CITY OF SAN MATEO
4 9
0 3
CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 2 Section Name: {{section.name}} Account Number: 25-3112 File ID: {{item.tracking_number}} TO: City Council
FROM: Alex Khojikian, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Community Development Department
MEETING DATE: June 03, 2024
SUBJECT:
General Plan and Housing Element Implementation Plans – Overview and Council Direction RECOMMENDATION:
Receive a presentation from staff on the General Plan and Housing Element Implementation Plans and provide staff with direction on any changes to program and action prioritizations.
BACKGROUND:
General Plan 2040
The City Council adopted General Plan 2040 on March 18, 2024, and it includes a Vision Statement and Guiding Principles, text describing key issues of community interest, and goals, policies and actions that outline how the City will address those issues. General Plan 2040 addresses all the topics required by State law and other topics that the community identified as being fundamental to the quality of life in the City. There are eight core chapters (elements) in General Plan 2040, which include: Land Use; Circulation; Housing (adopted separately); Community Design and Historic Resources; Conservation, Open Space, and Recreation; Public Services and Facilities; Safety; and Noise.
Each element in General Plan 2040 includes a concise set of background narratives that summarizes current conditions in the City related to the topics in the element. The background information provides context about the issues the City plans to address, explaining why there is policy direction so that the policies and actions can focus on how the City can achieve a desired outcome. The narratives also provide information on other regulations and/or agencies that influence the decisionmaking process. Each element in General Plan 2040 addresses a specific set of topics and includes goals, polices and actions that provide a blueprint for how the City will address these issues. These goals, policies, and actions provide guidance to the City on how to direct change and manage resources over the next 20 years.
Overall, General Plan 2040 includes 56 goals with 363 policies and 240 actions (excluding the Housing Element). The General Plan Implementation Plan (Attachment 1) identifies the lead department for each action, and assigns a priority level (when work will begin) and anticipated resources (staff and monetary) to implement the action. 2023-2031 Housing Element
The Housing Element was adopted on May 20, 2024, and submitted to HCD for certification on May 24, 2024. The Housing Element, which is a chapter of the General Plan, is administered separately because it covers a different period of time than the General Plan (eight years instead of 20 years) and because of specific legal obligations that the City must follow when implementing its policies and actions. The Housing Element includes five overall goals to support compliance with state law and to achieve the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) – Supporting Production, Preservation, Protection, Promotion and Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.
CITY OF SAN MATEO
4 9
0 3
To achieve these goals during the eight-year Housing Cycle (2023-2031), the Housing Element includes 57 policies with 118 implementation actions that need to be accomplished. The Housing Element Implementation Plan is included as Attachment 2, and a Gantt Chart that shows the yearly timeline that each action must be started and/or completed is included as Attachment 3.
DISCUSSION:
The purpose of this study session is to share the implementaton plans for the City’s recently adopted General Plan 2040 and 2031-2023 Housing Element, provide an overview of the actions that are underway or will be started in 2024/2025, and receive City Council direction on any changes to prioritization. To understand what a goal, policy, and action is, and the relationship among them, the definitions are as follows:
•Goal - Description of a general desired result that the City seeks to create through the implementation of its General Plan.
•Policy - Specific statement that regulates activities in the City, guides decisionmaking and directs ongoing efforts as the City works to achieve a goal. General Plan policies establish standards that will be used by City staff, Planning Commission, and City Council when prioritizing initiatives and expenditures, reviewing and approving new development and in relation City decisionmaking.
•Action - Measure, procedure or technique intended to help reach a specified goal or implement a policy. The actions in the General Plan will serve as a to-do list for City staff and officials to implement the goals and policies of the General Plan.
General Plan Implementation Plan
The General Plan Implementation Plan (Attachment 1) presents each action that the City intends to undertake to help achieve the goals and policies in the General Plan. The actions in the Implementation Table describe and prioritize tasks to implement various aspects of the General Plan goals and policies. Implementation of some actions are underway with identified budgets; however, the City Council will need to identify resources during future budget cycles to implement other actions. Moving forward, the Implementation Plan will be a tool that will help guide and inform annual priorities for City Council’s annual goal setting.
For 2024, the following projects associated with General Plan Actions are in progress. This is not a comprehensive list of City initiatives that are in progress or activities that are being incorporated as part of a department’s routine work plan.
Instead, the following is a list of higher profile projects and initiatives associated with General Plan Actions:
•Preparation of a Complete Streets North Central Plan is in progress (Actions LU 8.8 and LU 8.10) •Preparation of a Citywide Complete Streets Plan is in progress (Action C 1.11) •The City’s Local Roadway Safety Plan, which was recently adopted, supports a Vision Zero Plan (Action C 1.12) •Implementation of the City’s recently adopted Objective Design Standards is ongoing (Action CD 7.7) •Establishment of a dedicated stormwater management funding source was completed (Action PSF 3.20) •Establishment of a progress tracking map for capital improvement projects is in progress (Action PSF 5.15) •Preparation of a Climate Change Adaptation Plan will get started later this year, and a grant application is under review (Action S 3.7)
•Preparation of a Citywide TDM Ordinance is in progress (Action C 2.2) •Preparations are underway to install pedestrian mall improvements, with an accepted bid. (Action C 3.9) For 2025, the following higher profile initiatives associated with General Plan Actions are anticipated to start, the first two of which are needed for General Plan consistency:
•Comprehensive Zoning Code and Zoning Map Update (Action LU 15.4) oReevaluate permitted uses in commercial zones (Action LU 3.18) oAllow for urban agriculture (Action LU 8.16)
oEvaluate parking requirement and mechanical lift standard updates (Actions C 7.7 and C 7.13)
CITY OF SAN MATEO
4 9
0 3
•Develop a comprehensive communications strategy (Action LU 9.7) oThis effort will also address many other outreach and communications related actions •Update the City’s Traffic Calming Policy and Roadway Classifications (Actions C 6.9 and C 6.13) City Council Priorities
In addition to the actions outlined above, many of the General Plan’s actions align with the City Council’s FY 2024-25 Priorities. Six of the nine priorities identified to be completed this fiscal year align with various actions as follows:
