions to encourage a variety of housing types.

2. Identify actions that will be taken to make sites available during the planning period with appropriate zoning and development standards and with services and facilities to accommodate that portion of the town’s or county’s share of the regional housing need for each income level that could not be accommodated on sites identified in the inventory completed pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) without rezoning, and to comply with the requirements of Government Code section 65584.09. Sites shall be identified as needed to facilitate and encourage the development of a variety of types of housing for all income levels, including multifamily rental housing, factory-built housing, mobilehomes, housing for agricultural employees, supportive housing, singleroom occupancy units, emergency shelters, and transitional housing. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(1).)
As noted in Finding B3, the element does not include a complete site analysis; therefore, the adequacy of sites and zoning were not established. Based on the results of a complete sites inventory and analysis, the Town may need to add or revise programs to address a shortfall of sites or zoning available to encourage a variety of housing types.

Programs 1-1, 1-2, 1-3: These programs currently have a timeframe for completion of January 2031. Because these programs are required to accommodate the RHNA, pursuant to Government Code section 65583 (c)(1)(A) rezones must be completed within three years from the date of adoption.

For your information, if rezones are completed after January 31, 2023, the element must also demonstrate Program 1-1 complies with the requirements of Government Code section 65583.2, subdivisions (h) and (i). For example, while the element indicates the residential capacity of the rezoned sites, it must also demonstrate the rezoned sites have a site capacity of at least 16 units, permit rental and owner multifamily development without discretionary review at minimum densities of at least 16 or 20 dwelling units per acre, and that at least at least 50 percent of the very low and low-income housing need shall be accommodated on sites designated for exclusive residential uses or on sites zoned for mixed uses that accommodate all of the very low and low-income housing need, if those sites allow 100 percent residential use and require that residential use occupy 50 percent of the total floor area of a mixed-use project. For additional information, go to https://www.hcd.ca.gov/hcd-memos.

Program 1-4: The program should be revised to describe incentives for the Affiliated Housing Program and as stated above, include a program to monitor development of sites within the Affiliated Housing Program. In addition, the municipal code update should occur sooner in the planning period to have a beneficial impact.

Page 24 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 133 of 285

3. The Housing Element shall contain programs which assist in the development of adequate housing to meet the needs of extremely low-, very low-, low- and moderateincome households. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(2).) Extremely Low-Income Program (ELI): While the element includes programs to assist in the development of very low-, low-, and moderate-income households, it must also include a program(s) to assist in the development of housing affordable households.

Programs must be revised or added to the element to assist in the development of housing for ELI households. Program actions could include prioritizing some funding for housing developments affordable to ELI households and offering financial incentives or regulatory concessions to encourage the development of housing types, such as multifamily, single-room occupancy (SRO) units, to address the identified housing needs for ELI households. For additional information, see the Building Blocks at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/extremely-low-income-housing-needs.

4. Address and, where appropriate and legally possible, remove governmental and nongovernmental constraints to the maintenance, improvement, and development of housing, including housing for all income levels and housing for persons with disabilities. The program shall remove constraints to, and provide reasonable accommodations for housing designed for, intended for occupancy by, or with supportive services for, persons with disabilities. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(3).) As noted in Finding B4 and B-5, the element requires a complete analysis of potential governmental and nongovernmental constraints. Depending upon the results of that analysis, the Town may need to revise or add programs and address and remove or mitigate any identified constraints.

Program 4-1: This program should be revised to include specific details of the new parking requirements for affordable housing.

Program 4-4: This program should be revised to clarify that the zoning regulations and objective standards will facilitate the development of residential units at the densities proposed.

Pursuant to conversations with staff, the Town’s density bonus may be out of date with state law. The element should include a program to update the ordinance accordingly.

5. The Housing Element shall include programs to conserve and improve the condition of the existing affordable housing stock. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(4).) Conserve and Improve: The element must include a program(s) to conserve and improve the condition of the existing stock, which may include addressing the loss of dwelling units. A program could provide grants for substantial rehabilitation, provide matching grants for homeowner improvements, or implement proactive code enforcement program.

Page 25 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 134 of 285

6. Promote and affirmatively further fair housing opportunities and promote housing throughout the community or communities for all persons regardless of race, religion, sex, marital status, ancestry, national origin, color, familial status, or disability, and other characteristics protected by the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (Part 2.8 (commencing with Section 12900) of Division 3 of Title 2), Section 65008, and any other state and federal fair housing and planning law. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(5).)
Goals and actions must significantly seek to overcome contributing factors to fair housing issues. Currently, the element identifies programs to encourage and promote affordable housing; however, most of these programs do not appear to facilitate any meaningful change nor address affirmatively furthering fair housing requirements.

Furthermore, the element must include metrics and milestones for evaluating progress on programs, actions, and fair housing results and include geographic targeting as appropriate. Given that most of the Town is considered a highest resource community, the element could focus on programs that center on place-based strategies for economic and community revitalization, protecting residents from disaster-driven and investment-driven displacement, and enhancing housing mobility to encourage the development of more housing choices and affordable housing. Programs also should be based on identified contributing factors, be significant and meaningful. The element must add, and revise programs based on a complete analysis and listing and prioritization of contributing factors to fair housing issues. For example, the Town could consider is tying Program 8-7 towards actions to improve nongovernmental constraints such as mortgage acceptance rates. For more information, please see HCD’s guidance at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/community-development/affh/index.shtml.

Page 26 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 135 of 285
Town
Comment
Number
HCD Comment Town Response
1 A. Review and Revision
Review the previous element to evaluate the appropriateness, effectiveness, and progress in implementation, and reflect the results of this review in the revised element. (Gov. Code, § 65588 (a) and (b).)
The review requirement is one of the most important features of the element update. The review of past programs should analyze the Town’s accomplishments over the previous planning period. This information provides the basis for developing a more effective housing program.

As part of the evaluation of programs in the past cycle, the element must provide an explanation of the effectiveness of goals, policies, and related actions in meeting the housing needs of special needs populations (e.g., elderly, persons with disabilities, large households, female-headed households, farmworkers, and persons experiencing homelessness).

Added a list of key accomplishments during the 5th Cycle and additional evaluation on t of past programs in meeting the needs of special needs populations to Appendix D, Rev 2015-2023 Housing Element Performance.
2 B. Housing Needs, Resources, and Constraints

1. Affirmatively further[ing] fair housing in accordance with Chapter 15 (commencing with Section 8899.50) of Division 1 of Title 2…shall include an assessment of fair housing in the jurisdiction (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(10)(A))
Integration and Segregation: The element includes some data on integration and segregation at the regional and local level; however, the element must also analyze segregation and integration of familial status and persons with disabilities, including a discussion of patterns and trends over time.

Added data on familial status under Section 3, AFFH, Primary Findings (fifteenth bullet). Data on persons with disabilities can be found in the text under Section 3, AFFH, Primary Findings, (third and second to last bullets) and Appendix C, AFFH,

4.3.3 Disability Status.
3 Racial/Ethnic Areas of Concentration of Areas of Affluence (RCAA): The element includes information relative to Racially and Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty (R/ECAP) but should also address concentrated areas of affluence. The combination of the R/ECAP and areas of affluence analyses will help guide goals and actions to address fair housing issues. The analysis should evaluate the patterns and changes over time at a local (e.g., neighborhood to neighborhood) and regional level (e.g., Town to region).

Added RCAA text in Appendix C, AFFH, 4.3.3 Racially or Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty and Affluence and Section 3, AFFH, Primary Findings. 4 Disproportionate housing needs and Displacement Risk: The element does include data on overcrowded households, substandard housing conditions, but it must also analyze the cost burdened and extreme cost burdened rates for owner households.

Added Figures 3-2: Overpayment by AMI and 3-3: Overpayment by Tenure and additional text to Section 3, AFFH under subheading Primary Findings, and to Appendix C, AFFH, Section 6.2 Cost Burden and Sever Cost Burden. 5 Site Inventory: The Town is predominantly a highest resource category according to TCAC/HCD Opportunity Maps and is predominantly higher income. Sites should be analyzed in relationships to any RCAA identified. The element should also include specific analysis of the Town compared to the region and should formulate policies and programs to promote an inclusive community. For example, the Town should consider additional actions (not limited to the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) to promote housing mobility and improve new housing opportunities throughout the Town.

Added text under Appendix C, AFFH, 7.2 Distribution of sites in the Site Inventory and Section 3, AFFH, Primary Findings.

Added language to Section 6, Adequate Sites discussing how Sites locations will help address concerns described in Section 3, AFFH.
6 Contributing Factors: The element must prioritize contributing factors to fair housing issues, giving highest priority to those factors that most limit or deny fair housing choice or access to opportunity Added text in Section 3, AFFH, Table 3-1 to denote “low, medium, and high” prioritization of Contributing Factors.

Exhibit B - Response to HCD Letter

Page 27 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 136 of 285
or negatively impact fair housing or civil rights compliance. Contributing factors create, contribute to, perpetuate, or increase the severity of fair housing issues and are fundamental to adequate goals and actions. Examples include community opposition to affordable housing, housing discrimination, land use and zoning laws, lack of regional cooperation, location and type or lack of affordable housing and lack of public or private investment in areas of opportunity or affordable housing choices. The analysis shall result in strategic approaches to inform and connect goals and actions to mitigate contributing factors to affordable housing. 7 2. Include an analysis and documentation of household characteristics, including level of payment compared to ability to pay, housing characteristics, including overcrowding, and housing stock condition. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (a)(2).)
While the element identifies the total number of overpaying households, it must quantify and analyze the number of overpaying lower-income households by tenure (i.e., renter and owner). For additional information and sample analysis, see the Building Blocks at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/hcdmemos.

Added Figures 3-4 and 3-5 Cost Burden by Income for Owners, and for Renters, respectively, showing overpayment by tenure by income level to Section 3, AFFH under subsection Primary Findings. Added analysis of data. 8 3. An inventory of land suitable and available for residential development, including vacant sites and sites having realistic and demonstrated potential for redevelopment during the planning period to meet the locality’s housing need for a designated income level, and an analysis of the relationship of zoning and public facilities and services to these sites. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (a)(3).)
The Town has a RHNA of 253 housing units, of which 115 are for lower-income households. To address this need, the element relies on pipeline projects, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs), an Opt-in-Single-Family Rezoning Program and adopting three new zoning districts to allow multifamily dwellings. To demonstrate the adequacy of these sites and strategies to accommodate the Town’s RHNA, the element must include complete analyses:

Pipeline Projects: The Town’s RHNA may be reduced by the number of new units built since July 1, 2022. The element indicates 17 units affordable to low-income households are pending in the Willow Commons and Stanford Wedge projects but must also demonstrate the affordability of the units. Specifically, the element must assign these units to the various income groups based on actual or anticipated sales price or rent level of the units or other mechanisms ensuring affordability (e.g., deed-restrictions) and demonstrate their availability in the planning period. For units in the pipeline, the element should describe the status of the application, required entitlements, and anticipated date of approval.

Added language to Section 6, Adequate Sites under subheading Pipeline and Pending Projects, with additional details on the Willow Commons and Stanford Wedge projects.
9 Realistic Capacity: While the element provides assumptions of buildout for sites included in the inventory, it must also provide support for these assumptions. For example, the element should demonstrate what specific trends, factors, and other evidence led to the assumptions. The estimate of the number of units for each site must be adjusted as necessary, based on the land use controls and site improvements, typical densities of existing or approved residential developments at a similar affordability level in that jurisdiction, and on the current or planned availability and accessibility of sufficient water, sewer, and dry utilities.

Added language to Section 6, Adequate Sites under subheading Realistic Capacity, describing local setting (no multifamily zones, limited multifamily development), site quality, and the rezonings.
10 Opt-In-Single-Family Rezoning Program: In order to accommodate the remaining need for the above moderate-income RHNA, the town is proposing to develop a program where property owners can opt-in to rezone their parcel to allow for 4 units per acre and a maximum of four dwelling units per lot. The Town is expecting to increase capacity by 12 units. In order to count these proposed unit towards the RHNA, the element must further describe the potential for additional capacity using Added language to Section 6, Adequate Sites under Subheading Opt-In Housing Program, providing additional detail on how the program would function, program incentives the review process for applicants. Revised Opt-In program language in Section 7, Programs (Program 1-3) to reflect additional program details.

Page 28 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 137 of 285
the Opt-In-Single-Family Rezoning Program within the planning period. This must include reviewing program guidelines and processes, include a description of existing uses, the number of parcels that could apply for the rezone including a sample parcel inventory, a survey or other methodology to show how many parcels would potentially rezone in the planning period, and incentives for property owners to opt into the program. Please be aware, pursuant to Government Code section 65583 (c)(1)(A), rezones to accommodate RHNA must occur within three years from date of adoption of the element. The element should include a program to monitor application of the program to ensure that rezonings have been completed within that timeframe and commit to rezone or amend the housing element to identify additional sites. 11 Affiliated Housing Sites: The element identifies two sites that will not be rezoned but are anticipated to be developed under the Affiliated Housing Site Program including the 42 Acre Sequoia Housing Site and the Christ Church Affiliated Housing site. The element must include information that demonstrates the potential for development within the planning period including, but not limited to, information on proposed projects within the planning period, analysis on existing uses and whether those existing uses could impede development, and approval procedures (see next section). The element could also include programs that commit to facilitating the development of these properties and commit to monitor production throughout the planning period and if necessary additional actions to identify additional capacity.

Added language to Section 6, Adequate Sites, under subheading Affiliated Housing Sites to describe the codification of the Affiliated Housing Program and more information about the Sequoias and Christ Church sites. 12 ADUs: The element relies on 92 ADUs to accommodate a portion of the Town’s RHNA. For your information, HCD records indicate permitted ADUs of 7 in 2018, 7 in 2019 and 3 in 2020. The element should reconcile these numbers and adjust assumptions as appropriate. The element must clarify these ADUs numbers in relationship to the projections, reconcile these numbers and adjust assumptions as appropriate. Depending on the analysis, the element must commit to monitor ADU production and affordability throughout the planning period and implement additional actions if not meeting target numbers within a specified time period (e.g., within six months). Finally, if necessary, the degree of additional actions should be in stride with the degree of the gap in production and affordability. For example, if actual production and affordability of ADUs is far from anticipated trends, then rezoning or something similar would be an appropriate action. If actual production and affordability is near anticipated trends, then measures like outreach and marketing might be more appropriate.

Added languages to Section 6, Adequate Sites, under subheading Accessory Dwelling Units and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units to strengthen assumptions about ADU production.

HCD, Thank you for noting the discrepancy between the Town’s records and HCD records. The Town is aware of past reporting errors that need to be corrected with HCD. Unfortunately, the report form was completed incorrectly so the numbers do not align.
(Town may need to add a program to resolve the past reporting problems.) 13 Environmental Constraints: While the element generally describes a few environmental conditions within the Town (page 68), it must describe any known environmental constraints within the Town that could impact housing development in the planning period. (Gov. Code, § 65583.2, subd. (b).) For additional information and sample analysis, see the Building Blocks at http://www.hcd.ca.gov/community-development/building-blocks/site-inventory-analysis/analysisof-sites-and-zoning.shtml#environmental.

Added discussion of biological and hazardous materials to Section 4, Constraints under the Environmental Constraints subheading.
14 Sites with Zoning for a Variety of Housing Types:
 Emergency Shelters: The element should describe the development standards of the zone that allows emergency shelters by-right and should provide an analysis of proximity to transportation and services for these sites, hazardous conditions, and any conditions in appropriate for human habitability. Specifically, the element. In addition, the element should describe how emergency shelter parking requirements are in line with AB139/Government Code section 65583, subdivision (a)(4)(A) or include a program to comply with this requirement.

Added language to Section 4, Constraints under subheading Zoning Code describing addition of Emergency Shelters to new code for Multi-Family zones, and shelter regulations as permitted by Government Code section 65583 (a)(4)(A).

Added language to Section 2, Housing Needs, referring to Emergency Shelter updates in new Multi-Family zones, as described in Section 4, Constraints. 15  ADUs: The element indicates the Town modified its zoning code to ease barriers to the development of ADU’s. However, after a cursory review of the Town’s ordinance, HCD discovered Added Program 7-8, Update Town’s ADU ordinance regularly to comply with state law, to Section 7, Goals, Policies, and Programs. A description of Program 7-8 was

Page 29 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 138 of 285
several areas which were not consistent with State ADU Law. HCD will provide a complete listing of ADU non-compliance issues under a separate cover. As a result, the element should add a program to update the Town’s ADU ordinance in order to comply with state law. also added to Section 6, Adequate Sites, where the proposed ADU programs are described, under subheading Proposed ADU and JADU Policies and Programs. 16 4. An analysis of potential and actual governmental constraints upon the maintenance, improvement, or development of housing for all income levels, including the types of housing identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), and for persons with disabilities as identified in the analysis pursuant to paragraph (7), including land use controls, building codes and their enforcement, site improvements, fees and other exactions required of developers, and local processing and permit procedures. The analysis shall also demonstrate local efforts to remove governmental constraints that hinder the locality from meeting its share of the regional housing need in accordance with Government Code section 65584 and from meeting the need for housing for persons with disabilities, supportive housing, transitional housing, and emergency shelters identified pursuant to paragraph (7). (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (a)(5).) Multi-Family Zoning and Mixed-Use Zoning Districts: As stated above, to accommodate the town’s RHNA, three new multifamily zoning districts will be created to accommodate 4 units, 6 units, and 20 units per acre respectively. While HCD recognizes that zoning has not yet been created to implement the new zones, the element should generally describe and commit to expectations for development standards in these zones. For example, the element should describe expected height limits, parking, and other standards that will facilitate development at the densities proposed. This is particularly critical because the Town currently does not have any zoning districts that specifically allow for multifamily.

Updated Section 6, Adequate Sites to add basic development standards.

Corresponding zoning code amendments are underway and expected to be completed by July 2023.
17 Minimum Density Equals Maximum Density: The element states that the density for the new multifamily district allows 20 dwelling units an acre. However, the element must clarify if the minimum density for the rezone is also the maximum density. The element must analyze this narrow range of density (20 units per acre) as a potential governmental constraint on housing development including potential impacts resulting from site constraints, financial considerations, and other development
factors.

Updated Section 6, Adequate Sites, to clarify minimum and maximum densities for the new Multi-Family and Mixed Use Districts. The R-MF-20 allows between 10 to 20 dwelling units per acre and the R-MF-4 allows between 2 to 4 dwelling units per acre.

The MU allows between 4 to 6 dwelling units per acre.
18 Zoning, Development Standards and Fees: The element must clarify compliance with new transparency requirements for posting all zoning, development standards and fees on the Town’s website and add a program to address these requirements, if necessary. 19 Design Review (D-R) Combining District: The element must further describe and analyze the Design Review Combining District and Architectural and Site Control Commission (ASCC). The element must include a description of any guidelines and design criteria, approval procedures, and decision-making criteria, for their impact as potential constraints on housing supply and affordability. For example, the analysis should consider processing and approval procedures and timeframes, level of review, subjectivity of approval findings and any discretionary approval procedures. The element should also indicate if housing under the new multifamily zoning districts will be subject to this procedure. The element must demonstrate these processes are not a constraint or it must include a program(s) to address this permitting requirement, as appropriate.

Updated Section 4, Constraints, to clarify limited scope of D-R Combining District and add information about ASCC review process.
20 Affiliated Housing Program: The element identifies two sites within the inventory for potential for development through the Affiliated Housing Program. While the element provides a brief description (page 82), it must include further information and analysis on how projects proposed under this program are approved. For example, what development standards apply to the project, what types of finding are necessary to approve the conditional use permit, standards that are Section 7, Goals Policies and Programs (Programs 1-4 and 4-2) updated with detail on the Affiliated Housing Program.
in Section 4, Constraints, subsection Conditional Use Permit and Planned Unit Development Permit Processes updated to explain why the permit process does not

Page 30 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 139 of 285
required to opt-in to the program, and other requirements that impact the feasibility of development on sites within the overlay.
impact the feasibility of development. Additionally, each Affiliated site is discussed in detail in Section 6, Adequate sites.
21 Streamlining Provisions: The element must clarify whether there are written procedures for the SB 35 (Chapter 366, Statutes of 2017) Streamlined Ministerial Approval Process and add a program to address these requirements as appropriate.

Added language in Section 4, Constraints, clarifying that, while the Town has not adopted its own procedure, it will follow State law when processing SB 35 applications.
22 Building Codes and Enforcement: While the element states that it has adopted the 2019 building code, it must also describe any local amendments to the building code and enforcement of the codes for impacts on housing supply and affordability.

Added language in Section 4, Constraints, to specify the local amendments related to sustainability and fire safety.
23 Constraints on Housing for Persons with Disabilities: The element briefly describes its reasonable accommodation measures (page 51). However, the element should describe the process and decision-making criteria such as approval findings and analyze any potential constraints on housing for persons with disabilities.

Updated subsection Zoning for a Variety of Housing Types in Section 4, Constraints to indicate plan to modernize the Municipal Code definition of “household” and added action 8-9 to TABLE 3-1in Section 3, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing. 24 Water Sewer Priority: For your information, water and sewer service providers must establish specific procedures to grant priority water and sewer service to developments with units affordable to lower-income households. (Gov. Code, § 65589.7.) Local governments are required to immediately deliver the housing element to water and sewer service providers. HCD recommends including a cover memo describing the Town’s housing element, including the Town’s housing needs and regional housing need. For additional information and sample cover memo, see the Building Blocks at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/priority-for-water-and-sewer.

Thanks HCD – Town will distribute Housing Element to water provider. 25 5. An analysis of potential and actual nongovernmental constraints upon the maintenance, improvement, or development of housing for all income levels, including the availability of financing, the price of land, the cost of construction, the requests to develop housing at densities below those anticipated in the analysis required by subdivision (c) of Government Code section 65583.2, and the length of time between receiving approval for a housing development and submittal of an application for building permits for that housing development that hinder the construction of a locality’s share of the regional housing need in accordance with Government Code section 65584. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (a)(6).)
Developed Densities and Permit Times: The element must be revised to include analysis of requests to develop housing at densities below those anticipated, and the length of time between receiving approval for a housing development and submittal of an application for building permits that potentially hinder the construction of a locality’s share of the regional housing need. (Explanation will be provided to HCD)

Page 31 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 140 of 285
26 6. Analyze any special housing needs such as elderly; persons with disabilities, including a developmental disability; large families; farmworkers; families with female heads of households; and families and persons in need of emergency shelter. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (a)(7).) While the element quantifies some of the Town’s special needs populations, it must also analyze their special housing needs. The element must also quantify the number of the elderly and large households. For a complete analysis of each population group, the element should discuss challenges faced by the population, the existing resources to meet those needs (availability senior housing units, # of large units, # of deed restricted units, etc.,), an assessment of any gaps in resources, and proposed policies, programs, and funding to help address those gaps.

Further analysis added to Section 2, Housing Needs, subsection Large Households In looking at the data again, only 2.1% of the housing stock is small multi-family (48 units), while 29% of the pop is over 65 (1,336 ppl). This shows we don’t have the small units to meet the possible demand of our older population. Do we need to say more about this?
27 C. Housing Programs

Beneficial impact means specific commitment to deliverables, measurable metrics or objectives, definitive deadlines, dates, or benchmarks for implementation. Deliverables should occur early in the planning period to ensure actual housing outcomes. To address the program requirements of Gov. Code section 65583, subd. (c)(1-6), and to facilitate implementation, programs must include:
(1) specific actions the local government will take during the planning period; (2) timelines that result in beneficial impacts within the planning period; (3) objectives, quantified where appropriate; and (4) identification of responsible agencies and officials.

Added language to Section 7, Goals, Policies and Programs clarify and solidify objectives and timeframes for programs throughout. Deliverables are generally early in the planning period in order to allow time for outcomes to occur. 28 Additionally, all programs should be evaluated to ensure meaningful and specific actions and objectives. Programs containing unclear language (e.g., “Evaluate”; “Consider”; “Encourage”; etc.) should be amended to include more specific and measurable actions. Programs to be revised include, but are not limited to, Programs 1-1-4, 2-1. 3-2, 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, and 6-3.

Programs have been updated to provide more clarity and specificity. 29 Transitional Housing and Supportive Housing: The element must include a program to amend the zoning ordinance to permit transitional and supportive housing as a residential use in all zones allowing residential uses and only subject to those restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same type in the same zone. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(3).) For additional information, see the Building Blocks’ at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/zoning-for-a-variety-of-housingtypes and HCD’s SB 2 memo at http://www.hcd.ca.gov/community-development/housingelement/housing-element-memos/docs/sb2_memo050708.pdf.

This code amendment has already been completed so no program is necessary. 30 Developmental Disabilities: The element must include a program to assist in the development of housing for persons with developmental disabilities (SB 812). Program actions could include proactive outreach and assistance to non-profit service providers and developers, prioritizing some funding for housing developments affordable to special needs households and offering financial incentives or regulatory concessions to encourage a variety of housing types.

Added new Policy 9 and program 9-1 to Section 7, Goals, Policies and Programs to assist in the development of housing for persons with developmental disabilities. 31 2. Identify actions that will be taken to make sites available during the planning period with appropriate zoning and development standards and with services and facilities to accommodate Language has been added to Section 6, Sites describing the Opt-In Housing Program in more detail, to Section 7, Goals, Policies and Programs describing various ADU

Page 32 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 141 of 285
that portion of the town’s or county’s share of the regional housing need for each income level that could not be accommodated on sites identified in the inventory completed pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) without rezoning, and to comply with the requirements of Government Code section 65584.09. Sites shall be identified as needed to facilitate and encourage the development of a variety of types of housing for all income levels, including multifamily rental housing, factorybuilt housing, mobilehomes, housing for agricultural employees, supportive housing, single-room occupancy units, emergency shelters, and transitional housing. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(1).) As noted in Finding B3, the element does not include a complete site analysis; therefore, the adequacy of sites and zoning were not established. Based on the results of a complete sites inventory and analysis, the Town may need to add or revise programs to address a shortfall of sites or zoning available to encourage a variety of housing types. programs, and to Section 4, Constraints, describing the inclusion of updated Emergency Shelter language in the new Multi-family zoning standards. 32 Programs 1-1, 1-2, 1-3: These programs currently have a timeframe for completion of January 2031.

