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Ross

Housing Element Status
Certified
Rent Burden
N/A
rent burdened
Affordable Housing Production
8%
affordable permits issued
Housing Programs
43
total programs
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Housing Programs

Housing programs are the strategies that cities and counties legally have at their disposal to produce more and preserve existing affordable housing, as well as protect existing residents from getting displaced from their homes and communities.

6th Cycle Programs

43
total programs

Local housing programs, as part of a housing element, have significant impacts on a city or county reaching its affordable housing goals. Each additional housing policy has a significant impact on the residents who are most in need of affordable housing. However, the number of programs that a jurisdiction includes in their housing element is not meant to imply how well a city or county is addressing local housing needs since the quality and impact of each will need to be determined as well.

Overview of Program Deliverables

Use the below data to explore this jurisdiction’s approaches to affirmatively furthering fair housing for the 6th element cycle, and review the actions, deliverables, and deadlines committed to for each program.

PROGRAM NUMBER
ACTIONS
DELIVERABLE
DELIVERABLE DATE
1-A
Coordinate with local businesses, housing advocacy groups and neighborhood groups in building public understanding and support for workforce and special needs housing. Through written materials and public presentations, inform residents of housing needs, issues, and programs (accessory dwelling units, rental assistance, rental mediation, rehabilitation loans, etc.).
Promote construction of 70 lower income RHNA units by 2031.
Prepare fact sheets by end of Q4 2023 and post to Town website; conduct an informational presentation by end of Q1 2024 and annually each year of the planning period thereafter.
1-B
The Town will work with other jurisdictions to advocate for State legislation that would provide ongoing funds for nonprofit developers to build affordable housing and related infrastructure improvements, as well as other programs to facilitate a regional approach to housing and associated community support needs in Marin County.
In coordination with other Central Marin County jurisdictions, secure funding for preservation or construction 250 lower income units regionally by 2031.
Continue to participate in regular housing-focused Marin County Planning Director meetings; identify candidate sites/projects by Q2 2025.
1-C
The Town Manager or designee is the designated Equal Opportunity Coordinator in Ross and will ensure that written materials regarding fair housing law are provided at various public locations in the town and that information regarding fair housing agencies and phone numbers is posted at Town Hall, the Post Office, and local transit locations where feasible. The Town Manager or designee will provide information to real estate professionals, property owners and tenants on their rights, responsibilities, and the resources available to address fair housing issues.
There were no reported cases of housing discrimination in Ross during the 2015-23 period; however, the objective of this program is to reach at least 40 renter households in Ross to increase awareness of fair housing rights and available programs. This number corresponds to the number of rentburdened residents of Ross in 2023.
Post information at Town Hall and on the Town website by end of Q3 2023 and update annually as appropriate; coordinate annually with Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California (FHANC) to ensure distribution of informational materials to property owners and renters in Ross.
1-D
The Town Manager or designee will refer discrimination complaints to the appropriate legal service, county or state agency, or Fair Housing of Marin. If mediation fails and enforcement is necessary, refer tenants to the State Department of Fair Employment and Housing or HUD, depending on the nature of the complaint.
There were no reported cases of housing discrimination in Ross during the 2015-23 period; however, the objective of this program is to increase awareness of fair housing rights and available programs for Ross residents.
As needed.
1-E
All of Ross is designated as an area of Highest Resource by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC), which facilitates the investment of private capital into the development of affordable rental housing for low-income Californians. In order to increase access to Highest Resource areas for Low, Very Low, and Extremely Low income households and special needs populations (including older adults, the disabled (including developmentally disabled), large households, female-headed households, people experiencing homelessness, and farmworkers), the Town will encourage and facilitate affordable housing development in Ross by: • Prepare information on available sites, potential opportunities, and incentives (see Program 4-I) for affordable housing in Ross, updating and distributing it annually to affordable housing developers; • Conduct targeted outreach to housing developers with experience in development projects that include units affordable to extremely low income households and households with special needs; • Continue to provide technical assistance to housing developers to assist with the development application process;Annually identify and, if appropriate, apply for sources (e.g., HCD and HUD) of funding, including those available for housing for extremely low income and special needs households; and • Support applications for affordable housing funds for projects or programs that are consistent with the goals and objectives of the Housing Element.
