Daly City delays housing-element vote after heated questions about Seton Medical Center rezonings

Daly City Council on Oct. 14 paused action on a revised housing element and related rezonings after a multi-hour presentation by city staff and consultants and repeated council questions about the effects of by‑right rezoning on parcels adjacent to Seton Medical Center.

Cynthia Walsh of PlaceWorks, the consultant that prepared the element, told the council the housing element documents state requirements and the city’s site inventory. "The housing element is one of the eight mandated elements of the general plan," Walsh said, explaining the Regional Housing Needs Allocation process and why Daly City must identify sites to meet its RHNA allocation. Walsh said Daly City received an allocation of 4,838 units and currently shows total capacity of about 3,622 units, leaving a shortfall concentrated among lower‑income categories.

City staff and the consultant outlined a rezone package that would redesignate several commercial and hospital‑adjacent parcels for high‑density residential development so the element can be certified by the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Staff said some rezoned sites would permit taller buildings (staff discussed up to 120 feet…