Politics & Government

Citizens Against High-Density Housing to Present Petition to Council Tuesday

Nearly 1,000 signatures gathered in a two-week span questioning mandates for affordable housing.

A petition with about 975 signatures of people against high-density housing in Novato is to be presented Tuesday to the Novato City Council.

A group called the Novato Community Alliance gathered the signatures over two weeks, including the Thanksgiving holiday break. Pam Drew, the group's chairwoman, said that underscores the concerns of three local groups that have come out against state-mandated zoning for affordable housing.

"The 800-plus concerned citizens who signed the petition need a baseline on present/past commitments/plans for high-density housing to help them to understand the decisions for the future being made by the city manager and the council," Drew said in a statement before the signature number grew to nearly 1,000.

Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The three groups — Novato Community Alliance, Balanced Housing and San Marin Compatible Housing — are made of members who have spent the past six months questioning the rezoning of land in Novato for high-density housing. Of the 13 areas the city outlined as possible spots for rezoning, most Although developers are not lined up to bulldoze existing structures on the land if there is a shift in rezoning, community members have demanded explanations for the quotas monitored by the Association of Bay Area Governments.

City Manager Michael Frank and city staff set up an ad hoc working group this fall in response to the public outcry about what high-density complexes might do to area crime rates. The committee has met twice and the third meeting is set for Dec. 8. Thus far, the idea has been to promote teaam building and focus on facts rather than emotion. Frank has said the city wants the affordable housing issue to be as transparent as possible.

Find out what's happening in Novatowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Tuesday's council meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at .


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