San Mateo council adopts zoning code changes to implement Measure T; sets administrative approval threshold at 99 units for projects that meet objective design

San Mateo — On March 17 the City Council adopted two ordinances to implement key provisions of the housing element and Measure T and set an interim administrative threshold that allows projects meeting the city’s Objective Design Standards (ODS) to be approved administratively up to 99 units.

Lede: The council voted 5‑0 to adopt (1) a zoning code ordinance that implements housing element policies (including changes for ADUs, SROs, farmworker housing, emergency shelters, supportive housing, and permissions for residential uses in some commercial and office districts) and (2) a Measure T implementation ordinance to align the zoning code with the general plan’s updated uses, densities and heights. Council also set an administrative approval threshold of up to 99 units for residential projects that fully comply with the ODS; mixed‑use projects with more than 10,000 square feet of commercial remain excluded from the administrative path.

Nut graf: The measures are meant to reduce discretionary review where projects meet objective standards, help accelerate housing production required by the city’s RHNA, and provide an interim framework while staff pursues a comprehensive zoning code rewrite. The Planning Commission recommended a higher threshold (up to 150 units) and also proposed an option with no threshold, but the council chose a compromise number—99—to expand administrative approvals while retaining a level of public review for larger projects.

Key changes described by staff: Principal Planner Steve Golden summarized the revisions grouped into three buckets: (1) housing element implementation (statutory and local changes such as SRO standards, ADU rules consistent with state law, streamlining multifamily and mixed‑use approvals, and clarifying group home/care facility provisions), (2) a council‑directed proposal to increase the administrative approval threshold and (3) code changes to implement Measure T and general plan consistency (conforming zoning to the general plan’s Table LU‑1 and addressing conflicts with SB 330/state housing law).

Administrative threshold and objective design standards: Staff initially recommended raising the threshold from 25 units to 50 units for projects consistent with the ODS; the Planning Commission recommended a higher ceiling (up to 150 units) or no threshold. Councilmembers debated options and ultimately chose 99 units or fewer for administrative approval of projects that meet the ODS; councilmembers noted the choice is a policy decision and can be revisited as the city’s project pipeline and staff capacity evolve. Staff clarified that projects not meeting the ODS or projects with greater than 10,000 square feet of commercial space would continue to require public hearing review.

Public comment: Ken Abreu urged the council to streamline approvals to get housing built faster, and Jeremy Levine (housing advocate) encouraged the council to focus staff resources on the most important projects and to prioritize a timely comprehensive zoning update.

Implementation timeline and next steps: Staff said the zoning code update is a large undertaking; they plan to publish a request for proposals for a consultant in June and expect a phased, roughly two‑year process to complete a comprehensive zoning code rewrite (staff said they would bring the consultant contract to council in June and sequence priority study areas first). Staff also said they will provide more detailed scheduling and resource estimates to the council as the RFP and consultant engagement proceed.

Votes and outcome: The council voted 5‑0 to adopt the first ordinance (housing‑element implementation and related code amendments, including the administrative threshold as set by council) and 5‑0 to adopt the second ordinance implementing Measure T consistency. The council also accepted the Planning Commission’s CEQA recommendation that the ordinances are exempt from further environmental review under CEQA section 15183.

Why it matters: The ordinances change where and how residential uses are permitted in San Mateo, update code sections to reflect state law, create an interim administrative path for qualifying projects to speed up approvals, and lay out a timetable for a comprehensive zoning update intended to implement the general plan and Measure T.