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2021 GENERAL PLAN, INCLUSIONARY
HOUSING,
& GROWTH MANAGEMENT ANNUAL REVIEW
Planning Commission and City Council Report
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Table of Contents
I. GENERAL PLAN ANNUAL REVIEW .............................................................................................. 4 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................... 4 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENTS IN 2021 ..................................................................................... 4 GENERAL PLAN IMPLEMENTATION .............................................................................................. 4 HOUSING ELEMENT ....................................................................................................................... 4 Population ................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Residential Growth and Development ..................................................................................................................... 5 Housing Needs and Affordability ............................................................................................................................. 7 Housing Element Objectives .................................................................................................................................... 8 Housing Policy Implementation ............................................................................................................................. 12 LAND USE / URBAN DESIGN ELEMENTS ................................................................................... 12 Non-Residential Growth and Development ........................................................................................................... 12 Annexations............................................................................................................................................................. 13 Downtown................................................................................................................................................................ 13 TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT ...................................................................................................... 14 Bicycles and Pedestrians ....................................................................................................................................... 14 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan ...................................................................................................................... 14 Bicycle and Pedestrian Project Updates ............................................................................................................... 15 Coordination with Regional Entities ....................................................................................................................... 16 Transit and Transportation Systems Management .............................................................................................. 16 Overview of Transit Services .................................................................................................................................. 16 PUBLIC SERVICES AND FACILITIES ELEMENT ............................................................................ 17 Police Services ........................................................................................................................................................ 20 Police Service Statistics ......................................................................................................................................... 21 Fire Protection ......................................................................................................................................................... 21 Fire Service Statistics ............................................................................................................................................. 21 Water Supply ........................................................................................................................................................... 22 Water Conservation and Efficiency ........................................................................................................................ 22 Wastewater ............................................................................................................................................................. 23 OPEN SPACE AND CONSERVATION ELEMENT ........................................................................... 23 Creek Stewardship.................................................................................................................................................. 23 Greenhouse Gas Emissions ................................................................................................................................... 25 Energy Efficiency ..................................................................................................................................................... 26 Renewable Energy .................................................................................................................................................. 26 Parking and Land Use Management ..................................................................................................................... 26 Improved Transportation Options .......................................................................................................................... 26 Waste Reduction, Recycling and Composting ....................................................................................................... 27
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YOUTH AND FAMILY ELEMENT .................................................................................................... 28 City’s Support Program Facility Fund ..................................................................................................................... 28 Children’s Savings Account .................................................................................................................................... 28 Santa Rosa Violence Prevention Partnership (The Partnership) ......................................................................... 28 ECONOMIC VITALITY ELEMENT ................................................................................................... 30 HISTORIC PRESERVATION ELEMENT .......................................................................................... 31 NOISE AND SAFETY ELEMENT..................................................................................................... 32 ART AND CULTURE ELEMENT...................................................................................................... 34 Public Art Program .................................................................................................................................................. 34 II. ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE GROWTH MANAGEMENT PROGRAM ............................................ 38 III. ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE INCLUSIONARY HOUSING ORDINANCE ....................................... 44 HOUSING ELEMENT POLICY APPENDIX ...................................................................................... 46
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I. GENERAL PLAN ANNUAL REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
The General Plan was adopted in November 2009, and addresses the physical development and growth of Santa Rosa, and it represents the community’s aspirations for the future. The General Plan is required by State law and has a long -range focus, looking 20 or more years into the future. The General Plan guid es the City’s growth and development as well as the funding of public improvement projects, including parks and streets.
Staff prepares the General Plan Annual Review Report to provide members of the public and the City’s decision makers with information relating to progress with implementing the General Plan and toward meeting City goals. This General Plan Annual Review report looks at the 2021 calendar year. All jurisdictions are required to provide this report to the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) each year per Government Code Sections 65400 and 65700.
The report also includes an annual review of the Growth Management Program and the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance as required by local ordinance.
GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENTS IN 2021
According to City policy, the General Plan can be amended three times per year and is typically acted on by Council in spring, summer, and fall/winter. Any c hange to the General Plan requires a hearing before both the Planning Commission and the City Council . If there are multiple amendment requests, the requests are grouped together as one package.
In 2021, one General Plan amendment was approved for the 38 Degrees North project. The project included a request for General Plan diagram and text amendments and a rezoning of the entire 15.82-acre 38 Degrees North site, which includes Phase 1, 2, and 3 multi-family housing developments. The General Plan diagram amendment changed the Medium Density Residential (8.0–18.0 units per acre) and Retail and Business Services land use designations to Medium High Density Residential (18.0-30 units per acre) and eliminated the symbol designating the site as a location for a Community Shopping Center. The General Plan text amendment removed references to the site as a Community Shopping Center on three pages of the General Plan.
GENERAL PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
The Santa Rosa General Plan contains twelve elements, or chapters, and hundreds of goals and policies which guide the daily decision making of City staff, the City Council and City boards and commissions. The following sections address City progress toward implementing General Plan elements, goals, and policies.
HOUSING ELEMENT
Population
The California Department of Finance (D OF) estimates that Santa Rosa had 171,711
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residents as of January 1, 2021, representing a 0.8 percent decrease from the 2020 population of 173,153. This is the fourth consecutive year that the City has experienced a net loss of residents with an approximate three (3) percent overall population loss between January 2017 and January 2021.
Residential Growth and
Development
Building permits were issued for
1,404 residential units in 20 21
(excluding fire-rebuild area
replacement housing ). Of the
1,404 building permits issued:
• 257 were for single family
dwellings;
• 1,052 permits were for
multi-family dwellings; and
• 95 permits were for
accessory dwelling units.
Building permits were issued for detached and attached s ingle-family dwellings in the Guerneville Road Homes/Elson Place, Southwest Estates, Stony Village North, Grove Village, Kerry Ranch, Liner Village, Round Barn Village, Gardens, Village Station , and other subdivisions citywide. Building permits issued for multi -family housing include units in the Santa Rosa Avenue Apartments, Residences at Taylor Mountain, Yolanda Apartments, Boyd Street Family Apartments, Pullman Lofts, 3575 Mendocino Avenue, and Marlow Commons projects. Note that project names may have changed since initial applications were filed.