1. Establish policies to decarbonize existing buildings and infrastructure and eliminate methane gas use by 2030.
Action LU 10.8 – Building Decarbonization
2. Create a comprehensive, ongoing Citywide Community Outreach and Engagement Program.
Action LU 9.7 – Communications Strategy
3. Create a Capital Infrastructure Plan or process for reinvesting in infrastructure to allow the City to evaluate City facilities and assets when upgrades are needed.
Action C 1.17 - Data-Driven Approach to Project Design and Prioritization Action PSF 3.15 - City Infrastructure Studies and Master Plans Action S 2.7 – Seismic Stability
4. Provide greater support to business development centers or mixed-use development areas to increase economic vitality.
Action LU 11.10 – Small Business Support
Action LU 11.11 – Commercial Displacement
5. Expedite efforts to improve the stormwater collection, drainage, and storage system, including dredging the Marina lagoon.
Action PSF 3.18 – Stormwater Management Funding
9. Conduct an Annual Transportation Review of progress on all ongoing plans, including project updates and key metrics such as City mode share, collision and safety data.
Action C 1.21 – Performance and Monitoring
Moving forward, the General Plan Implementation Plan will be incorporated into the City Council’s annual goal setting process (Blue Skies) that usually occurs at the beginning of each year.
Housing Element Implementation Plan
The Housing Element Implementation Plan (Attachment 2) outlines the list of implementation actions that the City is committed to completing and the year in which that action must be started and/or completed. As required by the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), the City is obligated to meet the timeline associated with each implementation action. To help understand the workload by year associated with implementing the Housing Element, a Gantt Chart has been prepared (Attachment 3). The anticipated workload to implement the Housing Element through the first three years of the Housing Cycle (2023-2025) is as follows:
•Routine/Ongoing Programs (24 Actions) – These are ongoing programs that require work/activities annually to maintain compliance (such as the Housing Element Annual Progress Report and/or annual outreach to specified groups or organizations). These actions require additional staff resources in the first 1-2 years to establish the process/framework to implement and then smaller amounts of work moving forward to maintain the program annually.
•First Year (2023) (20 Actions) – The first year of the Housing Cycle was primarily focused on updating the Housing Element to achieve certification. Nonetheless, 16 of the 20 actions were completed, with notable examples including adoption of Objective Design Standards (ODS) and increasing the administrative approval threshold for housing projects. The remaining four actions will be incorporated into the 2024 work plan. •Second Year (2024) (34 Actions) – With the Housing Element adopted in the first half of this year, the staff focus
CITY OF SAN MATEO
4 9
0 3
now shifts to implementing 38 actions before the end of 2024. Notable actions that will be moving forward include streamlining the development review process for housing projects, code amendments to allow housing as a permitted use in all commercial and office districts, progress on the Public-Private partnerships that include affordable units), outreach and education on the ballot measure to amend Measure Y, evaluation of increasing tenant protections under AB 1482 and updating the City’s Tenant Relocation Ordinance, and implementation of multiple AFFH related programs.
•Third Year (2025) (32 Actions) – This year will include many actions from 2024 that are still underway and need to be completed as well as the initiation and/or completion of 32 new actions. Notable actions that will be worked on in 2025 include updating the City’s Density Bonus and Community Benefits Program, updating the City’s Inclusionary Ordinance, continued work to streamline and reduce barriers for housing production, zoning map amendments to implement the densities in General Plan 2040, evaluation of policies to support and expand homeless shelters in the City, and continued implementation of multiple AFFH related programs.
Overall, to implement the Housing Element as required by State Law and meet our required timelines for the next two years, significant Planning and Housing staff resources, as well as outside consultant support, will be needed to complete the work.
City Council Input and Direction
Staff seeks input on the following question:
Based on the implementation plans and their current priorities, does the City Council have any questions on the list of implementation actions or direction on changes to the prioritizations in either plan? If there is interest in elevating the priority of one or more actions, there may be a need to deprioritize the implementation of other actions to ensure that there are adequate staff resources to complete the necessary work and community outreach/engagement related to the action. With the significant workload associated with implementation of the Housing Element over the next two years, as well as the Downtown Area Plan update and comprehensive zoning code update to implement the General Plan, there are limited staff resources to prioritize additional actions without deprioritizing other actions.
BUDGET IMPACT:
There are no budget impacts associated with receiving this report. The funding for both the General Plan and the Housing Element updates has already been appropriated.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
The General Plan and Housing Element Implementation Plans are not projects subject to CEQA, because it can be seen with certainty that they will not cause a physical change in the environment. (Public Resources Code Section 21065.) NOTICE PROVIDED:
All meeting noticing requirements were met.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 – General Plan Implementation Plan
Att 2 – Housing Element Implementation Plan
Att 3 – Housing Element Implementation Plan Gantt Chart
STAFF CONTACT
Zachary Dahl, Community Development Director
[email protected]
(650) 522-7207