Because these programs are required to accommodate the RHNA, pursuant to Government Code section 65583 (c)(1)(A) rezones must be completed within three years from the date of adoption.

For your information, if rezones are completed after January 31, 2023, the element must also demonstrate Program 1-1 complies with the requirements of Government Code section 65583.2, subdivisions (h) and (i). For example, while the element indicates the residential capacity of the rezoned sites, it must also demonstrate the rezoned sites have a site capacity of at least 16 units, permit rental and owner multifamily development without discretionary review at minimum densities of at least 16 or 20 dwelling units per acre, and that at least at least 50 percent of the very low and low-income housing need shall be accommodated on sites designated for exclusive residential uses or on sites zoned for mixed uses that accommodate all of the very low and lowincome housing need, if those sites allow 100 percent residential use and require that residential use occupy 50 percent of the total floor area of a mixed-use project. For additional information, go to https://www.hcd.ca.gov/hcd-memos.

Section 7, Goals, Policies and Programs updated to reflect completion timeframe for programs 1-1, 1-2 and 1-3.
33 Program 1-4: The program should be revised to describe incentives for the Affiliated Housing Program and as stated above, include a program to monitor development of sites within the Affiliated Housing Program. In addition, the municipal code update should occur sooner in the planning period to have a beneficial impact.

Updated Program 1-4 to increase monitoring and clarify when code amendments will be done.
34 3. The Housing Element shall contain programs which assist in the development of adequate housing to meet the needs of extremely low-, very low-, low- and moderate-income households. (Gov.

Code, § 65583, subd. (c)(2).)
Extremely Low-Income Program (ELI): While the element includes programs to assist in the development of very low-, low-, and moderate-income households, it must also include a program(s) to assist in the development of housing affordable households. Programs must be revised or added to the element to assist in the development of housing for ELI households.

Program actions could include prioritizing some funding for housing developments affordable to ELI households and offering financial incentives or regulatory concessions to encourage the development of housing types, such as multifamily, single-room occupancy (SRO) units, to address the identified housing needs for ELI households. For additional information, see the Building Blocks at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/extremely-low-income-housing-needs.

Added language to Section 4, Adequate Sites under subheading Non-Vacant Underutilized Sites describing RFP process for Ford Field site and Town’s control over number and type of low income and/or special needs units to be developed. The Town will require that 50 low income units be developed, with 5% set aside for extremely low income and/or special needs. If supportive housing is proposed, the Town will waive fees and expedite permit review, as was done with Willow Commons.

Program 1-1, New Gateway Land Use Classification, describes how the site will allow for affordable housing. Program 3-1, Initiate Site Planning Process in Gateway, provides for pursing an affordable housing project on the site.

Page 33 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 142 of 285
35 4. Address and, where appropriate and legally possible, remove governmental and nongovernmental constraints to the maintenance, improvement, and development of housing, including housing for all income levels and housing for persons with disabilities. The program shall remove constraints to, and provide reasonable accommodations for housing designed for, intended for occupancy by, or with supportive services for, persons with disabilities. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. ©(3).)
As noted in Finding B4 and B-5, the element requires a complete analysis of potential governmental and nongovernmental constraints. Depending upon the results of that analysis, the Town may need to revise or add programs and address and remove or mitigate any identified constraints.

Language in Section 7, Goals, Policies and Programs has been updated to reflect responses to comments on constraints. See responses to Comments 16-24. 36 Program 4-1: This program should be revised to include specific details of the new parking requirements for affordable housing.
37 Program 4-4: This program should be revised to clarify that the zoning regulations and objective standards will facilitate the development of residential units at the densities proposed.

Program 4-4 removed and language integrated into other programs. 38 Pursuant to conversations with staff, the Town’s density bonus may be out of date with state law.

The element should include a program to update the ordinance accordingly.

Updated Program 4-2 in Section 7, Goals, Policies and Programs to include annual assessment of Density Bonus Law and regular reviews of Affiliated Housing Program 39 5. The Housing Element shall include programs to conserve and improve the condition of the existing affordable housing stock. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. ©(4).) Conserve and Improve: The element must include a program(s) to conserve and improve the condition of the existing stock, which may include addressing the loss of dwelling units. A program could provide grants for substantial rehabilitation, provide matching grants for homeowner improvements, or implement proactive code enforcement program.

The Housing Element includes multiple programs which support the conservation and improvement of housing units within Portola Valley (described in Section 7, Goals, Policies, and Programs):
• 7.2 ADU Amnesty program. Added language clarifying that, once legalized, previously unpermitted ADUs could then be improved via building permits from the Town. The Town’s existing ADU Ambassador program can help spread the word about the Amnesty program. The Town estimates that 15 ADUs will be rehabilitated through the Amnesty Program (Table 7-2).
• 7.3 Building Division support for JADU construction. The Town will provide property owners with direct assistance in making minor changes to accommodate a JADU. If rented, a new JADU would provide an income stream to the homeowner, which could be used for home improvements to their existing home.

In addition, Portola Valley’s Home Hardening Ordinance, which is already in effect, incorporates specific building requirements into the Town municipal code that improves the fire safety of buildings by “hardening” them against fire. Where implemented, these home hardening elements will help preserve the home, by improving the likelihood that a home will survive a wildfire.

Finally, it is worth noting that Portola Valley’s high land values and high-income levels make it extremely unlikely that a home will fall into disrepair, become uninhabitable, or sit vacant. Further discussion on this topic can be found is Section 2, Housing Needs, under subsection Housing Condition.
40 6. Promote and affirmatively further fair housing opportunities and promote housing throughout the community or communities for all persons regardless of race, religion, sex, marital status, ancestry, national origin, color, familial status, or disability, and other characteristics protected by the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (Part 2.8 (commencing with Section 12900) of Added language to relevant policies in Section 7, Goals, Policies, and Programs describing which contributing factors from Table 3-1: Summary Matrix of Fair Housing Issues and Actions would be addressed by any given policy, in order to more

Page 34 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 143 of 285
Division 3 of Title 2), Section 65008, and any other state and federal fair housing and planning law. (Gov. Code, § 65583, subd. ©(5).)
Goals and actions must significantly seek to overcome contributing factors to fair housing issues. Currently, the element identifies programs to encourage and promote affordable housing; however, most of these programs do not appear to facilitate any meaningful change nor address affirmatively furthering fair housing requirements. Furthermore, the element must include metrics and milestones for evaluating progress on programs, actions, and fair housing results and include geographic targeting as appropriate. Given that most of the Town is considered a highest resource community, the element could focus on programs that center on place-based strategies for economic and community revitalization, protecting residents from disaster-driven and investment-driven displacement, and enhancing housing mobility to encourage the development of more housing choices and affordable housing. Programs also should be based on identified contributing factors, be significant and meaningful. The element must add, and revise programs based on a complete analysis and listing and prioritization of contributing factors to fair housing issues. For example, the Town could consider is tying Program 8-7 towards actions to improve nongovernmental constraints such as mortgage acceptance rates. For more information, please see HCD’s guidance at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/community-development/affh/index.shtml. clearly draw a through line from fair housing contributing factors to the Town’s Policies and Programs.

Page 35 ends

DocuSign Envelope ID: 48B9727C-6597-4DC6-86D3-CA264C29DE19 144 of 285
1 Please note that this is preliminary and subject to change Housing Element Programs (program language as of 3-22-23) Approach Direct Expense or Consultant Cost
Staff Time (High,
Medium, Low)
Program 1-1a: Create a new “Gateway” land use classification in the General Plan that allows affordable housing, recreation and open space. Include the Dorothy Ford Field and Open Space site as well as the Ladera Church site in the new “Gateway” land use classification.

Included with HE
budget.

Program 1-1b: Create two new zoning districts that allow for multi-family housing at four du/acre and 20 du/acre to provide for development of housing at lower-income levels.

Included with HE
budget
Program 1-1c: Create Objective Design Standards for the new multi-family zoning districts to regulate building form and architectural details to create greater certainty in the design review process.

Included with HE
budget
Program 1-2a: Create a new zoning district that allows for mixed-use residential development with up to six du/ac and would allow for up to 100% of building floor area to be dedicated to residential uses. Create mixed-use development standards in the new zoning district to allow for greater intensity, including floor area, height limits, minimum lot or unit sizes, and allowable dwelling units per acre.

Included with HE
budget
Program 1-2b: Create Design Standards for the new mixed-use zoning district to regulate building form and architectural details to create greater certainty in the design review process.

Included with HE
budget
Program 1-3: Create a new opt-in housing program that allows property owners with sites one acre or greater to develop up to four dwelling units per acre, with a maximum of four dwelling units per lot, if they meet the safety criteria.

Develop objective standards and issue call for projects.

Staff to work with
Planning
Commission to
develop call for
projects and criteria
High during active
periods
Program 1-4: Currently the Affiliated Housing program is implemented through the Housing Element. With this update, the Municipal Code will be updated to further incentivize use of this program to provide affordable workforce housing Included with HE
budget
Attachment 8
145 of 285
2 Please note that this is preliminary and subject to change and to establish the parameters and process for the Affiliated Housing program, including development standards and affordability requirements.

Maintain at least quarterly communication with program members to assess their progress and provide technical assistance.

Regular
communication
Low
Program 1-5: Explore co-housing as a means to encourage a broader range of residents to the community. Identify organizations that support co-housing. Meet with them every two years to assess co-housing options or other programs to promote development of housing for lower incomes.

Research to identify
organizations,
outreach every two
years.

Low
Program 2-1: Amend the Municipal Code to establish inclusionary housing requirements for new multi-family housing developments to complement existing inclusionary requirements for projects with subdivisions.

Anticipate
partnering with
other jurisdictions
via 21 Elements
$20,000 for study Medium. Town
staff plus Shared
Housing Staff
Program 2-2: Develop a program to manage new affordable housing units in the town. Consider including the following:
 Maintain affordability restrictions for 99 years or in perpetuity.  Prioritize affordable housing for residents, former residents or those who work, or used to work in the town.
 Use a small percentage of a future housing trust fund to pay for housing staffing.
 Join with other cities in San Mateo County to share qualified housing staff to support the housing program.

Shared Housing
staff through 21
Elements and
HEART. Use portion
of Affordable
Housing Trust Fund
if needed.

Estimate $30,000
per year for
shared staff
Medium
146 of 285
3 Please note that this is preliminary and subject to change Program 3-1: Initiate a site planning process for the sites in the new “Gateway” land use classification to make the most efficient use of the property and preserve open space. Pursue an affordable housing project on the Dorothy Ford Field and Open Space site in partnership with an affordable housing developer.

Community
planning process
Technical feasibility
studies
$25,000
consultant
$100,000 (order
of magnitude)
High
Program 3-2: Provide technical assistance to nonprofits/religious institutions to develop their sites with affordable housing.
 Establish monthly office hours with Town staff and/or consultants for technical assistance. Include Planning, Building and Town Geologist when the program starts. On a quarterly basis, evaluate the effectiveness of the office hours and adjust format and staffing as necessary.  When meeting with non-profits and religious institutions, encourage participation in the Affiliated Housing Program.

Monthly office
hours. Assume 1.5
hours per month.
$10,000 per year
for consultant
costs
Medium
Program 4-1: Create new parking requirements for affordable housing based on best practices and local conditions.

TBD – may be able
to complete with
other zoning code
amendments
147 of 285
4 Please note that this is preliminary and subject to change Program 4-2: Provide additional flexibility on development standards for affordable housing through State Density Bonus Law or the Affiliated Housing program.
 Review changes to State Density Bonus Law annually and adopt Municipal Code Amendments as necessary.
 Include the Affiliated Housing Program in the Zoning Code in the form of a combining district (overlay zone). Provide a process for applicants to request flexibility on development standards without requiring a variance.

 If Affiliated Housing sites are not producing the expected number of units, review the process to further facilitate projects, alter development standards, or provide incentives. Incentives may include additional technical assistance or waiver of permit fees. The Town may consider other assistance requested from applicants in the Affiliated Housing Program.

Town Attorney in
collaboration with
Planning staff
Included with HE
budget
Monitor and
consider incentives.

May waive permit
fees, resulting in
cost to Affordable
Housing Trust fund.

Medium
Medium
Program 4-3: Ensure the permitting process for modular and manufactured homes is clear and does not include any disincentives to using these building methods. Evaluate existing zoning code language and building permit process and make any necessary modifications Develop informational materials to assist applicants with zoning and building requirements.

Staff research and
code review.

Propose change as
needed.

Medium when
active
Program 5-1: Review Municipal Code standards and procedure documents and update as necessary so that they are more concise and understandable.  For applications that require review by Woodside Fire Protection District  For applications that require Site Development Permits (Town term for grading permits)
 Create handouts in plain language for property owners and technical language for design professionals
Staff research and
code review.

Propose change as
needed.

Medium when
active
148 of 285
5 Please note that this is preliminary and subject to change Program 5-2: Review use of consultants, staffing pattern, and fee schedules for ways to improve efficiency.

Evaluate annually as
part of budget
process
Low
Program 6-1: As part of the regular three-year cycle to update the building code, evaluate the code and include latest best practices for fire resiliency in collaboration with Woodside Fire Protection District.

Building Official
draft in
collaboration with
WFPD
$7,000 every
three years
Low
Program 6-2: Evaluate the Town’s landscaping regulations and guidelines and update with science-based best practices with respect to fire safety and water usage in collaboration with the Town’s Wildfire Preparedness Committee, Sustainability Committee and Conservation Committee
Committee led
process
Unknown Medium
Program 6-3: Vegetation management is a priority for wildfire resilience and additional programs will be developed in collaboration with Woodside Fire Protection District. (These programs cannot be included in detail because the best practices are evolving.)
 Continue regular meetings between the Fire Chief, Fire Marshal, Town Manager, and Planning and Building Director
 Ask the Fire Marshal to make an annual report to the Town Council on vegetation management efforts and make recommendations on how to improve effectiveness. Include discussion about supportive programs to assist households.

Coordination with
WFPD
Medium
Program 6-4: Review and adopt, as appropriate, fire hazard maps developed by the Woodside Fire Protection District and/or CalFire once they are available. In light of new fire maps, revaluate housing sites with the Fire Marshal or other qualified professional to determine if any new/replacement sites are needed or if additional fire prevention measures are needed.

Consultant may
be necessary
High
Program 6-5: Once new fire hazard maps are available from Woodside Fire Protection District and/or CalFire and adopted by the Town, evaluate ADU and Staff review in
consultation with
WFPD
High
149 of 285
6 Please note that this is preliminary and subject to change Senate Bill 9 ordinances to determine if any new fire prevention measures are needed.

Program 6-6: Work with local fire officials to educate homeowners and landlords through community meetings, mailers, and participation in community events on how to reduce fire risk to structures and landscaping as wildfire risk continues to increase due to climate change.

Wildfire
Preparedness
Committee is lead
Low
Program 6-7: The Town has had a number of regulations that encourage energy conservation for years. These include permitting solar installations, utilizing subdivision regulations that protect solar access, and supporting energy efficient design. In addition, most new development is clustered, which reduces impacts on the land. The Town also requires native landscaping, which reduces the need for both water and energy. All of these policies and regulations will continue. Continue existing green and energy conservation measures, revise them when necessary, and implement new programs in accordance with the Sustainability Element and the town’s future Climate Action Plan.

Sustainability
Committee is lead
Low
Program 7-1: Improve public information on the ADU application and permit process so it is clear and comprehensive. Create new informational materials on JADUs, recognizing their benefits related to affordability, use of existing building areas, and environmental benefits. Track ADUs and JADUs separately to help analyze how well each program is working.

May be possible to
collaborate with
ADU Ambassadors
for some of this
work
High
Program 7-2: Create an amnesty program for existing, unpermitted ADUs to obtain permits to legalize the ADUs during the 2023-2031 planning period. The amnesty program would provide property owners the opportunity to formally legalize existing unpermitted ADUs and thereafter draw building permits for improvements to legalized ADUs.

May be possible to
collaborate with
ADU Ambassadors
for some of this
work
High when active
Program 7-3: Provide direct assistance from the Building Division for property owners interested in making minor changes to accommodate a JADU. This program helps to address fair housing contributing factors relating to a lack of affordable housing.

Provide individual
meetings with
Building Official
$3,000 per year Low
150 of 285
7 Please note that this is preliminary and subject to change Program 7-4: Establish staff and consultant ADU office hours so that applicants can ask questions of subject matter experts.

Use same office
hours as in Program
3-2.

Additional $4,000
beyond number
for Program 3-2
Medium
Program 7-5: Develop and run a survey of ADU owners in Portola Valley to determine how ADUs are being used in the community and how much they are contributing to the housing stock and affordable housing.

Medium
Program 7-6: Develop an affordable ADU rental program that matches lowincome tenants who have experienced displacement from areas outside of Portola Valley due to increasing rents with Portola Valley ADU owners willing to rent ADUs at below market rates.

Assess every two years if the number of very low- and low-income ADUs is meeting the Town’s 6th cycle RHNA goals. If not, provide the following incentives:
 Provide incentives to homeowners to rent to Housing Choice Voucher Program (previously Section 8) and low-income households (like waiving fees or offering another financial incentive).

Use of Affordable
Housing Trust Funds
may be necessary
for incentives.

Medium
Program 7-7: Prepare pre-approved preliminary floor plans for ADUs and JADUs that are made available to property owners. These pre-approved floor plans would only require minimal additional engineering to account for the unique topography of sites and would significantly decrease the level of effort required of property owners in designing and permitting a JADU or ADU.

Assess every two years if ADU and JADU production is meeting the Town’s 6th cycle RHNA goals. If not, offer expedited plan check for ADU and JADU applications and organize a meeting with property owners that have constructed ADUs and interested property owners to understand the challenges and provide additional resources, as feasible to encourage ADU/JADU applications.

May be opportunity
to collaborate with
other cities/towns
in San Mateo
County on ADU
Center
$25,000 per year
if Countywide
Collaboration
Low or Medium,
depending on
County effort
Program 7-8: Update Town’s ADU ordinance regularly to comply with State law.

Town Attorney in
collaboration with
Planning Staff
Medium, expect
almost annual
update
151 of 285
8 Please note that this is preliminary and subject to change Program 8-1: To comply with State law (SB 520), the Town adopted written Reasonable Accommodation Procedures within Chapter 18.11 of the Town’s Code of Ordinances. The Town will continue to analyze existing land use controls, building codes, and permit and processing procedures to determine constraints they impose on the development, maintenance, and improvement of housing for persons with disabilities. The Town hands out informational brochures and includes information on the Towns website to inform residents of the Reasonable Accommodation Procedures.

Evaluate regulations
every three years
and update as
needed
Low
Program 8-2: Due to clarifications of California law relative to transitional and supportive housing, the Town’s municipal code needs to be amended so that it is fully compliant. In order to comply, the new multi-family and mixed-use zoning districts need to allow supportive housing by-right in zones where multi-family and mixed uses are permitted, pursuant to Government Code Section 65651 (SB 745 and AB 2162).

Completed, no
action needed
Program 8-3: Update the Municipal Code to comply with State law to allow a Low Barrier Navigation Center by-right in zones where mixed uses are permitted, pursuant to Government Code Section 65660 (SB 48 (2019)).

Included with HE
budget
Program 8-4: Incentivize developers through development standards concessions or fee waivers/reductions to increase the number of accessible units beyond the federal requirement of 5% for subsidized developments.

Research and
implement best
practices
Low
Program 8-5: Rezone properties in Town to allow multi-family housing with a range of affordability levels and deed restrictions to ensure affordability over time.

Affirmatively market the housing to households that are under-represented in Town including Black and Hispanic households. Address fair housing contributing factors relating to a lack of affordable housing, and a lack of moderate- and high-density development.

Rezoning underway.

Work with project
applicants on their
marketing. Impose
conditions of
approval on projects
to implement.

Low
Program 8-6: Through collaboration with local service providers, convene a discussion of populations that are experiencing comparatively high rates of cost burden to discuss solutions for relief. Consider a rental assistance program tailored Coordinate with
Race &Equity
Committee.

Shared Housing
Staff
Low
152 of 285
9 Please note that this is preliminary and subject to change to extremely high cost-burdened residents. This may be in coordination with ADU/JADU programs. Include Black, Indigenous and people of color in these conversations. Address fair housing contributing factors relating to a lack of affordable housing.

Potential to
coordinate with
other cities/towns
Program 8-7: Collaborate with other cities/towns and Project Sentinel, or another similar organization, to perform fair housing training for property owners, real estate agents, and tenants across the region. The training would include information on reasonable accommodation and source of income discrimination, as well as other fair housing information with emphasis on certain topics driven by housing complaint data and information from stakeholders. Participation in fair housing training will be required for approval of landlords’ business licenses. Focus enforcement efforts on race-based discrimination and reasonable accommodations, with the goal of improving knowledge about how to recognize and challenge discrimination in order to increase loans to people of color and persons with disabilities. Address fair housing contributing factors related to existing patterns of higher loan denial rates for people of color, and a lack of knowledge of fair housing laws and rights in tenants and owners.

Coordinate with
Race &Equity
Committee.

Potential to
coordinate with
other cities/towns
Shared Housing
Staff
Low
Program 8-8: Create a webpage specific to fair housing including resources for residents who feel they have experienced discrimination, information about filing fair housing complaints with HCD or HUD, and information about protected classes under the Fair Housing Act. Address fair housing contributing factors related to a lack of knowledge of fair housing laws and rights in tenants and owners.

One time effort Low
Program 8-9: Conduct a comprehensive analysis of the Municipal Code to ensure there are no regulatory constraints (actual or perceived) to reasonable accommodation and providing housing for persons with disabilities. Address fair housing contributing factors related to a lack of knowledge of fair housing laws and rights in tenants and owners.

Research, code
review, and
amendments as
needed.

Medium
Program 8-10: Update the Municipal Code to comply with State law and the HCD Group Home Technical Advisory (December 2022) to allow Group Homes of 1-6 persons by-right in single-family residential zones, and Group Homes of 7 or more persons with a use permit with objective findings.

Included with HE
scope and budget
153 of 285
10 Please note that this is preliminary and subject to change Program 9-1: Work with owners of 4394 Alpine or supportive housing nonprofits to support the development of housing that serves developmentally disabled persons.
 The owner of the 4394 Alpine Housing Inventory Site has requested greater certainty for applicants of private affordable housing projects seeking to secure grants under the Affordable Housing Fund. This could include, but not be limited to, specific qualifying criteria, applications and application checklists, and benchmarks for allocation of funds based on unit size and/or affordability level. The owner requests that criteria is in place within 180 days of Housing Element adoption. The Town will seek to meet this timeline to the extent feasible.
 Create a policy for fee waivers that expressly supports Supportive Housing Projects.
 Explore assistance in facilitating infrastructure permitting, including coordination with external agencies (including PGE, WestBay Sanitation, and CalWater) for supportive housing projects.
 Consider rezoning 4388 Alpine as multifamily so long as the Willow Commons entitlements are considered vested and/or exempted from any conflicting provisions.

Council
Subcommittee
formed
TBD
Low
154 of 285
Table of Meetings and Documents Related to the Housing Element Update Body Date Document Title & Topics Link(s) Approximate
Discussion Length
Town Council 2/10/21 Discussion of Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA); staff report on p. 70
of packet
Meeting Recording,
Summary, Agenda and
Minutes
0:24:00
0:26:00 – 0:50:00
Town Council 4/28/21 Town Council direction on proposed Housing Element update work program
including formation of Ad Hoc Housing
Element Committee, community
engagement strategy and appointment
of Council subcommittee; staff report on
p. 96 of packet
Meeting Recording,
Summary, Agenda and
Minutes
1:35:00
1:24:00 – 2:59:00
Planning
Commission
5/5/21 3. Housing Element Update – Update
from Town Council Meeting. p. 23 of
packet
Meeting Recording,
Summary, Agenda and
Minutes
1:00:00
00:49:00 – 1:49:00
Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
8/16/21 What is a Housing Element and Why is it
Important? Why this Committee’s work
matters, Local and Historical Context.

Legal Background. Town Strategic Plan.

Meeting Recording,
Summary, Agenda and
Minutes
3:08:00
Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
9/20/21 Values, Decorum and Public Comment Values Decorum and Public Comment
Presentation from
September 20 2021
2:51:00
Attachment 9
155 of 285
Organization and Evaluation of Existing
Housing Element
Portola Valley Demographic and Housing
Trends
Housing Affordability Income Categories
– Deeper Dive
Existing Housing
Element Organization
Presentation
September 20 2021
Portola Valley
Demographic and
Housing Trends (Draft
Data) Presentation from
September 20 2021
Housing Affordability
Income Categories
Presentation from
September 20 2021
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Minutes
Meeting Recording
Community-Wide
Meeting
10/14/21 Presentation: Background and context
for the Housing Element update
Breakout room discussion: Feedback on
Portola Valley’s key housing needs and
potential solutions through the housing
Recording
Meeting Summary
Presentation
52:00
156 of 285
sites inventory and new policies and
programs.

Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
10/18/21 1. Values, Decorum and Public Comment
– Published

2. Introduction to Housing Sites
Inventory

3. Housing Sites Inventory Selection –
Possible Scenarios

4. Regional Housing Needs Allocation
(RHNA) Zoning Target Concept
Housing Sites Scenarios
presentation from
October 18, 2021
Housing Sites Scenarios
detail from October 18,
2021
Meeting Recording
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Minutes
3:24:00
Joint Town Council
and Planning
Commission
10/27/21 Discussion of progress on community
engagement strategy and feedback to
guide the work of the Ad Hoc Housing
Element Committee; staff report. p. 75 of
packet.

Meeting Recording,
Summary, Agenda and
Minutes
1:51:00
1:09:00 – 3:00:00
Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
11/15/21 1. Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)
Discussion
• Background, Terminology, History,
Income Category Assignment
• Recent Town Code amendments
• Income Categories and Projections for
Cycle 6

2. Feedback from Community Meeting
and Town Council/Planning Commission
Study Session
ADU Presentation from
November 15 2021
Feedback from
Community and TC-PC
Meetings Presentation
from November 15
2021
Meeting Summary for
November 15, 2021
3:20:00
157 of 285

3. Committee Outreach to Community

4. Staff Updates/Announcements
• Topics look ahead
• Department of Housing and
Community Development (HCD) Staff
Visit
• SB9 Update
• Department of Justice Housing Strike
Force
• Administrative updates
Meeting Recording
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Minutes
Ad Hoc Committee
of Town
Committees
1/11/22 Housing Element update discussion; staff
memo in meeting packet.