Several notable residential projects that are currently in the planning or building process are highlighted below.
Casa Roseland is a four story , 75 unit
100-percent affordable multi -family
housing project located within the
Roseland Priority Development Area on
Sebastopol Road. The project consists of
one-, two-, and three -bedroom units and
includes outdoor recreation areas for
children and adult s.
Planning approvals
were received in August 2021.
298
488
252
126
263
350
431
447
625
1404
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
ANNUAL RESIDENTIAL
PERMITS ISSUED
2012 - 2021
Figure 1- Rendering of Casa Roseland
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3575 Mendocino involves the
redevelopment the former
Journey’s End Mobile Home
Park, at the intersection of
Mendocino Avenue and
Bicentennial Way, with up to 532
multi-family housing units
consisting of 162 units
affordable for low- and very low-
income senior households. The
approved project also includes a
one-acre public park, to be
privately improved and
maintained. Building permits were
issued for the first phase of the senior housing development in 2021.
425 Humboldt Street is an
88 unit, seven-story
development located
within the City’s
Downtown, on a site
developed with a single-
story office building and
surface level parking lot.
The project includes a roof
terrace, podium
landscaped courtyard, and
pedestrian improvements
along the Humboldt and
7 th Street frontages.
Planning entitlements
were approved in July
2021.
Avenue 320 Apartments is a 37-unit apartment complex comprised of two residential buildings and associated amenities. One building involves the renovation and reuse of the existing commercial structure fronting College Avenue and a new three-story building would be constructed along Lincoln Street. The new building, located within the St. Rose Preservation District, includes design elements in keeping with the historic district including stepping to two-stories, an increased front setback, and architectural features found throughout the district. Planning entitlements were approved in September and November of 2021.
Figure 2 - Rendering of 3575 Mendocino Senior Housing
Figure 3 - Rendering of 425 Humboldt Street
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The Yolanda Apartments development consists of
approximately 214,167 square feet of new residential
space, an 8,000-square-foot clubhouse/leasing
center, access driveways, parking, including surface
stalls and tuck under garages, and frontage
improvements to Yolanda Avenue. The residential
apartments are contained within eleven (11) three-
story buildings and four (4) two-story buildings
containing a total of 252 apartment units, and include
a mix of studio, one, two, and three-bedroom units.
Building permits were issued for this project in
December of 2021.
Housing Needs and Affordability
State law requires Housing Element s to be updated every eight years. The current Housing Element was adopted on July 29, 2014, and regulates housing needs and policies from 2015 to 2023.
California mandates each jurisdiction to create its fair share of housing, called the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA. As part of RHNA, the California Department of Hous ing and Community Development (HCD), determines the total number of new homes the Bay Area needs to build—and how affordable those homes need to be —to meet the housing needs of people at all income levels.
The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG/MTC) , working with the Housing Methodology Committee, then distributes a share of the region’s housing need to each city, town, and county in the region. Each local government must then update the housing element of its general plan to show the locations where housing can be built and the policies and strategies necessary to meet the community’s housing needs.
In 2021, the City issued building permits for a total of 1,404 residential units. This includes affordable units targeted for 28 extremely low-, 183 very low-, 190 low-, and 70 moderate- income level households, as well as 933 above moderate-rate units.
The following table compares the ABAG RHNA numbers for Santa Rosa with building permit issuance by income category to illustrate the remaining need near the end of this Housing Element reporting period.
Figure 4 – Rendering of Avenue 320 Apartments from Lincoln Street Figure 5 - Yolanda Apartments Site Plan
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Units Issued Building Permits by Income Category
2015 – 2023 (5th RHNA Cycle)
Income Category Extremely
Low
Very
Low
Low Moderate Above
Moderate
TOTAL
ABAG RHNA
Objectives
520 521 671
759 2,612 5,083
2015 0 0 24 8 94 126
2016 0 1 0 16 246 263
2017 0 0 0 23 327 350
2018 24 17 12 77 301 431
2019 0 6 12 50 379 447
2020 0 38 49 25 513 625
2021 28 183 190 70 933 1,404
County Issued
Permits 2015-2021 *
24 35 53 2 160 274
Total Issued
(2015-2021)
76 280 340
271
2,953
3,920
Remaining Need 444 241 331 488 (341)** 1,504**
* With the annexation of the Roseland area on November 1, 2017, RHNA allocations and credits for three housing projects that lie within that area were transferred from the County to the City. Specifically, the transfer moved the allocations/credits for 421 housing units within the Crossroads, Rosel and Village, and Paseo Vista projects. The transfer was approved by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) in January 2018. In 2021, b uilding permits were issued for five above- moderate income and one low-income unit within the Paseo Vista project. ** While the City has issued building permits for more above-moderate residential units than required by RHNA, the additional above-moderate units do not reduce the overall remaining need for residential units in other income categories.
Housing Element Objectives
As part of the RHNA discussion, the Housing Element identifies six objectives and annual figures that are necessary to meet the City’s RHNA goals. Each objective is listed below, followed by an explanation of the steps taken during 2021 to meet it.
Housing Element Objective 1): Help facilitate the development of 56 extremely low - income, 56 very low income, and 68 low-income units annually to meet the ABAG Regional Housing Needs Allocation.
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2021 Comment: The City of Santa Rosa Housing Authority (Housing Authority) approved loans for the following affordable new construction and rehabilitation projects in 2021:
3575 Mendocino Avenue Phase I is a new 94 -unit affordable senior rental development. Thirteen units are targeted to extremely low-income households, 56 units are targeted to very low -income households, and 24 units are targeted for low-income households. The Housing Authority approved a $11,917,110 loan for construction-related costs from Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery, Disaster Recovery – Multifamily Housing Program funds.
