New Affordable Housing Policy Approved by Marin County Planners

Changes to zoning that will increase the number of affordable housing in Tam Valley, Strawberry and St. Vincent’s-Silveira were approved Monday at a raucous Marin County Planning Commission meeting where tempers flew so much that a Sheriff’s deputy had to be called, the Marin Independent Journal is reporting.

The creation of the “affordable housing zone” along Highway 101 means new high-density housing can now go into these areas. But opponents said the new housing would hurt the area’s quality of life and increase crime and traffic, while contributing nothing to the local tax base.

Justin Kai, head of Organized Residents of Marinwood, said the approved affordable housing was not adequately spaced out, with more than a third of the development located in the North San Rafael area, according to the IJ.

"We are asking each district to carry its fair share of affordable housing," he said. 

But others, including the Marin Organizing Committee, Sustainable Marin and Grassroots Leadership Network, said more affordable housing was needed in Marin County and would increase the area’s diversity.

People who live in affordable housing own fewer cars and drive less, according to a report by the California Department of Housing and Community Development. In addition, no link between affordable housing and a decline in property values has ever been shown, according to the report. 

To read more about Monday night's meeting, click here. 

What do you think about the approved changes? Is affordable housing needed in Marin County or will it impact our quality of the life?