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 baseline of 30 units per acre where needed) and objective design standards intended to streamline future entitlements.

Ayers said the county will draft zoning and plan amendments and prepare an environmental impact report (EIR) analyzing build‑out at the proposed densities. The EIR scoping period is scheduled to begin next month and run roughly through December; the draft EIR and draft code amendments will be released for public review before the commission and ultimately the Board of Supervisors, with staff estimating adoption in mid‑2026 (the presentation noted July as an adoption target but emphasized timelines are approximate).

Key program commitments described by staff include eliminating residential floor‑area ratio and minimum lot area per unit standards in the rezoned districts, adopting objective design standards to allow staff‑level review where possible, limiting ground‑floor mixed‑use to a maximum share (20% of floor area for certain proposals), and allowing emergency shelters by right where state law permits. The consultant and staff said parking ratios would be reduced to a maximum of one space per dwelling unit for the rezoned areas, subject to final code language and project‑specific analysis.

Commissioners and staff acknowledged the coastside El Granada parcels pose unique challenges: they are undeveloped, include vegetation and eucalyptus, are uphill from much of the adjacent neighborhood and will require Coastal Commission review as Local Coastal Program amendments. Steve Monowitz, director in the planning department, said the coastside parcels will be treated differently from areas adjacent to existing multifamily housing (Broadmoor, Colma, Belmont), with buffering, variation in allowed heights and careful review of habitat, scenic corridor and service‑capacity constraints.

Several members of the public spoke during the informational item. Sid Young, who lives on the coastside, noted the El Granada parcels are steep, heavily vegetated with flammable eucalyptus, lack existing roads and sewer/water infrastructure, and said SamTrans frequency and local services are limited. He urged the county to consider mixed‑income approaches and to ensure infrastructure is funded before development. Dan Haggerty, a longtime El Granada resident and former Midcoast Community Council member, objected to large‑scale upzoning on the coastside, saying it would change neighborhood character and complicate evacuation and emergency access.

Staff emphasized several process points: the presentation was informational (no action was requested); the rezoning package and EIR will return to the planning commission for recommendation before any final board action; the EIR scoping period begins next month and the county will accept public input on the scope; and the Coastal Commission will review any local coastal program amendment. Staff also said they will present additional informational briefings and that the county will track progress on the housing element and be prepared to refine assumptions if mid‑cycle production falls short.

No formal action was taken on the rezoning program at this meeting.