Bennett Valley Apartments is a new 63 -unit affordable housing development for families and formerly homeless households. Thirty -two units are targeted for extremely low-income households, and 29 units are targeted for very low -income households. The Housing
Authority approved a loan for
predevelopment and
construction-related costs in
the amount of $5,800,000.
Funding sources for this loan
include Reserves, Housing
Grant Fund, Real Property
Transfer Tax, Low/Mod
Income Housing, Mortgage
Revenue Bonds, and
Housing Impact Fees.
Caritas Homes Phase I is a new 64 -unit affordable housing development with 30 units targeted for extremely low-income households, 21 units targeted for very low- income households, and 12 units targeted for low -income households. The Housing Authority approved a loan of $8,945,657 for construction -related costs from Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery, Disaster Recovery – Multifamily Housing Program funds.
The Cannery at Railroad Square is a new
129-unit, multifamily affordable housing
project. Thirty -three units are targeted for
extremely low-income households, 37 units
are targeted to very low-income households,
and 58 units are targeted for low -income
households. The Housing Authority approved
a loan for construction -related activities in
the amount of $10,300,000. Funding
sources include the Community Development
Block Grant – Disaster Recovery, Disaster
Recovery – Multifamily Housing Program funds, in addition to the $450,000 loan for predevelopment-related costs in 2020 from Housing Impact Fees, Real Property Transfer Tax, and Reserves.
Burbank Avenue Apartments is a new 64-unit affordable housing complex. Twenty- four units are targeted for extremely low-income households, 27 units are targeted for very low -income households, and 12 uits are targeted to low -income Figure 6 - Rendering of Bennett Valley Apartments
Figure 7 - Rendering of the Cannery at
Railroad Square from W. Third St.
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households. The Housing Authority approved two loans for the project: $5,000,000 for construction -related costs from Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery, Disaster Recovery – Multifamily Housing Program funds, and $284,325 from the Permanent Local Housing Allocation program.
Hearn House is an existing 15 -bed transitional housing facility for extremely low - income formerly homeless veterans. The Housing Authority approved a loan for rehabilitation-related costs from Low-Mod Funds and Housing Impact Fees.
Hearn Veterans Village is a new 32 -unit affordable housing development for extremely low-income formerly homeless veterans. The Housing Authority approved a loan of $410,000 for predevelopment and acquisition -related costs from the Permanent Local Housing Allocation program.
Linda Tunis Senior Apartments is a new 26-unit affordable senior rental complex.
Five units are targeted to extremely low -income seniors, and 20 units will be targeted to very low-income households. The Housing Authority approved a loan in the amount of $2,19 0,340 for construction -related costs. The funding source is Community Development Block Grant -Disaster Recovery, Disaster Recovery – Multifamily Housing Program funds.
Mahonia Glen is a new 99 -unit
multifamily affordable housing
project. Twenty -six units are
targeted for extremely low-income
households, 22 units are targeted
to very low -income households
and 50 units are targeted for low -
income households. The Housing Authority approved a $2,900,000 loan for acquisition-related costs from Community Development Block Grant funds.
In addition to the projects noted above that were assisted with loans from the Housing Authority, several projects were awarded Project Based Housing Choice Vouchers which provide a 20-year contract with the Housing Authority and is an additional means of providing financial assistance to affordable housing projects. These projects include:
• 3575 Mendocino Avenue Phase I - Awarded 17 Project Based Vouchers to the 94-unit project.
• 3575 Mendocino Avenue Phase II – Awarded 13 Project-Based Vouchers to the 38-unit development.
• Bennett Valley Apartments – Awarded 30 Project-Based Voucher to the 63-unit affordable housing rental complex.
• Burbank Avenue -- Awarded an additional 4 Project Based Vouchers to the 64- unit multi-family rental complex.
• The Cannery at Railroad Square – Awarded 33 Project-Based Vouchers to the 129-unit affordable housing rental development.
• Del Nido Apartments – Awarded 8 Project -Based Vouchers to the multifamily rental housing complex.
• Linda Tunis Senior Apartments – Awarded an additional 5 Project -Based Vouchers to the affordable senior rental complex.
Figure 8 - Elevation of Mahonia Glen
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Housing Element Objective 2 ): Assist in the improvement and rehabilitation of 500 units annually (extremely low, very low, and low-income housing units). 2021 Comment: Housing Choice Voucher Housing Quality Standards Inspections resumed in October 2021 after being suspended in March 2020 due to COVID-19. For the months of October – December 2021, 108 inspections were performed. A total of 116 units were rehabilitated in 2021 following Housing Choice Vouched Housing Quality Standard inspections. Rehabilitations from this these inspections may be minor in nature, and do not always require a building permit to correct. In addition , 76 building permits were issued to bring re sidential units to current building code standards to resolve code enforcement cases. Plumbing, electrical, and other systems were required to be brought to current building code standards to resolve the code enforcement cases.
The Housing Authority approved a loan in the amount of $77,498 for rehabilitation associated with Hearn House, a 15-bed transitional housing facility for extremely low- income formerly homeless veterans, in 2021.
Housing Element Objective 3 ): Promote development of 30 second dwelling units annually.
2021 Comment: The impact fees to establish an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) have been significantly reduced through a combination of State requirements and City resolutions. The tiered structure fees incentivize internal conversions and smaller size units. In 2021, building permits for 9 5 ADUs were issued. A total of 51 ADUs were completed in 2021.
Housing Element Objective 4): Preserve the existing emergency shelter beds and units of transitional and supportive housing. This includes 504 beds in emergency shelters, 351 units of transitional housing and 385 units of permanent, supportive housing. 2021 Comment: Shelter bed capacity at the City-sponsored Samuel L. Jones Homeless (SJH) Shelter was fully restored to 213 beds following completion of a new emergency prefabricated shelter to allow for social distancing requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Temporary reductions to bed capacity continued in 2021 in response to the Delta and Omicron variants. The Family Support Center was able to continue with regular operations due to the population served and configuration of the shelter facility.
