Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Housing Element?
Marin County and its cities and towns, like other communities in California, is initiating a planning process under State law to identify how to meet our housing needs at all income levels. This process involves updating each Housing Element, which is a required component of each city’s General Plan and the Countywide Plan. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) dictates that among the seven mandatory elements of a general plan, one element must address local housing needs.
Didn’t we just update our Housing Element? Why do we need to update periodically?
According to State housing element legislation, all local governments must adopt land use plans and regulations that provide opportunities for, and do not unduly constrain, housing development. Because housing availability is a critical issue with statewide implications, and most housing decisions occur at the local level, State law requires housing elements to be updated on a regular cycle (the timeframe for the next Housing Element includes planning periods 2022-2030). The State also mandates that housing elements, unlike other elements of the general plan, be reviewed and certified by the State.
Why do we need to plan for more housing in Marin County?
Marin’s housing costs have become increasingly prohibitive for the community, and the opportunity for available housing, especially affordable housing, is increasingly tight. According to the 2020 Marin County Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, to afford the average apartment in Marin, a household should earn an annual income of about $130,000. Additionally, Marin’s vacancy rates are amongst the lowest in the Bay Area.
The barriers to housing in Marin are compounded even further for people of color. In 2019, Marin County was determined to be the number one most racially disparate County in the entire State of California, across seven metrics: crime and justice, democracy, economic opportunity, health access, healthy built environment, housing and education.
How much housing does Marin County need to plan for?
The number of housing units each city and county must plan for is determined by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (State HCD) every eight years, referred to as housing ‘cycles.’ In the upcoming 6th cycle, all of Marin County is currently expected to plan for a minimum of 14,405 housing units. These units must include the following units at each income level:
Income Level | Number of Units |
Very Low-Income | 4171 |
Low-Income | 2400 |
Moderate-Income | 2182 |
Above Moderate-income | 5652 |
How is a jurisdiction’s housing need determined?
The State of California determines the number of homes that are needed for the Bay Area, consistent with state law. The Association of Bay Area Governments then distributes a share to each local government in the nine Bay Areas counties. Each jurisdiction is assigned a portion of the regional need at various income levels based on factors such as future population, access to jobs and other factors. This assignment is known as the Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA), and is intended to promote the following objectives:
- Increase the housing supply and the mix of housing types in an equitable manner
- Promote infill development that encourages alternatives to solo driving and reduces greenhouse gas emissions
- Balance jobs and housing
- Discourage housing development patterns that segment communities
- Affirmatively further fair housing
Each jurisdiction must ensure there is enough land with appropriate zoning to accommodate its RHNA allocation in its Housing Element.
What does affordable housing mean in Marin?
Providing opportunities for more affordable housing is important. Purchasing or renting a home is becoming more and more out of reach for too many people. A variety of housing types is essential to provide housing options for those young and old, for families with lower and higher incomes, as well as to meet the needs of large and small families and persons with disabilities. A mix of housing opportunities means, among other things, that young adults moving into the housing market can stay in the cities they grew up in; workers like teachers, firefighters, health care workers and essential workers can find homes near their jobs; and older adults have more options for retirement and can stay in the communities they know.
Income Limits: Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties
Income Category | Percent of median income | Annual income | Annual income | Annual income |
Extremely low-income | 30% | $38,400 | $49,350 | $54,800 |
Very low-income | 50% | $63,950 | $82,250 | $91,350 |
Low income | 80% | $102,450 | $131,750 | $146,350 |
Median income | 100% | $104,700 | $134,650 | $149,600 |
Moderate income | 120% | $125,650 | $161,550 | $179,500 |
How can I get involved?
Visit your jurisdictions page on this website. Each jurisdiction will have a variety of ways to get involved including community meetings, surveys, and focus groups.
What happens if the city or town or county does not have an approved Housing Element?
The city could face legal challenges to its land use requirements and decisions, which would impact how city resources are used. It could also face fines and make the city or county ineligible for many state grant programs, which fund affordable housing and transportation improvements. In other cities, judges have suspended the local ability to issue building permits until the Housing Element is certified.
How do I know if I live in the unincorporated County or within a City or Town?
You can type in your address on this website to see which jurisdiction you reside in: http://gis.marinpublic.com/lookup/JurisdictionLookup/