Meeting packet
Staff Presentation
Recording
1:35:00
Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
1/18/22 1. Wildfire Resiliency and Recovery –
Susan Hartman, Community
Development Director, Town of Paradise

2. Review Housing Element Update
Timeline and Forthcoming Topics
a. Interaction between Safety Element
and Housing Element Updates

3. Fire Safety and the Housing Element
a. Fire Risk Mapping Exercise – Zeke
Lunder, Pyrogeographer, Deer Creek
Resources
Wildfire Resilience and
Recovery – Susan
Hartman (Town of
Paradise) Presentation
from January 18 2022
Housing Element and
Safety Element Timeline
Presentation from
January 18, 2022
4:30:00
158 of 285
b. Fire District Process and Key
Considerations - Don Bullard, Fire
Marshal, Woodside Fire Protection
District
Fire District Process and
Key Considerations –
Don Bullard (WFPD)
Presentation from
January 18, 2022
Meeting Summary for
January 18
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
1/31/22 1. Summary of Ad Hoc Committee of
Town Committees Meeting #1 – Judith
Murphy, Chair

2. Affiliated Housing Program
a. Current program, partners and next
steps

3. Update on SB 9
a. Update on December Town Council
meeting and contents of SB 9 urgency
ordinance
Affiliated Housing
Discussion from January
31 2022
SB9 Ordinance from
January 31 2022
Meeting Summary for
January 31
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
3:51:00
Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
2/22/22 1. Woodside Fire Protection District
Update

2. Housing Sites Inventory Part II of III
a. Process for Committee
Woodside Fire
Protection District
Presentation
3:52:00
159 of 285
recommendations
b. Review Part I discussion and key
takeaways from 10/18/2021 meeting
c. Presentation of updated constraints
maps
d. Review overall Regional Housing
Needs Allocation according to income
category
e. Preliminary discussion on specific sites
to include in the Sites Inventory
Housing Sites Inventory
Part II Discussion
Meeting Summary for
February 22
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
2/28/22 1. Housing Sites Inventory Part III
a. Review community housing survey
results
b. Visual presentation of representative
varying multi family projects
c. Continue discussion from 2/22
Committee meeting to select sites to be
included in the Housing
Sites Inventory

2. Staff to provide updates to Committee
a. Review forthcoming Committee
meeting topics and schedule
Housing Sites Inventory
Part III Discussion from
February 28 2022
Potential Housing Sites
Potential Housing Sites -
Land Use Constraints
Maps
Parcels 2 Acres or more
Housing Element Survey
Summary and Detailed
Results
Visualizing Density from
February 28 2022
6:24:00
160 of 285
Housing Element
Update - General Intro
from February 28 2022
Meeting Summary for
February 28
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Recording Part
1 Meeting Recording Par
2 Meeting Minutes
Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
3/21/22 1. Housing Element Policies and
Programs (2 Hours 15 Minutes)
a. Review and discuss existing policies
and programs from current RHNA Cycle 5
and new proposed
policies and programs for RHNA Cycle 6
Policies and Programs
Discussion from March
21 2022
Meeting Summary for
March 21
Additional Public
Comment (see meeting
agenda for initial
comments)
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
4:05:00
161 of 285
Town Council 3/23/22 Housing Element update discussion – work program, timeline, resources and
budget; staff report on p. 126 of packet
Meeting Recording,
Summary, Agenda and
Minutes
3:14:00
1:46:00 – 5:00:00
Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
4/18/22 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
(AFFH) Policies and Programs; housing
sites inventory update and discussion;
staff reports in meeting packet
Housing Sites Inventory,
Part VI - Presentation
El Mirador and Neely
Properties Constraints
Map
Ford Field Constraints
Map
Policies and Programs -
AFFH Presentation
Staff Memo -
Affirmatively Fair
Housing
Staff Memo - Housing
Sites Inventory
Town-Owned Parcels
Hazards Composite
Map
Meeting Packet
Meeting Summary
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
5:42:00
162 of 285
Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
5/2/22 1. Housing Sites Inventory Update and
Discussion
a. New work product generated by staff
and consultants since April 18th meeting
in response
to Committee feedback
i. Maps and Analysis
ii. Update on ADU Focus Group and “Opt
In” to Upzoning Meeting
b. Committee Discussion and
Recommendation On Sites Inventory
Presentation slides
Meeting Summary
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
5:06:00
Community-Wide
Meeting
5/9/22 Presentation: Previous community
outreach and housing sites inventory
Breakout Room Discussion: feedback on
the site selection, design features of the
Opt-In Program, zoning standards for
new multifamily development along
Alpine Road, and improvements for the
ADU/JADU process
Main Room
Presentation
Breakout Room
Presentation
Meeting Summary
Meeting flyer
Recording
1:16:00
Ad Hoc Committee
of Town
Committees
5/16/22 Housing development application
checklist and forthcoming objective
design standards; staff memo in meeting
packet
Presentation
Meeting packet
Recording
Minutes
Summary
2:40:00
163 of 285
Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
5/24/22 1. Overview of May 16th Committee of
Committees Meeting by Chair Judith
Murphy

2. Partial Draft Housing Element
a. Update on ADU/JADU and Opt-in
Programs
b. Committee Discussion and
Recommendations

STAFF UPDATE

1. Staff updates to Committee
Review Partial Housing
Element Update -
Presentation
Staff Memo (with
Attachments)
Meeting Summary
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
4:52:00
Planning
Commission
6/15/22 Public Review Draft Housing Element Meeting Recording, Summary, and Agenda
3:52:00
Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
6/20/22 1. Public Review Draft Housing Element
a. Update on Planning Commission
review
b. Discussion and feedback
Staff Presentation
Staff Memo
Meeting Summary
Meeting Agenda
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
5:14:00
Planning
Commission
6/29/22 Draft Housing Element Discussion Meeting Recording, Summary, and Agenda
5:18:00
Town Council 7/13/22 7a. Review the Draft Housing Element. p. 31 of packet
Meeting Recording,
Summary, Agenda,
Minutes and Public
Comments
4:46:00
0:34:00 – 5:20:00
164 of 285
Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
8/15/22 1. Draft Housing Element Update
a. Town Council Review - Outcomes
b. HCD Submittal Timeline and
Expectations
c. Next Steps After HCD Submittal and
Role of the Committee
Staff Memo
Staff Presentation
Draft Minutes
Ad Hoc Housing
Element Committee
Agenda 08-15-22
Meeting Recording
2:00:00
Planning
Commission
10/19/22 3. Proposed Zoning Code Amendments
to Implement the Housing Element. p. 95
of packet
Meeting Recording,
Summary, and Agenda
3:09:00
1:14:00 – 4:23:00
Planning
Commission
11/2/22 2.. Zoning Code Amendment to
Implement the Housing Element – Part 2
p. 14 of packet
Meeting Recording,
Summary, and Agenda
3:18:00
1:22:00 – 4:40:00
Ad Hoc Housing
Element
Committee
11/10/22 1. Draft Housing Element
a. Feedback from Housing & Community
Development (HCD)- Discussion and
Input on Comments
b. Next Steps and Role of the Committee

1. Staff updates to Committee
a. Environmental Review (IS/MND) Draft
Document
Staff Presentation
Staff Memo
Ad Hoc Housing
Element Special
Committee Agenda 11-
04-22
Meeting Recording
Meeting Minutes
2:34:00
Planning
Commission
11/16/22 Receive Comments on the Draft Initial
Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration
Meeting Recording,
Summary, Public
3:08:00
165 of 285
(IS/NMD) fort the proposed Portola
Valley Housing and Safety Elements
Update and Conforming General Plan
and Zoning Code Amendments
Comments, Agenda and
Minutes
Planning
Commission
11/30/22 1. Housing Element Update and
Implementing Actions–General Plan
Conformance, Voluntary Upzoning
Program, Housing Element Programs,
Density Bonus Law

2. Implementation of the Housing
Element–Draft Zoning Code
Amendments Part 3
Meeting Recording,
Summary, Agenda and
Public Comments
4:02:00
Planning
Commission
12/7/22 Housing Element Update and
Implementing Actions – General Plan
Conformance, Zoning Code Amendments
Part 4 and Informational item on Fire
Mapping
Meeting Recording,
Summary, Agenda and
Public Comments
4:10:00
Town Council 12/14/22 6a. Housing Element Update and
Discussion. p. 40 of packet
Meeting Recording,
Summary, and Agenda
2:06:00
2:39:00 – 4:45:00
Planning
Commission
1/24/23 Housing Element Update and Associated
Actions: Portola Valley Housing and Safety
Elements Update and Conforming General
Plan and Zoning Code Amendments Initial
Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration;
Housing Element Update (2023-2031);
Conforming General Plan Amendments;
Implementing Zoning Amendments. This
Meeting Recording,
Minutes and Agenda
3:39:00
166 of 285
meeting will focus on the Initial
Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration and
Response to Comments.

Town Council 1/25/23 B. Receive Report and Provide Direction on the Housing Element Update and Schedule
of Associated Zoning Code Amendments and
Other Related Documents
Meeting Recording,
Agenda and Summary
1:50:00
2:39:00 – 4:29:00
Town Council 2/8/23 6a. Discuss Colleagues Memo from
Councilmembers Hasko and Taylor
Entitled “Proposed Process for
Implementation of Sunrise Provision of
Housing Element”
Meeting Recording,
Agenda and Summary
1:36:00
58:00 – 2:34:00
Planning
Commission
2/15/23 Adoption of a Resolution Providing a
Recommendation that the Town Council
Adopt the Initial Study/Mitigated
Negative Declaration (IS/MND) and
Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting
Program (MMRP) for the proposed
Portola Valley Housing and Safety
Elements Update and Conforming
General Plan and Zoning Amendments;
Discussion of Colleagues Memo from
Commissioners Targ and Brothers; and
Review of Additional Information
Requested by Planning Commission
Meeting Recording
Agenda and Fire Safety
Approaches Slides
4:41:15
167 of 285
Planning
Commission
3/6/23 Adoption of a Resolution Providing a
Recommendation that the Town Council
Adopt the proposed Portola Valley
Housing Element and Conforming
General Plan Amendments
Meeting Recording and
Agenda
4:36:00
Town Council 3/15/23 Study Session on Housing Element Draft #3, Conforming General Plan
Amendments, Associated Initial
Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration,
and Recommendations from the
Planning Commission
Meeting Recording and
Agenda
3:06:00
Town Council 3/22/23 6a. Hold a Public Hearing and Adopt a Resolution Adopting the Initial
Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration
(IS/MND) and Mitigation Monitoring and
Reporting Program (MMRP) for the
proposed Portola Valley Housing and
Safety Elements Update and Conforming
General Plan and Zoning Amendments
7a. Housing Element Post Approval
Process
Meeting Recording,
Agenda, Summary,
Public Comments and
Subcommittee
Presentation
4:44:00
Town Council 3/29/23 3a. Adoption of Resolutions Adopting 1) the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative
Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring
and Reporting Program for Housing and
Safety Elements Update and Conforming
General Plan and Zoning
Meeting Agenda, and
Public Comments
6:00:00
168 of 285
Amendments; and 2) Proposed Housing
Element and Conforming General
Plan Amendments and Final Direction on
Post Adoption Housing Element
Plan
All Housing
Element Related
Meetings
~143 hours
41 Public Meetings
Updated 3-30-23
169 of 285
Attachment 10
170 of 285
171 of 285
172 of 285
173 of 285
174 of 285
175 of 285
176 of 285
177 of 285
178 of 285
179 of 285
180 of 285
181 of 285
182 of 285
183 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Bill Kelly
Sent: Sunday, April 2, 2023 1:53 PM
To: Craig Taylor; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing Subject: It's time to finalize the housing element
Council members,
I'm writing to urge you to finalize and submit the housing element in its current form. I was a member of the ad hoc committee that helped to create the housing element. Beginning about 18 months ago, the Town has conducted what may well be the most exhaustive, exhausting and open process of any town in our state.

The result is of course imperfect, and each of us would no doubt make changes according to our own preferences. But as we have seen, each change begets more changes, and the time drags on, and citizens (and Town employees) drop from the process, and the hard core of those remaining are less and less representative of actual public opinion yet more and more convinced of their own self-educated righteousness. Indeed it's hard to avoid the conclusion that delay in and of itself has become a conscious tactic.

Let's finalize the housing element now, get ourselves into compliance with the law, avoid the risk of state enforcement action and developers' remedies, and get on to the business of administering the program in a way that will contribute to solving our regional housing crisis.

In a situation like this it's good to recall Benjamin Franklin, who had this to say at the conclusion of the constitutional convention in 1787:
"Thus I consent, Sir, to this Constitution because I expect no better, and because I am not sure that it is not the best. The opinions I have had of its errors, I sacrifice to the public good. I have never whispered a syllable of them abroad. Within these walls they were born, and here they shall die. If every one of us in returning to our Constituents were to report the objections he has had to it, and endeavor to gain partizans in support of them, we might prevent its being generally received, and thereby lose all the salutary effects & great advantages resulting naturally in our favor among foreign Nations as well as among ourselves, from our real or apparent unanimity.

Much of the strength & efficiency of any Government in procuring and securing happiness to the people, depends, on opinion, on the general opinion of the goodness of the Government, as well as of the wisdom and integrity of its Governors. I hope therefore that for our own sakes as a part of the people, and for the sake of posterity, we shall act heartily and unanimously in recommending this Constitution (if approved by Congress & confirmed by the Conventions) wherever our influence may extend, and turn our future thoughts & endeavors to the means of having it well administered.

On the whole, Sir, I can not help expressing a wish that every member of the Convention who may still have objections to it, would with me, on this occasion doubt a little of his own infallibility, and to make manifest our unanimity, put his name to this instrument."
--
Bill Kelly
10 Peak Lane
[email protected]
650-722-1135
184 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: sarah dorahy
Sent: Sunday, April 2, 2023 2:41 PM
To: Craig Taylor; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko
Cc: Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing
Subject: What’s the plan?
My apologies for the re‐sending but I want to add this email to the record for the next meeting.

Thank you,
Sarah Dorahy
From: sarah dorahy
Sent: Sunday, April 2, 2023 8:50 AM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: What’s the plan?

Dear Craig, Mary and Judith,
First of all, thank you for your volunteer service to the Town.

Secondly, what's your plan?
I worked on the AHHEC for two years. As you know, our mandate was to pull together a feasible Housing Element. I joined the committee because I wanted to be part of something we could all be proud of. My thinking was that Portola Valley might even do some ground-breaking stuff and serve as an example of how a community might successfully boost and diversify its housing stock while still remaining true to its rural character.

The HE we have is far from perfect. And there is plenty that I don't love about it. But I believe it should be submitted. Not doing so is dangerous.

If we fall out of compliance and end with up apartment buildings in Portola Valley, it will be because you three council members voted against submission while providing NO ALTERNATIVE!!! This is nuts. Are you really willing to take that risk?
Time is running out. Our town staff is exhausted and people are quitting their jobs. With whom will you work on your alternative plan? And where is the budget for the thousands of hours of work this will require? I am worried because I think your plan is to stall. This is irresponsible and it's not good governance.

So, what is your plan? Have you found other building sites? If so, tell us. Where are they? Sarah Dorahy
468 Westridge Dr
185 of 285
2 Get Outlook for iOS
186 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Katherine Gilpin
Sent: Monday, April 3, 2023 12:20 PM
To: Craig Taylor; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing Subject: Thoughts from a concerned citizen...

Dear Town Leaders - Mr. Taylor, Ms. Hufty, Ms. Hasko, Ms. Wernikoff, and Mr. Aalfs, I am extremely impressed with the quality and duration of research by the Affordable Housing Committee. It has been a thoughtful, well researched effort. I also respect the final recommendations that were the output of the effort. I would like to see us:
 submit the plan that was developed by the committee immediately and without delay  do our part to build affordable housing so that society can better thrive  comply with state guidelines because it the ethical and lawful thing to do I am sad and, honestly, baffled that we are still in this place without a submitted plan. There is no silver bullet that solves this issue and, no matter what, we all will need to give a little to house the members of our society. Society is at a natural tipping point where the population, jobs and housing no longer match. It just is what it is! I have been living in the Bay Area on and off since 1993 and the conditions here have just changed - high job growth, high economic growth, and little housing growth. There are many well-researched articles written about how job growth and economic stability is contingent upon adequate housing. They need to come together or societies will wilt as homelessness grows and services decline. If we do nothing, then we will slowly have fewer services and, of-course, the state will come in and take over our decision making. Not to mention that not housing people seems unkind at best.

Filling our jobs requires having housing for people to live in. I personally find it depressing that:

1. The Village Square Vet has so few vets and such high doctor turnover that it takes four days to get an emergency appointment for a lethargic kitten who is not eating and cannot walk.

2. Open PVSD and SUHSD positions get only a handful (or fewer) of resumes for positions paying $100,000-$200,000. Additionally, teachers have to be independently wealthy or married to a tech executive to work in education here. This really limits the talent pool.

3. Portola Kitchen sometimes has only three waiters working on a busy Thursday when the bar is two deep with customers.

4. Robert's meat counter is closed by 6 or 7pm due to staffing shortage and that, in general, the smoothie bar is just no longer open.

5. Many clinical psychologists (PhDs) who used to work in the area have moved away and now only see patients via zoom. My son has been on a waitlist for an in-person therapist with Pacific Anxiety Group for 18 months. PAG is owned by someone in Portola Valley.

So, I ask you all how we will move forward now without more deliberation. We have done good work - very good work. We have already had a methodical and exhaustive process 187 of 285
2 that involved many people, many smart people, and lots of research and listening. There is not more work to do at this point, only delays and division.
 PV has already undertaken the most diligent expansive public process on the Peninsula at a cost of $500K, over 6% of the Town's General Fund budget (despite being one of the smallest Towns on the Peninsula). It has been the most expansive on the Peninsula, if not the entire 9- county Bay Area: 140+ hours of public meetings over an 18-month period starting in Aug 2021 that has leveraged the input of 100s of community members, the 15-member Ad Hoc Housing Element Committee, 7 current/former Planning Commissioners, and input from geologic and wildfire experts, including WFPD.
 We approved an extensive post-approval process on 3/22 that gives the community 2 years to refine the plan for Ford Park & Open Space.
 As of 3/31, we are at increased risk of builder's remedy projects and lawsuits for being beyond the 60-day submission deadline. JH/CT/MH have all known Glen Oaks was on the list for 8 months (the site was approved by the Council last summer), including during their campaigns. Why did their concern with this site just get surfaced Thurs 3/30? Warmly! I hope you all can move forward. Feeling sad.

Katherine Gilpin
 Current President, Woodside High School Foundation (3rd year in this role, 4th year as Board Member)
 Former Board Member, Portola Valley School Foundation (5 years)  Former Chair of Alpine Hills Youth Committee (3 years) 188 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Josh Knowles
Sent: Monday, April 3, 2023 4:23 PM
To: Craig Taylor; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing Subject: PVTC Housing
PV Council Members,
We love PV! We have only lived in town for 2 years but could not be happier with the town, the schools and the activism. We voted in the last election and really like the current board. We support a measured plan towards the RHNA mandate doing all we can to preserve the rural nature of the town short of doing something that might endanger the ability of the town to control its destiny. We worry that by not submitting a housing plan by the state mandated deadline (albeit a little late) we may get a catastrophic outcome. The PVTC and citizens have collectively dedicated thousands of hours of analyses to this issue. Please, at this late date, do what you can to make sure we will both continue to be proud of our town as a whole and remain in control of our destiny as much as possible. Don’t delay submission of a compliant plan.

Thanks
Josh Knowles
189 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Trish Heald
Sent: Tuesday, April 4, 2023 8:56 AM
To: Craig Taylor; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing Subject: Please finalize and submit the HE
Council members,
I served on the ADU team and participated as an engaged resident in the HE process for nearly a year. I have heard nothing new in the last forty hours of 140 hours of public engagement. The same objections, concerns, approaches, suggestions, ideas, and emotions (with slight nuances to account for personality) have been raised repeatedly. And they are valid ones. Valid ones the town committees and council have done their best to resolve.

Now, as a community and a town government, we are at a point of diminishing returns.

Each of us, given an hour or two to digest what RHNA is and what's in the Housing Element, will feel uncomfortable with one or more aspects of the plan. Will disagree with one or more aspects of the plan. And any resident that reads the Housing Element (let alone PV Forum) out of context from the 18 months of work and 140 hours of public engagement in this decision-making process is likely to say, "STOP! There must be a better way!" As far as I'm aware, the majority of you on the Town Council has actively sought to find a better way for 18 months!
And you have found a better way. It will never be the best way. Perfect is the enemy of done. Further delays and refinements risk consequences nobody wants to be accountable for. I would like you to consider diminished civic engagement among those consequences. We're dropping like flies here, and what a shame because so many vital issues need our time and energy. Need your time and energy.

Please finalize and submit the HE without further deliberation.

Kind regards,
Trish Heald
160 Sausal Drive
190 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: KB
Sent: Tuesday, April 4, 2023 11:23 AM
To: Craig Taylor; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing Subject: HE element
Dear Town Council members,
I am writing to ask you to please, please, please approve the HE and submit to the state before we lose control over any development in PV.

You know all the arguments of what could happen when a tiny town fights a big state government, so I'll just plead with you to approve the HE and send it in before it's too late. Let's not be arrogant and assume we can bully Sacramento into our preferences. It's been 140 hours of public discussion and 18 months of development and procrastination and already late to meet the deadlines before we become an example. Please help us to recover and file the HE now.

We can always file suit as a separate action but we need to ensure the State does not take control of our town on this specific issue.

Thank you for your consideration,
Kerry Brown,
70 Palmer Lane
Portola Valley, Ca
191 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Jerry Shefren
Sent: Tuesday, April 4, 2023 11:36 AM
To: housing
Subject: Please get this done
I would like to echo the thoughts of those who are extremely disappointed that the Council does not seem to be able to make the tough decisions necessary on submitting the housing element. The probability of Stanford approving the housing proposal for Glen Oaks especially anytime in the next 12 months seems like 0. Do we think they owe us a favor? It would seem like there is no real motivation to get this done after 2 years of work and countless hours of Council and public discussions. It would seem that the Council is still looking for some solution that makes everyone happy that has not been found so far. How long is that search going to go on? Months? Years?
I appeal to those members of the Council that have failed to approve the HE and allow Portola Valley to be out of compliance to ask themselves why anyone in PV should follow the town ordinances. You are setting the example for how this town operates and therefore how its citizens should operate.

Please get this done. When you finally vote to approve the HE you will definitely make some people unhappy. That's the job you took, that's what the voters who elected you really expect from you.

Jerry Shefren
192 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Susan McLaughlin
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 7:47 AM
To: Mary Hufty; Craig Taylor; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing Subject: Please pass the plan
Dear Craig, Mary and Judith,
How discouraging to read that after all the work done by the previous Council and the AHHEC, you are standing in the way of getting our HE plan submitted to the state.

While there are elements in the plan that I am not happy about, I am more worried about being out of compliance and being subject to builders remedy.

Please do your part to protect the rural quality of our town — that’s part of what you were elected to do.

Thank you all for your volunteer work.

Susan
Susan McLaughlin
[email protected]
193 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From:

Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 8:53 AM
To: housing
Subject: FW: Submit HE to State; Deep Concerns
For the record.

From: [email protected] <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, April 4, 2023 4:18 AM
To: '[email protected]' <[email protected]>; 'Jeff Aalfs' <[email protected]>; 'Mary Hufty' <[email protected]>; '[email protected]' <[email protected]>; '[email protected]' <[email protected]> Cc: 'Lorrie Duval' <[email protected]>
Subject: Submit HE to State; Deep Concerns
Dear Council Members:

I am stunned and deeply concerned that after 18 months of hard work prior to December, 2022, and now another three months in 2023, our Town has not submitted an HCD‐compliant Housing Element plan to the State. We risk losing the two things we all hold most dear: our rural character and our autonomy as a self‐governing municipality. Please submit the current plan to the state.

Further, with the departures of Town Manager Dennis, Assistant Town Manager Gaines, and Town Clerk Thurman during the first three months of 2023, our already tiny staff is further challenged to carry out even the most basic functions. Recruiting – and retaining – experienced professionals to fill these key roles is increasingly challenging as our Town’s progress toward submitting a compliant Housing Element stalls. Remaining staff, now in part saddled with some of the work of their departed colleagues and with briefing interim staff, while also working to meet the ongoing demands of our as‐yet unfiled Housing Element on top of their regular duties of their roles, is stretched very thin indeed. I fear the departure of more key staff members as a result. I implore you to improve staff conditions.

Thank you very much,
Lorrie Duval
Golden Oak Drive
[email protected]
194 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Elizabeth Gillbrand
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 9:13 AM
To: Craig Taylor; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing Cc: Tore Gillbrand
Subject: Please approve the Portola Valley Housing Element Hello Council Members‐
Thank you all for your service to Portola Valley.

Tore and I urge you to pass the Housing Element ASAP. We are impressed by the care, diligence and inclusiveness with which this work has been undertaken over the past two years by the Council, Staff, the AHHEC and other town committees.

There is no perfect solution to meeting our obligation under the law. Difficult tradeoffs need to be made. The extensive planning process has produced a PV Housing Element that is feasible and sensible. It’s reckless not to approve it given that we are 60+ days beyond the deadline and completely exposed to the draconian Builder’s Remedy.

We were pleased with the results of the recent town council election, believing that our family had helped elect council members that would responsibly bring this work to fruition. Please do not let us down. ‐beth
195 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Joyce Shefren
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 9:15 AM
To: PV Forum; housing; [email protected]; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs
Subject: #ISO Housing Element
So many wonderful statements from so many neighbors who are far more eloquent than I on a very important topic for PV and I strongly believe they are correct.

To our present town council; stop wasting time and risking a major penalty against your constituents; approve the housing element asap! There have been countless meetings and input from our neighbors; a process started in 2021! Enough of this --approve the HE presented and join the lawsuit against CA.