Housing Element Objective 5 ): Preserve the existing inventory of federally and locally funded affordable units including the 873 units with the potential to lose affordability between 2015 and 2025.
2021 Comment: All existing affordable units were preserved during 2021.
Housing Element Objective 6): Preserve the 2,000 existing mobile homes, which are largely occupied by lower-income seniors.
2021 Comment: The City’s 1 7 privately owned mobile home parks provid e 2,181 spaces, most of which are rented by mobile homeowners. Of the 2,181 available spaces, 1,635 are subject to the Mobile Home Rent Control Ordinance.
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Housing Policy Implementation
The Housing Element identifi es goals and policies which provide the framework for Santa Rosa’s housing program. Housing Element policies are unique among General Plan policies in that implementation dates and responsible entities are included. While some of the goals and policies identify a specific year when the work is expected to be completed, others are identified as ongoing.
There were no specific policies slated for completion in 2021, however Housing Element goal and policy related work remains ongoing. A list of each Housing Element p olicy and its implementation status has been added as an Appendix to the report.
LAND USE / URBAN DESIGN ELEMENTS
Non-Residential Growth and Development
Several notable non-residential projects
that are currently in the planning or
building process are highlighted below.
The Cube Building is located at 1255
Apollo Way, in the Corporate Center
Business Park. The project includes an
approximately 12,000-square foot
commercial building, which will be
divided into five suites, each comprised of
office space taking access from the front of the building, and warehouse space taking access from the rear. The development site is located along the curve of the street, and the building has been designed to step with the street frontage. Major Design Review was approved in February 2021.
Session Climbing and Fitness, located at 965
S A Street, is an indoor rock climbing and
fitness gym. The facility will be approximately
55 feet in height with approximately 23,000
square feet of floor area. The 1.12-acre
project site consists of two parcels and will
include a building footprint of approximately
18,500 square feet. The remainder of the
site will be improved with site circulation,
landscaping, and 61 parking spaces. Building permits were issued in 2021.
Figure 9 - Rendering of the Cube Building
Figure 10 - Rendering of Session Climbing and Fitness
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Esperanza Park, located at 1835 W.
Steele Lane, was approved by the Zoning
Administrator in October 2021. The
project includes the expansion of existing
outdoor activity for the existing Children’s
Museum. Features include various climbing
structures, sensory garden, small
amphitheater for community performances,
picnic table area, and solar-powered family
bathrooms. The expansion area is planned
as an outdoor laboratory for design,
construction, and innovation, with overarching
themes of creativity, discovery, nature, and play targeting children ages 8 - 12.
Brookwood Medical is a
proposed four-story medical
office building with a detached
6-level parking garage within the
Downtown Station Area Specific
Plan area. The site is located at
the intersection of Brookwood
Avenue and 2nd Street and
abuts the Santa Rosa Creek. The
proposed project includes a
creek pathway and riparian
plantings to enhance the Santa
Rosa Creek.
Annexations
One annexation was recorded in 2021, resulting in a City boundary of 42.82-square miles.
Downtown
Downtown Santa Rosa is envisioned as an energetic commercial and cultural center with a wide range of housing, employment, and commercial options in a vibrant, walkable environment. Prior to 2021, relatively little development has occurred downtown, motiva ting the City to address downtown area specific policies, fees, and processes to encourage higher density, transit -oriented housing, and mixed-use development. Many of t hese efforts were realized in 2021, with the commencement of construction for 74 multi-family units on Wilson Street (Pullman Lofts), 90 multi-family units on 4
th Street (888 4th Street), and the completion
of 41 multi-family units on W. 3rd Street (Dutton Flats), a 100 percent affordable project.
In late-June 2020, the City closed several downtown streets to vehicular traffic in response to public health order indoor dining restrictions . The street closures made it possible for restaurants to set up dining areas in streets and curbside parking spaces to increase accessible sit-down and takeout options. This was further enhanced by the arts -based placemaking project the City’s Public Art Program initiated in partnership with community artists and organizations. The downtown street closure program has been scaled back from its initial size however of the curbside and open space seating areas remain open for outdoor dining and recreation purposes.
Figure 11 - Site Plan for Esperanza Park
Figure 12 - Rendering of Brookwood Medical
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TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT
Bicycles and Pedestrians
The General Plan declares a vision for Santa Rosa where:
Complete streets provide safe access for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit users of all ages and abilities. Neighborhood -scale retail and service uses, schools, and recreational facilities are connected by bicycle and pedestrian paths and transportation management programs and bicycle/ pedestrian improvements have reduced the number of single-occupancy cars on regional/arterial streets.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan
Adopted in 2019, t he Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Update 2018 (BPMP 2018) establishes a vision and strategies toward improving walking and bicycling in Santa Rosa. Its primary focus is on infrastructure improvements, including new or improved sidewalks and bike lanes, but it also includes policy and program recommendations in education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation. The P lan recognizes that limited funding and resources will require phased implementation over many years.
Accomplishments in 2021 include:
• Developed a pilot program for shared scooters (anticipated to launch in 2022). • Secured $15.4m in grant funding for a bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing spanning US-101 between Elliott Avenue and Edwards Avenue (estimated completion 2025). • Published a bicycle/pedestrian webpage with links to plans, projects, and resources, including an interactive bicycle map and information on how to report hazards. • Completed a corridor study identifying future bicycle and pedestrian improvements on Stony Point Road between Sebastopol Road and W Third Street. • Completed a bicycle parking inventory for Downtown and Railroad Square. • Launched several corridor studies (see below).
• Constructed several bicycle and pedestrian projects (see below). • Continued to participate in a Countywide Vision Zero initiative.1 • Continued to participate in a two-county bike share pilot program anticipated to launch in 2022.
1 Vision Zero seeks to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries through engineering, education, and enforcement.
