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Indybay Feature
Misguided Housing Bill Bans Single-Family Zoning Forever
A fundamentally flawed housing bill, Senate Bill 1120, is quietly fast-tracking through the State legislature. The bill is an unprecedented taking of local planning powers that hands county, city and community decision-making directly to market-rate and luxury housing developers. Worse still, the bill could ruin treasured single-family neighborhoods.
SB-1120 ends single-family zoning and requires jurisdictions to “ministerially” permit an urban lot split and/or a duplex on single-family parcels, as long as the subject parcels and developments meet specified conditions.
“Ministerial” approval streamlines the permit process and eliminates discretionary review, environmental review, and public hearings, thereby stifling public engagement, democracy, high-quality development, and environmental protections.
The bill would let developers buy up single-family parcels as small as 2,400 sq. ft., subdivide each parcel into two 1,200 sq. ft. lots and then build duplexes on each lot. The result would be four homes, where there used to be only one. Rear and side setbacks are limited to merely 4 feet. Garages, yards, spaciousness, privacy and views are disregarded.
Also detrimental, SB-1120 lowers parking requirements to just one space per home and totally eliminates parking requirements on developments located within one-half mile walking distance of either a "high-quality transit corridor" or a "major transit stop" or if there is a car share vehicle located within one block of the parcel.
A "high-quality transit corridor" means a corridor with fixed route bus service with service intervals no longer than 15 minutes during peak commute hours.
A “Major transit stop” means a site containing an existing rail transit station, a ferry terminal served by either a bus or rail transit service, or the intersection of two or more major bus routes with a frequency of service interval of 15 minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods.
Without any affordability requisite, the bill primarily benefits real estate investors, real estate developers, building contractors, and home rental companies. Overlooked are the concerns of homeowners, many of whom spent their life savings to live in a peaceful, scenic single-family neighborhood.
A 2019 Redfin survey found that regardless of where people live within the US, more than 85% of home buyers and sellers (including millennials) prefer single-family homes with more space, privacy, and gardens over a unit in a triplex that has a shorter commute.
Moreover, realtors report a recent trend of city dwellers wanting to move to single-family neighborhoods in the suburbs to escape dense living conditions, which contribute to the spread of COVID-19.
Over time, the bill would cause the supply of single-family homes to diminish due to conversions to duplexes and "fourplexes" and the price for the remaining single-family dwellings would become even more expensive. This would make it more difficult for residents to attain their preferred lifestyle.
SB-1120’s vast up-zoning, without any environmental review of potential adverse impacts and cumulative effects, is reckless.
The 2007 Marin Countywide Plan’s (CWP’s) Environmental Impact Report (EIR) projected potential growth of 14,043 more housing units (more than the current number of homes in Sausalito and Mill Valley combined) and 29,759 more residents, if land vacant in 2006 were fully developed according to zoning designations of the cities in Marin County and the Countywide Plan. This didn’t include density bonuses. Alarmingly, the EIR concluded that “land uses and development consistent with the CWP would result in 42 significant unavoidable adverse impacts”, including worse traffic congestion and insufficient water supplies.
There are more than 61,200 single-family dwellings in Marin, according to a 2006 report by the County Assessor-Recorder. The County’s average household size is 2.35 people (per the CWP’s EIR). So, potential growth consistent with SB-1120, in which single-family homes turn into duplexes or four homes, could be up to 183,600 more homes and 431,460 more residents, over and above the CWP EIR’s forecast.
SB-1120’s subsequent population growth and changes to development standards would increase the risk of adverse impacts on the environment, public health and safety, traffic congestion, infrastructure, utilities (water supply), public services (schools), views, sunlight, privacy, neighborhood character, and quality of life.
Especially worrisome, the bill would jeopardize fire hazard zones. There are many communities in “high” and “very high” fire hazard zones that have narrow windy streets and few roads out to safety. The bill allows a dramatic increase in population in these hazardous communities, while reducing or eliminating parking requirements, which will lead to streets being overcrowded with parked cars. Dire consequences could result during an emergency when residents are unable to evacuate and fire trucks are unable to reach their destinations.
