Development & Affordable Housing

By Shawn E Marshall

A brief overview of Shawn's views on the issues of new development and affordable/workforce housing

There are pros and cons to each proposal, but there are a few issues that I feel are universal. In my view, these "common issues" are:

1) Great design and appropriate density are essential: There is no substitute for great design that is appropriate to a project's location/neighborhood. I also think that green design/building is important. It is incumbent upon the developer, the architect, and the City to ensure that the design and the density make sense, no matter how long it takes to get it right. I support higher density in our commercial areas (e.g. Miller Avenue) and lower density in our residential areas (e.g. La Goma). I want to reiterate that there should be no substitute for good design and quality construction...it doesn't matter where the project is.

2) Parking and traffic must be part of the equation: Parking and traffic issues must be adequately addressed before any project is approved. Fortunately, both are components of the planning and environmental review process. Parking spaces are often one of the city's bargaining chips when it comes to encouraging a greater number of affordable units. This is not necessarily a bad thing if the project and surrounding area can absorb the anticipated parking needs. At the very least, I think that all developments should have one parking space per bedroom to mitigate the need for off-street parking; more spaces if retail is involved. I am not opposed to creative parking solutions and I think the City needs to look at this issue wholistically to come up with those solutions. Parking cannot be dealt with in a piece-meal fashion.

I feel the same way about traffic. It is getting worse for many reasons (including our own driving habits). Any new development must consider traffic flow, and I am especially concerned about any further impact on East Blithedale at Camino Alto. The good news (it can't be all bad!) is that housing is actually better for traffic than retail. Retail involves in/out traffic all day long (think Whole Foods). Housing-related traffic is usually contained to the morning and evening. Not perfect, I know, but traffic and parking are both "whole city" issues that should receive priority status by the City Council.

3) Mill Valley needs affordable, workforce housing and I support it, but not at the expense of priority open space or maintaining our small-town character. Having said that, I don't believe these things are mutually exclusive -- they can all "live together" if done carefully and thoughtfully. I would like to see Mill Valley come up with a shared vision that incorporates development/open space/town character, and perhaps ancillary issues like traffic and parking. Let's be clear about (and let's communicate!) how these elements can exist together for the greatest benefit of our community.

Affordable/workforce housing can be created in a variety of ways, not just new development. One idea I'd like to see implemented is a Housing Trust Fund which will give the City some flexibility and money to do a variety of things. Some possibilities include: 1) establish a matching fund for second-unit rehabilitation in which those units become (or remain) affordable for a certain period of time, 2) create a down-payment assistance program for police, fire, and other city workers; homeownership is important if we are to retain our service and medical workers, 3) generate city funding to help pay for affordable units, rather than have to trade away important things like parking spaces and density. I am not proposing that a HTF be funded by parcel taxes, but rather in-lieu fees from developers and other sources of housing-related funding.

As I said, I support affordable/workforce housing and I believe that all communities must meet their state housing mandates. Mill Valley is on target thus far. I also think that it's the right thing to do. But creative and effective solutions don't need to hinge on new development. Indeed, the best solution likely involves a mix of approaches.

If you would like more information on my views on this or other topics, please send me an e-mail: smarshall05@sbcglobal.net. Thank you.