Healthy and Safe Communities

Summary of objective implementation status

Create incentives for developers to promote affordable housing development in the County.

The Housing Element update adopted by the Board in August 2023 includes several programs designed to incentivize affordable housing development which include options to expand the County’s existing affordable housing overlay zone or by creating a new overlay zone for senior housing. Overlay zones signal to developers areas where higher densities or other concessions may be allowed to further incentivize development. Other programs would expand financial incentives for developers through the use of the County Fund for Housing or by partnering with a Joint Powers Authority (JPA), like the Renewal Enterprise District, which is currently funding housing projects within the City of Santa Rosa’s city limits.

With adoption of the Housing Element, the County was a quarter of the way to completing this goal, as work continues to implement Housing Element programs over the 8-year cycle (2023-2031) staff will report progress through annual reports to the Board and the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development. Staff are developing tools to provide additional data through the Permit Sonoma Housing Portal and expect to start launching these new tools in early 2025.  

Key milestone update 

• Number of units built before and after policy implementation
• Reduction in the cost of developing multifamily and affordable housing by reducing permitting timeframes
• Increased certainty for housing developers as to the process for approval, and for community members as to what to expect from multifamily housing developments

The following data will be important to collect and/or track to develop good measures and/or indicators:

• Number of units built before and after policy implementation
• Cost of building multifamily and affordable housing
• Permitting timeframes before and after policy implementation

Data gaps will be addressed by working to collect the needed data (e.g. during intake of new permits, surveys with partners, etc.).

Coordination and partnership update

Partnerships with cities and community partners through implementation will rely on:

• Establishment of a Housing Element Implementation Group (HEIG) that includes city partners will be critical.
• Staff leads a similar effort that includes Planning Directors in all Sonoma County jurisdictions.

Community, equity and climate update

To engage the public through implementation, Staff intends to leverage a recently on-boarded consultant who is tasked with facilitating a Housing Collaborative between Sonoma and Napa County jurisdictions. The scope includes a robust public engagement strategy and staff intends to leverage this effort to establish the HEIG.

Success will ultimately be measured by the County’s ability to encourage the development of safe and affordable housing for its constituents. Success of its engagement approach and planning may be measured by how inclusive of a process it will be and the level of input that is received by the community. Success will be measured by how effective staff was in including a diverse group of stakeholders. Equity will be a key component through all aspects of this effort. By being inclusive of communities most in need of affordable housing, staff can ensure a robust engagement process to develop incentives for affordable housing development.

The following adopted Housing Element programs direct staff to continue equity and outreach activities throughout the current planning cycle. A selection of Housing Element programs that should further these efforts are listed below:

Housing Element Program 16: Expand AH Combining District: Continue utilizing and expanding the successful Affordable Housing (AH) Combining District as a tool to promote infill development and incentivize multifamily affordable housing in moderate- and high-resource areas with amenities, with a target of 20 new units in RCAAs, moderate-, or high-resource areas over the planning period.

Housing Element Program 18: Housing Land Trust Model: The County will continue and expand its use of housing land trust programs to acquire, develop, and maintain affordable housing.

Housing Element Program 21: Essential Housing Bond Financing Program: In partnership with a joint powers authority (JPA) and nonprofit asset manager, utilize tax exempt bonds to fund: (1) the acquisition of existing market-rate apartment complexes and restricts future rents to be affordable to households that earn very low- to moderate-incomes, and/or (2) the construction of new deed-restricted affordable housing.

Housing Element Program 26: Incentivizing Senior Housing: The County will seek to provide development incentives and allowances for housing suitable for seniors and increase the housing stock that will allow Sonoma County residents to remain in their homes throughout their entire lives.

Housing Element Program 31: Housing Equity and Action Plan: Sonoma County will expand the responsibilities of its existing multi-departmental staff-level Director’s advisory group, the Housing Element Implementation Group (HEIG) to include evaluation and monitoring of program implementation and equitable outreach, assisting staff with annual progress reporting, and reviewing housing- and equity related issues that arise during the planning period. The HEIG will develop and carry out a Housing Equity and Action Plan (HEAP) and will provide recommendations to the Executive Director of CDC and Director of Permit Sonoma for additional actions that should be taken to address housing and equity issues.

Housing Element Program 32: Proactive Outreach Program: In order to affirmatively further fair housing, increase awareness about housing programs, and address local housing needs, the County will establish and implement a proactive outreach program. Strategies for ongoing outreach will include participation in an annual housing fair and establishing and maintaining connections with community-based organizations, as well as outreach to developers, utility providers, and members of the public.

Objective funding

$1.374 million in Strategic Plan funding was allocated to support infrastructure for Roseland Tierra de Rosas support of this objective, and these funds have been fully expended.