34 Very Low and 20 Low income units by 2031.
(a) Prepare materials by Q3 2023; (b) prepare list of experienced developers and contact them by end of Q4 2023; (c) conduct outreach in Q1 2024 and annually thereafter.
1-F
Marin County has launched a program to let residents disavow racially restrictive covenants that might exist in the deeds of their homes. While the Supreme Court ruled such covenants were unenforceable in 1948, an unknown number of homes in Marin County still contain these restrictions, which effectively prevented African Americans and other people of color from accumulating a certain amount of generational wealth through homeownership. Although the recorded documents are never removed from the public records, modifications and amendments can be recorded to alert the public that the document is no longer valid. The Town will promote participation of Ross homeowners in this initiative at annually public contact events, in townwide newsletters, and by posting information on the Town website.
Participation of 50 homeowners in County program by 2031.
Post information to Town website and send e-newsletter by end of Q1 2024; annually each year of the planning period thereafter.
2-A
Ross is a community that values high quality design and the Town’s Advisory Design Review (ADR) Group, formed in 2008, is integral to ensuring that new development contributes to the community’s unique and historic sense of place. Recognizing that the project review process, including design review, can add time and cost to the development process, the Town will identify and implement measures for streamlining and expediting design review. Actions will include: • Translating adopted Design Guidelines into objective design standards incorporated into the Town Code; • Conducting a review of past project applications to identify the range of issues that are typically of concern due to the type of housing, the project location, property characteristics (such as sub-standard dimensions), and environmental conditions. • Based on the findings of this review, amend the Zoning Ordinance to include objective development standards that address the typical issue.
Reduction in average time for project approval.
Identify streamlining options bring proposed amendments to the Town Council for adoption by end of Q4 2024.
2-B
Senate Bill 9 (SB9) allows homeowners to split their single-family residential lot into two separate lots and/or build additional residential units on their property without the need for discretionary review or public hearing. As a community with large residential lots and a growing population of older adults, there is considerable potential for SB9 housing in Ross. Of 837 single-family zoned parcels in Ross, analysis indicates that there are at least 34 parcels of sufficient size and meeting other parameters defined in the statute that may also be underutilized, based on as built floor area ratio and assessed value ratio. The Town has received inquiries from interested homeowners and has adopted an SB9 ordinance to establish zoning and development standards. To date, one SB9 housing application has been approved. Through this program, the Town will further incentivize and promote the creation of SB9 housing to help meet RHNA obligations for above moderate income households by: • Creating fact sheets and posting information to the website by the end of Q4 2023 (complete); • Creating an SB9 application checklist for prospective applicants and posting to the Town website by the end of Q1 2024; • Designating a Planning and Building staff member to serve as the Town’s SB9 “point person” by the end of Q1 2024; • Amending the standards in the SB9 ordinance to permit primary structures in a twounit development a maximum building height of up to 30 feet as measured from existing or finished grade ; • Regularly training Planning and Building staff in providing technical assistance and referrals to interested property owners ; • Conducting an annual “how to” seminar for Ross homeowners to raise awareness and proactively promote SB9 housing production starting in Q2 2024; • Using feedback from property owners in 2023 and 2024, identifying and offering additional regulatory incentives such as modifications to SB9 development standards and associated permit fees by December 2025 to stimulate production of SB9 housing in the planning period; and • Monitoring SB9 housing production trends and if actual performance is not in line with projections in December 2025, the Town will review and take action – which may include additional regulatory or process incentives, further fee modifications, or rezoning - within 12 months as needed to ensure compliance with “no-net loss” provisions of State law.
20 above moderate income units in the planning period.
As noted above, with the goal of20 above moderate income units by 2031.
2-C
Site 3 on the inventory is comprised of multiple adjacent lots that are vacant and zoned for residential use but of substandard size. The site is located in an area of steep topography, which adds complexity and cost to development of the sites. To incentivize the development of this lot with market rate, single-family housing to help meet the Town’s RHNA requirements, the Zoning Ordinance will be amended to permit allowable floor area ratio (FAR) to be calculated on the basis of total site area rather than per parcel.
