Health & Fitness
What Affordable Housing Does Novato Need?
It is time for proper planning for affordable housing in Novato.
When affordable housing is discussed, we always start with ABAG allocations. What we need to do is look at what has happened in the past and determine where we need in the future.
The census data indicates Novato population from 2000-2010 grew from 47,630 to 51,904, an 8.97 percent growth and an increase of 4,274. The average household was 2.52 persons, thus the total household grow was 1,696.
In the 1999-2006 housing cycle, Novato built 2,096 affordable housing units. Thus Novato built 1,300 more affordable housing units than the TOTAL household increase in this time period.
Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
More importantly, Novato significantly overbuilt very-low and low-income housing relative to the rest of Marin. The numbers are as follows:
-- Novato built 56 percent of the very low income housing of all of Marin; Belvedere, Corte Madera, Fairfax, Ross and San Anselmo built ZERO.
Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.
-- Novato built 85 percent of the low income housing in all of Marin; Belvedere, Corte Madera, Fairfax, Ross, San Anselmo and Sausalito built ZERO.
-- Novato built 48 percent of moderate income housing in all of Marin. Corte Madera, Fairfax, Ross, San Anselmo, Sausalito and Tiburon built ZERO.
-- Novato built 48 percent of the above moderate income housing in all of Marin — 146 percent more than required.
During the same census period, 2000-2010, vacant housing increased 53.5 percent in Novato.
It is clear Novato does not need more very low and low housing in Novato. It is time to plan from the local level and make sure past performance and future needs meet the needs of Novato.