Finally, SB-1120 would create unfunded mandates. There is no funding for dealing with the above listed impacts and the bill provides an official sidestep of addressing this issue.
If you agree, please contact Marin County's Supervisors (bos [at] marincounty.org), Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers' (MCCMC's) Legislative Committee (MCCMCSecretary [at] gmail.com), Senator McGuire 415-479-6612 and Assembly Member Levine 415-479-4920 and urge them to oppose SB-1120.
“Ministerial” approval streamlines the permit process and eliminates discretionary review, environmental review, and public hearings, thereby stifling public engagement, democracy, high-quality development, and environmental protections.
The bill would let developers buy up single-family parcels as small as 2,400 sq. ft., subdivide each parcel into two 1,200 sq. ft. lots and then build duplexes on each lot. The result would be four homes, where there used to be only one. Rear and side setbacks are limited to merely 4 feet. Garages, yards, spaciousness, privacy and views are disregarded.
Also detrimental, SB-1120 lowers parking requirements to just one space per home and totally eliminates parking requirements on developments located within one-half mile walking distance of either a "high-quality transit corridor" or a "major transit stop" or if there is a car share vehicle located within one block of the parcel.
A "high-quality transit corridor" means a corridor with fixed route bus service with service intervals no longer than 15 minutes during peak commute hours.
A “Major transit stop” means a site containing an existing rail transit station, a ferry terminal served by either a bus or rail transit service, or the intersection of two or more major bus routes with a frequency of service interval of 15 minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods.
Without any affordability requisite, the bill primarily benefits real estate investors, real estate developers, building contractors, and home rental companies. Overlooked are the concerns of homeowners, many of whom spent their life savings to live in a peaceful, scenic single-family neighborhood.
A 2019 Redfin survey found that regardless of where people live within the US, more than 85% of home buyers and sellers (including millennials) prefer single-family homes with more space, privacy, and gardens over a unit in a triplex that has a shorter commute.
Moreover, realtors report a recent trend of city dwellers wanting to move to single-family neighborhoods in the suburbs to escape dense living conditions, which contribute to the spread of COVID-19.
Over time, the bill would cause the supply of single-family homes to diminish due to conversions to duplexes and "fourplexes" and the price for the remaining single-family dwellings would become even more expensive. This would make it more difficult for residents to attain their preferred lifestyle.
SB-1120’s vast up-zoning, without any environmental review of potential adverse impacts and cumulative effects, is reckless.
The 2007 Marin Countywide Plan’s (CWP’s) Environmental Impact Report (EIR) projected potential growth of 14,043 more housing units (more than the current number of homes in Sausalito and Mill Valley combined) and 29,759 more residents, if land vacant in 2006 were fully developed according to zoning designations of the cities in Marin County and the Countywide Plan. This didn’t include density bonuses. Alarmingly, the EIR concluded that “land uses and development consistent with the CWP would result in 42 significant unavoidable adverse impacts”, including worse traffic congestion and insufficient water supplies.
There are more than 61,200 single-family dwellings in Marin, according to a 2006 report by the County Assessor-Recorder. The County’s average household size is 2.35 people (per the CWP’s EIR). So, potential growth consistent with SB-1120, in which single-family homes turn into duplexes or four homes, could be up to 183,600 more homes and 431,460 more residents, over and above the CWP EIR’s forecast.
SB-1120’s subsequent population growth and changes to development standards would increase the risk of adverse impacts on the environment, public health and safety, traffic congestion, infrastructure, utilities (water supply), public services (schools), views, sunlight, privacy, neighborhood character, and quality of life.
Especially worrisome, the bill would jeopardize fire hazard zones. There are many communities in “high” and “very high” fire hazard zones that have narrow windy streets and few roads out to safety. The bill allows a dramatic increase in population in these hazardous communities, while reducing or eliminating parking requirements, which will lead to streets being overcrowded with parked cars. Dire consequences could result during an emergency when residents are unable to evacuate and fire trucks are unable to reach their destinations.
