Preserve existing affordable housing

There has been a lot of concern expressed recently about the housing crisis, especially the short supply of affordable rental housing. Much of the focus has been on competing long-range solutions such as apartment and rental housing rent control versus the need to build more rental housing to mitigate escalating rents prompted by high demand. The first is being met with strong landlord opposition while the second is constrained by limited land availability and water supply. A third option, building more subsidized rental housing, is further hampered by the current shortage of development and subsidy funding. All the more reason we should turn some of our efforts toward preserving existing housing that is still affordable.

That’s why those of us who own homes in the City of Sonoma’s three manufactured-home parks are so grateful to our City of Sonoma for passing a Space Rent Protection Ordinance in 1992 that has helped preserve the affordability of housing for thousands of Sonoma residents. Now we express our gratitude to our current City Council for responding to our request to update the Ordinance and bring it into line with subsequent court findings.

The revised ordinance will benefit the City, the park owners and the home owners. It will allow our park owners to continue getting a fair return on their investment by preserving the guaranteed annual increases to our space rents based on the Consumer Price Index (whether or not Social Security is increased); it will maintain affordability for homeowners by limiting the amount of rent increases upon resale; and it protects the City from potential litigation costs by providing an efficient, unbiased structure for evaluating and negotiating capital improvement costs and additional rent increases that our park owners may feel are warranted.

We are looking forward to the City Council’s first public review of the revised ordinance on April 4 at the Veterans’ Building at 4 p.m. and invite our friends and neighbors to join us in supporting our Council’s efforts to protect Sonoma’s existing affordable housing.

Lin Marie De Vincent, Pueblo Serena

Bonnie Joy Kaslan, De Anza Moon Valley

Gary Hermes, Rancho de Sonoma

— Tri-Park Committee Representatives