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1. Why update the Housing Element?

California State law requires that local jurisdictions update the Housing Element every eight years. These frequent updates are required because housing is critical to ensure economic prosperity and quality of life in our region. This Housing Element update is an opportunity to evaluate the previous element and determine which parts have been effective and which should be improved. It also provides an opportunity for residents to get involved and help determine housing priorities, thereby helping to ensure that the City is responding to residents' changing needs.

The updated Housing Element must be adopted by the Millbrae City Council and submitted to the State Department of Housing and Community Development no later than January 31, 2023. If this deadline is missed, Millbrae could lose eligibility for significant sources of funding currently provided by the State and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), including critical infrastructure and transportation funds.

2. How is the Housing Element implemented?

The Housing Element sets goals, objectives, policies, and programs that direct decision-making around housing. When a new housing program, project, or idea is considered, the Housing Element provides guidance for decision makers to evaluate the proposal.

3. How much housing is needed?

Every eight years, each region in California receives a target number of homes to plan for from the State. This is called the Regional Housing Needs Allocation or RHNA. Millbrae is located in the region administered by ABAG. ABAG takes the number of housing units it receives from the State and divides it among the jurisdictions in its nine-county area, including Millbrae.

To comply with State law, the City's Housing Element must be updated to ensure the City's policies and programs can accommodate its share of the estimated housing growth identified by the State. For the current Housing Element update, the City's share of the RHNA is 2,199 units, split among different income levels (based on Area Median Income, or AMI) as shown in the table below. For more information about RHNA, please visit the ABAG website.

City of Millbrae Regional Housing Needs Assessment 2023 to 2031Assigned by ABAG

Income Group	Millbrae Units	San Mateo County Units	Bay Area Units	Millbrae %	San Mateo County %	Bay Area %
Very Low Income (Greater than 50% of AMI[1])	575	12,196	114,442	26.1%	25.6%	25.9%
Low Income (50% to 80% of AMI)	331	7,023	65,892	15.1%	14.7%	14.9%
Moderate Income (80% to 120% of AMI)	361	7,937	72,712	16.4%	16.6%	16.5%
Above Moderate Income (Less than 120% of AMI)	932	20,531	188,130	42.4%	43.1%	42.6%
Total	2,199	47,687	441,176	100%	100%	100%

4. Is the City required to build housing?

State law does not require jurisdictions to build or finance new housing, but they must plan for it. Through the Housing Element update process, the City must show that it has land use regulations and policies to accommodate its housing needs. The actual development of housing is primarily done by the private market.

The Housing Element is required to demonstrate potential sites where housing can be accommodated. Identification of a site's capacity does not guarantee that construction will occur on that site. If there are insufficient sites and capacity to meet the RHNA allocation, then the Housing Element is required to identify a rezoning program to create the required capacity. The City initiated work on identifying these potential sites for rezoning in the Downtown and El Camino Real Specific Plan.

It is important to note that if the City does not identify capacity for its RHNA targets, the City may be deemed out of compliance and risk losing important sources of funding currently provided by the State. It may also lose the right to deny certain projects and be limited in its local land use decision-making authority.

5. What is the schedule to complete the Update?

The updated Housing Element must be adopted by the Millbrae City Council and submitted to the State for certification no later than January 31, 2023. The City held Community Meetings to discuss the Housing Element on March 30, 2021, and May 6, 2021. These introductory meetings provided an overview of the Housing Element update process and time to talk to City of Millbrae staff to provide input about the local housing needs and related topics. Additionally, 21 Elements - a collaboration of all 21 San Mateo County jurisdictions - held a 4-part webinar series to help educate residents on regional and local housing issues. The City advertised this webinar series in its website and social media.

6. Who to contact?

Nestor Guevara, Associate Planner - Community Development

• Call 650-259-2335
• Email