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Bicycle and Pedestrian Project Updates
Projects delivered in 2021 include a new signalized crossing for the SMART Trail at Hearn Avenue (left), the first parking-protected bike lane in Sonoma County on Ridgway Avenue (center), and 3.2 miles of buffered bike lanes on Hoen Avenue, Summerfield Road, and Bethards Drive (right).
Bicycle and pedestrian projects completed in 2021 include:
• Ridgway Avenue – Armory Drive to Glenn Street (Class IV protected bike lane & Class II bike lane)
• Hoen Avenue – Hoen Frontage Road to Summerfield Drive (Class IIB buffered bike lanes)
• Summerfield Drive – Sonoma Avenue to Bethards Drive (Class IIB buffered bike lanes)
• Bethards Drive – Summerfield Drive to Bennett Valley Road (Class IIB buffered bike lanes)
• Guerneville Road – Marlow Road to Ridley Avenue (Sidewalk) • SMART Trail & Hearn Avenue (New Signalized Trail Crossing) • Pacific Avenue & King Street (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon) • Pacific Avenue & Beaver Street (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon) • Pacific Avenue & Elizabeth Way/Spring Street (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon) • Coffey Lane & Dogwood Drive (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon) • Summerfield Rd & Carissa Ave (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon) BPMP 2018 also identifie s several corridors where greater community engagement and/or analysis is needed to determine what bicycle and pedestrian improvements are feasible.
Corridor studies launched in 2021 and expected to be completed in 2022 include:
• Fourth Street – E Street to Farmers Lane
• College Avenue – Kowell Lane to Fourth Street
• Montgomery Drive – Alderbrook Drive to Hahman Drive
• Roseland Creek Trail – Stony Point Road to Burbank Avenue
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Coordination with Regional Entities
The General Plan calls for coordination of the City’s Transportation Plan with regional entities such as the Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA), the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). City staff work with these agencies to secure funding and to develop strategic plans to implement transportation improvements. A few ongoing transportation planning efforts include the MTC Plan Bay Area 2050 planning process, SCTA’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan 2050, and Vision Zero. In November 2020, Go Sonoma (an extension of the existing Measure M – local transportation sales tax) was approved by voters. This measure will provide a significant increase in funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects and other initiatives beginning in 2025.
Staff developed a list of five project priorities which were approved by the C ity Council in September 2021 to submit to the SCTA Five Year Funding Program. The number one priority was Bicycle and Pedestrian Connections/Climate Change.
The City’s Transit Division closely coordinates efforts with Regional Transit agencies on regional integration efforts as well as operational efforts specific to the pandemic. Most notable is the regional effort starting in 2020 through MTC, the Blue-Ribbon Task Force, aimed to coordinate and integrate regional transit services throughout the Bay Area. Specific to Sonoma County is a SCTA coordinated effort, funded by MTC and the City of Santa Rosa, to implement the findings of the 2019 Transit Integration and Efficiency Study. To this end SCTA has convened the Future of Transit Ad Hoc committee working with the three local bus systems in Sonoma County – CityBus, Sonoma County Transit and Petaluma Transit -to implement integrated rider focused projects. The process is moving forward into a second phase with a grant from MTC to support higher-level integration activities in the areas of service planning, fare policy, public information, customer service and technology.
Transit and Transportation Systems Management
The General Plan calls for expanding transit service, coordination of transit services with other transit operators, and encouraging ridership through marketing and promotional efforts. The City of Santa Rosa Climate Action Plan sees transit as important for affordable housing, density, carbon reduction and improved transport options. The City’s Transit Division manages fixed route service, paratransit service, and other transit related programs. The City’s Transit service plans are detailed in the City’s Short-Range Transit Plan (SRTP) which is updated every 3-5 years with an adoption by City Council. The SRTP refreshes and details a 10 -year vision for the City’s transit service and transit capital program. The planning process involves significant public engagement and data analysis to evaluate opportunities to diversify, improve and better integrate transit services.
Overview of Transit Services
The Santa Rosa Transit Mall is the busiest Transit Hub in the North Bay. With over 3,000 trips departing the Transit Mall each week (751,500 trips per year). In addition to local CityBus fixed route service, downtown Santa Rosa is served by four regional bus transit providers (Sonoma County Transit, Golden Gate Transit and Mendocino Transit, Greyhound), and one regional commuter rail (SMART). Along with integration with transit operators, CityBus relies on and seeks to integrate with the bicycle and pedestrian network to improve first and last mile connections.
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The City of Santa Rosa provides the greatest number of
local fixed -route bus service and demand -responsive
paratransit service trips in Sonoma County. Cit yBus now has three corridors (four routes) operating on 15-minute frequency during weekdays, six routes operating on 30-
minute frequency and a remaining four routes operating
on 60 -minute headways. Most routes begin service
between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Monday – Saturday,
and finish service between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. On
Sundays, service is truncated, with routes starting after 10:00 a.m., and ending before 5:15 p.m . Fixed-route
ridership totals were 760,000 in fiscal year 2020 to
2021 down from 1.5 million for fiscal year 2019 to 2020; down from 1.8 million during fiscal year 2018 to 2019.
Paratransit ridership totals were 17,500 in fiscal year 2020 to 2021 down from 30,000 for fiscal year 2019 to
2020; down from 35,000 during fiscal year 2018 to 2019.
This decrease in ridership is unsurprising due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
CityBus maintains a diverse portfolio of fare options. Fare options include a cash fare, 24-hour passes, ticket books, and a 31 -day pass. Discounts or free fares are provid ed for SRJC students, veterans, youth, seniors, Medicare card holders, low-income adults, and persons living with a disability. The Youth Unlimited Rides program has vastly exceeded ridership projections, with October and November 2021 showing youth ridership at 125% of pre - pandemic levels. In summer of 2021, The CityBus established an Unlimited Rides pass program to employers, housing developers and institutions to provide deeply discount passes to employee's residence and for program participants. Transit staff continue pursuing these partnerships. Additionally, a two-hour transfer policy allows unlimited transfers for riders within two hours from the purchase of a ride. Riders can transfer to SMART, Golden Gate Transit or Sonoma County Transit and receive a transfer credit using paper transfers or Clipper.
