Posts Tagged ‘workforce housing’
A Major Milestone in Housing Delivery Is Underway in Marin City as Pre-Built Apartments Are installed at 825 Drake Avenue. In the Coming Weeks, Modular Building Sections Will Be Transforming a 5-story pt. building.
A major milestone in housing delivery is underway in Marin City as pre-built apartments are installed at 825 Drake Avenue. Over the coming weeks, modular building sections will be lifted into place, transforming what is now a foundation into a five-story apartment building. The installation of modular units marks a significant step forward for the 42-unit affordable housing project and reflects a faster, more efficient approach to building housing at a time of urgent need across Marin County. Beginning January 22 and continuing through mid-February, modular units will arrive by truck and be set by crane during daytime construction hours. Construction is scheduled Mondays through Fridays, 7 AM to 6 PM. No weekend work is expected during this phase. Dates are subject to change and may be extended if there are weather delays.
Read MoreEconomic Outlook for 2026 Indicates North Bay at a Crossroads: Economist Robert Eyler Warns of Stagnation, Structural Shifts, Uneven Paths Forward
The North Bay economy is undergoing a profound transition marked by stalled job growth, shifting demographics, housing market stagnation and a wine industry facing long-term restructuring. While the challenges are significant, a noted local economist said opportunities remain — if regional leaders understand the depth of the changes underway and respond with coordinated, realistic strategies. Robert Eyler, an economics professor at Sonoma State University and president of Economic Forensics and Analytics, presented his analysis. Using county-level data, statewide and national trends, he described an economy that is no longer behaving as Californians have historically expected, particularly in regions once seen as beneficiaries of pandemic-era migration. Unprecedented jobs plateau. One of the most striking indicators Eyler presented was California’s prolonged lack of job growth. “We’ve seen about a 24-month period in which we had zero jobs growth in California, which is unprecedented in the recorded history of California’s economy outside of recession,” he said. cross the North Bay, that stagnation shows up in different ways. Sonoma and Marin counties remain below their pre-pandemic labor force levels. Napa County has posted modest gains, while Mendocino County has remained largely flat. “The Bay Area and California economies showed encouraging signs of labor market stabilization in November,” Anderson told the news outlet.
Read MoreOn January 12, City Council Considers Reapproving Bayfront Terrace Project With a Modified Project Footprint for the Site of 1.60 acres & No Additional Changes to the Design – Hearing is at 5:30pm at City Hall
On January 12, City Council Considers Reapproving Bayfront Terrace Project With a Modified Project Footprint for the Site of 1.60 acres & No Additional Changes to the Design – Hearing is at 5:30pm at City Hall. In a previous post, “We have an opportunity to change the life trajectory of 44 families,” Councilman Urban Carmel added. “Nothing can change your life trajectory more than the place you grew up in. This is really exciting and gratifying – I can’t imagine a better moment.”
Read MoreOn the Heels of Marin County’s Largest Proposed Housing Development in Years, Spirit Residential Group, Also in Strawberry, Eyes a 150,655-square-foot building on a 6.6-acre parcel at 70 North Knoll Road
The 127-acre project at 201 Seminary Drive would transform the site into a mixed-use development with 336 single- and multifamily residential units — including 70 affordable units — and a 150-unit senior residential-care facility. The project also includes a 17,000-square-foot fitness center and a 3,000-square-foot preschool, both open to the public. While more than 70% of the campus would remain as open space, athletic fields, paths and plazas, the project would add about 530 new residents and about 250 new workers. Developer North Coast Land Holdings LLC also proposes maintaining the academic campus for up to 1,000 students under an existing 1953 conditional use permit.
Read MoreAfter Years of Wrangling, Public Comment Opens on Marin County’s Largest Housing Development Project in Years‘, Moving Forward Amid Likely Neighbor Pushback in Strawberry
The 127-acre project at 201 Seminary Drive would transform the site into a mixed-use development with 336 single- and multifamily residential units — including 70 affordable units — and a 150-unit senior residential-care facility. The project also includes a 17,000-square-foot fitness center and a 3,000-square-foot preschool, both open to the public. While more than 70% of the campus would remain as open space, athletic fields, paths and plazas, the project would add about 530 new residents and about 250 new workers. Developer North Coast Land Holdings LLC also proposes maintaining the academic campus for up to 1,000 students under an existing 1953 conditional use permit.
Read MoreMarin IJ: Marin Officials Question Projections in Regional Growth Plan – Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+
While the number of Marin households is projected to grow from 108,000 to 131,000 by 2050, the job growth is projected to be stagnant, with a job base remaining at 126,000 over the same time period, the plan says. Across the region, the plan anticipates a population growth of about 7.7 million to 9.6 million, which is nearly four times the forecast provided by the California Department of Finance. Mill Valley Mayor Max Perrey said city officials agree that MTC and ABAG need to revise their projections and develop better mitigations to address impacts to wildfire risk, water supply, emergency services, air quality and flooding, among other issues. “The regional growth forecast the plan relies on differs from the state’s official projections, and it doesn’t take into account the changing economy, both the impact that AI will have on the workforce as well as vacancy rates for commercial space, which continues to persist,” Perrey said. “It also has a large dependence on major future funding streams that have not been secured for projects, which presents funding risks for infrastructure, for services and hazard mitigation measures.”
Read MoreCity of Mill Valley Launches “Lease to Locals” Pilot Program to Incentivize Workforce Housing and Long-Term Rentals
“Mill Valley is deeply committed to affirmatively furthering fair housing and to enabling our workforce the opportunity to live here,’ said Mill Valley Mayor Stephen Burke. “This includes our ongoing work with Front Porch and its Home Match program, as well as Bayview Terrace, our proposed 45 unit affordable housing project, and now this pilot effort with Placemate. We are also grateful for the partnership and support provided by the Community Housing Foundation of Mill Valley.” The Lease to Locals program is intended to unlock existing housing by providing homeowners a financial incentive to house the local workforce through a long-term rental. The program is launching as a pilot and will be evaluated after six months for longer-term funding opportunities. Placemate Inc., an organization with a proven track record in addressing workforce housing shortages in destination communities, will administer the “Lease to Locals” program.
Read MoreOn 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.”
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