Of course none of this is perfect; just step up and get PV into compliance with a CA law.

Joyce Shefren
196 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Wilson Farrar
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 10:25 AM
To: joyce shefren
Cc: PV Forum; housing; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; Craig Taylor; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko Subject: Re: [PVForum] #ISO
They are not “wasting time” they are diligently working with heart and conscious. And their precious time!! We better be “careful what we wish for…” a few more weeks at this juncture could SAVE OUR TOWN down the road and prevent us rolling over and giving up things we need not.

Please TRUST the town council and appreciate how much they care about getting this right.

We are doing this the right way!
In love and with peace to all ∆💗
————————-
Wilson “Win” Farrar
+1-415-860-2552
On Apr 5, 2023, at 9:20 AM, joyce shefren <[email protected]> wrote:

So many wonderful statements from so many neighbors who are far more eloquent than I on a very important topic for PV and I strongly believe they are correct.

To our present town council; stop wasting time and risking a major penalty against your constituents; approve the housing element asap! There have been countless meetings and input from our neighbors; a process started in 2021! Enough of this -- approve the HE presented and join the lawsuit against CA.

Of course none of this is perfect; just step up and get PV into compliance with a CA law.

Joyce Shefren
Links:

You receive all messages sent to this group.
197 of 285
2 View/Reply Online (#175669) | Reply To Sender | Reply To Group | Mute This Topic | New Topic
Mute #iso
Your Subscription | Contact Group Owner | Unsubscribe [[email protected]] 198 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Ronny Krashinsky
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 11:56 AM
To: Craig Taylor; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing; pvforum Subject: regarding housing element and Glen Oaks site #PV Dear Council Members,
Thank you for your time, care, and diligent effort in navigating a difficult Housing Element process.

I join with others in encouraging you to submit a Housing Element expediently to bring our Town into compliance with State law.

Specifically regarding Glen Oaks I would like to call a few things to your attention.

First, we were in the same situation 9 months ago, and already pursued a compromise at that time. Recorded actions from Town Council Meeting Summary – July 13, 2022:
o Formed a Subcommittee of the Mayor and Vice Mayor to work with staff on finalizing the buffer and units allocated to the Glen Oaks site.
o Requested staff to follow up with the property owner and tenant at Glen Oaks and Isola Riding Academy to evaluate options for maintaining horse operations.

Second, the current Housing Element draft is already compatible with the compromise that Council Member Taylor said he would like to pursue: a smaller number of affordable units built in conjunction with the equestrian business. The proposed rezoning (Multi-Family 2-4 du/ac) would allow for a range of 8-16 units on a 4 acre site. And this is the exchange where I asked about the possibility of retaining the equestrian business in the 3/6/2023 Planning Commission Meeting: https://youtu.be/fzwZxHAX0n4?t=6247 Commissioner Krashinsky: The Glen Oaks site – so, there’s 4 developable acres and it’s up to 4 dwelling units per acre for 16 units total, and then meanwhile there is the horse operation on the site. And so my question is, would it be compatible with this zoning to keep the horse operation, if the property owner wanted to, and cluster the 16 units on a smaller portion of the property, say 1 acre, instead of spread across all 4 acres?
Planning Director Russell: Ok, so it’s a little bit of a complicated answer. We understand the Council and the community’s intent around this is to preserve the horse operation if possible and to not write any regulations that would preclude that from happening. So, we don’t want to accidentally force the horse operation out. More, we leave it to the property owner and that lessee in their private arrangements. So, the way that I see this is that we have planned unit development regulations where you’re allowed to cluster projects together, and so it would be possible to cluster this project on a portion of the site. The whole site is actually quite a bit larger and we were just estimating the developable portion, with the creek setback and the scenic corridor setback. And so without a detailed site planning analysis it is hard to know exactly for sure, but we tried to write it so that we wouldn’t be limiting the future potential for that. So I don’t know if you could cluster all of the units onto 1 acre, using your example, but you could certainly cluster those units together enough to have options for the site. I just don’t know if that could actually include keeping the equestrian use, or if that would be the decision of the property owner to do that.

Thank you for your consideration.

Regards,
199 of 285
2 Ronny Krashinsky
200 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Joerg Zimmermann
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 12:42 PM
To: pvfoodlover
Cc: Joyce Shefren; PV Forum; housing; [email protected]; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs
Subject: Re: [PVForum] #ISO Housing Element
Same here.

Get it approved
Joerg
Sent from my iPad
On Apr 5, 2023, at 12:03 PM, pvfoodlover <[email protected]> wrote:

Hear! Hear!
Agreed!
Joanne
On Apr 5, 2023, at 9:15 AM, joyce shefren <[email protected]> wrote:

So many wonderful statements from so many
neighbors who are far more eloquent than I on a very
important topic for PV and I strongly believe they are
correct.

To our present town council; stop wasting time and
risking a major penalty against your constituents;
approve the housing element asap! There have been
countless meetings and input from our neighbors; a
process started in 2021! Enough of this --approve the
HE presented and join the lawsuit against CA.

Of course none of this is perfect; just step up and get PV into compliance with a CA law.

Joyce Shefren
201 of 285
2 Links:

You receive all messages sent to this group.

View/Reply Online (#175682) | Reply To Sender | Reply To Group | Mute This Topic | New Topic
Mute #iso
Your Subscription | Contact Group Owner | Unsubscribe [[email protected]] 202 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Sarah Wernikoff
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 3:16 PM
To: Laura Russell
Subject: Fw: Portola Valley's Future
Sarah Wernikoff
Portola Valley Town Council
[email protected]
From: Felicity Barringer
Sent: Tuesday, April 4, 2023 2:52 PM
To: Mary Hufty <[email protected]>; Judith Hasko <[email protected]>; Sarah Wernikoff <[email protected]>; Jeff Aalfs <[email protected]> Subject: Portola Valley's Future

Dear Council Members:

I've written a separate note to one member already. But I thought all council members needed to see my questions.

I've been a Portola Valley resident since 2007, except for a two-year stint in Menlo Park. Like many residents, I paid little attention to governance issues until a rash of burglaries in 2015 or 2016, when I became the co-block captain for the Hillbrook neighborhood watch group. Paying attention to some issues facing the town made me aware of others. I was impressed at the formation of the ad hoc -- now permanent -- wildfire committee set up after the Paradise fire.

That's by way of introduction. Not everything is perfect about my status in commenting on the housing element vote. The sticking point seems to be the Glen Oaks property, which is on Stanford land. I am a half-time employee working at Stanford's Bill Lane Center for the American West. I don't think that is a disqualifying conflict of interest, but you should know of my Stanford affiliation.

I write because I don't understand why the Glen Oaks issue came up for the first time at last week's council meeting. That housing proposal was made public months ago. Wasn't there an earlier point in the process to raise any concerns? Why did it come at the penultimate minute? You don't need to be reminded that the town is more than two months past the state deadline for turning in a housing element. No one knows if or how builder's remedy housing might happen, but it's clear that if it did, the town would have no control over its future. Do you think that's a gamble worth taking? Why? People I know are puzzled at my desire to comment."What you say won't make any difference. You've got better things to do with your time," I'm told. But looking at the town's threadbare staffing right now, I'd ask a parallel question: don't the town's employees have better things to do than unstitch and re-sew a piece of a legal quilt that was 18 months in the making? Aren't many people clamoring to have them work on making the town safer from fire?
203 of 285
2 I know from my own work -- I got my first professional reporting job in 1973, when I covered local government in New Jersey suburbs -- that there is an overwhelming temptation to delay and double-check and ensure nothing is wrong with an article. It seems that the same temptation exists when producing a housing element. If I didn't resist the temptation, the newspapers I worked for would have been printed too late for home delivery.

So I had to resist it. If you can't resist the temptation, you're putting the town's future in outsiders' hands.

The council has approved a new two-year "sunshine" window for review of projects in the housing element. In newspaper terms, you have ensured that PV's housing element can have second and third editions. In the old days of all-print newspapers, fixes could be made between editions. That should be enough. Please vote to accept the housing element without further delay.

Respectfully,
Felicity Barringer Taubman
204 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Janet Briggs
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 5:41 PM
To: Craig Taylor; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko
Cc: Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing
Subject: Approve and Submit the Housing Element -- NOW! All,
I was taken aback to learn that the HE was not approved and furthermore would not be voted on again until May 10. May 10?? Really??
The time for action is now. No plan can be perfect, but we've had months and months and hours and hours to gather input, consider options, and try to reconcile difficult choices. Everyone has had ample time to weigh in.

So - The time has come, indeed is overdue, for a "yes" vote and to submit the Housing Element in its current state. Inaction on your part puts our entire community at grave risk of unwanted development. Please represent us all and do the right thing, immediately. Vote yes and submit.

If we want to pursue other options, challenge the existing law, do whatever we can to mitigate the negative impacts of the state law, then we should pursue those in parallel (subject to the same public input process as this HE has been).

Thank you for working tirelessly for Portola Valley citizens and community.

Janet Briggs
205 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: McLaughlin Michael
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 9:15 PM
To: Mary Hufty; Craig Taylor; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing Subject: PV Housing Element Plan
Members of the PV Town Council,
I understand the Town Council is deadlocked on the approval of the proposed housing plan. I feel strongly that the Town Council should approve the proposed plan, or promptly propose a workable alternative. The apparent strategy of certain of the town council members to “just say no” is costly and dangerous for our town.

Sincerely,
Mike McLaughlin
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
Michael McLaughlin
mike@susan‐mike.com
206 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Sue Ten
Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 9:26 PM
To: housing; Mary Hufty; Craig Taylor; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff Cc: Jeff Aalfs
Subject: Housing Element
All,
I would like to add my voice to the increasingly urgent calls to submit Portola Valley's Housing Element. As I understand it, we are out of compliance by over 60 days. Surely this intransigence does more harm than good to the town we all care for so much. I am sure I do not understand all the nuances but as a resident of this town for 10 years I despair at the damage this delay is causing.

Sincerely,
Sue Ten
Former PVSF Board member
Sue Ten | m: 650.847.8510 | [email protected]
207 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Geoff Crouse
Sent: Friday, April 7, 2023 3:36 PM
To: Mary Hufty; Craig Taylor; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing Subject: Housing
Dear Portola Valley Town Council,
It’s time to submit the Housing Element. Not doing so is risky, inefficient, costly to us the taxpayers, and a waste of the Town Staff’s time and yours.

To the three newly elected councilmembers: stop dragging this process out and vote to submit.

Enough already.

Geoff Crouse
468 Westridge Dr
208 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Karen Askey
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2023 1:18 PM
To: housing
Subject: Fwd: Kudos to Hasko, Hufty & Taylor
Resending as I made a typo in the address the first time. thanks. ---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Karen Askey <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, Apr 10, 2023 at 1:15 PM
Subject: Kudos to Hasko, Hufty & Taylor
To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, Sarah Wernikoff <[email protected]>, Jeff Aalfs <[email protected]>, <[email protected]> Dear Town Council:

I am in favor of the decision made on 3/29/23 to take one last look at the Stanford-owned site on which the Glenoaks Equestrian Center is located. I commend Council Members Hasko, Hufty and Taylor for wanting more due diligence on a decision that runs contrary to our Housing Element principles and our Town ethos.

It was a very difficult, prudent choice to ensure we cover every base before making a decision that so greatly impacts the future of our town. Given some recent forum posts, I imagine these Council members feel bullied and pressured into a “Just Do It Now” mentality.

The Glenoaks site conflicts with several major principles of our Housing Element.

1. Housing development at Glenoaks will cause a thriving small business to discontinue, and eliminate jobs for low-income employees.

2. Adding Glenoaks to the site inventory does NOT contribute to dispersing the housing across Town, but adds to the majority of development along Alpine Road.

3. The planned site does NOT include any very low or low-income housing.

The Glenoaks site was the last site to be considered, so the public did not have as much time to weigh in. In addition, it is my opinion that the Ad Hoc Housing Element Committee did not fully understand the business operation housed there, nor that all new units would be moderate or above-moderate housing.

Perhaps after one more conversation, Stanford will be amenable to a development plan that allows Glenoaks to remain or house some of its lower-income employees.

We should also be considering how we can replace the 16 high-end units at Glenoaks. First, let’s start with the 6 units at the Town Center (where the police substation currently is) that got the nod several years ago. Given we now have SB9 units, we have established a track record of at least 1 per year, which gives us 8 over 8 years. The remaining two could be included in our ADU numbers, as our recent resident survey indicated a high-interest level in converting or building ADUs/JADUs.

As the buffer is intended primarily for very-low and low-income housing, we may be able to shave a couple of units off. We should strongly consider this as well.
209 of 285
2 Let’s do everything we can to stay true to our Housing Element principles AND our Town’s General Plan.

Thank you,
Karen Askey
210 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Mark Leslie <
Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2023 2:22 PM
To: Craig Taylor; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing Dear Town Council:

The Glenoaks site conflicts with several major principles of our Housing Element.

1. Housing development at Glenoaks will cause a thriving small business to discontinue, and eliminate jobs for low-income employees.

2. Adding Glenoaks to the site inventory does NOT contribute to dispersing the housing across Town, but adds to the majority of development along Alpine Road.

3. The planned site does NOT include any very low or low-income housing.

Perhaps after one more conversation, Stanford will be amenable to a development plan that allows Glenoaks to remain or house some of its lower-income employees.

As the buffer is intended primarily for very-low and low-income housing, we may be able to shave a couple of units off. We should strongly consider this as well.

Let’s do everything we can to stay true to our Housing Element principles AND our Town’s General Plan.

Thank you,
Karen Askey
Kind Regards,
--mark
650 619 8668 (m)
211 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Aimee Armsby
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2023 8:56 AM
To: Craig Taylor; Jeff Aalfs; Judith Hasko; Mary Hufty; Sarah Wernikoff; housing Subject: Please finalize and submit the Housing Element Dear Council Members,

Thank you for your commitment to service, and your willingness to hold public office. I’m writing to urge you to finalize and submit the Portola Valley Housing Element. Development of the HE was a lengthy, thoughtful and democratic process. It was robust and well resourced, and decisions were made with hours of input from many voices in the community, consultations with experts, and with careful consideration of our legal obligations.

The result was a rationale plan to comply with legal mandates in order to maintain local control while also accommodating and addressing resident concerns. As many have observed, not perfect, but balancing competing interests never is. Town staff has spent countless hours supporting the process, which as you know has cost the town more than $500,000.

As a member of the (volunteer) ad hoc committee, I can attest to the robust debate that underlies the draft Housing Element resulting from that process. We all love our Town, and the plan reflects a commitment to preserving its beauty and charm while also supporting the idea that our community of residents can better reflect those that make our town so special but can’t afford to live here.

As you all know, delay and obstruction in finalizing and submitting the plan has dire legal and financial consequences, including state enforcement action and developers’ remedies. It also has practical consequences. We are at risk of losing even more of our experienced and highly skilled Town staff.

Every hour and dollar spent engaging in delay and obstruction is time an money NOT spent on safety, which the vast majority of residents would identify as their top priority.

Please move forward with submission of the Housing Element. Let’s maintain local control so we can be part of the solution to the affordable housing crisis the Portola Valley way, with integrity and commitment to shared values.

Sincerely,
Aimee Armsby
[email protected]
212 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Peter Lipman
Sent: Friday, April 14, 2023 10:13 AM
To: Jeff Aalfs; <[email protected]>; Sarah Wernikoff; Mary Page Hufty; Craig Taylor Cc: Town Center; Town Center; housing; Town Center
Subject: Erroneous feasibility study/conceptual plan for Dorothy Ford Park in draft HE I’ve written previously with multiple concerns about Dorothy Ford Park as an inappropriate site for highdensity multi-family housing (letters of 6/21/22, 6/26/22, 12/7/22, 3/5/23). Now, a further issue has emerged:
adequacy of the creek-side “buffer" proposed for this site. Please consider impacts of the regulatory and geologic issues summarized below, along with others such as at Glen Oaks, that would adversely impact guidelines for the Alpine Scenic Corridor in the PV General Plan.

As a geologist, I had (mistakenly) long assumed that the 55-ft creek buffer portrayed on the conceptual site plan for housing at Dorothy Ford Park (Housing Element, March 2023, p. 117) was a setback from the unstable cutback rim of the irregular arroyo in which Los Trancos Creek is contained (see diagram). However, the conceptual plan diagrams the setback as measured from the creek centerline (dashed yellow line). As such, most to all of the proposed 55-ft setback lies entirely within the arroyo depression or extends at most only a few feet beyond in a few places.

213 of 285
2 214 of 285
3 The width of the arroyo occupied by is variable, of course, and difficult to estimate without detailed instrumental surveying. Views from the foot trail along the creek-side edge of Dorothy Ford Park that closely follows much of the southwest cutback rim suggest that the arroyo width is mostly in the range of 90 to 150 feet wide.

At the existing road easement and bridge within the northern part of the park, the bridge that spans the two cutback rims is 85 ft long (measured on Google Earth), resting on concrete piers that project short distances into the arroyo. This is likely an especially narrow segment, selected for ease of bridge construction; visual estimates suggest that the arroyo rims are much farther apart along most of the Ford Park boundary.

Bridge across Los Trancos Creek, from Dorothy Ford Park (4/05/2023) Because of inherent geologic instability in the Portola Valley area, with proximity to active faults, locations of the creek centerline and adjacent cutback rims evolve with time. Cutback rims are especially unstable, subject to slumping into the creek bottom and arroyo-wall enlargement, especially during times of high rainfall as we have experienced this winter. Thus, any construction would necessarily require substantial setbacks from the arroyo rim, unless the arroyo wall were artificially buttressed with structurally-reinforced retaining walls (incompatible with the town’s General Plan and Alpine Scenic Corridor?). Such needed setbacks would further reduce the already-marginal site area available for housing construction. 215 of 285
4 I fully concur that the town urgently needs to complete and submit our housing element to HCD in order to avoid potential legal penalties and other adverse effects, but don’t we also need to be honest and factual (with ourselves at least) about what might be technically feasible while also conformable with the guidelines of the General Plan?
Thank you (and town staff) for all the hard work on this “mission impossible” that the California HCD has imposed.

Peter Lipman, USGS Senior Research Geologist, Emeritus
PS: After writing the above, found Chapter 18.59 in the PV Muni Code that specifically requires a 55 ft setback (not “buffer”) from “Top of Creek Bank.” This requirement, if applied to the conceptual plan for DF Park in the draft HE, would exclude half or more of the two northern building sites as depicted. This conceptual plan was either ineptly prepared or intentionally disingenuous.

Peter Lipman
188 Favonio Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028
650-269-5295
216 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: West, Debra
Sent: Friday, April 14, 2023 8:14 PM
To: Craig Taylor; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing Subject: thank you
Dear Mary, Judith, Craig and council members, We want to thank you for all your efforts to keep moving towards fire safety in this time of uncertainty. As newly elected members we appreciate all that your trying to accomplish. It is not easy receiving negative comments, but please stay true to the original housing elements and the towns general plan.

Again thank you for your service.

Debra and Tom West
217 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Joanne Donsky
Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2023 3:59 PM
To: Craig Taylor; Mary Hufty; Judith Hasko; Sarah Wernikoff; Jeff Aalfs; housing Subject: Please say "Yes" to the Housing Element
Please say yes to the current Housing Element. This is important to avoid very negative consequences.

Then I also think we should join the suit against the State.

Sincerely,
Joanne Donsky
160 Meadowood Drive
PV
218 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: sarah dorahy
Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2023 4:39 PM
To: Mary Hufty
Cc: Jeff Aalfs; Sarah Wernikoff; Judith Hasko; Craig Taylor; housing Subject: PVNU
Dear Ms. Hufty,
I have some concerns for the future of our town and the role PVNU is playing in the unravelling of our town governance.

As Founder and Secretary of PVNU, do you stand by the accuracy of the information put forth in the PVNU newsletters, specifically the most recent?
Will you confirm publicly that everything in those newsletters is factual i.e., that there is no misinformation in any of the newsletters? And could you please tell your fellow Portola Valley residents who is the author of these newsletters?
My worry is that PVNU’s agenda is to stall, delay and exhaust Town Staff to the extreme that they all quit. Just yesterday, we lost Cara Silver, our Town Attorney of six years.

Safety is PVNU’s hot topic but with empty offices at Town Hall, how will we ever get the work done to submit a safe and compliant Housing Element? Will you assure your neighbours that PVNU is not actively working to undermine the successful submission of a compliant Housing Element and that PVNU is not trying to discredit Town Staff by spreading misinformation about the Housing Element process? Yours faithfully,
Sarah Dorahy
Get Outlook for iOS
219 of 285
To: Craig Taylor [email protected]
Judith Hasko [email protected]
Mary Page Hufty [email protected]
Cc: Jeff Aalfs [email protected]
Sarah Wernikoff [email protected]
housing [email protected]
April 30, 2023
Dear Craig, Judith and Mary,
I know it is difficult to make a decision when there are people on both sides of an issue.

However, at this time, the Town needs you to muster your courage and to make a decision.

Please vote for the Housing Element currently on the table - and submit it to the state. As you know, I served on the Ad Hoc Housing Element Committee for the Town. The set of sites in the current Housing Element draft are the best ones possible for the Town, given the many constraints and varied opinions in Town. All the ideas that I have heard you three propose in the last few months were already discussed by that Committee. I urge you to listen to those recorded meetings to understand the issues.

As a taxpayer, I am offended that you are spending time and money to re-hash the work and ideas already explored earlier with no strategic vision as to why the answers would be different when the work gets repeated. Also, I beg you to imagine how discouraging it would be to be a staff member and to work for people that cannot make a decision and that direct you to repeat work that you already did earlier. You’d feel like a hamster on a wheel.

Sincerely,
Anne Kopf-Sill
220 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Dan & Rosalie PV
Sent: Thursday, May 4, 2023 11:14 AM
To: Jeff Aalfs; [email protected]; Judith Hasko; Mary Hufty; Craig Taylor; housing
Subject: Please submit the Housing Element
Dear Councilmemebers:

Please vote to submit our Housing Element on the 10th.

It is also important to not think we can maneuver Stanford into solving our problems, or adapting to our wishes.

Stanford has its own priorities and needs that it considers existential threats. Two folks I know in Sr. Sr. positions there reiterate in private that they can’t and won’t slow their construction of Faculty housing. It is fundamental to their existence to be able to attract faculty ‐ and they are losing this competition to many lower ranked institutions because promising young academics can’t afford to move here. This issue is FAR FAR more important to them than an equestrian center, or a wealthy enclave near their campus… even if they might give a diplomatic answer to calm us down.

It is time for those of us who don’t want to waste town resources on lawsuits to be heard.

It is time for those of us who don’t want to risk forced and uncontrolled development on Alpine to be heard.

It is time for our council to present our Housing Element, and then do the hard work of defending it, and improving it… instead of betting on “all or nothing” by flaunting state law.

I get we don’t like the law, just like I don’t like the 65mph limit on 280. But that is no excuse to ignore the law. The democratic answer is to work to change the law, not to violate just because we don’t like it.

Finally, ignoring this law isn’t even a bet… because we know we are going to lose our money, and the case against the state. There is no honor in fighting a fight you know you can’t win. We should use our passion to work to change the law!
With hope our council can get this done!
Thank you for your work on this, but now please do the hardest part and get this over the goal line, and get this point of contention off the table in our town.

Regards,
Dan
221 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Steve Toben
Sent: Thursday, May 4, 2023 11:32 AM
To: Jeff Aalfs; Sarah Wernikoff; Judith Hasko; Mary Hufty; Craig Taylor; housing Subject: Approval of the Housing Element
Mayor Aalfs and Members of the Town Council,
I write to urge your approval of the draft Housing Element for submission to HCD at the May 10 meeting. From my 12 years of experience on the Planning Commission and Town Council, I am well acquainted with the protracted nature of deliberations in our town on controversial subjects. However, in this instance, the process has now become so warped that it has exposed the Town to enormous legal vulnerabilities and resulted in the loss of skilled staff. This is unprecedented. You are soon to find out how difficult it is to hire capable professionals who are willing to come into an environment in which they are subject to overbearing demands and caustic disdain from private citizens and public officials.

Like most residents of Portola Valley, I am deeply unhappy with the RHNA numbers that have been imposed upon us.

However, I do not agree with those who urge the Council to continue delaying submission of the Housing Element in violation of state deadlines. The risks of fines and actions by builders rise with each day that the Housing Element is not submitted. Through this long, exhausting process, the contents of the draft Housing Element have been whittled down to a document that relies to a great extent on dubious provisions that are unlikely to pass muster at HCD. We simply must get on with attending to these problems in order to avoid yet more negative consequences. The sooner we engage with HCD, the better.

Thank you for considering these comments. Unfortunately I will be traveling overseas next week and unable to attend the May 10 meeting. I hope to hear news of the Council’s approval of the Housing Element.

Respectfully,
Steve Toben
222 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Susan Kritzik
Sent: Thursday, May 4, 2023 9:18 PM
To: housing; Jeff Aalfs
Cc: Craig Taylor; Judith Hasko; Mary Hufty; Sarah Wernikoff Subject: Please submit Housing Element to State
Dear Town Council,
I join with others residents of Portola Valley in encouraging you to submit a Housing Element to the State of California expeditiously in order to bring our Town into compliance with State law.

Thank you,
Susan Kritzik
223 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Susan Kritzik
Sent: Thursday, May 4, 2023 9:18 PM
To: housing; Jeff Aalfs
Cc: Craig Taylor; Judith Hasko; Mary Hufty; Sarah Wernikoff Subject: Please submit Housing Element to State
Dear Town Council,
I join with others residents of Portola Valley in encouraging you to submit a Housing Element to the State of California expeditiously in order to bring our Town into compliance with State law.

Thank you,
Susan Kritzik
224 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Crystal Ciancutti <
Sent: Friday, May 5, 2023 10:09 AM
To: Jeff Aalfs; [email protected]; Judith Hasko; Mary Hufty; Craig Taylor Cc: housing
Subject: Please approve the Housing Element
I have been dismayed at the ongoing delays and the willingness to allow a small, vocal part of the town community to block us from doing our required duty of submitting our Housing Element to the State. By missing the deadline we risk material consequences, and I do not want to take on more of that risk than we already have.

