Bay Area

Marin Adopts State Housing Statutes

Over the course of the next several months, the County is preparing changes in housing policies and regulations that will incorporate the state laws. Meanwhile, the laws are in effect and the County must implement them accordingly. The ordinances, presented by the Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA), are designed to streamline the project review process and add certainty for CDA planners, applicants, and neighbors as well.

Published

4 years ago

May 28, 2022

Oakland Post

The County of Marin is expanding access to more rental and ownership options for working families while retaining local ability to ensure that new housing development occurs in a way that meets the County’s needs.

Ordinances designed to retain control of developments in unincorporated areas

Courtesy of Marin County

By adopting three State Legislature statutes, the County of Marin is expanding access to more rental and ownership options for working families while retaining local ability to ensure that new housing development occurs in a way that meets the County’s needs.

The Marin County Board of Supervisors passed interim ordinances at its May 10 meeting to implement Senate Bills (SB) 35 and 9 following an earlier recommendation by the Marin County Planning Commission. The ordinances — one for SB 35 and two for SB 9 — bring the County in line with recent state legislation that will affect residential developments in unincorporated areas of Marin, adding measures that tailor the approval of housing for local safety, affordability, and habitat considerations.

The ordinances include standards for floor-area ratios, maximum heights, minimum setbacks, and protections for streams and wetlands. For instance, they require newly created lots to have access from a public street, restrict new development to areas outside stream and wetland buffers, and caps the maximum size of homes that could be built through the streamlined review processes. Documents with details are on the CDA website.

The lack of housing, especially affordable homes for lower-income families, is considered a crisis in Marin, where the median home price hovers near $1.5 million. Many people who work in Marin cannot afford to live close to their workplaces, resulting in long commutes, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and stand-still traffic. The Supervisors and CDA have encouraged development of new affordable homes near existing neighborhoods, schools, business, and transportation options. The state bills, and the Board’s action that sets clear guidelines for the County’s implementation, can help ease the addition of a variety of types of housing to serve Marin’s needs.

“It’s important for the County to adopt these interim ordinances toward applying local discretion when and where we can,” said Board President Katie Rice, the District 2 Supervisor. “As we adapt our land-use regulations to comply with state law, we want to do it in a responsible manner and retain as much decision-making leverage on the local level as possible. During this interim period while we prepare the Housing Element, we’ve equipped ourselves to look out for top priorities like safety in Marin’s communities.”

SB 9, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2022, is widely viewed as a law to allow duplexes on lots within zoning districts for single-family homes, but it also pertains to single-family homes. Generally, the law encourages housing development by removing a local jurisdiction’s authority to require discretionary review for qualifying one- and two-unit projects and prohibits use of units created under its provisions as short-term rentals.

SB 35, effective as of January 2018, is intended to streamline the review of larger developments, such as apartment buildings that would provide a substantial amount of affordable housing. Developers benefit from SB 35 because no discretionary review is allowable as long as they meet the mandates of the law. Counties are allowed to establish ministerial requirements on design specifications for such multifamily projects, and the Planning Commission will consider whether the proposals meet standards for floor area ratios, maximum heights, minimum setbacks, and protections for streams and wetlands.

Both state laws are only applicable in urban and suburban areas and are unrelated to the planning process in rural and coastal zones.

Permanent amendments to the Development Code (Marin County Code Title 22) will be proposed alongside the Housing and Safety Element updates to the Countywide Plan and presented for consideration to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors toward the end of 2022.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

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2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

1 week ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.