2 above moderate income units in the planning period.
End of 2023
2-D
The Town will continue to enforce the current zoning code in residential neighborhoods in response to complaints and will discourage demolitions without rebuilding and overbuilding on lots through the demolition permit and design review process. The Town will also continue to require homes to comply with the Building Code through permit processing and implementation of the Residential Building Record Report program.
Protection of existing housing.
As complaints and applications are received/submitted.
2-E
Provide handouts and refer people to the Marin Housing Authority (MHA) for available loan programs to eligible ownerand renter-occupied housing. Require fire and code officials to hand out information on MHA loans to appropriate lower-income homeowners when performing routine inspections. Publish information on available loan programs to the Town website.
Loans provided to rehabilitate housing for very low income households.
Prepare handouts and publish information to website by Q3 2023; Thereafter, referrals will be ongoing with annual reporting through the Housing Element Annual Progress Report to HCD.
2-F
The replacement of units affordable to the same or lower income level is required as a condition of any development on a non-vacant site identified in the Housing Element consistent with those requirements set forth in Government Code section 65915I(3). Replacement requirements apply to sites identified in the inventory that currently have residential uses, or within the past five years (based on the date the application for development was submitted) have had residential uses that have been vacated or demolished, and were: • Subject to a recorded covenant, ordinance, or law that restricts rents to levels affordable to persons and families of low or very low-income; or • Subject to any other form of rent or price control through a public entity’s valid exercise of its police power; or • Occupied by low or very lowincome households The Town will not approve a housing development project that requires the demolition of residential dwelling units regardless of whether the parcel was listed in the inventory unless the project will create at least as many residential dwelling units as will be demolished, and the affordability criteria stipulated in Government Code section 66300(d) are met
Protection of existing housing.
Beginning in Q1 2023.
2-G
In certain circumstances linked to a project’s characteristics or the site where it is located, such as for single-family development in Hillside Zones and for multi-family development in the C-D District or in the C-L district when ground floor residential is proposed facing the street, the Town Code requires a conditional use permit (CUP). In such cases, Section 18.44.030 requires the Town Council to make subjective findings related to “morals” “comfort” “convenience,” or “general welfare” of people in the neighborhood that may be a constraint on housing development. Therefore, Section 18.44.030 of the Town Code will be revised to remove the subjective findings and replace them with objective standards to be used as the basis for granting a CUP.
Compliance with State law.
End of Q2 2024 (omnibus Code “clean up” amendment).
3-A
The Town is preparing a Facilities Master Plan for the modernization of the Ross Civic Center complex, which includes the Town Hall and Public Safety Building. Originally constructed in 1927, the Public Safety Building is now physically and functionally obsolete and must be reconstructed to address extensive structural deficiencies and ensure compliance with Essential Service Act (ESA) requirements for public safety buildings. As part of the Civic Center redevelopment, the Town will facilitate construction of nine workforce housing units on the site to be made available at rents affordable to households earning less than 80 percent of Marin County AMI. The Town released request for proposals (RFP) for the Facilities Master Plan and awarded a contract in October 2022 and anticipates adoption by end of Q3 2023. Town actions for implementation of the housing component will include: • Initiating discussions with potential partners, including funding partners and non-profit developers, by the end of Q4 2023; • Negotiating an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) by end of Q3 2024; • Negotiating Development and Disposition Agreement (DDA), including incentives such as a ground lease and soft costs by end of Q4 2025; • Holding regular meetings with developer in order to expedite processing development application and design work with the goal of approval by end of Q4 2026; • Issuance of building permit by end of Q4 2027
Issue building permits for 9 workforce housing units by Q4 2027.
As noted above, with the objective of issuing building permits by end of Q4 2027
3-B
