County launches housing‑element rezoning program kickoff; planners identify four rezoning areas and timeline for EIR scoping

County planning staff and consultants delivered an informational briefing to the San Mateo County Planning Commission on the housing‑element rezoning program the board adopted as part of the county’s housing element update. William Gibson, the county planner leading the program, said the rezoning is required to demonstrate sufficient sites to meet the state‑assigned housing need and to satisfy rules on equitable geographic distribution.

Dana Ayers, a project manager with MIG (the county’s consultant), summarized the four project areas the county will evaluate for upzoning: a small set of parcels in Broadmoor near the Colma BART/park‑and‑ride area; parcels around the Colma BART station and adjacent parcels along El Camino Real; six vacant parcels in El Granada owned by Cabrillo Unified School District; and a group of parcels in the Harbor Industrial area near the Belmont Caltrain station. She said the program will propose higher densities (typical ranges discussed were roughly 60–120 units per acre for most parcels, with a minimum…