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The San Ramon City Council and Planning Commission are set for a discussion on the city’s housing site inventory in a joint meeting Tuesday evening, prior to the council continuing to seek public input on the redistricting process in the fourth public hearing on the matter.
Following discussions at the Planning Commission level, commissioners are set to provide information to the council on the latest efforts to update the Housing Element component of the city’s General Plan ahead of the anticipated schedule, following the passage of an Assembly bill that requires the city to complete this work by summer, rather than early next year as previously planned.
Another task at hand for city officials is working to identify sites for very low, low, moderate and above moderate units, under the Regional Housing Needs Allocation established by the state. San Ramon’s allocation is 1,497 very low income units, 862 low income units, 767 moderate income units and 1,985 above moderate income units, which city officials are required to accommodate development for between 2023 and 2031.
The first step in the site inventory analysis process is seeking to identify what sites from the city’s previous Housing Element cycle can be carried over to the upcoming sixth cycle. Any sites that have been identified as suitable for development but not yet developed by June 30 can be carried over to the next cycle. City officials and staff are also tasked with identifying which works are currently in the “pipeline”, and which could potentially have building permits issued after June 30, which could be counted towards the city’s RHNA in the sixth cycle.
With anticipated pipeline projects included, San Ramon’s remaining RHNA breaks down to 902 very low income units, 435 low income units, and 51 moderate income units that would still need to be accommodated, and a surplus of 261 above moderate income units. The city has currently identified 26 new Housing Opportunity Sites to accommodate the remaining allocated units.
Staff are recommending that commissioners and councilmembers consider any refinements that might be necessary for including or excluding housing opportunity sites, and are seeking input on whether sites at 2551 San Ramon Valley Blvd., and 2710 and 2730 Crow Canyon Road should be removed from consideration from housing opportunity sites for the upcoming sixth cycle. They will then incorporate feedback and input from Tuesday’s meeting to prepare a draft Housing Element, set to be released for public review this spring.
The San Ramon Planning Commission and City Council joint meeting is set for 5 p.m. Tuesday (March 22). The agenda is available here.
The subsequent regular City Council meeting Tuesday evening will serve as the fourth and final required public hearing in the city’s redistricting process, ahead of an upcoming deadline next month.
As a charter city, San Ramon officials could have chosen to develop local ordinances to govern the redistricting process, but have elected not to, making the city bound by the regulations of the Fair Maps Act passed in 2019, which requires a series of public hearings “with substantial public input,” outreach aimed at maximizing community participation, and the posting of public information on the city’s webpage.
The fourth public hearing Tuesday marks the final discussion required by the Fair Maps Act, with the city due to complete the redistricting process by April 17.
Adjustments to district boundaries are required given the changes in San Ramon’s populations reflected in 2020 census data, which see districts 1 and 2 reducing by 3.2% and 1% respectively, with the population of District 3 increasing by 14.1% and District 4 decreasing by 9.9%.
With a total population of 86,405 voting age residents as of the last census count, new district boundaries should be adjusted to make the populations in each district as close to equal as possible, with the ideal number being 21,601 voters per district. However, new maps are also supposed to take into account other factors, such as communities of interest who share similar needs and desires from their representatives, as well as other existing boundaries such as mountains and highways.
There are currently nine draft maps on the table for consideration by the Council, prepared by demographers from Wagaman Strategies, based on these guidelines and input from councilmembers and the public, and three more draft maps submitted by the public.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, staff are planning to prepare a resolution for the council to consider at their April 12 meeting, which will formally identify the council’s final choice for a new map, with new districts set to be established in time for the November election.
The San Ramon City Council’s regular meeting is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday (March 22). The agenda is available here.
In other business
* The council will continue discussions on renewing the San Ramon Valley Tourism Improvement District and consider a resolution.
* Councilmembers will hear presentations on the Library Committee’s Annual Report and the General Plan Annual Report.
* The council will consider a resolution that authorize an exception for the normal 180-day wait period for hiring a CalPERS annuitant and the temporary appointment of San Ramon Police Chief Craig Stevens to the title.
* The council will consider a resolution establishing fees and charges for municipal services for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
