Hillside Meadows is an extended family multigenerational home property planned for the City of Pacifica, CA. The development will make it possible for families, friends, and neighbors in Pacifica to remain in their community as they grow older and will provide affordable housing opportunities for Pacifica residents and workers. The project includes sixteen single-family townhomes that incorporate a ground floor accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and four duplex townhomes that will be sold at below market rate (BMR) prices to local families. Hillside Meadows is a model for aligning the interests of family and the community to create a safe environment for senior and family households. The project is designed for Pacifica residents who want to remain in their community and pursue lifestyles of health and sustainability, while continuing to enjoy Pacifica’s wealth of hiking and biking trails, beaches, and other open space and coastal recreation opportunities.

16 single-family townhomes with Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), providing multigenerational housing that will:

• Enable families with different generations to live together

• Allow parents to age in place with a family provided support system

• Provide children the opportunity to learn from and value their elders

Four (4) below market rate (BMR) for-sale duplex townhomes that will:

• Be sold at affordable prices to lower to moderate income families who live and/or work in Pacifica

• Look identical from the outside to the single-family townhomes

The proposed townhomes are designed to complement the woodsy setting and are clustered together to maximize the preservation of open space, and the development will provide about three acres of recreational open space.

The proposed development will provide well-designed, contemporary housing:

• Built to green building performance standards

• Reduce traffic and commuting by providing housing opportunities for local residents and workers

Pacifica, like many communities in California, has a steadily rising aging population. See below, “Demographic Trends.” Most of Pacifica’s existing homes are not prepared to accommodate aging residents’ needs.[1]The townhomes and ADUs proposed for Hillside Meadows are designed to give more Pacifica residents the option to stay in the community they love in their older years, near their friends and neighbors, close to their church or synagogue, and near the local restaurants, shops, and services to which they are accustomed and enjoy.

Source: Plan Pacifica Neighborhood Meetings Combined Slide Presentation, July 19, 2019

Pacifica residents are seeing their community fracture as they get older because many younger family members can no longer afford to live here.[2]The price of housing has soared to a level where many cannot afford to buy and rental rates have gone through the roof making renting almost impossible.[3] The result is that many of their children and grandchildren cannot afford to live in the community in which they grew up and are forced to move elsewhere, away from family and friends. Aging parents find themselves living in their community without the care and support of their children. They may unfortunately be uprooted and forced out of the community they love in their later years and into retirement communities, assisted living and nursing homes, occupied solely by elderly persons, often located far from the place where they have developed life-long friendships and connections.[4] In short, at the precise time when they would benefit most from having the beloved support of family, friends, and neighbors near to them, it is quite common for elderly people to find themselves with limited housing options nearby and forced to move elsewhere, where they will need to build connections from scratch and often may need to find new medical and other service providers.

Hillside Meadows is based upon the concept of multigenerational living. It is an idea from the past that has become a necessity for today. Our aging baby boom population needs alternatives to retirement communities and nursing homes, in which to age in place with family close by.

And young adults who want independence from their aging parents but are not ready or able to strike out on their own, need a place that allows them to benefit from family support. In addition, many local families would like the opportunity to purchase a home at affordable sales prices and become first time homebuyers. The homes at Hillside Meadows will meet these needs with contemporary design and quality construction.

[1] In the typical single-family home (1) entry ways, hallways, and interior doors are not wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs and walkers; (2) kitchen counter tops are too high and storage spaces are difficult to access; (3) bathrooms are too narrow for wheelchairs and walkers; and (4) bathroom sinks are too high and difficult to reach, faucet handles are difficult to turn, toilets are too high and lack grab bars, and tubs and showers are difficult to enter without assistance. Retrofitting an existing home to overcome these design challenges is difficult and expensive.

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[2] The facts expressed herein were provided by Pacifica residents at a series of neighborhood meetings organized by the City of Pacifica Planning Department where citizens were invited to share their concerns about the future of the City and their neighborhood.

