Belvedere rejects most critiques in grand jury’s housing review

Belvedere officials are pushing back against a Marin civil grand jury report that criticizes local jurisdictions for failing to meet state housing goals, with Mayor Jane Cooper calling it a “one-size-fits-all” approach that ignores the city’s unique circumstances.

In a 4-0 vote Sept. 8, the City Council approved a formal response that disputed six of nine findings in the grand jury’s June report titled “The Worrisome Future of Marin Housing.” The legally required response will be signed by Cooper and returned to the grand jury.

“One of the most problematic issues with (the California Department of Housing and Community Development) that we face in Marin is their one-size-fits-all laws for everyone, no matter the size of the community or amount of land,” Cooper said at the meeting. “And now the grand jury is doing the same thing without regard for the individual differences, with statements such as ‘all Marin cities and towns should.’”

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