Planning Board Schedules Hearing on Second Units

Piedmont's Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Monday, Jan. 9, to discuss potential changes to the city's Second Unit Code, City Planner Kate Black said Tuesday.

The meeting will start at 5 p.m. and the second unit issue will be the first hearing on the commission's agenda, she said. No final action will occur at this meeting, and future hearings will be held.

Code modifications to promote second units at different income levels are being considered as a means of implementing actions set forth in the recently state-certified Housing Element of Piedmont's General Plan.

The state requires cities to provide housing at various income levels and to accommodate their "fair share" of regional housing growth.

"We have two huge problems," Black told Piedmont Patch recently in a phone interview.

"We're built out, with very little land," she said. In addition, she said, Piedmont's economics make it difficult to accommodate low to moderate-income housing.

Encouraging the use of second units is one of the few options Piedmont has for meeting the state regulations. That doesn't necessarily mean major construction -- some Piedmont homes have pool houses, one-time servants' quarters and other extra spaces that could be used as second units, Black said.

"Our biggest problem is how to incentivize second units at different income levels," she said.

Perhaps surprisingly, Piedmont has already met its allocation for "very low income" housing units, defined as those for families at 30 to 50 percent of the median income for Alameda County. The city especially needs more units at the "moderate" income level (80 to 100 percent of the median) to meet state guidelines, Black said.

A city staff report being prepared for the Jan. 9 hearing will outline some options for modifying the code and encouraging homeowners to make second units available to tenants. The report is expected to be available to the public by Jan. 6.

Black encourages Piedmont residents interested in the question of second units to email her at kblack@ci.piedmont.ca.us with comments or to be added to her email list for updates about the Housing Element. You may also call her at 510-420-3050.

You may view video of past planning commission hearings on the Housing Element (Nov. 14 and Dec. 12, 2011) the city's website at www.ci.piedmont.ca.us. On the right hand side of the homepage under the "City Council" heading, click on the "Online Video" link, then scroll down under the "Sections on this Page" heading, click on the "Planning Commission" link and choose the date you wish to watch.