Posts Tagged ‘housing’
On the Heels of a Successful Measure L to Address Infrastructure Needs, City Pivots to Implement an Extension of the Municipal Service Tax for Another Decade to Continue Repairing Roads & Clearing Flammable Brush
Now the City Council and staff are pivoting to an extension of its Municipal Service Tax for another decade to continue repairing roads and clearing flammable brush. That assessment came after City Manager Todd Cusimano reported on the tax, known as the MST, at the City Council meeting on Oct. 20 as part of a strategic discussion that looked at future street repairs and local revenue streams. “We will have to continue with the MST,” he said. “If we do this right over the next 10 years, we’ll be talking about potentially not having to have one of these taxes.” “This is not a forever tax,” added Councilmember Urban Carmel. “This is really the end game, I think, for the next round.”
Read MoreFor Several Years, City Hall Pushed for Inclusionary Housing. Now They’re Pivoting, With Requirements That Seek 15% or 20% of Medium-to-Larger Projects
About 14,700 people live in 6,600 homes in city limits, said city planner Danielle Staude. New housing is a challenge and costly in Mill Valley because the city doesn’t have many available parcels, and most of what is available is on irregular lots and hillsides, which add costs to developers. Apart from church- or city-owned properties, only two lots are suitable for an apartment of 20 or more residences.
Read MoreSF Gate: ‘We Are the Problem’: California is Trying to Undo Decades of Liberal Policies – A New York Times Bestseller Co-Authored by a California-Born Writer Sparked Real Housing Progress in the State
“I’ve been involved in abundance long before it was called Abundance,” Wiener, a progressive and longtime lawmaker from San Francisco, told SFGATE. Wiener has been in the California Senate since 2016, and before that, he was on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He has another bill, Senate Bill 79, that is likely to head to the governor’s desk for his signature, which would allow for the construction of more housing units and taller buildings near major public transit stations. Abundance, Wiener continued, is “a very straightforward” idea that politicians should make it easier and faster to “build the things that make people’s lives better and more affordable.” He added that Klein and Thompson’s book has “had a lot of momentum and got a lot of people to think about this issue, and it puts into words and paper what a lot of people have been thinking.”
Read MoreMarinIJ: After Much Angst, Marin County Planning Commission Has Signed off on a Five-Story, 32-Apartment Building in Tam Valley
The Tamalpais Valley project also has attracted criticism because of its location in an area that has been classified as a flood zone by the Federal Emergency Management Agency; the scant number of parking spaces being supplied; and its height. Several planning commissioners expressed concerns about these and other issues during a hearing on Thursday. County planning staff the county is powerless to mandate any changes that aren’t based on strict, objective design standards and gross threats to public health. “Understand that we cannot require any parking for this project,” Marin County Planning Manager Jeremy Tejirian said.
Read MoreThe Mercury News: California’s Insurance Crisis Continues, As State Farm an Insurance Rate Hike of 30%, Soon After the Company Won Emergency Approval for a 17% Rate Increase After the LA fires
While the insurance industry faces headwinds, State Farm, for instance, is now seeking to boost California home insurance rates by 30%. The company last week won emergency approval for a 17% rate increase after the Los Angeles fires. A week after winning emergency approval to raise Californians’ home insurance premiums, State Farm is seeking to boost that rate hike even higher to 30%. On May 13, the state’s largest insurance company got the OK from regulators to increase rates by an average of 17% starting next month. State Farm secured the expedited rate hike after asserting it was in financial distress and expected $7.6 billion in claims arising from the deadly Los Angeles wildfires in January.
Read MoreCelebrate Earth Day at the Tam Valley Earth Day Festival – Sat., April 26th, Tam Valley Commmunity Center, 11am-2pm
The event features fun activities for all ages and green exhibits about climate action, in a beautiful outdoor setting. Visitors will learn about living sustainably, using clean energy and transportation, greening up your home and garden, eating healthy food, protecting nature, and building resilient communities.
Read MoreMV Residents’ Education Housing Partner’s 250-Unit, Affordable Apartment Project Near San Quentin For Teachers & County Employees, Have Received Unanimous Support to Take an Initial Step Toward Helping to Guarantee Rental Income for the Project
Marin County supervisors voted unanimously to take an initial step toward helping to guarantee rental income for a housing project designed to serve educators and county employees. The project, the Village at Oak Hill, envisions construction of 135 apartments on vacant land donated by the state in eastern Larkspur near San Quentin. The plan is to reserve 101 of the apartments for the employees of local schools and 34 for county employees.The project is being overseen by the Marin County Public Financing Authority, a joint partnership between Marin County and the Marin County Office of Education. It has a $16.4 million funding gap. Rising interest rates since the project launched are to blame, said Matthew Hymel, the authority’s director and a former county executive.
Read MoreThe Redwoods, A Community of Seniors in Mill Valley, Hosts a Unique Look at the Remarkable Work of Artist Sarelyn Wager – By Appt. Only
Sarelyn has been painting for over 80 years, capturing the essence of humanity through her masterful use of color and texture. Her passion and creativity are expressed through artistic talent. “I live and dream in color,” says Sarelyn. “My paintings speak for themselves. I’m a feisty, opinionated nonagenarian with a quirky world view, and my art is my most potent natural expression.”
Read MoreAs Lots of State Legislation Sought to Incentivize More Affordable Housing, We Saw Mill Valley Focusing on Right-Sized Affordability. So How Does it Fit in 2025 With the New Focus on ‘Abundance’?
“To unmake this machine will be painful,” they write. “It’s also necessary. In the long run, the way to marginalize the most dangerous political movements is to prove the superiority of your own. If liberals do not want Americans to turn to the false promise of strongmen, they need to offer the fruits of effective government. They need to offer Americans a liberalism that builds.”
Read MoreOpen Kimono: As the Mill Valley Music Fest Heads Toward the Four-Year Mark, It’s a Great Reminder of Why We Created It – It’s Not Just a Big Party, It Matters to Us Deeply, and It Supports ALL of Our Amazing Community, and Beyond!
Our Chamber members, primarily businesses, nonprofits and individuals, know who we are and what we stand for. But we haven’t always articulated that as well as we could to the broader community that doesn’t engage with our newsletters, blogs and social channels. MVMF is about continuing to be better neighbors to those within and around our community.
Read More