Ross adopts more changes to housing element

Ross officials have made another round of edits to the housing element, according to the town’s consultant.

In January, the town received a letter from the California Department of Housing and Community Development requesting more analysis on potential housing development sites and emergency shelters. The department also asked the town to create more housing options for low-income residents.

The Town Council unanimously adopted the changes at its meeting on May 6.

The changes constituted the second round of amendments the town has had to make to comply with the state housing mandate. The council adopted the housing element in May 2023, and in December, the town adopted amendments because of state revisions.

Andrew Hill, a consultant working on the project, said the state housing department indicated that if the housing element is adopted to incorporate its revisions, it will be in compliance.

“Really, at this point, we’re down to just a handful of revisions, which are really clarifications and amplifications of the content of the element,” Hill said. 

Under the state’s housing mandate, Ross had to plan for 111 new dwellings in the 2023-2031 planning cycle. The town must accommodate 34 low-income households, 20 low-income households, 16 moderate-income households, and 41 above-moderate-income households.

With limited space for new development, the town is relying on new accessory dwelling units to meet the mandate. Ross is not required to build the housing, but it needs to create policies and zoning maps to reach its Regional Housing Needs Allocation quota.

Specifically, the state asked for a deeper analysis on the town’s housing projections under SB 9, a law that allows the subdivision of a single parcel. Based on an analysis that looked at property size, parcel dimensions, access and zoning, the adopted amendment permits structures of up to 30 feet high, which is in line with single-family residential zoning.

Hill said there are more than 400 parcels in Ross potentially available for SB 9 housing. Thirty properties were identified in the housing element.

Ross is considered a racially concentrated area of affluence by the state. One key edit the state housing department made is to include actions that will increase housing mobility — opportunities for disadvantaged and low-income residents to live in Ross — in its housing element.

To create more housing mobility, amendments to the housing element include adopting an affordable housing fee for new market-rate residential construction and big remodels. The revenues would be put into an affordable housing fund and used to offset development fees and other incentives for affordable housing projects.

Additionally, the town amended its SB 9 ordinance to allow up to six dwellings on a single-family parcel, but only if the property owner makes two affordable in a long-term agreement.

Other changes include language specifying that the town will adopt objective development standards for workforce housing at the Branson School. The town adopted the standards in January but needs to “sync” the housing element, Hill said.

The state also asked Ross to quantify the square feet available within the civic district to accommodate an emergency shelter. Hill said this is a “theoretical addition” because the town has no unmet need for emergency shelter.

“A wonderful, wonderful result,” Mayor Bill Kircher said. “Not a wonderful process. It was difficult. Very glad we have reached this milestone.”