The cost of constructing parking, particularly covered parking, adds considerably to residential development costs. For certain developments that can be designed so that parking is out of public view, covered parking may not be necessary. Therefore, to support the financial feasibility of multi-family development and other projects that provide workforce housing in Ross, the Town will review and revise the current parking requirements including: • Caretaker Units. Eliminating the requirement for covered parking spaces to serve caretaker units and other detached housing for household employees where parking can be screened from public view (Section 18.16.080). • Multi-Family Developments. Reducing the requirements for multi-family developments to require 1 space per unit, located behind the building or screened from public view (Sections 18.20.025, 18.24.040, and 18.28.070). Existing residential and non-residential development downtown provides parking in the rear of buildings, and lots in the C-L and C-D districts where multi-family development is also allowed, lots are large enough to accommodate landscaping and trees for screening. As such, locational and screening requirements do not represent a constraint.
32 multi-family units in the planning period.
End of Q2 2024 (omnibus Code “clean up” amendment).
3-C
. The downtown commercial area has two-and three-story buildings that are home to an eclectic variety of retail stores, restaurants, professional offices, and upper story apartment units that together give the area a timeless “country village” appeal. The downtown area is a natural location for smaller scale housing, such as shopkeeper units, live-work units, and apartments that can provide accommodation for the local workforce; however, several key factors constrain housing development, including flood risk, liquefaction hazard, and a combination of small parcel size and high land and construction costs that limit the feasibility of redevelopment. Through this program, the Town will develop a plan for a “Special Planning Area” that includes the downtown commercial area, and Ross Common. The objective would be to plan holistically for the area to integrate new moderate income and workforce housing along with street design improvements, pedestrian and bicycle access, parking and design standards. The plan should identify and incorporate funding and financing options to facilitate redevelopment. General Plan Action 8A will be amended for consistency with this program.
4 multi-family units constructed in the downtown “Special Planning Area” in the planning period.
Adopt the plan by Q1 2027.
3-D
There are some properties in Ross with separate living units – either in the home or on the lot – that were constructed without a legal permit. While the units may be perfectly livable, insurance companies will not cover a fire, damages, or injuries relating to an unpermitted unit. To help reduce liability and increase the supply of workforce housing in Ross, the Town will develop and implement an amnesty program that waives penalties and reduces fees for owners who choose to legalize their unpermitted units. The amnesty program will include a provision for “fail safe” inspections so that owners understand they will not be cited for violations that do not present an immediate threat to life safety. The amnesty program will also offer additional incentives such as fee discounts for owners who provide evidence of a binding commitment to rent-restrict the legalized unit for lower income households for a period of at least 20 years.
20 ADUs in the planning period, 2 of them rent-restricted affordable ADUs.
Town staff will prepare an ordinance and bring it to the Town Council for adoption before the end of 2024.
3-E
Designing an ADU can be a long and complex process. To streamline and simplify things for interested homeowners, the Town will offer a variety of pre-approved ADU building plans designed by qualified architects. Through this program, the Advisory Design Review Group and the Town Council will review and approve multiple design options that accommodate a range of homeowner needs, from small studio ADUs to larger, twostory layouts. The plans will be made available so that interested homeowners can pick from a menu of options knowing their choice is approved and ready to build.
80 new ADUs or JADUs in the planning period.
Make pre-approved ADU plans available by end of 2026.
3-F
The Town already offers homeowners interested in ADUs an array of information and tools through ADU Marin, a partnership between ten Marin County jurisdictions formed to facilitate ADU construction. This includes a step-by-step workbook and interactive website with sample floor plans, a calculator to estimate constructions costs, and inspirational stories from Marin residents who have already built an ADU. To complement these resources and promote construction of ADUs and JADUs in Ross, the Town will offer technical assistance to interested homeowners, which may include information on costsaving building materials and construction techniques; a referrals list of pre-qualified architects, landscape architects, and civil engineers; and consultation with design and permitting professionals. Town staff will advertise and be available for “drop in” consultation during defined times at the Civic Center.
80 new ADUs or JADUs in the planning period.
Launch technical assistance program in early 2024.
3-G
Form an ad-hoc advisory committee of local residents and subject matter experts to research and identify best practices and innovations for cost-effective construction of ADUs in Ross. The committee should consider building materials, construction techniques, and civil/geotechnical standards responsive to the flooding, wildfire, and liquefaction hazards in Ross. Publicize findings on Town website.
Facilitate construction of 10 ADUs per year throughout the planning period.
Convene committee by Q3 2023; committee report by Q3 2024; publicize findings by end of 2024.
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