Today’s blessings are not promised tomorrow. As residents, we are the ultimate guardians of Tiburon, responsible for protecting the future of our beautiful home.

Currently, we face a state mandate requiring that Tiburon shows the ability to add 639 new residences by 2031 — including 396 very low-to-moderate-income units — which has understandably sparked frustration over worsening traffic congestion, contentious high-rise developments and external forces dictating our town’s character.

We cannot afford to procrastinate, as doing so would yield rushed, ill-conceived outcomes or, worse, lend decision-making power to parties outside of our community who are not aligned with our interests and values.

While it is tempting to fixate on the aforementioned dynamics, the truth is our community already needs multigenerational planning that contemplates the evolving needs of our residents’ lifecycle.

The lack of strategic planning around this fundamental aspect of life is evidenced by a population decline of approximately 4% and student enrollment declines of about 30% over the last 10 years. Young parents need access to incremental affordable space, and the lack of options may force them to leave as their families grow. Empty nesters and retirees have no attractive options that meet their changing needs while allowing them to stay in Tiburon.

At the same time, this dearth of optionality prevents seasoned residents from accessing a significant source of savings: their home equity. All while squeezing local businesses.

Thoughtful, bespoke housing policies that promote accessory dwelling units in coordination with new housing formats will unlock profound, widespread benefits across our entire community. ADUs count toward the state mandate and affordable housing quotas. The affordable housing designation is not permanent, and homeowners are under no obligation to rent the units. There are government financial incentives to develop affordable housing (e.g., fee waivers and low-interest loans) to help lower the cost of ADU development for homeowners.

Importantly, we can give preferential treatment to our teachers, police, firefighters, public works and other local workers, which helps them with the burden of commuting from far distances and gives our community a currency to attract top talent.

Including our local heroes in our community will minimize the impact on traffic and congestion, given they are already here every day keeping us safe. By embracing them as neighbors, our interests are more aligned than ever.

Collaborating with the Reed Union School District regarding its excess land will further provide synergy across our community’s housing needs as well as strengthen our municipal budgets. By absorbing affordable housing quotas with ADUs, we can scale down contentious high-rise developments which would have generated lower property tax revenue than ADUs. Developers will benefit from lower costs and a more favorable mix of rent.

A robust housing network brings Tiburon families together. College graduates can return home and build their lives as young professionals. Young families can live in proximity to the new generation of grandparents. Empty nesters and retirees have more options: stay in their home/ADU, rent the home/ADU, move to a new apartment/condo, etc. — all while staying in Tiburon and gaining access to their home equity and rental income.

Reuniting families through housing policy also provides much-needed support for our local businesses. The increase in customers allows businesses to invest in providing better products and services to our community, which in turn generates higher sales tax revenue.

The economic benefits to Tiburon stakeholders are substantial, represent sound fiscal policy and are too powerful to ignore. To quantify the opportunity, if all 639 state-mandated units were filled by ADUs, we would create nearly $1 billion of new property value (approximately $1.5 million per participating household) and an estimated $10 million in incremental property tax revenue potential at current market values. It is worth noting that this does not include incremental sales taxes from improved conditions for our local businesses.

This immense wealth creation would generate a budget surplus, providing dedicated funds to enhance our parks, infrastructure and schools, with the potential to even offer direct tax savings for residents.

We are a community with diverse experiences, extraordinary talents, and a passion for Tiburon. We want to see it flourish. Let’s tap into our wealth of intellectual capital and seize the opportunity to implement community-centric housing policies that will benefit all stakeholders in our community for generations to come — on our terms.

Faris Jafar is running for a seat on the Tiburon Town Council in the November election. Candidates are encouraged to email opinion@marinij.com.