Clipper is the all-in -one regional transit card for the Bay Area. Clipper Cards hold transit passes, cash value, or any combination of the two. Cash value works on all participating transit systems, while Clipper passes, and tickets are specific to each syst em. Approximately five percent of CityBus riders use Clipper to pay their fares. North Bay transit operators are participating in the Clipper START pilot program which allows lower income riders aged 19 to 64 to receive 20- to 50-percent fare discounts for single rides.
PUBLIC SERVICES AND FACILITIES ELEMENT
Parks and Recreation
The General Plan directs the continuing acquisition and development of neighborhood and community park facilities, along with special use facilities, throughout the City. The following Section includes highlights of park planning and improvement efforts in 2021.
Santa Rosa City Bus continues to provide
service and protect the health of
passengers and employees amid the
COVID-19 pandemic.
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Colgan Creek Park Playground
Community input directed the design and
amenities selected for the new replacement
playground for children ages 5-12 years at
Colgan Creek Neighborhood Park. The
Park’s original play structure, for children
ages 5-12, was damaged several years ago
and the manufacturer is no longer
producing replacement parts.
The playground includes a climbing
structure with two slides, a major climbing
net with arched structures keeps kids in
motion, a group spinner, as well as the
highly requested traditional swings. This
project was completed and opened by the Mayor and Vice Mayor February 23, 2022.
A Place to Play Community Park
In March of 2021, the City’s proposed all-weather, multipurpose sports fields project was included in the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District’s Matching Grant Program to assist in the design and construction of two sports fields at A Place to Play Community Park. Design and Construction are expected to be complete in FY 23/24.
Kawana Springs
Community Park
In 2020, design of the
Community Garden
began for Kawana
Springs Community
Park as envisioned in
the 2019 Park Master
Plan. Community
Garden concept
designs, for this
first phase of
implementation,
were completed in December 2020. During 2021, construction drawings were nearly completed, and construction of the garden is anticipated in FY 22/23.
Figure 13 - Colgan Creek Park Playground
Figure 14 – Conceptual Site Plan of Kawana Springs Community Park
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Creekside Open Space renamed to Mary Traverso
In August of 2021, City Council approved
a resident request to change the name of
Creekside Open Space to Mary Traverso
Open Space. The Open Space Park is
located on Creekside Road in Southeast
Santa Rosa. Mary Traverso was a devoted
caretaker of the park, and her legacy will
continue through the work of Bennett
Valley Vision, the volunteer organization
she co-founded to care for landscaping in
the area.
South Davis Park
The State of California’s Per Capita Program, funded through Proposition 68, will be utilized to revitalize the playground at South Davis Neighborhood Park. Council approved a professional services agreement with Carlile Macy of Santa Rosa in January 2022 to lead a public engagement process to amend the park master plan as well as design and replace the playground equipment.
Dutch Flohr Neighborhood Park
A Master Plan Amendment for Dutch Flohr
Neighborhood Park began in December 2020
with the intent of replacing the two play areas
and bringing them closer together. Additional
updates include fitness equipment games
tables and code compliant infrastructure.
Community outreach which included major
participation from Biella Elementary School,
guided the design. The ‘enchanted forest’
concept design was the favored choice, which
features a zip-line in the 5-12 year old area as
well as a play structure. The 2-5 year old area
features a play structure, spring riders and sand
play. Council approved the Master Plan in
January 2022. Construction documents are
currently in production and construction is
estimated to begin in Spring 2023
Figure 15 - Mary Traverso Open Space
Figure 16 - Dutch Flohr Neighborhood Park Master
Plan
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Finley Aquatic Center Spraygrounds
Planning and design began in
March 2021 for the Finley
Aquatic Center Sprayground
to replace the existing wading
pool. The intent is to create a
tropical resort feel for guests.
The sprayground will create a
multi-generation water
feature for improved safety.
The majority of the pool deck
will be repalced to meet
current building codes
standards. Construction is
anticipated to begin
August/September 2022.
Parks for All
The County’s Measure M – Parks for All tax measure was approved by voters in 2018. The tax provides the City of Santa Rosa with approximately $1.9 million annually from 2019 until 2029. The first two years of funding is dedicated towards community engagement, fire damaged park recovery projects, and a deferred maintenance assessment of the parks system. A series of 13 community engagement opportunities were held between July 2019 and June 2021 to gather input regarding citywide priorities. This input was used to create an updated Parks Measure Priority Plan for Park Measure funds received in years 3-10.
In November 2021, Council approved the Parks Measure Priority Plan update utilizing approximately 50% of Measure M funds towards capital improvements, 40% towards enhanced maintenance and fuel reduction and 10% towards enhanced recreation programming. The community will be re-engaged in 2022 to collect the community’s specific priority capital projects.
Police Services
The General Plan calls for
collaboration with local jurisdictions in
the provision of some police services
and for increased community contact
through community -oriented policing.
The Police Department collaborates
with neighborhood associations,
partner City Departments, Community Based Organizations, County partner s, and other jurisdictions to develop best practice strategies and responses related to Traffic Safety, Violent Crime, Homelessness, and Community Engagement. The Police Department also participates in a multi-agency Computer Aided Dispatch and Records Man agement System that features a common records database, access to state and federal databases, and provides Computer Aided Dispatch. Collaboration also occurs when establishing checkpoints Figure 17 - Draft Concept for Finely Aquatic Center Spraygrounds
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and saturation patrols for impaired drivers, to prepare for large scale community events, and for various joint training opportunities.
Police Service Statistics
The General Plan calls for expedient police response to emergency calls. The Police Department Dispatch Center handled 199,367 calls for service in 2021 with police personnel responding to 109,377 calls. Each Police Department service request received is categorized in priority levels, the majority being Priority 1-3. City growth and staffing impact response times and clearance rates for investigations. The goal is to respond to priority one calls within six minutes.