Please approve the Housing Element at the next opportunity. -Crystal Ciancutti
3 Grove Court
Resident since 2006, visitor since 1975
225 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Jonathan Goulden
Sent: Friday, May 5, 2023 11:53 AM
To: housing
Subject: Input to Town Council regarding Housing Element May 2023 Input to Town Council regarding Housing Element May 2023

I have three comments regarding the Housing element that I’d like you consider for the May 10th Town Council meeting.

1) Please approve and submit a draft housing element to HCD. We have spent too much time on this discussion, all sides have had more than adequate time to weigh‐in, and there have been no substantive changes to the plan for months. Delaying and stretching out the process will not result in anyone changing their position but it does allow for more animosity to fester. Note that we are still likely to have to spend more time on the element because HCD is unlikely to accept it in this pass. It is time to get moving so we can eventually put this behind us. 2) Please don’t let a vocal minority make you ignore the silent majority. The silent majority is the group that actually trusts you to make the right decisions without them having to get involved in the fray. 3) I’d like to change the narrative surrounding this housing element. Instead of focusing on fighting it and trying to stop/prevent what we don’t like, we should focus on what we would like to see. I believe that most people would like to see housing in town for teachers, town staff, police, firemen and other local service workers. Let’s see if we can do something we all agree upon and use that to meet state requirements.

Thanks for listening.

Jon Goulden
226 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Lynda Brothers
Sent: Friday, May 5, 2023 11:13 AM
To: housing
Cc: Sarah Wernikoff; Mary Page Hufty; [email protected] Subject: For Council Packet, May 10, 2023
Dear Council Members,
At your last meeting and late at night you choose to NOT approve the Housing Element on the basis, as I understand it, that one or two or your members will look for additional, or changed affordable housing options. I WRITE TO URGE YOU TO NOT MAKE ANY SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES TO THE

HOUSING ELEMENT BECAUSE TO DO SO WILL INVALIDATE THE CEQA REVIEW APPROVED BY YOU AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION AS SET FORTH IN THE IS/MND. That you even bothered to adjourn for this purpose is offensive to CEQA and evidences a very poor understanding of the limits of your power as the Town Council. Sure, if you want to create legal chaos, feel free to make changes the the HE and then attempt to submit an Housing Element to HCD that did NOT have adequate CEQA review.

PLEASE APPROVE THE HOUSING ELEMENT AS APPROVED BY THE PLANNING

COMMISSION, SUBMITTED BY TOWN STAFF AND DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MAKE CHANGES,

UNLESS YOU ALSO PROVIDE A DETAILED EXPLANATION OF HOW YOU WILL COMPLY WITH CEQA.

Regards, Lynda L. Brothers, Resident
227 of 285
2 show others how to thread the needle and make the tough decisions and trade-offs that are essential to good governance.

In sum, I would like to see Portola Valley be a shining example of respect, collaboration, and pragmatic government. And in this particular case, I would like to see the council take into account the hard work that has already been done and move forward with approving the Housing Element at the May 10 meeting.

With respect and great hope for the future,
Serra B. Simbeck
Serra B. Simbeck
650-862-5785
228 of 285
1 Dylan Parker
From: Serra Simbeck
Sent: Friday, May 5, 2023 11:59 AM
To: housing
Subject: Letter to Support Approval of Housing Element
Dear Portola Valley Town Council members,
I am writing to urge you to approve the Housing Element as soon as possible. I understand that the next opportunity to do so will be at your meeting on May 10, and I sincerely hope that the Housing Element will be approved at that time.

As a long-time resident of Portola Valley (my husband and I moved here to raise our family in 2005) and as someone who has spent most of their career working in public service, one of the things that always impressed me was how our volunteer Town Council was able to get things done in a civil, fair and efficient manner. I know there have been ups and downs but basically our town government has worked, and we have had a lot of highly qualified citizens engaged and represented in the process. I can imagine how difficult and time-consuming this can be, and I am grateful to everyone who has served and continues to serve our town in this capacity.

However, I am beginning to see a new trend towards divisive politics, catering to minority interests and a lack of timely decision-making in our town government which concerns me. I think the current delay and endless debate about the Housing Element is a prime example of this. I understand that the new council members are trying to come up with the best possible plan that negatively impacts the fewest number of people and businesses. However, at some point, the search for perfection becomes the enemy of the good, and I think that is where we are now.

An enormous amount of time, money and effort has already gone into this process. We have a solid plan, and given the very real legal and economic risks of non-compliance, we should not be re-doing what has already been done. It is time to act. This is especially true since we have the ability to make changes and improve upon the plan during the post-approval process that was already approved.

I also think it is important to point out that there is a price to pay for this constant re-hashing and political grandstanding that goes beyond the risks of non-compliance. For starters, we are seeing an alarming increase in the turnover of town staff and I don’t think this is a coincidence. We have had four staff members resign in rapid succession over the last few months, and I assume this is because they no longer want to work for a town that cannot make decisions and asks them to redo what was already done well the first time around. I can only imagine the time, money and effort it will take to replace them, not to mention the loss of institutional knowledge and inefficiencies this will create that will impact all of us that live in Portola Valley. Moreover, we need to think about the message this is sending to our community, and to qualified citizens that might be considering running for Town Council in the future. Who wants to work in government if they are constantly attacked and cannot get things done? Finally, do we really want to join the ranks of the other affluent towns that have come up with all sorts of creative ways to resist accepting the state’s low-income housing mandate? Instead of all of this, why not choose to be a leader here? This is a great opportunity for Portola Valley to demonstrate what a local government can achieve when faced with a daunting task. We can 229 of 285
1 Laura Russell
From: Kelly Kline <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 3, 2023 10:36 PM
To: Judith Hasko; Laura Russell
Cc: Shweta Bhatnagar; John D. Donahoe; Diana O'Dell
Subject: Re: Connecting Town Council with Stanford
Attachments: Portola Valley Housing Element Stanford response 7.8.22.pdf Thank you for the introduction Laura, and nice to meet you Councilmember Hasko.

Our team is happy to meet with you and can coordinate schedules to find times next week that work for all.

As you know, Stanford University supports the Town’s efforts to address the housing crisis by pursuing opportunities in appropriate locations that are supported by the community. The best current opportunity to achieve this goal is on the Portola Terrace site, which has been in process with the Town for 6 years. While the Glenoaks site could further support the university’s academic mission by providing more affordable housing for university affiliates near their place of employment, we feel that this conversation would be premature until after the Portola Terrace project decision is reached.

Prior to engaging in any Glenoaks discussion, Stanford wishes to clearly convey the conditions under which it would pursue a project at this location. As we have stated in our July 2022 letter (attached), and continue to emphasize in subsequent correspondence with Town staff, Stanford does not support a project that blends a horse operation with housing at the Glenoaks site, and would not pursue such a development within the next eight‐year RHNA cycle.

With that said, we are happy to meet with you and Town staff to explore future housing‐only opportunities at Glenoaks.

Thank you,
Kelly Kline
Associate Vice President, Local Government Affairs
Office of Government Affairs, Stanford University
408‐313‐4311 (cell)
[email protected]
From: Judith Hasko <[email protected]>
Date: Monday, April 3, 2023 at 3:45 PM
To: Laura Russell <[email protected]>, Kelly Kline <[email protected]> Cc: Shweta Bhatnagar <[email protected]>, John D. Donahoe <[email protected]>, Diana O'Dell <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Connecting Town Council with Stanford
Thank you Laura. I look forward to hearing back from Kelly. Thanks in advance.

From: Laura Russell <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 3, 2023 11:39 AM
To: Judith Hasko <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]> Cc: Shweta Bhatnagar <[email protected]>; John D. Donahoe <[email protected]>; Diana O'Dell 230 of 285
2 <[email protected]>
Subject: Connecting Town Council with Stanford

Good Morning,

I’m connecting Kelly Kline, Associate VP for Local Government Affairs, with Judith Hasko, one of our Council Members. (Copying Shweta, Diana and John as the Stanford folks that have been most involved with our process.)

Judith would like to communicate with the Stanford team related to the Glenoaks housing inventory site and the potential to maintain the existing equestrian operation. Please assist in getting her in touch with the right people.

Thanks,
Laura

Laura C. Russell, AICP (she/her)
Planning & Building Director

Town of Portola Valley
650‐851‐1700 Ext. 218
www.portolavalley.net

Please visit www.portolavalley.net/virtualappointment for information on how to make an appointment for Planning and Building services.

231 of 285

Page 1 ends

July 8, 2022

VIA E-MAIL
Laura C. Russell, AICP
Planning & Building Director
Town of Portola Valley
765 Portola Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028
Re: DRAFT: Portola Valley Housing Element
Dear Ms. Russell:

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the draft Housing Element for the Town of Portola Valley that is currently under review. Stanford University supports the Town’s efforts to provide more opportunities for new housing by identifying feasible housing sites for affordable housing and/or market rate housing with an inclusionary component.

As addressed in the draft Housing Element released for public comment, Stanford University owns two properties identified in “Section 6. Adequate Sites.” We would like to provide our comments related to these two sites.

Portola Terrace Faculty Housing (“Stanford Wedge”)
Stanford concurs that the Portola Terrace Faculty Housing project status is a “pipeline” project. This property has been zoned by the Town as a residential site for many years and specifically addressed in previous Town Housing Elements since 1990. In 2019, Stanford applied for a 39-unit residential development and has been actively pursuing approval of our application. The Town of Portola Valley recently released a draft environmental impact report for the proposed development earlier this year, and the DEIR did not find any adverse environmental impacts of the project that could not be mitigated to a level of insignificance, which supports the original decision by the Town to zone this property as a housing site.

Glenoaks
As stated previously, the university supports the Town’s efforts to address the housing crisis and the university is on record as stating that we are open to exploring ideas of how to increase housing opportunities in appropriate locations supported by the community. However, the university does have concerns on the actual development potential of the Glenoaks site, and until we were contacted by the Town this past April, the university had not considered housing on the property. The existing site has neither a 232 of 285

Page 2 ends

residential General Plan designation nor residential zoning, and it has environmental constraints that will likely reduce the amount of area available for development.

In Table 6-6, the draft Housing Element suggests developable acreage of Glenoaks as four acres and a “realistic capacity” of 29-units for the site. There are three factors that we see as affecting the potential yield of the Glenoaks site to something significantly less than four acres:
a) The irregular shape of the adjacent Los Trancos creek When dealing with a relatively small development footprint, it must be noted that the creek meanders in the vicinity of the Glenoaks site, creating “nooks and crannies” that serve to make the site area less efficient to develop.
b) The need to establish an adequate setback from Los Trancos Creek While section 18.59.030 of the Portola Valley Zoning Ordinance allows development as close as 55 feet from top of bank or 60 feet from the ordinary high-water mark of Los Trancos creek, Stanford’s recent experience in other projects has shown that a setback of 100 feet from the creek is now deemed the minimal acceptable distance. Stanford assumes that further environmental review would be required as part of any development application for this site, which would provide the necessary analysis to identify the proper setback. A larger creek setback will reduce the developable acreage of the property. c) Feasibility and compatibility of horse operations with new residential on the site While not addressed within the draft Housing Element, there has been some public discussion about attempting to retain horse operations on the site while at the same time incorporating housing on the site. Stanford does not support this concept and would not pursue such a development within the next eight-year RHNA cycle.

Stanford manages all its lands in a manner consistent with our long-term mission of education and research, and we believe the potential use of the Glenoaks site as only a residential site is a land use that would support the overall mission of the university by providing more affordable housing for university affiliates near their place of employment.

We do not believe it is feasible to both maintain a very small horse operation and build housing on the site. After adopting best conservation practices, the developable area of the Glenoaks site is relatively small at less than 4 acres. The developable area of the site is too small to accommodate a viable horse operation and a housing development with 29-units of housing.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Jessica von Borck
Executive Director, Land Use Planning
233 of 285
May 4, 2023
Via Fed Ex and Email: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Mayor Aalfs
Vice Mayor Wernikoff
Town Attorney Cara Silver
Portola Valley Town Council
765 Portola Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028
RE: Portola Valley Housing and Safety Elements Update and Conforming General Plan and Zoning Code Amendments Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration Dear Mayor Aalfs, Vice Mayor Wernikoff, Council Members and Ms. Silver:

This firm represents PublicSafety4PVNow, Inc., a non-profit organization, which has deep concerns regarding the Town of Portola Valley’s approval of the Portola Valley Housing and Safety Elements Update and Conforming General Plan and Zoning Code Amendments Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND).

The IS/MND is deficient in numerous important ways, including in particular its failure to properly assess the significant adverse environmental impacts that the Town’s proposed Housing and Safety Elements and Municipal Code amendments would have on several vital interests including, but not limited to, wildfire hazards and public safety, aesthetics, geology and transportation. This letter focuses on the deficiencies of the IS/MND’s assessment of impacts on wildfire hazard and public safety because that failure is the most egregious example of the IS/MND’s many deficiencies. Given the catastrophic impact in recent years of the fires on the Coffey Park, Paradise, and Marshall communities, as well as countless others, it is essential that the wildfire impacts be thoroughly studied in accordance with CEQA to avoid a similar disaster.

The purpose of this letter is to request that the Town Council reevaluate the IS/MND and CEQA review of its proposed General Plan Housing element and Municipal Code amendmentsin light of the issues raised by the Woodside Fire Protection District and other considerations set forth below.

We believe that it would be beneficial if the parties had the opportunity to further discuss the issues raised in this letter to avoid any need for litigation to enforce the applicable CEQA requirements. It appears the Town filed a notice of determination for its approval of the IS/MND with the San Mateo County Clerk on April 12, 2023, thereby triggering a 30-day period within which litigation may be brought to challenge the Town’s determination under CEQA. Accordingly, we request that the statute of limitations for filing a Petition for Writ of Mandate be tolled for a period of thirty (30) days. This would extend the deadline for filing any petition to June 11, 2023. I have attached a tolling agreement for your signature. If we do not enter into a tolling agreement, we will file a petition for a Writ of Mandate by May 12, 2023. 234 of 285
Letter to Mayor Aalfs, Vice Mayor Wernikof, Town Council and Cara Silver May 3, 2023

Page 2 ends

10629459.DOCX

1. An EIR is Required Under the Fair Argument Standard
The IS/MND concluded that the project would have “less than significant” impacts on wildfire hazards and therefore did not include any mitigation measures relating to wildfire risk. This was incorrect.

The “fair argument” test governs a lead agency’s decision of whether to adopt a negative declaration or prepare an environmental impact report (EIR). Under the fair argument test, an agency may forgo preparation of an EIR only if it finds no substantial evidence in the record sufficient to support a fair argument that the project may have a significant effect on the environment. (See Keep Our Mountains Quiet v. County of Santa Clara (2015) 236 Cal.App.4th 714; Practice Underthe California Environmental Quality Act, § 6.76)
There are significant environmental impacts that were not addressed in the IS/MND. The failure to properly assess the wildfire risk is one of the most glaring deficiencies, but there are other issues that were not properly analyzed. The Town’s CEQA analysis was flawed. As set forth below, the Town failed to appropriately consider the substantial impact to wildfire hazards despite the substantial evidence that such an analysis was required. The Town has failed to properly analyze and frame the wildfire risks. As the Woodside Fire Protection District has warned the Town, a correctly performed analysis would make it clear that the impact of the project on wildfire risk is substantial and mitigation measures are required.

As set forth below, there was substantial evidence that the project will impact the wildfire risks.

The Town must properly evaluate these impacts and the other inadequately evaluated environmental factors in an EIR.

2. The IS/MND’s Wildfire Analysis is Deficient
The IS/MND concluded that the proposed project will not have a significant impact on wildfire hazards. This is simply not the case. For some inexplicable reason, the IS/MND relies on a discredited analysis of the risk of wildfires.

There are two maps that characterize fire hazards in Portola Valley. The first is the 2008 Cal Fire Map (Cal Fire Map). Cal Fire’s analysis was recognized at the time by the Town and by Woodside Fire Protection District (WFPD) as being grossly inaccurate. The Fire District has repeatedly articulated this view. For example, in a letter dated September 13, 2022, from the Fire Marshall to Planning Director Russel, the Fire Marshall explains that the Fire District rejected the Cal Fire Map and stressed the need for an accurate and updated analysis of the wildfire hazard.

Because of the widely recognized gross inaccuracies of Cal Fire’s analysis, the Town commissioned Moritz Arboricultural Consulting to prepare a more detailed fire hazard map in 2008 (Moritz Map). Since it is based on a more rigorous and precise methodology, the Moritz Map should form the basis of any CEQA assessment.

The Moritz Map presents a vastly different and increased risk of fires. The Moritz analysis concluded that 40% of the Town has the “highest” fire safety hazard and 49% has a “high” fire hazard. By contrast, the Cal Fire Map only characterized 6% as a very high fire safety risk. Both the Fire District and Ray Moritz identify Moritz’s “highest hazard” areas as equivalent to Cal Fire’s definition of Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.
235 of 285
Letter to Mayor Aalfs, Vice Mayor Wernikof, Town Council and Cara Silver May 3, 2023

Page 3 ends

10629459.DOCX
Below are the two maps side by side and the difference is striking.

In 2010, the Town incorporated the Moritz Map into the General Plan Housing and Safety Elements. For the last 13 years, the Moritz Map has served as the centerpiece and foundation on which the Town’s public wildfire prevention and land use policies and regulations are based. The Moritz Map was selected and adopted in 2010 to serve as the basis for the General Plan’s fire prevention policies precisely because it provides a far more accurate assessment and depiction of the severity and extent of the wildfire hazards than the discredited 2008 Cal Fire map. Nothing authorizes or allows Town staff or consultants to ignore or unilaterally change the General Plan’s express policies and mandates.

Despite the mandates of the General Plan, the IS/MND relies on the 2008 Cal Fire map to determine there is a less than significant impact. Throughout the CEQA process, the fire experts responsible for protecting the Town, including Woodside Fire Marshall Don Bullard, have stated that the Moritz Map is the most accurate depiction of Fire Risk:
• At the Housing Element Committee on January 18, 2022, Fire Marshal Don Bullard indicated that the Moritz map is the most accurate depiction of our wildfire hazard and, if anything, understates rather than overstates the hazards.
236 of 285
Letter to Mayor Aalfs, Vice Mayor Wernikof, Town Council and Cara Silver May 3, 2023

Page 4 ends

10629459.DOCX
• Also at the January 18, 2022, meeting, Portola Valley’s current fire safety consultant agreed. In reference to the Moritz Map Zeke Lunder said: “It’s a good map… But it’s 13 years old. … If I were to draw the red circles on the map, my map would have more red on it.” • In a memo dated September 13, 2022, Fire Marshall Bullard raised several concerns:
o Commenting on the proposed draft Safety element, he rejected its reliance on the 2008 Cal Fire Map and called for the Planning Department to consider the comments of Matt Miller (WFPD Board President) from January 20, 2022, where Mr. Miller said:
“The district does not approve of or support the use of the limited CalFire map from 2008 as it is too old and too limited based on our assessments. You may recall that the district rejected this map as too limited even back in 2008. It is not a safe and accurate map to approve in 2022 either.” (Emphasis added.) o Fire Marshall Bullard said the district does not agree with the FEMA Hazard and Risk Ranking given for Wildfire for the 2021 MJLHMP for Portola Valley. The district feels that the Town should update the wildfire ranking to be more in alignment with the Fire District and the Town of Woodside. Both the Fire District and the Town of Woodside have ranked wildfire of the highest hazard where Portola Valley has it ranked as medium to almost low hazard. The Town of Portola Valley should update their MJLHMP as soon as possible to reflect the true wildfire hazards faced by the Town. (Emphasis added.)
After the Town had announced in December 2022 that it planned to hold a series of Planning Commission and Town Council meetings so it could approve its new Housing element by January 31, 2023, on January 4, 2023, the Fire District wrote the Town to warn the Town that the IS/MND’s assessment of wildfire impacts had several critically important deficiencies – including its mistaken and inexplicable substitution of the Cal Fire map for the Moritz Map as the baseline assessment of wildfire hazard for the town – and that the IS/MND also omitted important additional mitigations that are needed to protect public safety. In the email to the Town transmitting the Fire District’s January 4, 2023 letter to the Town, Fire Marshall Bullard specifically requested the Town Council to add a public presentation of the Fire District’s concerns to the agenda for its next public meeting, include a copy of the District’s January 4 letter in the public digest and agenda packet for the meeting, and provide the letter to each member of the Town Council, Planning Commissioners and Town Manager Jeremy Dennis and Planning Director Laura Russell. Since the Planning Commissioners and Town Council members were the Town officials who would ultimately decide whether to approve the IS/MND, the District’s email sought to ensure that all involved officials as well asthe public were fully informed of its concerns, the IS/MND’s deficiencies, and the need for extensive mitigation before any decision was reached.

Shortly thereafter, the January 31 deadline to approve the new Housing element was cancelled, and the Fire District withdrew its request for a hearing at the next Council meeting “for now.” Notably, however, the District did not withdraw its letter or the request to provide its letter to all Town Council members and Planning Commissioners.
237 of 285
Letter to Mayor Aalfs, Vice Mayor Wernikof, Town Council and Cara Silver May 3, 2023

Page 5 ends

10629459.DOCX
Did the Town ever provide the Fire District’s letter to all Planning Commissioners, or all Town Council members, before asking them to vote on approval of the IS/MND? Apparently not.

Prior to adopting the IS/MND, the Town never publicly disclosed the Fire District’s January 4 letter, the fact that it was received, or the nature of its concerns. In March, a resident served a Public Record’s Request on the Town Manager seeking access to the January 4 letter. It is our understanding that the Town Manager stated he was not familiar with the letter and referred the resident to Town Attorney Cara Silver. In an email responding to this request, Ms. Silver stated that she was not sure which letter the resident was referring to. The resident then asked the Fire District via a Public Records Request for the Fire District’s January 4 letter on April 13, 2023. When the Fire District informed the Town that it was planning to produce the letter, the Town contacted the Fire District attorney urging it not to produce the letter.

Nonetheless, on April 24, 2023, the Fire District produced its January 4th letter to the Town.

The Fire District’s January 4 letter should have been made public and distributed by the Town to every Town Council member and to every Planning Commissioner when it was received. It also should have been produced by the Town when it was requested under the Public Records Act. The Town’s actions to withhold and conceal the concerns expressed and mitigations requested in the Fire District’s January 4 letter renders void the Town’s subsequent approval of the IS/MND and any adoption of it is improper and invalid. Furthermore, the IS/MND’s conclusion that the impact of the Town’s proposed Housing element and Municipal Code amendments on wildfire hazard will be “less than significant” and does not require mitigation are clearly erroneous and cannot be sustained.

There is substantial evidence in the record sufficient to support a fair argument that the project may have a significant effect on the environment. This is true even without the Fire District’s January 4 letter.

But the Fire District’s January 4 letter shows that there is far more than substantial evidence in the record.

Indeed, there is conclusive evidence that the Town’s IS/MND cannot be sustained and the approval must be rescinded.

3. The March 29, 2023, Resolution adopting the IS/MND is Flawed The Resolution adopting the IS/MND contains several flaws:
(i) The Resolution states that it constitutes a complete analysis addressing all issues relevant to the approval and that it identified all potentially significant adverse environmental impacts and feasible mitigation measures. A complete analysis of the fire hazards was not completed. (ii) The Resolution confirms and reiterates the pre-IS/MND determination “that the Project would have no impact or less-than-significant impact on … Aesthetics ... Biological Resources … Land Use/Planning … Parks and Recreation … Public Services, Transportation, Utilities/Service Systems, Wildfire.” Again, complete analysis of the fire hazards and other issues was not completed.
(iii) The Resolution does not explicitly give any legal effect to the appended Mitigation and Monitoring Reporting Program (MMRP), making its significance and enforceability ambiguous and undefined.
238 of 285
Letter to Mayor Aalfs, Vice Mayor Wernikof, Town Council and Cara Silver May 3, 2023

Page 6 ends

10629459.DOCX
(iv) As written, the MMRP explicitly states as to “wildfire” and each of the other “non-significant” items set forth in Finding 5, “Implementation of the project would not result in any significant wildfire impacts.”
(v) The Resolution includes no resolution regarding the Bullard Letter and requested mitigations.

Instead, its recitals merely state that “the Town is in the process of updating its Safety Element and during that process commits to address the actions requested by Fire Marshall Bullard at the Planning Commission’s February 15, 2023, meeting and email from the Woodside Fire Protection District’s attorney Ann Danforth to the Town Attorney dated March 29, 2023.” (Eighth Recital) This Eighth Recital also states that the Town will adopt the Moritz Map and/or any successor map as a basis for evaluating the fire risk associated with specific sites in the Town. The Town should have used the Moritz Map as the basis for its decision which it did not do, and it should adopt the mitigation measures in the Bullard Letter.

4. Additional Deficiencies of the IS/MND
As noted, we have provided extensive detail of the deficiencies related to wildfire hazards for two reasons. One, because it is critically important, and secondly, because it demonstrates the general character of the deficienciesthatsuffuse the entire IS/MND. This hasresulted in a document that is grossly inadequate as it fails to properly evaluate the environmental factors required by CEQA to support the proposed amendments to the Housing Element, the Safety Element and the General Plan and Zoning Amendments.

This could result in numerous follow-on projects attempting to rely on the inadequate analysis of the IS/MND. In addition to the inadequate analysis of wildfire risks, there are numerous other deficiencies within the IS/MND. There are multiple unresolved significant environmental impacts that were not properly addressed including the failure to properly define the project and scope as required under CEQA and the failure to mitigate these impacts. These deficiencies include, but are not limited to, the following:
• The IS/MND is improperly structured and presented as a “project” review when it should instead properly be structured and performed under CEQA as a “program” review or a “master environmental assessment.”
• The “project” defined for assessment in the IS/MND is overly broad and indeterminate in scope and content, making the required CEQA assessment of direct, indirect and cumulative effects impossible to perform in an informed and competent manner. • The IS/MND is premature because many of the policies, programs and ordinances ostensibly assessed in the IS/MND have not been defined or disclosed in time to permit an informed, competent assessment of their impact.
• The opportunity provided for public review and comment of the IS/MND is legally deficient and inadequate.
• The draft Housing element and the IS/MND are based on an incomplete and inadequate administrative record.
• The IS/MND’s assessment of impacts on geologic hazards and risks is deficient and materially misleading.
• The IS/MND’s assessment of impacts on wildlife habitat is deficient and inadequate. • The IS/MND’s assessment of impacts on indigenous artifacts and previously inhabited lands is deficient.
• The analysis of the IS/MND is inadequate because it is based on a nonexistent “Evacuation Plan” and the traffic analysis is incomplete as the project anticipates increase density. 239 of 285
Letter to Mayor Aalfs, Vice Mayor Wernikof, Town Council and Cara Silver May 3, 2023

Page 7 ends

10629459.DOCX
• The analysis of the IS/MND is inadequate because it fails to analyze the increased risk on the surrounding community imposed by the Project due to topography.

