Is Novato being asked to accept more than its fair share of housing in Marin?
The objectives of the allocation process influence how housing units are distributed. Jurisdictions with larger existing residential and employment numbers get larger allocations for new housing, as do communities with available transit. It is expected that new development in those areas will produce less green house gas emissions. Novato has a larger population and employment base than most communities in Marin. The city also has good bus access and will have two SMART stations. Since most of the communities in Marin are much smaller than Novato, the number of units they are expected to accommodate is much smaller. San Rafael which has a larger population than Novato is required to allow more units that Novato. The County of Marin is rural in many areas with poor access to transit so their allocation is smaller than Novato’s.
