Sonoma County government wants community’s help planning for upcoming housing targets

Sonoma County wants input from residents on the best ways to meet the region’s upcoming housing goals and ease the challenges many residents face finding affordable homes.

The feedback will help local officials create policies for where and how to build new housing in unincorporated areas, which account for about a third of the county population of over 480,000 people.

Permit Sonoma, the county planning department, is set to hold virtual workshops on its housing plans on Saturday at 11 a.m. and Tuesday at 6 p.m.

To reach its state-mandated housing targets, the county is currently expected to approve 3,881 total units between 2023 and 2031 — a dramatic jump from just 515 homes during the current eight-year cycle.

Ahead of each new cycle, state law requires local governments to update their plans for homebuilding — called “housing elements” — with the aim of ensuring cities and counties can realistically hit their housing targets by approving enough homes for people of all income levels.

Calum Weeks, policy director with the local pro-growth advocacy group Generation Housing, said the new plans will also be key to building more homes near transportation centers, cutting down on climate-harming vehicle emissions.

“This is a powerful opportunity for anyone who cares about the long-term viability of our economy, our climate action efforts, and providing quality housing that our local families can afford," Weeks wrote in an email.

For the current housing cycle, Sonoma County is one of the few local jurisdictions on track to meet its goals across income levels, according to state data. But county officials have signaled they may not be prepared to hit their dramatically increased targets starting next year.

In October, the county unsuccessfully appealed those goals before a regional board, arguing it lacked the necessary sewer and water infrastructure, and that voter-enacted urban growth boundaries limit available land for development.

But state law allows other local jurisdictions to take on part of the county’s housing allocation. And Santa Rosa officials have said they hope to do just that as the city works toward its goal of building 7,000 units in its downtown core by 2040.

Santa Rosa is also in the process of seeking input on its housing element through an effort dubbed “Santa Rosa Forward.”

You can reach Staff Writer Ethan Varian at ethan.varian@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5412. On Twitter @ethanvarian