In addition, the Notice of Determination was not timely filed, and it should have been filed with the Office of Planning and Research because the project required discretionary review from a state agency.

Based on the above, the Resolution approving the IS/MND must be immediately rescinded.

Alternatively, as stated above, if you wish to discuss with us how we can possibly resolve this dispute without immediate recission of the IS/MND or resort to litigation, the Town Council must agree by May 10, 2023, to toll - for a period of thirty (30) days ending June 11, 2023 – the statute of limitations for filing a Petition for Writ of Mandate. During that time the parties and their counsel would meet and confer in good faith – if possible in a privileged and confidential settlement discussion – in an effort to reach an expeditious and mutually agreeable solution which addresses the deficiencies of the IS/MND and the attendant Resolution approving it, thereby hopefully avoiding all need for any litigation challenging the Town’s approval of the IS/MND.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

SILICON VALLEY LAW GROUP
A Law Corporation
_______________________________________
Laurie Berger
240 of 285
______________________________________________________________________________________ TO: Mayor and Members of the Town Council
FROM: Laura C. Russell, Planning & Building Director
Adrienne Smith, Senior Planner
DATE: May 10, 2023
RE: Town Participation in Multi-Jurisdictional Shared Housing Team – Authorize Interim Town Manager to execute Letter of Intent

RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Town Council receive a staff report and public comments; provide direction on proposed Town participation in the multi-jurisdictional Shared Housing Team to assist the Town with the implementation of Housing Element programs; and authorize the Interim Town Manager to execute the Letter of Intent (Attachment 1).

BACKGROUND
The Housing Element update process has been a substantial undertaking for the Town both in time and required financial resources. However, once the Housing Element has been adopted, the Town needs to turn immediately to implementation of the Housing Element itself as well as the Post-Adoption Implementation Plan being developed by Council Members Hasko and Taylor. In light of this, staff is seeking direction from Council to assist in preparation of the budget for Fiscal Year 2023-2024.

Section 7: Goals, Policies and Programs of the Housing Element lays out the Town’s goals stating desired outcomes, and associated policies to guide decision makers, and specific programs to ensure their effective implementation. The Town will be accountable for this section for when providing its Annual Progress Report to the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

To implement the Housing Element and comply with State laws, the Town needs to develop a more formal Housing program. Since the Town has never had any affordable housing units to administer, it does not currently have the dedicated housing staff required to administer these programs. Further, affordable housing program administration requires a degree of expertise and familiarity with state legislation, grants and funding and

TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY

STAFF REPORT

241 of 285
Multi-Jurisdiction Shared Housing Team
May 10, 2023

Page 2 ends

relationships with affordable housing developers and fair housing organizations. Related tasks are expected to vary in complexity from routine administrative duties to highly specialized professional analyses. It can be difficult to recruit for housing positions generally, especially where a jurisdiction does not have existing procedures/resources in place. A factor that further complicates the Town’s potential need for affordable housing staff, is the insufficient (and often inconsistent) workload accompanying the administration of affordable housing programs. At this pre-Housing Element adoption stage of resource analysis, staff anticipates that the workload will be too much for current staff to absorb, but not enough to justify a new full-time staff position. This was contemplated in the Draft Housing Element, where Program 2-2 calls for collaboration with other cities/towns in San Mateo County to share qualified housing staff to support the housing program.

DISCUSSION
Throughout the Housing Element update process, staff have continued to work with one of its housing element consultants, 21 Elements, which has provided all 21 jurisdictions of San Mateo County an ability to collectively address the region’s housing needs through shared learning, collaboration and coordinated action. At varying points during the housing element update process, Town staff and staff from smaller peer jurisdictions have shared concerns regarding the implementation of affordable housing program work. In response, 21 Elements put forth a Shared Housing Team program concept. 21 Elements has engaged the Housing Endowment and Regional Trust (HEART) of San Mateo County to create a Shared Housing Team across the jurisdictions in San Mateo County. The Shared Housing Team is expected to include at least three people, including an experienced supervisor (see Attachment 3 for draft job description). They will provide as-needed services across a wide range of housing program tasks. HEART staff have expertise and resources to manage and train staff and the ability to provide coordinated knowledge-sharing to offer consistency across participating jurisdictions and adoption of best practices countywide. Other benefits include efficiencies in scale, access to less than full-time staff and flexibility if a jurisdiction has intermittent staffing needs.

Although HEART will provide overall management of the Team, each jurisdiction determines job duties and tasks, and directly supervises the assigned staff person. This would ensure the shared staff would implement programs consistent with Town policies and community values.

Jurisdictions can opt into the Team for whatever fraction of a full time equivalent (FTE) meets their needs, with a minimum of 0.2 FTE. If needed, a jurisdiction may increase the level of FTE over time. Staff have analyzed the Town’s anticipated affordable housing workload based on the programs in the Housing Element and recommend a 0.2 FTE/eight hours per week commitment. The Town will be allowed to use those hours as needed, within reason. Annualized, the program participation cost is estimated at $37,440-$39,500 (see table below). Staff believe this estimate represents excellent value for the Town. If the Town were to obtain staffing from a traditional consulting firm, staff estimate an equivalent cost of at least $150 per hour, totaling approximately $62,400 per year. Startup costs such as laptops, HEART workstations and program design is being financially 242 of 285
Multi-Jurisdiction Shared Housing Team
May 10, 2023

Page 3 ends

supported by the County of San Mateo. So the Town does not have to pay for its share of these start us costs, representing another savings.

Cost per Fraction of a Full Time Equivalent
Hours per week FTE Low – Cost Based on
$90 an hour
High
8 0.2 $37,440 $39,500
16 0.4 $74,880 $79,000
24 0.6 $112,320 $118,500
32 0.8 $149,760 $158,000
40 1.0 $187,200 $197,500
The work plan for the Shared Housing Team would prioritize implementation of programs that require affordable housing expertise. For example, many members of the community have expressed an interest in developing stronger programs to ensure affordability of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs). From the Housing Element itself, the Housing Team is expected to work on at least the following programs:
• Program 2-1:Amend the Municipal Code to establish inclusionary housing requirements for new multi-family housing developments
• Program 2-2: Develop a program to manage new affordable housing units in the town
• Program 8-6: Convene a discussion of populations that are experiencing comparatively high rates of cost burden to discuss solutions for relief and consider a rental assistance program tailored to extremely high cost-burdened residents • Program 8-7: Collaborate with other cities/towns and Project Sentinel, or another similar organization, to perform fair housing training for property owners The program is scheduled to commence in summer 2023. In order to establish the Team, provide stability, and manage risk for HEART, the collaboration is asking for a three-year commitment from participating jurisdictions. If Town Council supports the request, staff will submit to HEART a letter of intent followed by a future service agreement between HEART and the Town detailing the terms and conditions of program participation, including final costs. This agreement will need to be reviewed and approved by Town Council at an upcoming meeting.

FISCAL IMPACT
The expected cost of participating in the Shared Housing Team is $39,500 for the first year, with similar expenses for the two following years. HEART is asking for a three year commitment to establish the program. The Town should expect a reasonable increase in the second and third years, such as CPI.
243 of 285
Multi
-Jurisdiction Shared Housing Team
May 10, 2023

Page 4 ends

ATTACHMENTS

1. Shared Housing Team Letter of Intent

2. FAQ on Shared Housing Team

3. Draft Job Description for Team Supervisor
244 of 285
San Mateo County Shared Housing Team Program
Letter of Intent to Participate
The Housing Endowment and Regional Trust (HEART) of San Mateo County has tentatively agreed to administer the Shared Housing Team program. Under this program, a small team of staff will be trained and managed to provide housing program related services for participating jurisdictions, who will all share in the cost of the Shared Housing Team. Benefits of the Shared Housing Team include increased efficiencies in scale and the option of less than full time staff. It also provides flexibility if a jurisdiction has intermittent needs.

Although HEART will provide overall management of the Team, each jurisdiction will determine the job duties and tasks, and directly supervise the assigned staff person. In recognition of the unique nature of the project and to mitigate risk for everyone, cities will be asked to commit to the program for 3 years to provide stability for the Team. That said, the level of FTE can be adjusted each year if other jurisdictions are interested in picking up more or less hours. The hours worked by a Team member can, but do not need to, be on a regular schedule. In practice, the requested FTE hours are expected to average out over each program year. A minimum request of .2 FTE is required for participation in this program.

This is a letter of intent (Letter of Intent) to establish that the following jurisdiction intends to participate in this Program starting Summer of 2023.

Jurisdiction Name: Town of Portola Valley
Primary Contact Name and Position: Laura Russell, Planning and Building Director and Adrienne Smith, Senior Planner
Primary Contact Email Address: [email protected] and [email protected] Primary Contact Phone Number: 650-871-1700
FTE Portion Request: 0.2
This Letter of Intent is non-binding and not enforceable by either party. After this Letter of Intent has been made, a future service agreement between HEART and Jurisdiction will be executed detailing the terms and conditions, including final costs.

Signed: ______________________________________ Date:______________ Howard Young, Interim Town Manager
245 of 285

SHARED HOUSING TEAM PROGRAM
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you provide position descriptions for the Housing Staff Team? A draft job description is available for the Shared Housing Staff Program director.

What would be the scope of work per FTE (example – what would be the FTE required for a certain size BMR portfolio?) Cities will need to do their best to determine how much work they need based on desired tasks. That said, for inclusionary rental unit management, one can use the City of San Mateo’s experience as a guestimate– a portfolio of about 300 rental units on scattered sites has required about 1/2 FTE. Once you identify your priority needs/tasks, the HEART team will work with you to finalize the estimated FTE needed.

Is there a minimum FTE that we can sign up for? At this point we are looking for a commitment of at least .2 FTE per jurisdiction. If you anticipate you need significantly less than that, let us know. If, after totaling all the requests, there is a very small fraction of FTE available, we can contact you and see if it is a fit. There also may be other resources that would better suit your situation.

Who determines the staffing schedule and work priorities among jurisdictions? HEART will work with each city to accommodate specific schedule requests and priority work assignments. This will require some flexibility and good communication on everyone’s part. It is also assumed that staff will be available for night meetings as needed.

Where will the Housing Team Staff have desks? Heart will provide workspace for staff, but cities are encouraged to provide space for staff onsite as well. This will help integrate staff into your team. It is anticipated based on current practices, staff will work both remotely and onsite.

Could you provide support for Affordable Housing Agreement negotiation? Yes.

Could you provide support for State Density Bonus request analysis? Yes.

Who is buying staff computers? HEART will provide staff with laptops, paid for by the County of San Mateo.
246 of 285
Whose servers are the staff using? HEART has its own internal system for email and document storage. Cities should use the same protocols as they would for a consultant as to emails, phone numbers, and document access and storage.

Who handles disciplinary issues? The Program Director will have ultimate responsibility for staff training, evaluation, and disciplinary issues. However, it is expected that the City staff person responsible for overseeing this work provide feedback to Program Director and the staff person as issues occur.

How is Risk Management handled? HEART will enter into individual agreements for each City.

The typical practice is that parties indemnify each other for negligence incurred. Also, HEART will carry Liability and Errors and Omissions insurance.

What is the start date of the Program? HEART will need to hire and train staff in spring and early summer of 2023. It is anticipated that services for cities will be phased over the first several months of the program/fiscal year. The agreements will include language to describe milestones so that jurisdictions are clear when services will begin and the associated costs. Cities will not be charged until the assigned staff person begins work.

What happens if a city is unhappy with the Program? As with any service agreement, cities are expected to communicate issues to HEART so that we can work together on solutions. This pilot program is meant to be a service to cities so we are committed to work together so it benefits everyone.
247 of 285
Shared Housing Team
Supervisor Job Description
ABOUT HEART OF SAN MATEO COUNTY:

HEART is a nonprofit public/private partnership among the county, the cities, and business communities dedicated to increasing the supply of affordable housing in San Mateo County. HEART’s principal mission is to provide financing for the acquisition, construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing. HEART’s newest venture is to provide staffing services for housing program management for smaller, less-resourced cities in San Mateo County.

DESCRIPTION:

This is a managerial position under the direction of the Executive Director responsible for HEART’s Multi-City Services Program. The incumbent will provide and direct HEART staff with the planning, development, organization, negotiation and management of housing activities for several cities in San Mateo County. The incumbent and staff will manage the work program of city housing divisions; recommend policies and serve as project managers for affordable housing developments funded by cities; create and implement affordable housing programs; engage city and other public agencies in the implementation of housing activities and programs; support and team with other city staff working on related issues and perform related duties as required for cities. This position involves training, recruitment and supervision of professional staff.

As an employee of HEART, this is an “at-will” position. The incumbent serves at the discretion of the Executive Director. The incumbent in this position demonstrates strong ethical, professional, and service-oriented leadership and interpersonal skills; and sets a good example.

TYPICAL DUTIES:

This description may not include all the duties listed below, nor do the examples cover all duties that may be performed.

PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
In consultation with peers, supervisors and cities, establishes objectives, priorities and schedules for affordable housing programs and activities.

Assigns new projects, monitors/manages staff workload and creates procedures/guidelines to improve operations.

Maintains monitoring and reporting systems to ensure the adequacy, quality and timeliness of program work.

Manages, trains, and evaluates the work of staff.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Plans, organizes, and implements cities’ efforts to develop new affordable housing. 248 of 285
Manages housing programs and projects including project budgets.

Manages housing programs and projects, including administration and monitoring of affordable housing units including those produced though Inclusionary Zoning.

Develops specifications and prepares requests for proposals for City housing fund.

Reviews and evaluates affordable housing proposals and makes recommendations regarding project selection to the City Council.

Prepares and negotiates contracts and participates in making recommendations for the use of housing funds.

Meets and negotiates with housing developers, investors and business people to determine project scope and provide technical assistance, as well as promote development in the City.

Manages the plan approval process for City housing development projects, including coordinating affordable housing projects with the Planning Division Staff.

Monitors the development, construction and implementation phases of affordable housing projects to ensure contract compliance.

Develop an awareness of current trends in housing financing methods and seek out financing sources and public/private partnerships for the construction of affordable housing.

Works with governmental and private agencies at all levels to secure funding for development programs.

Maintains effective working relationship with public and private lending sources and prepare loan applications when appropriate.

Reviews and prepare draft comments on proposed Federal, State and local regulations and their prospective impact on department programs. Suggest alternative courses of actions as applicable.

Advises city staff on necessary actions, problems or requirements.

Represents the City’s Housing Department at various meetings and negotiations.

Attends meetings and make presentations to City staff, City Councils, administrators and various private and community organizations to discuss project status.

Prepares reports involving research, analysis, writing, and presentations.

Manages ongoing compliance activities, including monitoring of regulatory agreements and administration of the City's affordable housing loan portfolio.

Solicits, selects, contracts with, and manages consultants.

Uses computer applications, prepares memos and procedural documentation. 249 of 285
Performs other related duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree in Urban Planning, Public Administration, Environmental Studies, or a related field • At least five (4) years of progressively responsible public or private experience in urban planning, business administration, public administration, housing finance and development, or redevelopment; with some supervisory experience • A Master's degree from an accredited college or university in one of the above fields may be substituted for one year of the required experience • Familiarity with computer software programs commonly used by cities, such as Windows Office
• Experience working in the Housing Division of a public sector Community Development or Planning Department is desirable.

LICENSE
Possession of a valid Class C California driver's license is required at the time of application and for the duration of employment.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Must be able to perform the essential functions of the job assignment.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

Knowledge of:
• Principles, practices and methods as applied to city planning, and development; • Federal, State and local regulations dealing with land use and development; • Real estate financing, development, marketing and administration of affordable housing;
• Research methods and statistical analysis;
• Negotiation techniques and strategies;
• Problem solving and conflict resolution practices and techniques; • Project and workload planning;
• Principals and practices of management including fundamentals of budgeting and accounting systems;
• Principals, practices and methods of grant administration, federal grant entitlement programs, housing, redevelopment programs and rehabilitation programs; • Environmental and safety principles, practices, procedures and standards; and • Office safety practices, procedures and standards.

Ability to:
• Identify, research and evaluate relevant information and statistical data from variety of sources;
• Draw conclusions and project consequences of decisions and recommendations; Develop creative and practical solutions to complex and difficult problems; • Identify policy issues and work with staff to develop options and recommend solutions; • Prepare and present clear, concise and complex written and oral reports; 250 of 285
• Communicate logically and clearly, both orally and in writing; • Make presentations before commissions and committees; • Review housing development and redevelopment proposals; • Negotiate agreements with developers and consultants; • Read building plans;
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work including staff, developers and consultants and the general public; • Exercise independent judgment and initiative with minimal supervision; • Work effectively in time-sensitive situations and meet deadlines; • Coordinate multiple projects and complex tasks simultaneously; • Supervise and review the work of employees engaged in the administration of projects and projects; and
• Use computer software such as Excel, Word, Power Point, etc.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:

SUPERVISION RECEIVED
Works under the general direction of the Executive Director and the supervisory staff at cities or other managers as assigned.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED
Manages HEART staff and contractors engaged by cities as assigned.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Incumbents in this position are required to file a Conflict of Interest statement upon assuming office, annually, and upon leaving office.
251 of 285
______________________________________________________________________________________ TO: Mayor and Members of the Town Council
FROM: Howard Young, Interim Town Manager
Cindy Rodas, Finance Director
DATE: May 10, 2023
RE: Not-for-Profit Agency Funding Requests

RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Town Council approve funding for not-for-profit agencies providing services benefiting the Town, its residents, or the larger Peninsula community, in an amount not to exceed $21,621.

BACKGROUND
Annually, the Town receives requests from a number of not-for-profit agencies. The Town Council reviews these funding requests and determines the allocation amount that each agency will receive. For fiscal year 2022-23, the Council made the following allocations:

DISCUSSION
The Town has received the following requests for fiscal year 2023-24.The most notable change requested was that of Peninsula Volunteers Inc. (Meals on Wheels), with an increase of 66% over last year. Over the past 4 years, on average, a $2,875 contribution has been granted for the Meals on Wheels program. The organization cited the projected increase of the County’s population of age 60 and over as the cause of the increase Citizens Emergency Response
Preparedness Program (CERPP)
$5,000
HIP Housing $3,000
Housing Endowment and Regional
Trust (HEART)
$1,432
Joint Venture Silicon Valley $1,000
Meals on Wheels - Peninsula
Volunteers Inc.
$3,000
Peninsula Conflict Resolution $2,727
Sustainable San Mateo County $2,500
Sustainable Silicon Valley $1,000
Total $19,659

TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY

STAFF REPORT

252 of 285

Page 2 ends

Not-for-Profit Agency Funding Requests May 10, 2023
resulting in a greater need for assistance. The request received for the Citizens Emergency Response Preparedness Program (CERPP) did not specify an amount of funding. Historically Town Council has approved a contribution of $5,000 to CERPP.

Staff recommends awarding $21,621 in the coming budget as follows:

Agency Amount
Requested
Recommended
Difference
from FY
2022-23
Percent
Change
Citizens Emergency Response
Preparedness Program (CERPP) Open $5,000 $ - 0%
HIP Housing $3,000 $3,000 $ - 0%
Housing Endowment and
Regional Trust (HEART) $1,361 $1,361 $ -71 -5.1%
Joint Venture Silicon Valley $1,000 $1,000 $ - 0%
Meals on Wheels- Peninsula
Volunteers Inc. $5,000 $5,000 $ 2,000 66%
Peninsula Conflict $2,760 $2,760 $ 33 1.2%
Sustainable San Mateo County $5,000 $2,5001 $ - 0%
Sustainable Silicon Valley $1,000 $1,000 $ - 0%
Total $19,121 $21,621

FISCAL IMPACT
The total amount of contributions approved by the Council will be included in the 2023-24 proposed budget document, which is to be presented to the Council at its meeting on June 14, 2023.

ATTACHMENT
Attached Proposals:

1. Citizens Emergency Response Preparedness Program (CERPP)

2. HIP Housing

3. Housing Endowment & Regional Trust (HEART of San Mateo County)

4. Joint Venture Silicon Valley

5. Meals on Wheels – Peninsula Volunteers Inc.

6. Peninsula Conflict Resolution

7. Sustainable San Mateo County

8. Sustainable Silicon Valley

1 Historically, Town staff has recommended and the council has approved $2,500 for SSMC 253 of 285
1 Nicole Tanori
From: Joe Coleman
Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2023 1:00 PM
To: pvfinance
Subject: RE: Annual Contribution Letter 2023-2024
Hi Nicole,
I am the treasurer of EPiC, formally Citizens Emergency Response Preparedness Program for the towns of Portola Valley and Woodside and the entire Woodside Fire Protection District.

I am on the road and want this email to act as our official request of a donation from the Town of Portola Valley. If you wat more info, I will check my email.

Thanks, Joe Coleman .

-----Original Message-----
From: pvfinance <[email protected]>
Sent: Apr 17, 2023 4:22 PM
To: [email protected] <[email protected]>, [email protected] <[email protected]>
Cc: Cindy Rodas <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Annual Contribution Letter 2023-2024

Hello,
If you are receiving this email The Town of Portola Valley has not yet received your annual contribution letter.

I’d like to extend a friendly reminder that all contribution letters are due to The Town by end of day Friday, April 4/21. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best regards,
Nicole
254 of 285
Home. Heart. Hope.

Board of Directors
Meris Ota
President
Joshua Amoroso
Vice President
Nancy Bush
Treasurer
Kalah Espinoza
Secretary
Aaron Aknin
Ian Bain
Lauren Boro
Sophia Brink
LaTisa Brooks
Rocsana Enriquez
Napallo Gomez
Ripple Grewal
Mary Leahy
Carolyn Moore
Jennifer Taylor-Mendoza
Rob Zirkle
Honorary Board
Lois Almen Everett
Founder
Congresswoman
Anna Eshoo
Honorable Helen Fisicaro
T. Jack Foster, Jr.

Senator Jerry Hill
Dennis Lanterman
Honorable Jack Matthews
Memo Morantes
Helen Hilton Raiser
David Schemel
Honorable
Jackie Speier
Administration
Kate Comfort Harr
Executive Director
Laura Fanucchi
Director of Programs
Ghion Dessie
Vice President of Finance
Katherine Goodman
Fund Development
Director
HIP Housing
800 S. Claremont, #210
San Mateo, CA 94402
650-348-6660
www.HIPhousing.org
March 15, 2023
Jeremy Dennis
Town Manager
Town of Portola Valley
765 Portola Rd,
Portola Valley, CA 94028
Dear Jeremy,
We’ve seen some dramatic economic and social changes over the last few years. In San Mateo County – a region that for so long has grappled with immense income inequality and an extreme shortage of affordable housing – the pandemic has only underscored long-standing racial and economic inequities in employment, housing, health, and income.

Despite innovation, housing in the region remains much pricier than anywhere else in the US.

Due to a combination of limited housing stock, stringent land use policies, and sky-high construction costs, the demand for housing continues to drastically outpace the supply. In Towns like Portola Valley, we’ve seen our neighbors struggle to keep up with the costs, especially as safety net programs taper off. The result is grim: crowded and unsafe living conditions, homelessness, and displacement.

HIP Housing requests a grant of $3,000 from the Town of Portola Valley which, if awarded, will be directed towards the organization’s Home Sharing Program during FY 2023-2024.

Through the use of existing housing stock, the program develops readily available, affordable housing opportunities, benefitting low-income workers, older adults, and individuals with special needs who are seeking a safe and stable place to live. Home Sharing is an extremely cost effective housing program and included in the Housing Elements of all 21 municipalities in San Mateo County as a way to provide fair housing choice. Equally important, it is the only housing program Countywide whose waitlist never closes.

The best way to make headway towards a diverse, healthy, and resilient San Mateo County is working in partnership. On behalf of our Board of Directors, staff, and clients, we thank you for your past generosity and support of our Home Sharing Program, and for your consideration of this funding request.

Sincerely,
Kate Comfort Harr
Executive Director
255 of 285
800 S. Claremont Street, #210
San Mateo, CA 94402
Funding Proposal – Town of Portola Valley
Fiscal Year 2023-2024
Affordable Housing Today
San Mateo County is ranked as one of the wealthiest regions in the US. Yet in 2021, eight households in Silicon Valley held more wealth than the bottom 50%; at the same time, 23% of Silicon Valley residents lived below the poverty threshold (Silicon Valley Index, 2021).

For low-income individuals, housing costs are typically the greatest source of financial burden.

The County’s dramatic income inequality, coupled with some of the most prohibitive conditions for affordable housing development in the country, left 25,000 low-income renters without access to an affordable home in 2021. Meanwhile 72% of extremely low-income households spent over 50% of their income on housing (Sustainable San Mateo County, 2021).

In 2020 and 2021, the Bay Area saw a mass exodus of high-paid workers due to the pandemic.

In 2022, rental prices declined noticeably. From 2020 to 2022, a number of government agencies developed housing relief programs in response to growing economic uncertainty. That included the construction of 122 units of teacher’s workforce housing in Daly City, the multi-billion dollar state-wide Homekey Project, and the successful piloting of multiple guaranteed income / rental subsidy initiatives. In November 2022, voters across the state collectively considered 52 local ballot measures related to housing – including land use policy, funding sources for affordable housing initiatives, and strengthening tenant protection policies.

However, in early 2023, despite the slow rebound of asking rents, housing costs in the region remain much pricier than anywhere else in the US. Due to a combination of limited housing stock, stringent land use policies, and sky-high construction costs, the demand for housing continues to drastically outpace the supply.