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[3] According to the Pacifica Planning Department, 44% of renters and 37% of homeowners in Pacifica pay more than 30% of their income on housing. The cost of housing is a heavy burden for many Pacifica residents.

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[4] A recent survey found there are no assisted living and only two nursing home facilities in Pacifica.

Hillside Meadows offers solutions to meet a broad range of housing needs. The anticipated buyer of the townhome and ADU units is likely a homeowner who has lived in Pacifica for decades and has significant equity built up in homeownership. This buyer can sell their current home and reinvest their equity in a new home at Hillside Meadows that is better suited to their personal and family needs.[5] The buyers of the BMR duplex townhome units will be families of lower to moderate income who live and/or work in Pacifica and are seeking local, affordable homeownership opportunities.

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The expected home buyer of the townhome and ADU units will be a multigenerational family, either a younger couple with children and grandparents, or an older couple with adult children.

• For the younger couple, the ADU creates a private living space for the grandparents.

• For the older couple, the ADU provides a living space for adult children who have returned to the nest (or have not yet launched, but need some independence), or for an in-home care giver (home healthcare worker).

• For the aging buyer without an extended family need, either the ADU or the main unit may serve as a rental unit, thus providing additional income support as they grow older.

[5] This is important because this generation wants to leave something behind for their children and grandchildren. Once they are faced with a change in physical condition, they often have to sell their property and exhaust their assets in order to qualify for government assistance for a nursing home or assisted living. If they were to do this in conjunction with their children they could sell their house, purchase the unit and give their children a gift while they are alive.

Hillside Meadows will feature a contemporary design with quality-built, mid-level priced, two- and three-story townhouses with ADUs. These homes will be approximately 2,000 sf, comprising the main residence, with a 500 sf ADU. The main house will have either four bedrooms and three baths or three bedrooms and 2-1/2 baths. The ADU will have a living room with kitchen, bedroom, and bath. The ADU will have a separate exterior entrance and will connect to the main house with a secure interior entry that will provide complete independence and privacy.

The duplex townhome BMR units will have either three or four bedrooms with 2-1/2 baths and will be about 1,600 to 1,800 square feet in size. Each duplex townhome will have a separate exterior entrance, a secure interior entry and garage, and will look identical from the exterior as the townhomes with ADUs.

The project will be developed on a 7.66-acre parcel. The housing will be built to green building performance standards across the categories of Site, Water, Energy, Materials, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Each house will have solar panels and every garage will have an electric vehicle charging outlet. The homes also will be designed to meet the US Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) standard and be microgrid ready, with all-electric systems and appliances, a highly efficient enclosure, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, Energy Star “Most Efficient” appliances, drought tolerant landscaping, state of the art communications technology, and water/energy monitoring.

The homes will be constructed as zero lot line townhouses clustered on the north end of the site to fit into the natural setting, retain open space to the maximum practical extent and enhance both affordability and resource efficiency. The site plan will integrate selected existing mature trees to maintain a woodsy feel. The southern portion of the site will be dedicated as undisturbed open space and watershed, and the development will include approximately three acres of recreational open space. Bio-swales and flow through planters will be used for storm water management and on-site water conservation. Site preparation will be balanced to minimize grading and soil off-haul.

Each building will be situated to preserve views of Pedro Point, Shamrock Ranch, and the meadows below, so all residents may enjoy the scenic vista of natural landscapes and horses grazing in the pasture. The existing eucalyptus grove will be culled to enable more sunlight to reach the homes and solar panels, while also reducing wildfire risk by removing the fuel burden on the site. The site will also be improved with a fenced playground for small children, and guest parking. Access to the property will be from Higgins Way and Peralta Road. There will also be a dedicated Class II bicycle lane created on the road connecting Higgins Way to Peralta Road in accordance with the Pacifica Bicycle Plan. The main road into the property will be a cul-de-sac constructed to City of Pacifica engineering standards with sidewalks for pedestrians and on-street parking.

