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Housing Element (2023-2031)
Amendments
City Council
February 23, 2026
Steven Peck, Assistant Planner
Presenting on behalf of Steve Golden, Principal Planner
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San Mateo Housing Element (2023-2031)
• Adopted on May 20, 2024, certified by the State
Housing and Community Development Department
(HCD) on July 23, 2024
• Five goals to support compliance with state law and to achieve the City’s RHNA (7,015 units) – Supporting
Production, Preservation, Protection, Promotion, and
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
• Includes 53 policies with 150 implementation actions
• Numerous Housing Element policies and programs that
require Zoning Code Amendments and policy
amendments
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Housing Element Implementation Highlights
November 2023 - Amended the Zoning Code to allow residential projects with up to 25 units to be approved administratively. (Policy H1.6)
November 2023 - Adopted Objective Design Standards for multi-family residential projects and mixed-use projects with a residential component. (Policy H1.8) July 2024 – Housing “By-Right” designation for housing sites reused from prior Housing Elements for housing projects. Minimum 20% affordable units and zoning must be at least 30 units/acre (Policy H1.10)
April 2025 - Amended the Zoning Code to: implement Housing Element Implementation Actions/Programs (variety) and State Law Compliance; increased Zoning Administrator threshold for residential project approval to 99 units; added sections for General Plan and Measure T consistency (Variety of Policies)
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Housing Element Implementation Highlights (cont)
June 2025 – Zoning Code Amendments
o Streamline the development review process and add certainty– (updated Policy H1.6) • Added appeals process when determining a project incomplete • Added two, 2-year extensions (6.5 yrs total to start construction) • Council approval only required for projects over GP 2040 height limits o New requirement for Minimum Densities in Mixed-Use Residential Development Projects (Policy H1.9)
o Update to City Below Market-Rate (Inclusionary) Program (Policy H1.3), specifically alternatives for on-site affordable housing
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Housing Element Implementation Highlights (cont)
November 2025 – Tenant Protections
o Developed an emergency rental assistance program (Updated Policy H3.1) o New San Mateo Code – Residential Tenant Protection Program – Extends state law for relocation assistance for no-fault evictions for tenants with a tenure of less than a year (11 months) and notify “right of return” (Policy H3.4 and H5.4.1) o Amendments to Tenant Relocation Ordinance - Strengthen the City’s ability to aid and support tenants displaced from unsafe or substandard units (Policy H3.4) January/February 2026 - Amended the ADU Ordinance to align local regulations with State law and resolved any inconsistencies identified by HCD (Policy H1.4)
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Post Housing Element Adoption
Bay Area Housing Action Coalition (HAC) Lawsuit
o Challenged that the City improperly listed certain nonvacant sites on Housing Sites Inventory in violation of the State’s Housing Element Law
Settlement Agreement – July 2025
o Remove Nine sites from the Sites Inventory
o Recalculation of Site Capacity Estimates – Allow for densities provided in Measure T and General Plan • 99 units/acre – Residential Medium II and Mixed-Use Medium II • 130 units/acre – Residential High, Mixed Use High and Office High o Update methodology for Realistic Capacity – 90% of density or number of approved or preliminary/formal application
o Defined sites that were to be excluded as “No Net Loss Sites” o Potential Additions to Site Inventory
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Meaning of "No Net Loss”
“No Net Loss” in context
• Per GOV Code Section 65863, a City must be able to make the findings it has sufficient capacity to accommodate unmet RHNA if a parcel identified in the Housing Element Sites Inventory is developed with fewer units than designated in the Housing Element – ensuring a “no net loss” of capacity for housing in the City
Definition of an “No Net Loss” Site
• Housing Opportunity Site that will not count towards the City's overall Sites Inventory unless a development is approved
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Proposed Housing Element Amendments
I. Housing Sites Inventory Removals
II. Sites Remaining on Inventory, but not Counted for “No Net Loss Purposes”
III. Sites Added to the Housing Sites Inventory
IV. Removal of non-active projects from Pipeline Projects (site to remain on inventory)
V. Measure T Approval – update language throughout and
densities
VI. Update to Realistic Capacities Estimates
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Proposed Housing Element Amendments (cont)
VII. Other Amendments to Implementation Actions
I. Updates to implementation plan action items for Policy H 3.1 (Prevent Homelessness) to reflect the recently established emergency rental assistance program ($150,000 annually)
II. Updates to actions under Policies H 3.4 (Expand Tenant Protections) and H 5.4.1 (Establish Tenant Protections in Local Ordinance), for internal consistency and to better align with recent Council action III. Update to actions under Policy H 1.2 (Utilize Public Funding and Properties for New Affordable Housing) to give the City flexibility during budget deficit conditions from being required to set aside 20% of General Fund property tax revenues to use for affordable housing development
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I. Housing Sites Inventory Removals
1. The Bridgepointe Shopping Center Parking Lot
2. Parkside Plaza Shopping Center (1826 and 1850 S. Norfolk St.)
3. Borel Shopping Center (71-77 Bovet and 1750 El Camino Real
4. Consolidated Site “H” (229 W. 20th Ave., 205 W. 20th Ave., and 2010 Pioneer Court
5. 150 W. 20th Ave.
