Principles for Increasing Housing in Piedmont
Given the City Council’s support for adding 587 new housing units in Piedmont, the Council formed a committee to make recommendations on new housing units in Piedmont.
On June 15, 2021, after reviewing the draft Guiding Principles and considering the public comments received, the Housing Advisory Committee voted unanimously to recommend the following Guiding Principles for adoption by the City Council:
1. Support equitable distribution of affordable units across the City. A diversity of housing choices, including new affordable multi-family housing, new mixed-income multifamily housing, new residential mixed-use development, converted units, ADUs, and Junior ADUs, should be considered throughout the City’s neighborhoods, corridors, and zoning districts.
2. Promote and enhance community design and neighborhoods. Infill development should be compatible with the neighborhood context. Development and design standards should ensure that new construction enhances the area in terms of building scale, placement, and design; and is sensitive to impacts on the neighborhood, including impacts related to sunlight access, privacy, and roadway access. Each building must exhibit high-quality design and play a role in creating a better whole.
3. Remove barriers to development and access to housing through clear and objective standards. Development standards and procedures should guide development that is equitable and feasible and that lead applicants through procedures that are transparent and predictable.
4. Facilitate the development of new housing units through strategic partnerships between the City and the broader community. Partnerships to facilitate development include striving to reach community consensus for desired designs; and achieving community support for new incentives, standards, and tools to meet housing goals.
5. Social equity. Work with the Community to proactively facilitate greater social equity by considering City incentives and programs that will enable new homes and apartments for a range of income levels, creating opportunities for all persons regardless of race, religion, ethnic background, or financial ability.
The goal of the guiding principles is to guide the development of ADU programs and development of objective design standards for multi-family apartment buildings, as directed by the current 2015 Housing Element, recognizing that state regulations and social conditions today are different than those in effect in 2015. The Guiding Principles are not intended to be a broad mission statement guiding the far-reaching policy discussions that must occur as part of the next Housing Element Update.
READ THE STAFF REPORT for Council action on June 21, 2021.
2021-06-21 2015-2023 Housing Element Guiding Principles
June 21 – AGENDA DETAILS: SCHEDULE AND PARTICIPATION
