Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
The San Mateo City Council is considering three land use alternatives that will aim to increase the number of housing units in the county, thereby advancing the 2040 General Plan.
Alternatives A, B and C will be investigated by city staff to determine possible housing scenarios in 10 study areas in various neighborhoods, the council determined at its meeting Tuesday.
The council also discussed San Mateo's Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), which determines how many new homes the city must build to meet housing needs.
The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) assigns housing numbers to cities in eight-year cycles, which must be met through policies and programs.
In that sense San Mateo County is preparing to determine its sixth cycle, which runs from January 2023 to January 2031, where 7,081 homes will be determined.
The study areas have the potential to experience land use changes over the next 20 years, and include locations near transit sites or areas with old or vacant buildings.
The other topic was about the three land distribution alternatives and whether the city should adjust them. The land distribution alternatives look at what type of land development will occur over the next 20 years in each study area that will change housing.
Amourence Lee, a city councilwoman, favored moving forward with the current range of alternative scenarios, with the possibility of leveraging some components of the three options.
For his part, Councilman Joe Goethals, who originally wanted to place housing near train stations and transit corridors near El Camino Real instead of spreading it throughout the city, recommended that the city proceed with the range of three alternatives and does not believe the city should open up the entire city for study areas.
During the meeting, county residents requested the inclusion of additional study areas in the General Plan and more housing units to help address the shortage.