6. Villa Plaza (4060 S. El Camino Real)
7. Downtown Parking Lots (5 N. San Mateo Dr., 123 Baldwin Ave., 117 Baldwin Ave., 26 N. San Mateo Dr., 27 N. San Mateo Dr.)
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II. Sites Remaining on Inventory but not Counted for
“No Net Loss” Purposes
1. County Office Building - 1500 Fashion Island Blvd.
2. The Atrium - 1900 S. Norfolk St.
3. 1650 Borel Place
4. *Bel Mateo/Olympic Shopping Center
5. *Bright Horizons Preschool - 1311 S. El Camino Real
*Requested to remain in inventory by property owner
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III. Added to the Sites Inventory
1. 600 E 3rd Ave. (Gateway)
2. 230 S. El Camino Real
3. 1 E. 4th Ave. (includes 15 E 4th Ave. and 25 E 4th Ave.)
4. 22 N. San Mateo Dr.
5. 2015 Pioneer Ct.
6. 3000 Clearview Way
7. Hillsdale Mall Sites
8. *Former Marriott - 1770 S. Amphlett Blvd
*New Housing Opportunity Site
Pipeline Projects
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IV. Removal of non-active projects from Pipeline Projects (Sites to remain on inventory)
1. 200 S Fremont St
2. 222 S Fremont St
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V & VI. Measure T Approval and Realistic Capacities
Project Address
(Name)
No. of
Dwelling
Units
GP Land Use
Designation
GP Density
(Dwelling
Units per
Acre)
Lot Size (Acres) Density (Dwelling
Units Per Acre) % of Base Density Existing Use
Exceeding
Realistic
Capacity?
1 E. 4th Ave 236 Mixed-Use High 130 0.91 259 200% Retail Yes 668 E 3rd Ave
(Gateway) 128 Mixed-Use Medium II 99 0.64 200 198% Retail Yes 220 W. 20th Ave 230 Residential Medium II 99 1.54 149 151% Office Yes 715 N San
Mateo Dr 181 Residential Medium II 99 1.22 148 151% Vacant/Dupl ex Yes
616 S. B St.
(Nazareth Vista) 94 Mixed-Use Medium II 99 0.64 146 149% Retail Yes 1218 Monte
Diablo 72 Mixed-Use Medium I 50 1.01 71 144% Retail Yes 22 N San Mateo
Dr 161 Mixed-Use High 130 1.06 152 118% Apartment Yes
230 S El Camino
Real 28 Mixed-Use High 130 0.26 107 85% Vacant lot No
678 Concar Dr
(Passage) 847 Mixed-Use Medium II 99 14.5 58 59%
Commercial
Shopping
Center
No
2015 Pioneer
Court 10 Mixed-Use Medium I 50 0.44 22 45% Vacant office No 1650 S.
Amphlett Blvd.
(Bayshore
Commons)
256 Mixed-Use Medium I 50 14.5 17 35% Office No
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Updated Housing Element Sites Inventory
Total
Units
Lower
Moderate
Above
Moderate Very Low Low
RHNA 7,015 1,777 1,023 1,175 3,040
ADUs 440 132 132 132 44
Pipeline Projects 4,787 784 177 3,826
Remaining RHNA
(RHNA - Pipeline
Projects)
2,228 2,016 998 (786)
Opportunity Sites
(excluding non-NNL
sites)
7,362 3,003 1,310 3,022
Buffer Over
Remaining RHNA
5,134
(230%)
1,014
(50%)
312
(32%)
3,808
(484%)
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Updated Housing Element Sites Inventory Map
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Public And HCD Review
Public Review Period
• October 10, 2025 – Required seven-day review
• No comments that required changes to the HE Amendments California Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) • October 20, 2025 – Up to 60-days to complete review
• December 18, 2025 – HE Amendments in substantial compliance with Housing Element Law pending Council adoption
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Planning Commission Meeting
January 27, 2026 - Planning Commission Public Meeting
• No public comments submitted to the Commission nor were there any public comments provided to the Commission at the hearing. • The Commission voted unanimously (5-0) to recommend adoption of the 2023-2031 Housing Element Amendments to the City Council and find that the Housing Element Amendments are Categorically Exempt under the “common sense” exemption under state CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3)
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Recommendations
• Adoption of a resolution to approve amendments to the General Plan’s Housing Element for the Sixth Housing Cycle (2023-2031) that is compliant with State law, provides a plan for at least 7,015 new housing units, and affirmatively furthers fair housing
• Find that the Housing Element Amendments are Categorically Exempt under the “common sense” exemption under state CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3)