Priority 1 calls are for an incident in progress that threatens life or property . In 2021, the Police Department’s median response time for Priority 1 calls was six minutes and 3 seconds.
Priority 2 calls are for an incident that has the potential to escalate to priority 1 status. In 2021, the median response time for Priority 2 calls was 11 minutes and 18 seconds. Priority 3 calls are for past incidents or those that do not require an immediate response. In 202 1, the median response time for Priority 3 calls was 21 minutes.
The City continues its community-oriented policing efforts by assigning officers and sergeants to specific beats throughout the City including downtown and Roseland. Community-oriented policing allows officers to become familiar with neighborhoods and communities, while allowing for other resources to focus on the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes.
There were 256 budgeted Police Department employees in 2021, including 178 sworn officers and 78 civilian employees.
Fire Protection
The General Plan calls for collaboration with other local jurisdictions f or the provision of some fire services when it improves service levels and is cost effective. The Fire Department is part of the Redwood Empire Dispatch
Communications Authority (REDCOM), a Joint Powers
Agreement for fire and emergency medical dispatch services for most cities and fire protection districts within Sonoma County.
The Santa Rosa Fire Department also has Auto Aid
Agreements with the Sonoma County Fire District and the Kenwood Fire Protection District. The Sonoma County Fire District agreement is designed to ensure the closest, most appropriate fire resources are dispatched to an incident regardless of jurisdictional boundaries. Additionally, the Fire Department participates in the Santa Rosa Mutual Threat Zone Operating Plan which is a joint response plan with the Sonoma County Fire District and CALFIRE to cover specific wildland/urban interface areas.
Fire Service Statistics
The Fire Department responded to 28,064 calls for service in 2021, a n almost ten percent increase from 2020, when there were 26,409 calls for service. Of the 28,064 calls for service, 17,985 (64 percent) were for emergency medical incidents. The Department provides
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emergency services for fire, medical, hazardous material, and urban rescue incidents , responding with ten paramedic engine companies and two ladder truck companies from the remaining ten strategically located fire stations. There were 610 fire incidents resulting in $4,473,005 of fire loss last year. The estimated value saved by fire response in 2021 was $17,859,190. City g rowth impact s Fire Department service delivery. Traffic congestion continues to cause delays to Fire Department response times. General Plan policy PSF -E-1 provides that first fire company arriva l shall be within five minutes of dispatch center notification 90-percent of the time . This goal does not include the additional 70 second standard for the dispatch center call taking and emergency medical dispatching. In 2021, the Department’s emergency resources arrived on scene within five minutes of dispatch 65.18% percent of the time.
Water Supply
General Plan Policy PSF -F requires the City to “ensure that an adequate supply of water is available to serve existing and futu re needs of the City.” T he City’s water supply consists of water supply from Sonoma Water, groundwater, and recycled water. In addition, the City participates in an aggressive water conservation program that reduces current demand to help assure that future water demands are met.
In a normal water year, the total water supply available to the City is approximately 31,5 40 acre-feet per year (AFY). Santa Rosa’s highest water usage to date was approximately 24,000 acre-feet in 2004 compared with 17,165 acre-feet used in 2021.
Water Conservation and Efficiency
The City has promoted water use efficiency programs for more than 25 years and has invested over $ 22 million to upgrade approximately 5 6,000 toilets with ultra -low-flow and high - efficiency toilets and replace over 3.75 million square feet of high-water use turf landscapes with low water use landscapes.
The City also promotes innovative water use efficiency programs like offering rebates for rainwater harvesting, graywater reuse, residential recirculating hot water pumps, sustained reduction of water us age, and more . Water Use Efficiency staff hold workshops on rebate programs for water efficient home fixtures, irrigation upgrades, turf removal, among others .
The City’s cumulative water use efficiency efforts result in savings of over 7,100 AFY, and per capita water use has declined by 44% since 1990.
In 2021, Water Department staff completed installation of advanced metering infrastructure, with 54,675 automatically read meters installed over the past few years . The new meters provide hourly tracking of water use as well as early leak detection which helps water conservation efforts.
Advanced metering infrastructure meters allow the City to remotely read meters more quickly while eliminating field safety concerns. These meters also allow the City to provide enhanced customer service, including a new customer portal provides customers with direct access to their own water use in near-real time. In addition, this hourly data greatly assists water use efficiency efforts by providing staff an opportunity to analyze water use, identify potential pluming leaks, and educate customers about their current water use, seasonal patterns, and any continuous use.
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Wastewater
Sewage generated by Santa Rosa’s residential and non -residential entities is treated at the Laguna Treatment Plant (LTP) and beneficially reused by the Santa Rosa Regional Water Reuse System. Annually over 30,000 wet tons of solids are treated to Class B standards and dewatered to 16-percent solids content. Approximately 64-percent of the remaining solids are applied on local farmland while 28-
percent is further treated off-site by
a private operator , and a small
amount is disposed of in the
landfill.
The Council adopted Capital
Improvement Program (C IP)
includes various improvements to
the LTP and reuse system so that
adequate capacity to treat and
reuse General Plan anticipated
wastewater volumes is
maintained. The current system
rated capacity is 21.34 -million
gallons per day which is anticipated
to be sufficient into the future. Previous planning and environmental work identified projects to be implemented as growth occurs. These future projects will expand the system capacity to
25.89 million gallons per day w hich meet s General Plan projections for Santa Rosa and regional partners.
OPEN SPACE AND CONSERVATION ELEMENT
The Open Space and Conservation Element includes goals
and policies related to open space and natural resource conservation. General Plan goals and policies support
creating new public access trails to maximize the benefits of open space, the conservation of natural and biological resources and waterways, the promotion of energy and
water efficiency, and the reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions.
Creek Stewardship
The City’s waterway conservation and stewardship
activities continued in 20 21. The Creek Stewardship
Program, a partnership with Sonoma Water, helped care
for more than 100 miles of creeks within the Urban Growth Boundary.
