Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Small-town constraints complicate meeting California housing mandates, candidates say
Summary
Monte Sereno candidates described limited land, wildfire risk, and funding shortfalls that complicate compliance with state housing-element requirements; proposals included ADUs, regional credits and advocacy with Sacramento and ABAG.
Candidates at Monte Sereno’s special meeting on Sept. 16 told the council that complying with state housing-element requirements is constrained by the city’s limited land, high wildland-urban interface risk and financial resources.
Bob suggested accessory dwelling units and “credit” strategies — purchasing credits or partnering with nearby jurisdictions — to meet regional housing needs without altering local neighborhood character. "We may find a way to solution this with, you know, something like, credits, that we could purchase for as a town that would absolve us from building within our city limits, but would still help provide affordable housing in adjacent communities," he said.
Liz Lawler warned against statewide, one-size-fits-all approaches and cited the cost of producing housing-element updates, noting recent iterations sometimes require rework with ABAG. She also referenced SB 79 in the context of state policy changes that could affect local land-use decisions on transit corridors. Candidates broadly proposed intercity collaboration, targeted ADU policies and advocacy with state agencies as paths forward.
