August 29, 2025
Healdsburg City Council
Healdsburg City Hall
401 Grove St, Healdsburg
RE: Item 8.A: Update on Recent State Housing Legislation Dear Mayor Mitchell, Vice Mayor Herrod, and Councilmembers, Generation Housing appreciates staff’s analysis of recent state housing laws. We support Healdsburg’s consideration to use SB 684 and SB 1123 to create ministerial pathways for small-scale housing on multifamily and vacant single-family parcels.
These tools are valuable, however they will only apply to a small fraction of Healdsburg’s land.
In our 2022 State of Housing in Sonoma County report, we reported that over 90 percent of Healdsburg is zoned exclusively for single-family homes. SB 684 only applies to multifamily and commercial zones, and SB 1123 is limited to vacant single-family lots, which are rare in a built-out city. That leaves most of Healdsburg unaffected by these streamlining laws.
This is where SB 10 adds value, by allowing the City to proactively rezone portions of single-family areas, including occupied and underutilized parcels, for up to 10 units per parcel. By adopting an SB 10 ordinance, the City could:
● Expand flexibility by allowing modest density increases on parcels that would not qualify under SB 684 or SB 1123.
● Strategically guide growth by targeting areas near SMART, downtown, or job centers rather than relying only on vacant lots.
● Strengthen long-term planning by reinforcing Housing Element rezoning strategies and ensuring durable capacity to meet RHNA obligations. ● Leverage other streamlining tools such as SB 35, AB 130, and SB 131 to make projects on rezoned sites more feasible, while also giving property owners more flexibility and generating long-term tax benefits to the city.
SB 10 does not replace SB 684 or SB 1123, and neither do those laws replace SB
10. They are complementary: SB 684 and SB 1123 provide targeted ministerial approvals, while SB 10 creates a broader framework for missing-middle housing.
Together they offer a more complete toolkit.
We also encourage the Council to incorporate AB 1033 into its upcoming ADU ordinance update. AB 1033 allows cities to permit accessory dwelling units to be sold separately as condominiums, creating new ownership opportunities for moderate- and lower-income households while giving homeowners more options to finance ADU construction.
We urge the Council to hold a robust discussion on SB 10 alongside SB 684, SB 1123, and AB 1033 as part of building a balanced housing strategy and creating pathways for the development of much needed starter homes.
We believe these kinds of small-scale developments, once a cornerstone of housing production in our communities throughout the last century, are critical to meeting today's housing needs and fostering vibrant, inclusive neighborhoods. We stand ready to partner with the City in advancing these efforts.
In partnership,
Jen Klose
Executive Director, Generation Housing