Dec 18, 2020 at 12:00am
THANK YOU for attending San Carlos’ November 30th Virtual Workshop that discussed the Focused General Plan Update. We were very pleased with the turnout and participation. Click to view the materials from the workshop.
The Community Development Department was very pleased with the turnout and participation of the Focused General Plan Update’s first virtual workshop held on November 30th. Out of the 126 Eventbrite registrations, 65 community members attended the actual workshop to discuss amendments to the Housing and Environmental Safety Elements. Mayor Ron Collins kicked off the workshop with a warm welcome to all the participants followed by brief presentations by City staff and the MIG consultant team. The workshop concluded with direct input from the participants via interactive Zoom tools such as real-time polls, real-time comments through the chat box, and a white board function, known as MURAL, that captured, organized, and displayed real-time feedback on the webinar.
In addition, from October through November, community members were invited to complete the first online survey, which served as an additional means to gain perspectives from the public. A total of 76 participants responded to the survey, which focused on questions related to housing and environmental safety along with participant demographics.
See below for a list of materials from workshop #1:
Those of us living in the Bay Area are well aware of the cost of housing. In San Carlos, the median cost for a detached single family home is $2,025,000, and with the standard 20% down payment, the annual income required to afford this median priced home would be $471,636. The average rent for a one-bedroom is $3,730 and $4,635 for a two-bedroom apartment.
As the cost of housing has risen throughout the Bay Area, increasing numbers of people are finding it difficult to pay rent or make monthly mortgage payments. San Carlos is not immune to the crisis and has experienced an unprecedented surge in the growth of home prices and rental rates.
San Carlos is committed to addressing the housing needs of everyone in our community to ensure that the City is more inclusive for people of all incomes, and having more housing choices that suit all stages of life.
To address the underpinnings of these housing challenges, the City is embarking on updating the Housing Element, which is a policy document that will guide housing decisions for the next 8 years. Specifically, San Carlos will need to address how to accommodate an estimated 2,390 new housing units from 2023-2031. Along the same timeline, this project will also be reviewing and updating the City’s Environmental Safety Element, which focuses on reducing the potential short and long-term risks resulting from fires, floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, climate change, and other hazards.
We see this not as a burden, but an opportunity to address longstanding community concerns about the affordability and availability of housing. The City is inviting all community members to come together virtually and have a meaningful exchange, share ideas, and express concerns. The decisions we make over the coming months through surveys, public meetings, and workshops will shape our community for years to come. This is was the first community workshop in this multi-year effort ending in 2022. Let’s work together to ensure San Carlos’ updated Housing and Environmental Safety Elements address everyone’s need for a safe environment, and a place to call home.