The ADUs will be designed to maximize access and comfort for people with disabilities who rely on walkers or wheelchairs for mobility and will be suitable for elderly occupants. The model homes will be created with complete furnishings to demonstrate the quality of life available in a home designed purposely for a multi-age community, including mobility-impaired individuals.

The multigenerational neighborhood created in Hillside Meadows will make the Pacifica community stronger, make life better for existing Pacifica residents, and increase the chances that people who have spent their entire lives in Pacifica will be able to finish their lives here as well. Multigenerational housing in a community like Pacifica is useful for maintaining independence of its older residents, maximizing their ability to remain active members of their community, reducing the need for support services, and lowering the strain on their adult children. It is also useful to younger families, enabling them to enjoy the benefit of parents and grandparents who can help them raise their children, while making it possible to provide the support and care for elderly family members more conveniently and economically.

Older residents of Hillside Meadows will maintain their independence, both physically and financially. By having a separate residence within the home, with its own entrance, specially designed to meet the needs of the elderly for complete self-sufficiency, older residents will be physically independent from while remaining closely connected to their family. Financial independence will come from having a single-family townhome and ADU on one property. Family members or renters will contribute to the cost and maintenance of the property by either sharing costs or paying rent.

Older residents will continue to be active members of their community by remaining in the community where their family, friends, and connections live. This combats the impact that loneliness has on the elderly. Once someone becomes a prisoner in their home, loneliness quickly leads to despair and manifests itself as physical illness. Having a multigenerational environment eliminates this component and enriches their lives by allowing these individuals to still play an active role in their family. Even someone that is slightly debilitated can still perform basic tasks that contribute to the household, such as folding laundry, helping with meal prep, or baking. The need for support services is also reduced because older residents will have either family or a care giver on the premises to provide whatever assistance they may require on a private as-needed basis at the level desired.

Multigenerational housing lowers the strain on the adult children of older parents. Working, middle-aged adults are often referred to as the “sandwich generation” because they are frequently called upon to provide care for two different generations, as well as themselves, at the same time.

The sandwich generation often has to juggle the following roles:

• Working eight hours per day, five days per week to pay the bills associated with their family.

• Providing care for their children, including:

✓ Getting kids dressed and ready for school each morning, then transporting the kids to school, followed by driving to work.

✓ Picking the kids up from school after work and driving home.

✓ Assisting kids with homework, school projects, etc.

✓ Driving kids to sports, music lessons, social activities, etc.

✓ On days off, packing young kids in the car to run errands, like grocery shopping.

• Providing care to elderly family members living in a separate household, which can include:

✓ Driving to the separate home to help parents with bathing, shopping, cooking, doctor’s appointments, social engagements, etc.

✓ Performing home maintenance and yard work for two separate homes, both their home and the parents’ home.

Multigenerational housing can significantly alleviate stress on families. Some examples include the following:

• Individuals of the sandwich generation would care for the household maintenance of only one home, the cost of which can be shared with the older parents, and not another home often located in a different part of town.

• The grandparents can assist with watching grandchildren while the sandwich generation parents grocery shop, run errands, meet the individual needs of a particular child, etc. thereby eliminating the need for a baby sitter or packing up the kids to bring them along.

• The grandparents can act as tutors to assist children with their homework and projects, thus freeing up the parents for other duties.

• The children can help the grandparents, if needed, with tasks that are too demanding for them to do alone, such as reaching for things in cupboards, carrying items into or out of the home, lifting and moving heavy objects,etc.

• The grandparents may even be able to babysit pre-school children while the sandwich generation parents are at work, eliminating the time needed to get children to and from daycare, as well as the high cost of childcare services.

In short, having all generations located together on one plot of land can help make life immensely easier and save an abundance of time and money for all parties involved.

Multigenerational environments also have a positive impact on children. Young people need to look at aging in a more positive light especially since it is the fastest growing segment of our population. Ageism exists at all levels of our society, and we often view getting older as depressing and without value. This concept of multigenerational living is not new. It is the way families used to live, before children were spread across the country, when families embraced the care of their family members and did not look at it as a burden. Multigenerational families taught children to appreciate their elders and respect what they contributed to the life they enjoy today. When we talk about aging in place this can only be accomplished if we find innovative approaches, engage with community partners in the community at large, and listen to the needs of the aging population. Let’s face it, we are all getting older.