At the state level, California’s Department of Housing and Community Development mandates that cities submit Housing Elements (a blueprint for how cities will develop and grow) every 8 years. The agency determined that the nine-county Bay Area will need 441,000 additional homes by 2031 to account for the current housing shortage and a growing population, of which 180,000 homes are designated to be affordable to low- and very-low income individuals and families. Of the 109 cities in the 9-county Bay Area, 69 cities missed the January 31, 2023 deadline to submit their plans.

This tardiness illustrates just how arduous the housing development process has been and will continue to be. Meanwhile, in order to afford the average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in the 1 256 of 285
area – over $2,400 – an individual in the Town of Portola Valley would need to earn $46.15 per hour, over 3 times Portola Valley’s minimum wage. As a result, Portola Valley and the wider San Mateo County remain completely unaffordable for low-income, and many moderate-income, individuals and families.

Populations particularly at risk for homelessness and displacement include Black and Hispanic/Latino individuals, older adults, individuals with disabilities, students, and essential workers – including home health and personal care aides, childcare workers, and janitors. The Terner Center at UC Berkeley reports that, based on displacement patterns, low-income residents, particularly low-income Black and Hispanic/Latino residents, are becoming more and more “confined to the state’s economic margins” (2018).

The only way to make any headway towards a diverse, healthy, and resilient San Mateo County is to work collectively. Affordable housing solutions are more critical than ever.

HIP Housing’s Mission and Goals
In San Mateo County’s pressured housing landscape, HIP Housing’s mission is to invest in human potential by improving the housing and lives of people in our community. Through our Home Sharing Program, Self Sufficiency Program, and Property Management Division, we make use of existing housing stock to ensure that there is a broad spectrum of affordable housing solutions for low-income individuals and families facing displacement and homelessness in San Mateo County.

As a result of our work, HIP Housing enables more than 1,300 low-income individuals to find, or remain in, stable and affordable housing each year. We recognize that housing is a key determinant of health and economic wellbeing, and are committed to expanding and deepening affordable housing solutions throughout the County.

Description of the Program to Be Funded – Home Sharing Program HIP Housing respectfully requests a grant of $3,000 from the Town of Portola Valley. If our request is approved, this grant will be used to support the activities of our innovative Home Sharing Program during FY 2023-2024.

HIP Housing’s Home Sharing Program matches people who have space in their home to share with people who are searching for an affordable place to live. By making more efficient use of the existing housing in the Town of Portola Valley, the Home Sharing Program provides a dynamic and affordable solution to the lack of affordable housing in Portola Valley, and throughout San Mateo County.

The components that make this program so successful are:

1. The creation of new affordable housing through the use of existing housing stock. By making more efficient use of existing housing inventory, the Home Sharing Program 2 257 of 285
creates new affordable housing opportunities for low-income individuals, families, and older adults in the Town of Portola Valley.

2. Our thorough and in-depth matching process. Clients begin the home sharing process by completing a detailed application, which increases their chances of being matched in appropriate and compatible living arrangements. After completing the application, program staff follow up by interviewing the client and establishing their specific needs, after which staff carry out reference and local background checks. Once clients are matched, staff bring both parties together to help them outline their expectations and agree on rights and responsibilities. This information is then documented in a Living Together Agreement, which is signed by both the Home Provider and the Home Seeker.

3. Creative and unique solutions for clients. The Home Sharing Program additionally offers a Reduced Rent Exchange. For reduced rent, the Home Seeker completes light household chores such as cooking, cleaning, and providing companionship for an older adult Home Provider or persons with special needs.

4. Ongoing client services and support. One of the special features of HIP Housing’s Home Sharing Program is that the process does not end once clients have been matched.

Each and every client that we work with is unique, and so are their individual needs. With this in mind, our program staff provide ongoing support to all clients, including technical support and client mediation to matches in need of these services. By way of this thorough and in-depth process, the average home sharing match lasts more than four years (a statistic which has held steady through the pandemic), while others last between five and twenty years.

HIP Housing’s Home Sharing Program is the only one of its kind in San Mateo County and one of the few sources of readily available affordable housing in the County today. Over the years, HIP Housing’s Home Sharing Program has evolved into a vital resource for people of all ages and backgrounds. At its core, the Home Sharing Program assists those who are struggling to find a decent, stable, and affordable home, or who are trying to remain in their existing home.

Directly Addressing the Needs of Residents in the Town of Portola Valley Access to stable and affordable housing is a critical determinant of success in life, affecting health, access to education, and the opportunity for economic mobility.The Home Sharing Program’s use of existing housing inventory in the Town of Portola Valley not only increases affordable housing opportunities, but also:
● Preserves Portola Valley’s thriving and diverse community. ● Enables struggling renters to avoid displacement and remain in their existing affordable housing.
● Helps low-income individuals find a stable and affordable place to live that is close to work, their children’s school, and their family support network. 3 258 of 285
● Enables the Town of Portola Valley’s workforce to find sustainable residency in and around Portola Valley.
● Allows older adults and people with special needs to remain living independently in their own home.

HIP Housing’s Home Sharing Program reduces housing costs significantly, for both the Home Provider and the Home Seeker, while also promoting independence and providing security and companionship for those with special needs.

Below, you will find the FY 2021-2022 statistics for the Home Sharing Program in the Town of Portola Valley.

In FY 21-22, Our Home Sharing Staff…
● Provided housing information and referrals to 2 individuals who live in Portola Valley. ● Interviewed, screened, and provided housing assistance to 2 individuals who live and/or work in Portola Valley.

Every day, HIP Housing’s Home Sharing Program strives to make the Town of Portola Valley a great place for everyone to live, work, and thrive, regardless of their income. We would like to introduce you to a San Mateo County resident whose life has been impacted by our Home Sharing Program. Meet Linda:

Linda is an older adult who heard about the Home Sharing program from a friend of hers. Linda works in Menlo Park for a family as their nanny. When her housemate of 2 years was accepted to a BMR unit, Linda had to find a new place to live. Within a few weeks, Linda found a new housemate through HIP Housing and moved to her home in East Palo Alto. She is very happy with the arrangement and is also paying $300 less than what she had been paying.

In addition to serving the Town of Portola Valley through our Home Sharing Program, HIP Housing’s Self Sufficiency Program and Property Management Division also provide vital housing opportunities to residents.

The Self Sufficiency Program provides housing scholarships and intensive trauma-informed case management to low-income parents and emancipated foster youth who are in school. The program specifically works with individuals pursuing continued education to help increase their earning power and become financially independent within one to five years. In FY 21-22, 49 families (60 adults and 77 children) participated in the program.

The Property Management Division expands the affordable housing stock available throughout the County. By partnering with local municipalities, private funders, banks, and other institutions, we are able to purchase and rehabilitate multi-family residential properties and then rent them at below-market rate rental prices to our income qualified clients. HIP Housing currently owns and/or manages 33 properties in the County, which provide stable and affordable housing to roughly 700 low-income individuals each year. 4 259 of 285
Number of Individuals to Be Served by FY 23-24 Funding
Thousands of low-income individuals and families in San Mateo County face displacement each year. HIP Housing’s Home Sharing Program directly addresses housing insecurity in the Town of Portola Valley by creating affordable housing solutions. With your support during FY 2023-2024, our dedicated Home Sharing staff will:
● Offer housing information and referrals to 5-10 individuals living in Portola Valley who contact our agency for help.
● Interview, screen, and provide housing assistance to 2-3 individuals who live and/or work in Portola Valley.
● Match 1-2 individuals who live and/or work in Portola Valley in new, affordable home sharing arrangements.
● Provide follow-up and support services to 1-2 Portola Valley residents matched in previous years.

It is our hope that the Town of Portola Valley will continue to support our Home Sharing Program in FY 2023-2024. With your partnership, we envision an inclusive and thriving region.

Evaluating the Home Sharing Program
The Home Sharing Program is evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Number of intake calls received and resources provided - Number of clients and households served
- Number of clients placed in a home sharing arrangement - Number of clients in home sharing matches made in previous years Demographic information collected and evaluated includes:
- Income level of clients
- Age, gender, disability, race and ethnicity
- Housing costs at the time of application to the program and after being matched in a home sharing arrangement
- Housing affordability measured by the percentage of income spent on housing costs - Length of time a client stays in a home sharing arrangement HIP Housing maintains a database of all clients served and placed in shared housing. This database includes demographic information, income levels, and other relevant data. The Home Sharing team also monitors available housing resources, affordable housing waitlists, and other housing opportunities. Home sharing matched clients are contacted every three months after being placed in a home sharing arrangement for follow-up and to determine if any additional support is needed.

Home Sharing Program Community Outreach Activities Targeting the Town of Portola Valley
5 260 of 285
● We placed Home Sharing Program ads throughout local newspapers, magazines, partner organizations’ websites, community-based social media pages like Nextdoor, radio stations, SamTrans bus ads, a billboard, and online newsletters ● We sent Home Sharing Program flyers and e-blasts to businesses, faith-based organizations, community calendars, schools, centers for older adults, and community associations
● We spread information through meeting and networking with community-based organizations, city councils, city staff, schools, farmers markets, government agencies, healthcare providers, and nonprofits throughout the County ● We presented on the Home Sharing Program to various 65+ centers, County employees, schools, nonprofits, associations, and podcasts HIP Housing will continue to focus on expanding our in-person and virtual outreach activities in the Town of Portola Valley during FY 2023-2024. By increasing the accessibility of the information in circulation about our programs, we hope to provide direct assistance to as many individuals and families as possible.

Home Sharing Program Community Partnerships and Collaborations HIP Housing maintains strong community partnerships in order to connect clients with resources that fit their unique needs. Below are some of the organizations that we partner with:

Home Sharing Program community partnerships:
● Cal State East Bay and Eastside Prep School - interns assist with Home Sharing Program marketing and outreach efforts.
● Community College District - Home Sharing staff met with the District’s International Student Housing Program Coordinator to share resources and to recruit Home Providers near the three community colleges.
● CORE Community Centers - clients are referred to CORE for rent assistance and shelter referral.
● Haven Connect - the Home Sharing Program reaches out to individuals on our Property Interest list to provide information about our Home Sharing and Self-Sufficiency Programs.
● Legal Aid and Project Sentinel - clients are referred for any legal advice regarding notices to move, rent disputes, and other legal landlord/tenant matters. ● One Life Counseling Center - collaborating on a mental health wellness program for staff, interns, and volunteers at HIP Housing.
● Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center - Conflict Resolution Certification training and bi-annual fair housing training for Home Sharing Coordinators. ● Safe Harbor Shelter, Samaritan House - the Home Sharing team conducted presentations at the Shelter (pre-pandemic).
● Sam Trans - ongoing collaboration to market programs to potential Sam Trans employees who are struggling to locate housing.
6 261 of 285
● The Housing Industry Foundation, Job Train, Samaritan House, San Mateo County’s Aging and Adult Services, San Mateo County’s Oasis Program - inservice with HIP Housing program teams.
● San Mateo County’s Office of Education - ongoing outreach for school district employees and collaboration with Superintendent Nancy Magee. ● The County of San Mateo - ongoing outreach for County employees and retirees.

Home Sharing Program client referral partners:
● Abode
● Caminar
● CIDA
● CORA
● CORE Community Centers
● EPACANDO
● Golden Gate Regional Center
● Housing Choices
● Kaiser
● Life Moves
● Maple Street Shelter
● Social Security Administration
● Safe Harbor Shelter
● San Mateo County Aging and Adult Services
● San Mateo County Community Colleges
● San Mateo County City Departments
● San Mateo County Housing Authority
● San Mateo County Human Resource Department
● San Mateo County Libraries
● San Mateo County School Districts
● San Mateo Medical Center
● San Mateo County Mental Health
● SparkPoint centers
● Sutter Health
While our Home Sharing Program is thoroughly connected throughout San Mateo County, the program also actively ensures that other organizations and jurisdictions have the tools and resources they need to implement local home sharing programs. Laura Fanucchi, HIP Housing’s Director of Programs, serves as the Vice President of the National Shared Housing Resource Center’s Board of Directors and has provided technical assistance to emerging home sharing programs throughout the country for over 20 years. HIP Housing is also a part of the West Coast Home Sharing Collaborative. Ultimately, HIP Housing’s efforts have helped to launch 11 new home sharing programs in California, which has increased the capacity of 7 neighboring jurisdictions to provide affordable housing opportunities to their communities. 7 262 of 285
With the support of partnerships and collaborations, our dedicated Home Sharing staff develops crucial referral networks and supports home sharing programs in neighboring jurisdictions.

HIP Housing’s Capacity and Experience
In order to support low-income individuals and families meaningfully, HIP Housing is dedicated to expanding and deepening the services that we provide. Our cross-sector partnerships and wrap-around social services enable the streamlining of more efficient and sustainable affordable housing throughout the region. Below, we list a few ways that we’re making strides towards a more equitable, healthy, and housed County.

1. Collaborations on Housing Elements. Since 1969, each city’s Housing Elements has been updated every 8 years and serves as the blueprint for how the region will develop and grow. The most recent round of Housing Elements was due in January 2023. On the Town of Portola Valley’s Housing Elements, HIP Housing was cited on pages 81, 87, 99, and 112 as a longstanding and sustainable affordable housing solution.

2. Realigning on city funding. Many of our clients are homeless or on the brink of homelessness, with limited or no access to income verification documentation at the level required by CDBG. As a result, we decided to retract our CDBG applications for FY 2021-2022 (from 5 jurisdictions), resulting in a $90,000 shortfall for our Home Sharing Program. In 2022 we worked with each jurisdiction to re-establish funding from alternate sources that are better fits for the services we provide. Recognizing the value and importance of the Home Sharing Program, of the five CDGB jurisdictions which collectively had provided $90,000 in support annually (including the County of San Mateo and the Cities of South San Francisco, Redwood City, Daly City and San Mateo,) all but one have replaced their previous CDBG funding with funding from other sources.

3. Capacity building through new programs. We were recently awarded a two-year, $200,000 Neighborhood Builders grant from Bank of America, which will support the launch of our new Information & Referral (I&R) Program in FY 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. By transforming our information and referral services into a full-fledged program, we will substantively support the 2,000+ callers who contact our agency for housing assistance each year. Ultimately, the funding will allow us to (1) better track the progress of callers in attaining stable and affordable housing, (2) monitor referrals, and (3) deliver services through a trauma-informed lens.

4. Integrating trauma-informed care into service delivery. Safe, stable, and affordable housing is intrinsic to health. One distinct way that housing insecurity impacts health is the way it can impede a person’s sense of safety and increase individuals’ odds of having Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) (Source: National Health Care for the Homeless Council, 2019). Nearly 70% of our Self Sufficiency Program clients report a history of trauma, and we aim to provide integrated care that improves our clients’ hope and resilience. A core strategy in our Five-Year Strategic Plan is to implement trauma-informed care throughout our agency. Some of the program’s strategies to 8 263 of 285
achieve this goal include trauma-informed training for program staff, trauma-focused client case management, and trauma-informed parenting resources.

Along with these developments, we recently secured a $25,000 grant from Kaiser Permanente to help launch the Nurturing Fathers Initiative, a subprogram of the Self Sufficiency Program. The initiative aims to combine housing assistance and specialized social services to fill a national gap in father-centered programming, ultimately linking stable housing with positive mental and physical health outcomes.

5. Striving for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Diversity, equity, and inclusion require consistent learning and policy implementation. With enhanced program capacity and connectivity, we’ve also turned inward to reflect on our workplace culture. We’ve sustained our DEI strategies to ensure that staff and board members feel supported through resources, critical conversations, and policies. Throughout 2022, we’ve conducted policy equity revisions (standardized 40-hour work week for all employees and employee reclassification), developed Mid-Level Manager monthly trainings, and convened a DEI Council that facilitates staff engagement via monthly workshops centered around DEI concepts, including unconscious bias, bystander intervention, and trauma-informed care.

Conclusion
The affordable housing crisis requires collaboration at every level. With the partnership and support of each municipality, HIP Housing aims to expand affordable housing solutions throughout San Mateo County.

HIP Housing respectfully requests a grant of $3,000 from the Town of Portola Valley to support the Home Sharing Program. With your support during FY 2023-2024, our Home Sharing staff will work directly with 6-12 individuals who live and/or work in the Town of Portola Valley. On behalf of the entire HIP Housing team, our Board of Directors, and our clients, thank you for your past support and for your consideration of this funding request. 9 264 of 285

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Michael Brownrigg, Chair
Mayor
City of Burlingame
Diane Howard, Vice Chair
Councilmember
City of Redwood City
Warren Slocum, Secretary
Supervisor
County of San Mateo
Glenn R. Sylvester,
Treasurer
Councilmember
City of Daly City
Mary Bier
Councilmember
City of Pacifica
Noelia Corzo
Supervisor
County of San Mateo
Karyl Eldridge
Faith in Action
Larry Franzella
Intero Real Estate Services
Anders Fung
Councilmember
City of Millbrae
Sam Hindi
Councilmember
City of Foster City
David N.P. Hopkins
Sares Regis Group of
Northern California
Don Horsley
Former County Supervisor
Nancy Magee
Superintendent
San Mateo County Office of
Education
Jack Matthews
John Matthews Architects
Sara McDowell
Councilmember
City of San Carlos
Robert Morehead
First Republic Bank
Mark Nagales
Vice Mayor
City of South San Francisco
Bart Pantoja
Building Trades Council of
San Mateo County
Deborah Penrose
Mayor
City of Half Moon Bay
Elan Scheinman
Primavera Partners
April 19, 2023
Town of Portola Valley
765 Portola Rd
Portola Valley, CA 94028
RE: Invoice for 2023-24 HEART Membership Dues
Dear Town Manager,
Housing affordability continues to be a tremendous challenge for residents of San Mateo County.

CoStar forecasts that over the next four quarters, year-to-year rents will increase more than 10% before decreasing to about 5%. As the chart below shows, in five years rents will be 20% higher across San Mateo County. These rent increases will have a devastating effect on low- and moderate-income households. But, with your support, HEART will continue to make a difference in the lives of many low- and middle-income residents in San Mateo County.

One of our significant
achievements this past year
was securing a new
$1,000,000 grant from the
State of California under the
Local Housing Trust Fund
(LHTF) Program. HEART
plans to use these funds to
help nonprofit organizations
acquire and preserve existing
affordable housing.

We are looking forward to 23-
24 as our work on housing
preservation accelerates. In
addition to the $1,000,000
LHTF grant, HEART’s
Board of Directors approved
a new program allowing HEART to use its bonding capacity to purchase existing buildings and convert them to affordable housing. We will be reaching out to cities in the coming weeks to present the program and describe how we can work together to create and preserve affordable housing in San Mateo County.

In addition to our housing preservation groundwork, we are pleased to have provided a $3,800,000 loan to Kiku Crossing in San Mateo. The project broke ground in early 2022 and will provide 225 affordable homes for extremely low, very low, and low-income residents.

If you have any questions about our programs or need additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thank you again for your continued support; enclosed is an invoice for the fiscal year 2023-24 HEART membership dues.

Sincerely,
Armando F. Sanchez
Executive Director
265 of 285
Invoice
Date
4/19/2023
Invoice #
793
Bill To
Jeremy Dennis
Town of Portola Valley
765 Portola Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028
Housing Endowment and Regional Trust
2905 S El Camino Real
San Mateo, CA 94403
P.O. No. Terms
Due on receipt
Project
Total
Quantity Description Rate Amount
Membership Dues July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024 1,361.00 1,361.00 $1,361.00
266 of 285

OFFICERS
HON. SUSAN ELLENBERG
Co-Chair
County of Santa Clara

JOHN TENANES
Co-Chair
Meta

RUSSELL HANCOCK
President & CEO
Joint Venture Silicon Valley

DIRECTORS

JOHN AITKEN
Mineta San Jose Int’l Airport

DAVID BINI
Santa Clara & San Benito County
Building Trades Council

LISA BOWMAN
Orrick

RAHUL CHANDHOK
San Francisco 49ers
DR.RAKESH CHAUDHARY
Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara

JONATHAN COWAN
El Camino Health

GINA DALMA
Silicon Valley Community
Foundation

DAVID ENTWISTLE
Stanford Health Care

KATIE FERRICK
LinkedIn

JAVIER GONZALEZ
Google

RAQUEL GONZALEZ
Bank of America

ERIC HOUSER
Wells Fargo

KELLY KLINE
Stanford University

CURTIS MO
DLA Piper

DELINDA MWORKA
DLA Piper

MAIRTINI NI DHOMHNAILL
Countsy
MARK G. PARNES
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

DAVID SACARELOS
Seiler, LLP
SHERRI R. SAGER
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital

KARENA SHACKELFORD
City of Fremont

JARED SHAWLEE
San Jose Earthquakes

ED SHIKADA
City of Palo Alto
JOHN A. SOBRATO
The Sobrato Organization

JULIE SULLIVAN
Santa Clara University

CYNTHIA TENIENTES-MATSON
San Jose State University

NEERAJ VADHAN
Accenture

JOHN VARELA
Santa Clara Valley Water District
Sutcliffe, LLP

COREY VERWAY
LendLease
April 21, 2023
Town of Portola Valley
Attn: Howard Young
Interim Town Manager
765 Portola Valley Road,
Portola Valley, CA
To Our Partners in Local Government:

I’m writing to ask you to renew your investment in Joint Venture Silicon Valley.

We’re an organization providing both analysis and action, and we do it in partnership with the region’s major sectors—government, business and labor.

Because of that support, we’re fielding a variety of programs and activities that bring rationality and coherence to the region, and root our decisionmakers in data.

For example:
• Our climate initiatives are pushing the state legislature for more aggressive targets for reducing greenhouse gases, for hastening our conversion to zero-emission vehicles, envisioning two-way charging for those vehicles when parked at home, and more.
• Our Food Recovery initiative is leading our region’s implementation of Senate Bill 1383, which diverts surplus food from landfills to worthy organizations. The program has been tasked with the responsibility to educate, inspect, and monitor compliance of all regulated entities. We also convene the Silicon Valley Food Recovery Council.
• Our transportation work includes sponsoring legislation to (such as Senate Bill 917) to integrate and unify the region’s transit providers and help them capture the efficiencies they will need to survive in a post-pandemic world. • Our Civic Technologies program is working with stakeholders in the internet and telecommunications ecosystem to bring broadband to underserved communities.

We’re also working with cities and carriers to facilitate the expansion of our networks, and to provide research addressing community concerns. • Our Silicon Valley Economic Development Alliance, comprised of economic development professionals from more than 25 agencies, provides professional development and support to the members through monthly meetings and programs with partner organizations.
267 of 285
On the research side of the house, we have expanded our output of white papers, data sets, and public opinion polling. Our flagship product continues to be the Silicon Valley Index, a comprehensive report monitoring the region’s health and vitality across hundreds of indicators. In addition to providing the information in report form, we curate an online dashboard that provides thousands of data points (including live indicators) in a highly accessible format, and we provide this freely to the community. For an extra fee, our research team is also offering specialized data sets to Joint Venture member agencies seeking more in-depth information tailored to their city.

You can contact me directly should that be of interest.

None of this is possible without continuing support, and we’re grateful for yours. Even in a difficult economy our corporate and labor members are still standing by us. Our public sector investors complete the circle, making this a genuine “joint venture.” I’m attaching an invoice, and it reflects a small inflation-based increase over last year’s amount.

With thanks for your partnership,
Russell Hancock
President & Chief Executive Officer
268 of 285
Joint Venture Silicon Valley
84 W. Santa Clara Street
Suite 800
San Jose, CA 95113
(669) 223-1331

INVOICE
Invoice #: 1065NETportola
Invoice Date: 04/20/23
Amount Due: $1,000.00
Bill To: Ship To:

Towno f Portola Valley
Attn: Howard Young
Interim Town Manager
765 Portola Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028
United States
Attn: Howard Young
Interim Town Manager
765 Portola Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028
United States
Due Date Terms
05/20/23 Net 30
Item Description Quantity Price Amount
Revenue-City Joint Venture Silicon Valley
Public Investment, Fiscal Year 2023-24 1 $1,000.00 $1,000.00 Subtotal: $1,000.00
Sales Tax: $0.00
Total: $1,000.00
Payments: $0.00
Amount Due: $1,000.00
Make checks payable to:

Joint Venture Silicon Valley
84 W Santa Clara Street, Suite 800
San Jose, California 95113
Thank you for your prompt payment
501(c)3 Tax ID: 77-0389802
To pay online, go to https://app01.us.bill.com/p/jointventuresiliconvalleynetwork 269 of 285
800 Middle Avenue Menlo Park, CA 94025 • 650-326-0665 • www.1pvi.org BoardofDirectors
Georgie Gleim
Board Chair/President
Sandra Ferer
President Elect/Vice
President
Anna Marie Janky
Secretary
Honor Huntington
Treasurer
Candice Schwab
Past President

Jan Barker
Jan Conomos
Lisa Deal
Linda Dickinson
Sandra Ferrando
Jeanne Fischer
Mark Flegel
Lata Goel
Deborah Gordon
Susan Martin
Louise Patch
Carolyn Rianda
Carolyn Schutz
Patricia Wilkinson

Chief Executive Officer
Peter Olson

Services
Meals on Wheels
Nutrition Services
650-323-2022
Little House
Roslyn G. Morris
Activity Center
650-326-2025
Rosener House
Adult Day Services
650-322-0126
April 13, 2023
Mr. Howard Young
Interim Town Manager
Town of Portola Valley
Dear Mr. Young,
Thank you for the opportunity to request a contribution for the Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. (PVI) Meals on Wheels program for the coming year. PVI is a tax-exempt charitable organization (501 (c)(3) #94-1294939) serving seniors and adults with disabilities in San Mateo County including Portola Valley. Meals on Wheels is a safety net service providing nutritious meals, daily human contact and safety checks, regular functional assessments and referrrals to other needed community services with the goal of preventing premature hospitalization or institutional placement. Meals on Wheels helps older adults remain in their own homes and communities as long as it is safely possible.

