State certifies Sonoma’s Housing Element
The City of Sonoma’s Housing Element has been certified by the State of California. For city government and its planning processes, creating that document is a big deal.
Housing Elements are a required part of each city’s General Plan, and must be revised and resubmitted for certification each eight years. This cycle matches the timing of the Regional Housing Number Allocation (RHNA) that the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) issues to each jurisdiction, setting the housing targets in various price categories, from extremely low to market rate. Sonoma’s target is 311 housing units.
It’s important to keep in mind that the city does not build housing itself, and that the target is based upon the capacity of parcels of land that can accommodate the specified target number over the eight year period. Housing is built by property owners and developers; the city’s role is to impose policies and regulations that facilitate development, which is what the Housing Element does.
The process of creating the Housing Element included hiring a consulting firm, which then outlined a process leading to the plan’s creation. Broad participation by the public and interested parties was encouraged, and comments and suggestions welcomed. Numerous public meetings were held, and drafts circulated.
Ultimately, the process worked exactly as it was intended; technical requirements were met, appropriate public input was included, and the specifications of the state were met.
“It’s gratifying to received state certification,” noted Planning Commission Chair Larry Barnett. “The consultant, planning department staff, the Planning Commission, the City Council, and the public all worked hard to make our Housing Element reflect the aspirations and values of this community. The City of Sonoma has always been way ahead of the State of California in its housing policies and regulations.”
“For example,” Barnett continued, “for over 20 years the City of Sonoma has allowed housing to be built on commercial parcels. Recent state legislation now allows that as well, but we’ve had that as part of our land use policies for decades. And when it comes to approval of large Affordable Housing projects, our record is perfect; the City of Sonoma has never denied an application for a fully-funded, large Affordable Housing project, ever.
The new state rules are focused on forcing cities to accommodate Affordable Housing, he said, “but historically, Sonoma has always supported its creation. Our requirement that large market-rate housing developments include 25% Affordable Housing is the highest in Sonoma County.”
“Of course, building housing costs money,” Barnett explains, “and the challenge for the City of Sonoma right now is beefing up the size of its Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
The city needs to make a financial contribution to Affordable Housing development, either land or money, or developers will build elsewhere. We’ve got a great plan, a supportive community and a City Council anxious to provide housing that people can afford. All we need now is more money dedicated to making it happen.”
Larry Barnett is a Sun columnist and a member of its editorial board.
