Broadway housing plan not the answer

We need affordable housing in Sonoma, no question. There is a right way and a wrong way to accomplish that. Because the City has not been doing its job and requiring developers to include low-cost housing in new projects over the last 10 years, officials are feeling some pressure to meet Regional Housing requirements for low and extremely low cost housing. The City has until 2023 to fulfill their obligation for this type of housing but officials seem to support taking care of this with just one project. Their plan is to fulfill that by putting 49 units on less than two acres at 20269 Broadway.

As proposed, that development could potentially house 282 people, all of whom will come from the same economic background. Many locals in Sonoma’s workforce will earn too much money to qualify for this housing. This project, as proposed, is contrary to HUD recommendations that mixed income developments are more successful than focused income developments. I think everyone would support this proposed housing development if the entrance was on Broadway, was less dense, had no three-story buildings, and had income diversity.

Roda Lee Myers, Sonoma