A state agency has pulled the city of Brisbane’s housing certification for failure to complete a rezoning plan before its May deadline.
A press release from the Peninsula city published Wednesday acknowledged its rescinded state-mandated Housing Element and established a clear timeline to regain the city’s certification.
The state requires every city and county to plan for a certain amount of new housing every eight years by submitting a Housing Element plan. The California Department of Housing and Community Development reviews and approves the plans.
On May 18, 2023, the city of Brisbane adopted its 2023-2031 Housing Element and received state approval the following week, the city’s release said. Due to limited zoning capacity in Brisbane, the city chose to develop a large land area called the Baylands to accommodate housing needs.
According to the city, state law provides three years for the city to implement necessary rezoning. Although the city of Brisbane worked to reach its deadline on May 18 of this year, they did not meet it, leading the state to pull Brisbane’s Housing Element certification until the Baylands rezoning is completed.
Now, the city is ineligible for some state grants and subject to the Builder’s Remedy, meaning developers can propose housing projects that don’t follow local zoning rules, and the city has limited ability to turn them down.
According to the city’s press release, Brisbane spent the three-year period working on a variety of processes, including environmental and public review of the Baylands plan, to ensure it met state requirements. The release said the Baylands also required approval of a landfill closure, establishment of a water service provider and coordination with the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which put it behind schedule.
Looking forward, Brisbane said it is working to regain its certification by adopting the Baylands plan. In the past two weeks, the Planning Commission held two public hearings for the Baylands, with one more scheduled on July 23. A hearing at the City Council is planned for Sept. 3, with additional hearings to be scheduled as needed throughout the fall.
The city’s press release said this schedule presents “a realistic and achievable timeline” to adopt the Baylands plan, finish the environmental impact report and implement the required zoning amendments. With these tasks complete, the city of Brisbane anticipates a recertification of its Housing Element plan.