According to Meals on Wheels America, more than 10 million (1 in 6) older adults struggle with hunger nationally. In California, that equates to more than 1.1 million, and in San Mateo County, 16,000 seniors face food insecurity. San Mateo County has an older population compared to many other California counties, and seniors continue to desire to age in place. Often seniors and adults with disabilities must choose among paying for housing, medication or food. Meals on Wheels alleviates the concern around nutrition, and the check-in by staff members and volunteers provides a measure of security. San Mateo County’s population of age 60 and over is projected to increase 143% from 2010-2060, and 390% for 85 years and over. With increasing age comes the greater possibility of disability and need for assistance, so the demand for PVI services is certain to increase significantly. Last year, PVI delivered 180,000 meals to 1,200 San Mateo County seniors and adults with disabilities.

Meals on Wheels is partially funded by San Mateo County Aging and Adult Services with funds from the Older Americans Act and must adhere to the criteria set forth in the Act; therefore, meal recipients can only be requested to make a voluntary donation towards the cost of the program. San Mateo County funding does not cover the full cost of providing the meals. A $5,000 donation from the Town of Portola Valley will be used to help cover the unfunded portion of providing nutritious meals to homebound older adults. Many of the meal recipients have a monthly income of $1,200 or less and are unable to contribute to the program. Funding is needed to bridge the gap in support for this successful and vital program.

Sincerely,
Barbara Kalt
Grant Specialist
Peninsula Vollunteers, Inc.
www.1pvi.org
270 of 285
1 1670 S. Amphlett Blvd., Ste. #115, San Mateo, CA 94402|Office: (650) 513-0330|www.pcrcweb.org April 18, 2023
Town Manager
765 Portola Road
Portola Valley, CA
94028
Attention Town Manager,
Agreement for the Provision of Community Mediation
Services
The Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center (PCRC), a 50l(c)(3) public benefit corporation, wishes to provide conflict resolution services for the Town of Portola Valley.

The Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center is an independent contractor, organized in accordance with the laws of California, and is capable of performing the conflict resolution services described in this agreement.

PCRC and the Town of Portola Valley agree as follows:

SERVICES. The PCRC shall provide the services described in Exhibit A, attached to and made a part of this agreement.

FUNDING. Funding by the Town of Portola Valley shall be in advance and shall be $2760.00 PCRC shall provide documentation to specify how the funds requested shall be spent, including such details as the Town of Portola Valley deems appropriate. Additional documentation may be requested by the Town.

CONTRACT TERM. This contract shall commence on July 1, 2023, and shall terminate on June 30, 2024, unless terminated before that time, as described in Paragraph 6 of this agreement.

PROGRAM REPORTS. A performance report shall be submitted annually (at year-end). This report shall include a description of all program activity related to this contract for the particular period.

BREACH OF CONTRACT. The Town of Portola Valley reserves the right to waive any and all breaches of this contract, any such waiver shall not be deemed a waiver of all previous or subsequent breaches. In the event the Town of Portola Valley chooses to waive a particular breach of this contract, it may condition said waiver on payment by PCRC of actual damages occasioned by such breach of contract. PCRC shall make every effort to resolve the breach quickly and amicably.
271 of 285
2 1670 S. Amphlett Blvd., Ste. #115, San Mateo, CA 94402|Office: (650) 513-0330|www.pcrcweb.org TERMINATION. In the event the PCRC is unable to fulfill its responsibilities under this contract for any reason whatsoever, including circumstances beyond its control, the Town of Portola Valley may terminate this contract. Either party to this agreement may terminate this contract without cause by giving 10 days written notice to the other party. If the contract is terminated, PCRC shall return a prorated amount of funding to the Town of Portola Valley.

INTEREST OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS. No members, officers or employees, or agents of the Town of Portola Valley, no member of the City Council, and no other public official exercising any function or responsibility with respect to this program during his/her tenure, shall have any interest, direct or indirect, in this contract or a related subcontractor the proceeds thereof.

RELATIONSHIP OF PARTIES. It is expressly understood that PCRC is an independent contractor and that no agency, employee, or other relationship is intended to be or is established by this contract.

INSPECTION OF PROGRAM. It is understood that periodic review of PCRC's program may be necessary and the right to do so is reserved by the Town of Portola Valley.

ASSIGNABILITY. PCRC shall not assign in this agreement and shall not transfer any interest in the same, without the prior written consent of the HOLD HARMLESS AND INSURANCE. PCRC agrees (1) to hold harmless and indemnify the Town of Portola Valley and its officers and employees from and against any and all claims, loss, liability, damage, and expense arising from the performance of this contract, including claims, loss, liability, damage, and expense caused or claimed to be caused by passive negligence of the City or its officers or employees. (2) to defend (Town of Portola Valley), its officers or employees there-against; provided however that this provision does not apply to claims, loss, liability, damage, or expense arising from (a) the sole negligence or willful misconduct of (Town of Portola Valley) or (b) the active negligence of (Town of Portola Valley). General liability and automobile liability insurance shall provide the following minimum benefits: (1) general liability, including comprehensive form, personal injury, broad form property damage, contractual and premises/ operation in limits of $1,000,000, aggregate, bodily injury, and property damage combined; (2) automobile liability in limits of $1,000,000, bodily injury and property damage combined. Additionally, workers’ compensation insurance in at least the minimum statutory amounts shall be maintained. All liability insurance policies shall specify (Town of Portola Valley), its elective and appointed boards, commissions, officers, agents, and employees as additional insured. A certificate of insurance shall be provided to (Town of Portola Valley) prior to performance pursuant to this contract. It shall include policy endorsement verifying Town’s additional insured status. Further, any changes in insurance, required herein must be approved in writing by the City Attorney's Office
272 of 285
3 1670 S. Amphlett Blvd., Ste. #115, San Mateo, CA 94402|Office: (650) 513-0330|www.pcrcweb.org NONDISCRIMINATION. General: No person shall, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religious affiliation or non-affiliation, marital status, medical condition, sex, age, handicap, sexual orientation, or political affiliation be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits or be subjected to discrimination, under this agreement.

Employment: PCRC shall ensure equal employment opportunity based on objective standards of recruitment, selection, promotion, classification, compensation, performance evaluation, and management relations, for all employees under this agreement. PCRC's personnel policies shall be made available to the Town of Portola Valley upon request.

PROJECT REPRESENTATION. PCRC and the Town of Portola Valley hereby designate the following agents to act as project representatives and receive all notices in the matters dealing with the performance of work, under this agreement.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION. If differences relating to this contract or the relationship between the contracting parties should arise during the term of this agreement, both parties will pursue resolution using an interest-based, non-adversarial coach and utilize the services of a neutral third-party mediator if direct negotiations are not successful.

ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS. Additional provisions, if any, are contained in Exhibit A, attached to this document.

In witness thereof, this agreement has been duly executed by the parties named above.

PENINSULA CONFLICT RESOLUTION CENTER
1670 S. Amphlett Blvd., Suite 115
San Mateo, California 94402
650.513.0330
By: _______________________________________ Date
Malissa Netane-Jones, Executive Director
By: _______________________________________ Date
Town Manager, Town of Portola Valley
273 of 285
3182 CAMPUS DRIVE, #153, SAN MATEO, CA 94403
[email protected]
WWW.SUSTAINABLESANMATEO.ORG
OUR FEDERAL TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER IS 48-1265207. SSMC IS A 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION WITH TAX-EXEMPT STATUS.

April 20, 2023
Town of Portola Valley
765 Portola Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028
Dear Mayor Aalfs, City Manager Dennis, City Council Members and Sustainability Manager, On behalf of Sustainable San Mateo County, thank you very much for your past contributions, which have enabled us to work toward our vision of a sustainable future for everyone in our county. Attached, please find our 2023-2024 funding request package, which includes:
▪ Introduction Letter
▪ Overview
▪ Funding Request
▪ Invoice
▪ Our most recent Indicators Report, on the topic of Building Electrification in San Mateo County, can be accessed on our website: www.sustainablesanmateo.org or you can click here for direct access (with both the full version of the report and a summary brochure available for download).

We would like to take this opportunity to cordially invite you and your staff to attend our first ever “Youth for Climate Policy” event, this coming Friday, April 21st. The event will feature State Senator Becker, former local mayors and student leaders. This free webinar, meant to empower our youth, is cosponsored by 350 Silicon Valley, Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action, Acterra, Citizens’ Climate Lobby and Peninsula Clean Energy. The program will offer practical tips on how to connect with leaders at the city, county and state levels, advocate for policies at local government meetings and organize groups to propel positive climate action. For more information and to register, go to: tinyurl.com/Youth4ClimatePolicy.

For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for considering this request.

In Partnership,
Christine Kohl-Zaugg
Executive Director

BOARD OF

DIRECTORS
CHAIR
Terry Nagel

VICE CHAIR
Kirsten Keith

SECRETARY
Seamus Murphy

TREASURER
Barbara McHugh

MEMBERS
John Crowell
Verónica Escámez
Valerie Fox Carlos
Casey Fromson
Georgi LaBerge
Russ Miller
Mark Olbert
William Schulte

ADVISORY BOARD
Bryan Beck
Kaia Eakin
Chris Garrett
George Kreitem
Ricki McGlashan
Mark Moulton
Kan Parthiban
Sarah Prescott

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Christine Kohl-Zaugg
STAFF
Executive Assistant
Jill Reed
IR Program Manager
Sarah Cassanego

FOUNDERS
Marcia Pagels
Ruth Peterson
274 of 285
Sustainable San Mateo County – Request for Support FY 23-24 Page 1 of 2 Sustainable San Mateo County (SSMC) is requesting support for its programs for Fiscal Year 2023-24. Our goal is to have 100 percent participation from our cities and towns in financially supporting our programs – and we are very close to reaching this! Our programs are aimed at making San Mateo County vibrant and healthy for generations to come. Please note that we depend upon our cities and towns’ financial contributions to allow us to continue to serve you and your residents.

We very much appreciate all previous financial support and hope you are able to fund us at the full requested level to allow us to continue to deliver and expand our programs and positive impact on the ground.

Your support will allow us to continue to share best-in-class solutions of sustainability programs, practices and ordinances that will help guide your city toward a sustainable future that values a healthy environment, social equity and a green, thriving economy. SSMC promotes greater understanding that we are all part of a giant, interdependent and complex web of relationships that ensure a healthy and thriving world for us and for generations to come. We believe in the power of systemsthinking and a longer-range approach to solving issues facing our county.

Organizational Overview
Founded in 1992, over thirty years ago, SSMC is an independent nonprofit organization that is not affiliated with the San Mateo County Office of Sustainability. We are dedicated to stimulating positive community action on economic, environmental and social equity issues (the three “E’s” of sustainability) for our county. SSMC is well respected for providing accurate, timely, empowering, and accessible data and information as well as impactful sustainability solutions that your city can easily adopt.

SSMC’s core programs, our Indicators Report and our annual Sustainability and Green Building Awards, provide information and inspiration to drive sustainability in San Mateo County at the local level. Both programs have been in place for over 20 years and provide each city and town in San Mateo County with metrics, data and local trends impacting our economy, environment, and society. Our recent 24th Awards event, on March 30th, was the first time we were able to return to an inperson event since 2019 and was a resounding success with close to 300 sustainability leaders attending. In keeping with the theme of the event, “A hopeful future for our youth,” SSMC honored three local high school students who have volunteered their time to make the county more sustainable. SSMC also partners closely with local government and a wide range of community organizations to promote sustainable policies, practices and programs, such as the RICAPS program, Peninsula Clean Energy, like-minded leading nonprofits, local Chambers of Commerce, the American Institute of Architects’ local San Mateo chapter and the County’s Office of Sustainability to cite a few.

We continue to update and expand the Sustainability Ideas Bank, which shares impactful, scalable, cost-effective and easy-toreplicate sustainability measures, ordinances and policies that local jurisdictions and businesses can adopt to accelerate sustainability. Our regular virtual Happy Hours series, which was launched when the pandemic hit, allows residents to stay connected and explore sustainability topics in a collaborative setting. Experts kick-start discussions on different subjects every month, with an average of 50+ people attending each Happy Hour. Our new Sustainability Dashboard helps cities measure their progress. Please check-out our website at: www.sustainablesanmateo.org to learn more. Last but not least: we take our responsibility to train and mentor the next generation of local sustainability leaders seriously, notably via our Summer Interns program. You can read more about this here or by going to: https://sustainablesanmateo.org/2023/04/12/ssmc-seekssummer-interns/ Request for Support
Town of Portola Valley
Sustainable San Mateo County FY 2023-24
Amount Requested: $5,000
Sustainable San Mateo County
3182 Campus Drive, #153
San Mateo, CA 94403
Contact: Christine Kohl-Zaugg, Executive Director
p: 650-918-1992 | [email protected]
275 of 285
Sustainable San Mateo County – Request for Support FY 23-24 Page 1 of 2 Staffing
SSMC is growing! Currently, we have a part-time Program Manager who supports the Indicators Report, which helps cities shape and implement their sustainability goals. SSMC’s Executive Director, which works full time, is involved in the strategic direction of the Indicators Report, as well as in editing, design consultation, website, and events development, planning, and outreach for the report. SSMC also has a part-time Executive Assistant who assists with administrative duties. We are currently actively looking for an additional FTE to help manage our Sustainability Dashboard and Sustainability Ideas Bank programs. In addition, approximately 30 individuals regularly volunteer for SSMC in various capacities. Our committees help with our Indicators Report, the Sustainability Dashboard Project, Communications, Fundraising and our annual Sustainability Awards Celebration and Auctions. Many of these volunteers have been continuously involved with the organization for years.

In fact, some have even volunteered with our organization since its inception, more than thirty years ago! We also continue to work with and guide students from local schools and universities, including Nueva High School and Stanford University (Sustainable Cities course, with Professor Rick Kos).

Who We Serve
Sustainable San Mateo County serves the entire population of San Mateo County, close to 730,000 individuals (July 2022 census data). The information we provide is used by residents, researchers and leaders in government, business, and the nonprofit community. We make our Indicators Report available for free to all, including all elected leaders in local cities and towns, their staffs and sustainability coordinators; Chambers of Commerce; local nonprofit agencies and more. We estimate that we reach at least 5,000 people annually through the distribution of Executive Summaries, our online report and events, including our virtual Awards Celebration and Indicators Report Launch. Our website receives more than 30,000 hits per year, and we reach thousands of local participants through our newsletter, mailing list, social media sites, recorded events posted on our YouTube channel and virtual as well as in-person presentations and events. To ensure that SSMC stays relevant and continues to offer high-quality, useful programs to the cities it serves, we seek frequent feedback from key stakeholders.

How SSMC Will Use These Funds
SSMC will continue to track key sustainability metrics for cities in San Mateo County and examine one sustainability topic in depth each year. For 2023, our topic is “And How Are the Children? Evaluating the Wellbeing of Children, Youth, and Their Families in San Mateo County.” Instead of asking one another “how are you?”, the Masai people traditionally greet one another with a phrase that translates to “And how are the children?” This phrase underscores the idea that the health and sustainability of a community are dependent on the wellbeing of its children. This is what we’ll look at closer for this year’s Indicator Report.

Our vision going forward is to keep accelerating sustainability by continuing to share best-in-class examples of easy-toreplicate sustainability practices and policies by other cities, towns, counties, and businesses. In addition, we envision hosting a series of round tables with subject matter experts and interested parties to examine sustainability solutions at a deeper level and uncover additional solutions we can then share broadly via our Sustainability Ideas Bank. SSMC will continue to help local cities, towns, and the county assess their progress and craft sustainability goals based on input from community forums and interviews with local leaders. We publicize local stories of sustainability success in the media and at public events to amplify their impact and make them more visible. Funds received will help support a Program Manager who coordinates meetings with local cities and towns, volunteer researchers, writers, graphic designers, printing and dissemination of reports.

In addition, these funds will help cover the costs of community meeting venues and materials, publicity, and outreach.

Our Primary Sources of Funding
San Mateo County and local cities and towns are the primary sources of funding for our research. Additional organizational support comes from foundations, corporate grants and generous individual donors.

Benefits to Your Organization
Many elected and appointed officials, as well as nonprofit and business leaders have told us they greatly value SSMC’s contributions in helping them do their job. We’ve received lots of positive feedback about our Sustainability Ideas Bank, which is designed to help you implement new policies and programs easily. City leaders tell us they use our Indicators Report and 276 of 285
Sustainable San Mateo County – Request for Support FY 23-24 Page 1 of 2 results from our Sustainability Dashboard to understand local conditions and trends, learn about successful policies and programs, and to provide data to demonstrate the need for new or expanded programs, services and/or policies to successfully address issues. You are encouraged to reference findings from our reports in your own presentations to highlight an area of need or make a case for a program or initiative. Charts and graphs are downloadable from our website, and our staff can assist you with interpreting the underlying data or questions. Our 2022 Indicators Report focused on the state of Building Electrification in our County. Both the full report as well as the summary brochure can be viewed here or at:
https://bit.ly/IR2022FullReportAndSummary. Please note that we are happy to provide educational presentations to city and community groups upon request, as well as letters of support for programs whose goals align with ours. We also feature local cities’ achievements at our Happy Hours. We are continually working to improve our programs and welcome your suggestions.

We are grateful for the ongoing financial support from local cities and towns like yours. Your 2023-24 contribution will enable us to continue to deliver high-quality, timely and relevant programs that foster and accelerate a sustainable future for your residents, organizations, and businesses, and continue to train our engaged youth, tomorrow’s leaders. We hope you will approve our requested level to allow us to broaden and deepen our programs and give sustainability the voice and attention it truly deserves – now even more than ever!
Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours sincerely,
Christine Kohl-Zaugg
Executive Director
Sustainable San Mateo County
277 of 285
Help San Mateo County Lead the Way
At this critical time for our planet, your contribution will help achieve the vision we share of a sustainable future for San Mateo County. With the pandemic, wildfires and extreme weather threatening our future, there’s no time to lose in helping local cities, businesses and residents adopt sustainable practices. We believe our county can demonstrate to the rest of the country that it’s possible to become environmentally sustainable while being socially responsible and also achieving economic prosperity.
“They are true stewards of our community.”
Chris Garrett, Devil’s Canyon
Brewing Company Owner
and SSMC Advisory Council Member
“SSMC is helping to catapult the
county through research and metrics
toward a greener, more inclusive
future for all.”
Leane Eberhart, Volunteer
“SSMC strengthens our communities
by making the transition to sustainable
practices and policies easier.”
Kai Kato, Stanford student
and 2020 SSMC summer intern
What Others Say About SSMC
Learn more at https://sustainablesanmateo.org
[email protected] or (650) 918-1992
We Are Making an Impact with 5 Key Initiatives
• Our popular Awards Celebration has honored sustainability champions and Green Building Award recipients each spring since 1999
• Our monthly Happy Hours offer participants a chance to chat with experts on a variety of topics in a fun online way
• Our new Sustainability Dashboard tracks sustainability in local cities and the county • Our Indicators Report, produced annually since 1997, takes a deep dive into one critical sustainability issue each year
• Our Sustainability Ideas Bank compiles successful policies and programs implemented by cities and businesses that others can replicate without having to reinvent the wheel IG: @mila_hofman; web: miladidit.com
“I really admire the work that they do
because they draw in the equity piece that’s
so important, and they always strive for
solutions that make economic sense.”
Diane Bailey, Cofounder,
Fossil Free Buildings in Silicon Valley
278 of 285

INVOICE
Sustainable San Mateo County
3182 Campus Drive, #153
San Mateo, CA 94403 DATE
Phone: 650-918-1992 4/19/23
TERMS
Net 30
Town of Portola Valley
765 Portola Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028

DESCRIPTION QTY UNIT PRICE AMOUNT
FY 2023-2024 Contribution to: 1 5,000.00 5,000.00
Sustainable San Mateo County
5,000.00
Please make all checks payable to: Sustainable San Mateo County *PLEASE NOTE OUR UPDATED ADDRESS ABOVE
For payment by Credit Card - please visit:
https://sustainablesanmateo.org/donatevolunteer/
Sustainable San Mateo County (SSMC) is a 501(c)(3) California public benefit corporation.

Contributions are tax deductible. SSMC’s federal tax identification number is 48-1265207.

Christine Kohl-Zaugg | [email protected] | 650-918-1992 Thank you for your support! TOTAL

BILL TO SHIP TO
2023-132
Contribution
FY 2023-2024
INVOICE #
If you have any questions conerning this invoice, please use the following contact information:
279 of 285
Invoice
Date
7/1/2023
Invoice #
1839
Bill To:

Town of Portola Valley
765 Portola Road
Portola Valley, CA 94028
Town Manager
Jeremy Dennis
Box 2218
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
P.O. No. Terms
Due on Receipt
Due Date
7/1/2023
Total Sustainable Silicon Valley is a non-profit organization pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code and our tax ID is 56-2464045. Your donation to SSV may qualify for an income tax deduction in accordance with Federal and/or State income tax laws. Please consult with your tax advisor to determine whether your donation is tax deductible in whole or in part. Nothing in this communication is intended to constitute legal or tax advice.

Please make all checks payable to Sustainable
Silicon Valley
Wire/ACH Information:

Wells Fargo Bank
Routing # 121042882
Account # 1005941917
Description Amount
Government Membership Fee 1,000.00
$1,000.00
280 of 285

Page 1 ends

______________________________________________________________________________________ TO: Mayor and Members of the Town Council
FROM: Mary Hufty
DATE: April 25,2023
RE: Conservation Committee
Agenda and comments in red:

Discussion with Kim Giuliacci of WFPD (for Don Bullard who is at the district meeting) reviewed Ordinances 23-02 and 23-03 ( as opposed to 22-02 and 22-03) Conservation alignment on clearing brush and other related issues, seeking guidance.

Discussed vegetation islands and corridors to be included in the ordinances.

Fire break- all vegetation has been removed. Feedback within the month. Next Board meeting is May 25th at the next Fire district Board meeting.

Fuel break- lower fuel volume grass to 3 inches every year before June1st.

Zone 0- all native and all non-native must have 1 foot clearance Recommended outreach to Sequoia Landscape Committee. Fire Code (buildings- needs to be Oked by TC) vs Fire Ordinances (vegetation- goes to the Fire District Board) Subcommittee to review 880 Westridge formed.

OLD BUSINESS:

1. Oversight of Town-owned properties - Updates (Committee) i. Frog pond – proposal for work-day prior to chipping, due week of 5/1 (Zimmerman)
ii. Springdown (Murphy),
iii. Town Center (Richards)

TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY
Committee / Commission Liaison
Report

281 of 285

Page 2 ends

2. Budget requests for upcoming fiscal year – final review, Appendix A

3. Committee / Town Cooperation
i. Wildfire Prep Faire 4/22 – follow-up
ii. Public Works (Magill)
iii. Open Space Committee (Chiariello)
Town of Portola Valley – Conservation Committee Agenda April 25, 2023

Page 2 of 2 ends

iv. Wildfire Preparedness Committee (Chiariello)
v. Trails and Paths (Coleman)

4. CC Routine Town Communications i. Kudos (Plunder)
ii. Tip of the Month (Magill)
iii. What’s Blooming Now? (Magill) iv. Backyard Habitat

5. Consolidated plants lists – final discussion of new Town Approved Plant List (Richards)

8. ADJOURNMENT
The next regularly scheduled meeting date is May 23, 2023, 7:00PM. 282 of 285

Page 1 ends

______________________________________________________________________________________ TO: Mayor and Members of the Town Council
FROM: Mary Hufty- through discussion with Ed Holland and Howard Young DATE: May 3,2023
RE: BPTS Committee
Comments in red:

4. SHERIFF’S REPORT:
a. Traffic Citations, Accidents and other items of note from the Attached traffic Report b.

Requests for Sheriff's Office attention pertaining to traffic and public safety c. Previous Sheriff’s reports are attached, to serve the public record. No sheriff present.

5. PUBLIC WORKS UPDATE: Westridge Road- Cervantes to Alpine resurfacing is going to bid and Howard is working with a grant.

6. Discussion of Budget items for consideration. Discuss and propose amounts for categories including: $1000 budget figure put in place for events
a. Communication and outreach interested in reviewing their part of the General Plan and involvement in the Safety Element. Interested in reaching out to other committees for safe routes to school, etc.
a. Reconnection with Safe Routes (Trails and Paths Committee, School District). Proposal to designate an active BPTS member for this effort
a. Bike to Wherever Day 18 May. Discussion of possible event.

TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY
Committee / Commission Liaison
Report

TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY
283 of 285

Page 1 ends

______________________________________________________________________________________ TO: Mayor and Members of the Town Council
FROM: Mary Hufty
DATE: May 3, 2023
RE: Planning Commission
Present Laura Russell, Jake Garcia, Nicholas Targ, Linda Brothers, Ronny Krashinsky, Anne Kopf-Sill, Jon Golden

1. Rotation of Chair and Vice Chair
Jon Golden was elected as Chair with Nicholas Targ elected as Vice Chair (Nicholas Targ abstained).

Jon Golden is recused from the Priory Project and Nicholas Targ and Anne Kopf-Sill are recused from the Stanford Project.

2. Preliminary review of an application for a new gym, new fitness center, an addition/remodel to the existing locker room (Gambetta Gym), an addition/remodel to an existing chapel and to discuss plans for a forthcoming Conditional Use Permit Amendment at Woodside Priory School. File # PLN_USE01-2023 (J. Garcia)
Revised plan has not been fully reviewed by staff due to time and the applicants presented their updated plan. ASCC has reviewed a previous iteration- as advised, the light spill from new building has been reduced in the newly presented plans. Conceptual plans from some of the building but not all of them. ASCC will review the final designs. In the CUP from 2001 a noise and traffic management plans was requested, which Targ was not sure has been completed. This will be deferred to the next hearing. Planning Commission did a field trip today. Building is 16 feet below t Joint use of facilities and town use of the educational facilities was discussed.

Headmaster grateful for their CUP and the celebration of the mission of the sPortola Road. hool.

Exemplars in the town. Looking for early guidance in creating their vision for the next 20 years. The Commission has interest in giving the Priory an opportunity to get going on the road piece behind the new building site, which helps with traffic circulation and safety as well as the smaller remodel projects expeditiously depending on CEQA issues.

TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY
Committee / Commission Liaison
Report

284 of 285
There are no written materials for
this item
285 of 285

Portola Valley City CouncilMay 10, 2023

Portola Valley City Council
May 10, 2023