Healthy and Safe Communities

Summary of objective implementation status 

Rezone up to 59 unincorporated urban sites suitable for housing development, increasing density allowance from 354 units to 2,975 units, and partner with developers and the community to break ground on as many sites as possible by 2026.

The Board selected 34 of the 59 sites outlined in Goal 3.1 for rezoning with their adoption of the updated Housing Element in August 2023, and an additional 6 sites were rezoned by the Board in December of 2023 which brings the total number of rezoned sites to 40. With the rezoning of these 40 sites and the inclusion of ongoing projects and sites already zoned for housing, the Housing Element provides for up to 3,824 new housing units which meets the County’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation from the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and exceeds the 2,975 unit target from Goal 3.1. With the completion of the rezoning effort, the County is halfway to completing this goal, the second half will be to partner with developers and the community to break ground on as many sites as possible by 2026.

Staff have begun developing Objective Design and Development Standards to implement Housing Element Program HE-2c, which will provide standards and checklists for new residential and mixed-use development. By creating a set of objective criteria to process residential development, Permit Sonoma will be streamlining the development of housing throughout the unincorporated county.

Key milestone update

• Final adoption of a certified Housing Element update by Jan 2023, which will include the rezoning of an adequate number of sites – Completed 12/05/2023
• Final adoption of a set of Objective Design and Development Standards by end of 2025 (Housing Element Program 12b) – in process as of November 2024
  • $180,000 Climate Implementation funding allocated for this project
  • Staff have completed engagement with local developers and designers which included 2 workshops, individual interviews, and a survey
  • Staff are developing a draft ordinance that if adopted, would introduce new objective design standards for review of housing projects

• # of housing permits approved annually and # of applications submitted by year until 2026

Key data to collect and/or track to develop good measures and/or indicators:

• Housing development trends
• New permit applications
• New housing units built

Tracking for the metrics listed above will be provided to the Board through the Housing Element Annual Progress Report which is transmitted to the Board and State Department of Housing and Community Development in the spring of each year.

Coordination and partnership update

To ensure partnership with Cities and Community members through implementation the project will support the creation of a Housing Element Implementation Group (HEIG) that can help us partner with developers and the community to break ground on as many sites as possible by 2026. Furthermore, the County recently kicked off a new regional collaborative to work with Sonoma and Napa County jurisdictions to work together on addressing housing policy.

Community, equity and climate update

Engaging the public will happen through the implementation of the County’s Housing Element programs, which will be done in coordination with community-based organizations, service providers, and developers.

Success will be measured not just by the amount of engagement, but also on quality and inclusiveness of the approach and plans (e.g., have we included the public in the decision making process, and how the public been able to reflect its needs in the process. An equity lens through implementation will be applied by working with the community to develop the implementation strategy on how best to achieve the County’s goals. By identifying sites near public transportation and easy access to services, the project goal includes consideration of climate impacts.

The following adopted Housing Element programs direct staff to continue equity and outreach activities throughout the current planning cycle.

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

Permit Sonoma was awarded a one-time request for $180,000 through Strategic Plan Funding. As of 11/25/24, $33,660 have been expended through outreach and draft policy development for Objective Design and Development Standards. Staff expect to complete policy development and present a draft ordinance to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors for adoption by the end of 2025. By the end of Calendar Year 2025, staff anticipate expending $100,000 of Strategic Plan Funding and anticipate spending the remaining $80,000 through implementation of the new Object Design Standards ordinance through the end of Fiscal Year 25-26. Activities to implement the new ordinance will include public notification (newspaper, website, social media), staff training, development of new customer-facing materials and application instructions, and other necessary administrative tasks to support implementation.

Planning has 2.0 FTE allocated to support working with developers and the community on specific sites to redevelop as part of the Housing Element update.

No new revenue streams are expected to be created. 

All expenditures will be one-time funds.