Posts Tagged ‘housing’
Marin Voice: Student-Created Organization Pushes for Housing Solutions
On the last day of June, we spoke at a ribbon-cutting event celebrating the placement of an accessory dwelling unit built at San Rafael High School, through the Rebuilding Together East Bay Network’s Big Skills Program, supported by county and private partners like Marin Housing Authority and Wells Fargo bank. In front of a crowd…
Read MoreMarin Voice: Student-Created Organization Pushes for Housing Solutions
On the last day of June, we spoke at a ribbon-cutting event celebrating the placement of an accessory dwelling unit built at San Rafael High School, through the Rebuilding Together East Bay Network’s Big Skills Program, supported by county and private partners like Marin Housing Authority and Wells Fargo bank. In front of a crowd…
Read MoreDick Spotswood: How Tall Is Too Tall For Housing in Marin’s Downtowns?
When it comes to housing proposals in the downtowns of Marin cities, how tall is too tall? That question was recently asked by the IJ editorial board during interviews of Robert Sandoval and Daryoush Davidi in the race for the District 3 seat on the San Rafael City Council. Both gave nuanced but ambiguous replies,…
Read MoreMarin Housing Solutions Forum
We want your help spreading the word about the Marin Housing Solutions Forum on September 22 from 3–5 PM! MCF President and CEO Rhea Suh will speak, as well as Steering Committee member Maureen Sedonaen of Habitat for Humanity and Coalition member Jarrod Russell of CLAM. We put together an Outreach Toolkit containing two graphics, the event flyer, sample text for both newsletters and emails, and…
Read MoreDick Spotswood: For Workforce Housing, Marin Should Buy Older Apartment Buildings
Occasionally, a good public policy idea is sunk due to flaws in the plan for execution. One example is the Oak Hill Apartments, a concept conceived by Marin’s County Office of Education and county government. Financing is more affordable since the rents needed to cover purchase and upgrade costs in existing apartments is less than…
Read MoreMarin Voice: Fire-Resilient Housing Should Be Part of Wildfire Planning
One of the most common concerns arguing against new housing in Marin is that “more housing means more wildfire risk.” The Bay Area has always had a fire season, and the accelerating impacts of climate change are only making that worse. As longtime Marin County residents and climate change advocates, we share the desire to…
Read MoreMarinIJ: Dick Spotswood: California has an Affordability Crisis, Not a Housing Crisis
It’s said that Marin, the San Francisco Bay Area and much of California is facing a “housing crisis.” The bipartisan reaction of politicians is summarized by Gavin Newsom’s boast in 2017. When campaigning for governor he vowed, “I will lead the effort to develop the 3.5 million new housing units we need by 2025 because…
Read MoreOne of Marin’s Biggest New Housing Projects Could Get Derailed By a Lawsuit
A group of neighbors is challenging Marin County’s approval of a major housing development project on the Tiburon Peninsula, arguing in a lawsuit filed this month that the county was wrong to allow plans to build residences on the slopes of a ridgetop. The new buildings would be part of a large overhaul of the former Golden…
Read MoreMarinIJ: Marin Voice: Housing Laws Are Helping, But Progress Is Slow
The 21st century “ROAD to Affordable Housing Act” became law with nearly unanimous bipartisan support. Industry groups, unions, local governments and housing advocates rallied behind the effort. The law modernizes federal housing programs. It improves regulatory streamlining, eliminates restrictions on build-to-rent housing developers (who have added 70,000 housing units per year), simplifies rules for manufactured…
Read MoreCorte Madera Approves Housing for Seniors at Former Best Western Hotel
The Corte Madera Town Council has approved a housing project for elders at the site of the Best Western Hotel. The project at 56 Madera Blvd. will include 118 assisted-living apartments, 32 memory-care apartments, 118 parking spaces and amenities like a media room and a space for physical therapy. The plans also call for a pool…
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