Wondering why housing is on our minds? Here are 10 reasons why you need to vote YES on Measure T this November 2024, City of San Mateo voters.
We need to update our out-of-date building height and land use regulations in order to achieve our state mandated housing goals. San Mateo, CA has had the same rules for building height limits and density for the past 33 years. Nearly half of the city's population didn't exist in 1991 when Measure H (the ballot measure that set the current policy San Mateo) was first passed. The cost to build (land, materials, labor, etc.) has tripled in that time and under legacy constraints of Measure H, it is not possible for many new housing projects to successfully complete.
Most of San Mateo residents agree that we need to update our housing and land use regulations in order to have sustainable growth for future generations. 68% of respondents to the Study on Housing and Land Use to residents stated that they supported concentrating future housing in higher density buildings. By concentrating new homes, we can have more land for parks and open space. We can also have more more housing at varying entry points of cost to support maintaining socioeconomic diversity.
We are focusing on adding density and height where it makes sense to for neighborhoods and our local economy. We took feedback from the community over six years of working on the General Plan to focus on supporting downtown and building along El Camino and transit corridors. 75% of San Mateo remains unchanged, and 10% of the city will receive updates from Measure T (15% of the city is unbuildable - roads, parks, water, etc.).
The map of where Measure T focuses on was designed based on feedback from the community over six years. 49% wanted to create housing by redeveloping existing properties that have additional potential. 51% wanted to encourage mixed-use projects that have both commercial and residential uses. 46% wanted to increase the allowable density in areas that are close to transit. 33% wanted to allow taller developments if they included open space. This was the feedback from the Housing Element survey to San Mateo residents, and the final map drawn for Measure T took this direct feedback and that from a variety of community engagement meetings over the General Plan process.
The City of San Mateo retains a 15% affordable housing requirement for new ownership and rental developments as detailed in the City's Below Market Rate Program which was last updated February, 2020. It doesn't matter what Measure Y has in it (which is at least 10% affordable) because it is superseded by the higher requirement in the City's Below Market Rate Program.
There are NO NEW TAXES with Measure T. Measure T does not create new taxes for residents of San Mateo. In reality, both the city and our public school district will generate additional revenue through partial allocation of property taxes and existing bonds that voters have already voted on. With every new development project, fees will be assessed and the General Plan Fiscal Analysis found that the City's General Plan Fund would net an annual surplus of $15.8M in additional revenue, nearly 10% over the City's existing budget. As well, growing the local economy means that sales and business tax revenue increases.
Enabling a higher number of units per project in downtown and along transit corridors allows for the absolute number of affordable units to be higher overall. This is simple math, do not let others fool you.
You need to make over $200,000 a year in order to afford to rent an apartment in San Mateo. The average rent for a 3 bedroom apartment in San Mateo is $3,500. If you are spending 20% of your gross monthly income on rent, your annual salary needs to be $213,000 in order live here. However, median income for a family of four in San Mateo County is $186,000 and if you make under $154,000 that family qualifies for low-income housing. The primary driver of rental prices is supply and demand, and we need to increase the supply of rental units and homes.
By strategically focusing where we add homes in the city, we can also be smart about infrastructure investments down the line. Smart city planning means being thoughtful about communities and neighborhoods holistically so we can plan for investments with a big picture view and a clear vision of what we are working towards.
Passing Measure T is required by the state in order to retain our 2023 Housing Element certification, and we want to retain local control of how and where housing is built. If Measure T does not pass, the City will be required to within six months identify 1,700 locations for rezoning residential single family home locations across San Mateo. If this is not accepted by the state, the city will lose our Housing Element certification and we will no longer qualify for millions in state funding tied to transportation, infrastructure, and housing. As well, the City will have additional requirements for accelerating the approval of new housing developments and less control over where those developments will be placed.
You are not alone in feeling the pain of how expensive it is to live in San Mateo. The single driver of housing cost is supply and demand - we must strategically increase the inventory at all levels in order to maintain this healthy, diverse, and economically thriving community that we love.
Join Team Measure T! We need volunteers, and we need community members to add their name to the growing list of supporters. Last but not least, we need help funding the campaign. It costs a lot to reach 70,000 voters in San Mateo - please consider donating to our work.
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