Finally, SB-1120 would create unfunded mandates. There is no funding for dealing with the above listed impacts and the bill provides an official sidestep of addressing this issue.
If you agree, please contact Marin County's Supervisors (bos [at] marincounty.org), Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers' (MCCMC's) Legislative Committee (MCCMCSecretary [at] gmail.com), Senator McGuire 415-479-6612 and Assembly Member Levine 415-479-4920 and urge them to oppose SB-1120.
For more information:
https://marinpost.org/blog/2020/8/16/misgu...
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The only problem with SB 1120 is the lack of affordable housing mandate, requiring that all new housing in California be affordable to the workingclass, those of us whose incomes are less than $80,000 a year, starting with those who have no income. All the other objections raised in the above article from very wealthy Marin County are spurious and a mask for privilege.
Marin County is notorious for very high property taxes because it has no industry and the supermajority Democratic Legislature and Democratic governor refuse to increase the progressive income tax on the rich, starting with the 663,000 millionaire households including 170 billionaires, including the many rich people in Marin County.
As to housing construction in general, the most wasteful housing construction are single family dwellings. We can only effectively house people in multiple dwelling units, which is urgently needed. It should be required that not only should all new housing be affordable to the workingclass, but also that every housing unit provide 600 square feet per person.
As to spreading disease, our first defense against disease is good food and lots of Vitamin C, taking 500 mg of Vit C right after breakfast, 500 mg of Vit C right after dinner, and eating massive amounts of fruit and vegetables. The rich live in condominiums in San Francisco and everywhere else, and are least likely to get a contagious disease. It is the old, those over age 60, who are the majority dying everywhere. In San Francisco, the overwhelming majority of the 72 deaths in 5 months in our city of 890,000 people are over age 60. See https://data.sfgov.org/stories/s/w6za-6st8 In California, a state of 40 million people, in 5 months we had 11,432 deaths from COVID19. Again, it is the old who did most of the dying. See
https://update.covid19.ca.gov/
It is the old who die from most diseases and it is the middle aged over age 45 and old who have most diseases as our immune system breaks down as we get older. That is why we need Vitamin C, which protects the immune system.
As to mass transit, Marin County can never meet the requirement since it is a car-oriented suburban refuge from the workingclass and now that the upper middle class sits at home working on their computers, even less mass transit exists, destroying San Francisco's Financial District, which is now empty of people and with many restaurants closed for good. Hopefully, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will turn the entire Financial District into affordable housing.
Marin County is notorious for very high property taxes because it has no industry and the supermajority Democratic Legislature and Democratic governor refuse to increase the progressive income tax on the rich, starting with the 663,000 millionaire households including 170 billionaires, including the many rich people in Marin County.
As to housing construction in general, the most wasteful housing construction are single family dwellings. We can only effectively house people in multiple dwelling units, which is urgently needed. It should be required that not only should all new housing be affordable to the workingclass, but also that every housing unit provide 600 square feet per person.
As to spreading disease, our first defense against disease is good food and lots of Vitamin C, taking 500 mg of Vit C right after breakfast, 500 mg of Vit C right after dinner, and eating massive amounts of fruit and vegetables. The rich live in condominiums in San Francisco and everywhere else, and are least likely to get a contagious disease. It is the old, those over age 60, who are the majority dying everywhere. In San Francisco, the overwhelming majority of the 72 deaths in 5 months in our city of 890,000 people are over age 60. See https://data.sfgov.org/stories/s/w6za-6st8 In California, a state of 40 million people, in 5 months we had 11,432 deaths from COVID19. Again, it is the old who did most of the dying. See
https://update.covid19.ca.gov/
It is the old who die from most diseases and it is the middle aged over age 45 and old who have most diseases as our immune system breaks down as we get older. That is why we need Vitamin C, which protects the immune system.
As to mass transit, Marin County can never meet the requirement since it is a car-oriented suburban refuge from the workingclass and now that the upper middle class sits at home working on their computers, even less mass transit exists, destroying San Francisco's Financial District, which is now empty of people and with many restaurants closed for good. Hopefully, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will turn the entire Financial District into affordable housing.
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