SAN MATEO COUNTY HOUSING ELEMENT REZONING PROGRAM

The proposed Project is the implementation of Program HE 11.2 and consists of amendments to the San Mateo County General Plan, Local Coastal Plan (for the El Granada parcels only), Colma BART [Bay Area Rapid Transit] Station Area Plan, Montara-Moss-Beach-El Granada Community Plan, and Zoning Regulations of San Mateo County Ordinance Code to expand opportunities to construct high-density housing in four areas of unincorporated San Mateo County. In adopting Program HE 11.2, the County committed to creating a new set of development and design standards for the four identified Project areas; these standards must be implemented with the Project. New standards will take into account existing conditions of each Project area including surrounding uses, densities, infrastructure, and neighborhood character. As enumerated in HE Program 11.2, the amended development standards for each Project area must include: • increasing allowable housing density within a likely range of 70 – 120 units per acre, with an absolute minimum of 30 units per acre; • eliminating residential floor area ratio and minimum lot area per unit standards; • removing minimum lot sizes for attached multifamily ownership projects; • reducing minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks to 10 feet or less; • reducing parking ratios to maximum one space per residential unit; • increasing maximum building height to 60 – 70 feet or other heights sufficient to allow the increase in allowed residential density of a given parcel; • limiting floor area of mixed-use development to maximum 25 percent; and • creating objective, measurable design standards governing building form within each Project area to support streamlined, staff-level review of new multifamily residential development proposals. In addition, the amendments will include provisions to allow emergency shelters by right and subject to a set of objective standards as allowed by State law within the Unincorporated Colma Project area. The intent of the Project’s policy and regulatory amendments is to streamline the entitlement process for future housing development proposals; no development is proposed or directly supported in conjunction with the Project. The Housing Element Rezoning Program EIR would facilitate future residential development consistent with the amended regulations, in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15168 (Program EIR), Section 15182 (Projects Pursuant to a Specific Plan), and Section 15183 (Projects Consistent with a Community Plan or Zoning).