Multigenerational housing and affordable homeownership opportunities for local residents reduces traffic and commute times. One reason is that many older adults either cannot or do not wish to drive and give up their cars. Either they are using taxis or ride share services (like Uber and Lyft) or are dependent upon their adult children to come to them to travel locally. This means that an adult parent would have to drive to the grandparents’ home to pick them up, take them to their destination, return them to their home, and finally return home themselves. This is happening with countless families in Pacifica and contributes to the traffic congestion in the city. Consolidating two households into one multigenerational townhome also eliminates all the travel associated with bringing support services to the grandparents and providing home maintenance. And if the grandparents play a role in caring for children, this eliminates the travel associated with going to and from day care. In addition, the BMR duplex townhome units will provide affordable homeownership opportunities near to where people work.

Hillside Meadows contributes to the Pacifica community by enabling families to remain together, allowing aging parents to continue to contribute to the needs of the family and to be active members of the community, and by providing affordable homeownership opportunities for Pacifica residents and/or workers. Pacifica, like many communities in California, has a steadily growing aging population. The housing many Pacificans purchased decades ago worked well when the residents were raising young children but may now be ill-suited to meet the needs of the elderly.

Further, because of the rapid run up in home prices and rents in Pacifica, the adult children of these families cannot afford to purchase or rent in the community where they grew up. This is forcing families to fragment, with the parents remaining in place in Pacifica while their children leave for more affordable locations. This is occurring at the point where the aging parents are in need of the support that may be provided by their children and may result in the parents struggling to remain in place or cause the parents to relocate to retirement communities or nursing homes outside of Pacifica. Family fragmentation also denies adult children and grandchildren the benefit an aging parent can bring to improve the quality of life of the family.

The City of Pacifica may want to encourage Pacificans to become members of the Village-to-Village Movement. This is an idea that originated with the Beacon Hill Village Movement in Boston, where a network of senior volunteers help other seniors live independently by helping them manage the challenges of daily life.[6] Villages of San Mateo County offers assistance to cities that wish to establish their own village network. A newly built community, like Hillside Meadows, would be perfect for the Village-to-Village Movement. This concept would take the multigenerational idea even further by creating a community model where members of Hillside Meadows would volunteer their time and talents to enrich the lives of others in the community. (Examples include yoga classes, ride sharing, book clubs, grocery shopping, etc.) It brings to life the concept of “It takes a village.”

Finally, we have a problem developing in this country with regards to care givers for the elderly, nurses and entry level health care providers.[7] The increase in the elderly population is out pacing the growth of the work force that is supposed to provide care for them. We are in a crisis and this is not going to improve any time soon. The best way to remain safe and healthy in your home is to live in a safe environment with assistance for the basic activities of daily living. If we do not have enough care givers to provide these services in the home, we must have innovative ways to make sure people are receiving the basic assistance they need to remain safe and healthy. Multigenerational living, congregate gathering sites, such as senior day care with shared aides, and the Village-to-Village Movement are just a few examples of what we will need to do in Pacifica to meet the needs of the elderly in the immediate future. The longer someone can remain safely in the community the less likely that they will need to be hospitalized or institutionalized. This is good for the quality of life for people and a financial savings to the ever-growing cost of health care.

We have learned in the covid-19 pandemic that the most vulnerable population consists of elderly persons living in nursing homes. Thirty-one percent of the deaths during the pandemic are found in nursing homes. As of this writing over 1,132,000 people have died, including over 852,000 seniors, representing 75% of all covid-19 deaths.[8] As a matter of public health multigenerational housing must be considered as a means for creating a safe environment for the elderly in our community.

[6] See, www.villagesofsmc.org. [7] See, Nursing Shortage (February 13, 2023) Haddad, Annamaraju, Toney Butler, National Institute of Health. [8] https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home