Two sites have topped the list for education workforce housing in Novato.

The Meadow Park Annex site in the Hamilton area and the San Andreas property in the San Marin neighborhood are now the focus, said Derek Knell, the Novato Unified School District staff housing director.

Both locations are on district or city-owned vacant land and were on a list of six properties under consideration. The two sites recently emerged as the most likely to meet the district’s needs of supplying more than 200 affordable residences for staff, Knell said.

“All the properties should remain available in the future,” Knell said. “But we wanted to prioritize a recommended sequencing plan, and these are the first two in the sequence.”

The district’s facilities advisory committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday to decide whether to recommend to the board of trustees that the two pieces of land be declared surplus properties.

The committee will deliberate on the surplus issue this month and possibly in March. A recommendation to the board is tentatively set for April 1.

“This is a one- to three-year development process,” Knell said. “We’re just inside the first year.”

If declared surplus properties by the school board, the two parcels would then need permits and entitlements before they are offered for development consideration. Officials are planning to hire a consultant to advise on the most effective and lucrative entitlement options after trustees authorize the surplus declarations.

While the Meadow Park Annex site, a 3.7-acre district-owned property, could accommodate up to 100 dwellings, the San Andreas property, which consists of 21.6 acres of district-owned land and 4.4 acres of city-owned property, might be able to hold double that amount, Knell said.Part of San Andreas could be earmarked for affordable housing and other parts might be sold for market-rate housing, he said.

“It’s going to take a year for us to figure out what to do and then another year to get the permits,” Knell said. “Then we have to build it.”

District officials have contacted a range of agencies and groups to discuss fundraising options and other collaborations. They include Novato Charter School, the Marin County Free Library, Novato city staff, the North Bay Children’s Center and North Marin Community Services, according to a presentation at a citizens advisory committee meeting on Jan. 27.

“This whole process is supposed to take five to eight years,” Knell said. “We’re aiming for the five years.”

District superintendent Tracy Smith said she is pleased with the pace.

“I’m excited that our Education Workforce Housing Initiative is on track as we continue moving through the process,” Smith said in an email.

“Thank you to our community members for participating on our housing committees,” Smith said. “Providing affordable housing options for our educators and staff is a priority, and we are committed to ensuring this project supports our schools and community. “

The effort is not just to promote affordable housing, but to enhance “the quality and consistency of public education” by reducing staff turnover and increasing worker satisfaction, Knell said.

More information is online at nusd.org/workforce-housing.