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MEDIA STATEMENT
For Immediate Release
June 20, 2025
The City of San Mateo (City) and the non-profit Housing Action Coalition (HAC) are pleased to jointly announce that a settlement has been reached regarding HAC’s lawsuit over the City’s Housing Element.
The Housing Element is part of the City’s General Plan and must be certified as substantially compliant with state housing law by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Among other things, the Housing Element evaluates whether the City’s zoning laws allow sufficient housing to be built to meet San Mateo’s share of the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), which is 7,015 units for the 2023-2031 planning period.
In May 2024 the City adopted a Housing Element that was later certified by HCD. HAC filed suit alleging that the City’s Housing Element did not satisfy state law and that certain sites listed as accommodating the need for housing were not realistic based on evidence of existing and active uses that were not likely to discontinue so that housing could be built.
In November 2024 San Mateo voters approved Measure T, which provided for focused growth near transit, the downtown, and other targeted areas, thereby increasing potential development capacity by approximately 20,000 units. HAC supported the measure. The ballot measure superseded prior voter initiatives that had imposed greater development restrictions for decades. Since its passage, the City has experienced a significant uptick in development applications.
The passage of Measure T has enabled the City and HAC to reach agreement on a path forward. Nine sites that HAC claimed were unrealistic will be considered for removal from the Housing Element, subject to City Council approval, while other sites will be added to make them available for housing, subject to HCD approval, in a manner that both parties agree is realistic and complies with state housing law. The parties also agreed on how San Mateo can calculate, as sites on the inventory redevelop, whether the remaining sites available remain sufficient to meet San Mateo’s share of the regional need for housing, taking the increased capacity of Measure T into account.
In addition, the City has agreed to contribute $250,000 to its Housing Set Aside Fund, in lieu of attorneys’ fees. This contribution will directly facilitate affordable housing developments. The City has also committed to immediate implementation of certain Housing Element policies originally scheduled for 2024.
Mayor Rob Newsom said, “Resolving this case will allow the City to focus more of its resources on processing the influx of housing development applications submitted since the approval of Measure T by the voters. The City of San Mateo should be seen as a model for how government, housing advocacy groups, and the community can come together in the spirit of compromise to help facilitate housing where it is most needed.”
Corey Smith, Executive Director of Housing Action Coalition, agreed: “This resolution is a win for everyone. It will help ensure that both the current and future San Mateo residents have more options for places to live.”
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