Creek Stewardship has adapted to the pandemic with new ways to engage the community and respond to public reports and suggestions to protect and enhance waterways. More than 6,100 City residents, including 5,330 youth, participated in educational and stewardship events. School and youth groups received 250 sessions of both virtual and live watershed activities.
Laguna Treatment Plant biosolids program location
Figure 18 - Laguna Treatment Plant
Figure 19 - Colorful “Ours to
Protect” signs increase awareness of
Santa Rosa’s many creeks.
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Creek Stewardship community volunteers contributed nearly 2,200 service hours towards trail maintenance, care of creek restoration projects, and removal of trash from creeks. Eighty - nine volunteer creek cleanups occurred on 17 different creeks. Almost 1,300 cubic yards of trash and debris were removed from waterways by the City’s Storm Water and Creeks section with help from youth corps, contractors, and volunteers. Most of the trash originates from areas where people live and congregate along
creeks and under bridges. The Storm Water &
Creeks section partnered with Catholic Charites
and law enforcement to facilitate the cleanup of
debris from 541 camping areas along City
waterways. Additional cleanups of waterways
were conducted by Sonoma Water, City Parks,
and the City’s Tran sportation & Public Works
Department staff.
Storm Water & Creeks staff responded to
residents’ reports regarding trash, trail needs,
flood concerns, and other creek-related issues.
Security fencing structures under bridges were
maintained to prevent access and camping that
leads to the accumulation of trash and other
pollutants in waterways. Volunteers re -stock pet
waste bag dispensers, which along with trash
cans, help keep the creeks and creekside trail system clean.
The Storm Water & Creeks section continues t o work toward restoring 1.3 miles of Colgan Creek in southwest Santa Rosa to transform an engineered flood control channel into a healthier creek ecosystem. The project will increase flood protection, enhance habitat, improve water quality, and provide recreational opportunities.
In 2021, Storm Water & Creeks and Capital
Improvements Engineering led construction of Phase 2
of the project, which restored an approximately 2,000 - linear foot reach of the creek between Boron Avenue
and Victoria Drive. The project significantly enlarged the channel to increase flood protection and create room
for instream habitat structures and native plants that
enhance habitat for fish and wildlife. Additionally, the project constructed a paved pathway to provide
recreation and educational opportunities for area
residents and students. More native plantings are
planned for the S pring of 2022. City staff will maintain the Phase 2 reach and continue to maintain the
previously completed Phase 1 of the project near Elsie
Allen High School. The project is funded by a variety of S tate grants, Sonoma Cou nty Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District grants, and City Storm Water Assessment fees.
Figure 21 - Lower Colgan Creek Phase 2 after initial
channel restoration, 2021
Figure 20 - Students study how water quality influences the organisms that live in creeks.
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The City of Santa Rosa has tw o Climate Action Plans that are incorporated into the General Plan. A Community
Climate Action Plan (CCAP) which includes measures to
reduce citywide emissions 25 percent below 1990 levels
by 2020, and a Municipal Climate Action Plan which
focuses on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in City of Santa Rosa facilities and operations.
The emission reduction measures developed for both
Climate Action Plans address a range of sectors including energy efficiency, renewable energy, parking and land u se management, transportation, waste reduction and
recycling, water and wastewater, and off-road vehicles and equipment.
Throughout 2021, progress has been made in the following areas:
The Council retained Implementation of the City’s Climate Action Plan as a Tier 1 Goal in 2021. In response to public interest, the Climate Action Subcommittee (comprised of three Councilmembers), committed to regularly scheduled monthly meetings (increased from bi -monthly meetings) . These meetings provide Staff and the Council with direction to implement the Climate Action Plan and offer a forum for public participation and education.
Efforts considered by the Climate Action Subcommittee in 2021 included:
• A Reusable and Compostable Food Ware Ordinance;
• A Citywide Energy Efficiency, Renewables, and Microgrid Feasibility Study; • Implementation of Water’s Energy Optimization Plans;
• City’s Fleet Vehicle Telematics update;
• City’s Climate Action Plan update scope and timeline; and • Direction to draft ordinance prohibiting the construction of new gas stations The Subcommittee also received presentations from the Regional Climate Protection Authority (RCPA) on RCPA’s Sonoma Climate Mobilization Strategy, a Countywide 2018 greenhouse gas inventory, and an update on countywide transportation improvements aimed at reducing reliance on single-occupancy vehicles. These presentations and continued collaboration are part of an effort to improve regional coordination in Climate and Transportation Planning.
The existing Community Climate Action plan will be updated as a part of the City’s Comprehensive General Plan update. This effort will include a community -wide greenhouse gas inventory from 2019, new reduction targets for 2030 and 2050, new policies and actions to reduce emissions, and an implementation strategy. The updated CCAP will leverage the work of the Regional Climate Protect Authority (RCPA) Climate Mobilization Strategy, adopted in 2021, and will also include adaptation strategies.
Figure 22 - The City's Community
Climate Action Plan was adopted in
2012.
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In July of 2020, the City transitioned from Level of Service to Vehicles Miles Traveled (VMT) as the measure of transportation impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
New development projects exceeding the VMT threshold must integrate strategies to lessen greenhouse gas emissions including increasing access to common goods and services, the provision of car, bike, or ride sharing programs, and improving pedestrian and bicycle networks or transit service . Throughout 2021, City staff have worked with RCPA on an improved VMT calculator and implementable VMT mitigations to be applied on a project -by- project basis.
Energy Efficiency
The CCAP provides energy efficiency and conservation goal s and encourages utilization of CALGreen building code standards for new construction. The CCAP also calls for improv ed energy efficiency in existing buildings, smart meter utilization, and energy efficient appliances.
City staff applied enhanced energy efficiency requirements for new construction based on the City’s All-Electric Reach Code adopted in 2019 and CALGreen building code standards. City staff continue to review new development for consistent with local and state energy efficiency requirements. In 2021, the installation of advanced metering infrastructure was completed for all properties with City water meters. These new meters allow for real time tracking to detect leaks and reduce energy waste associated with the transportation of water.
Renewable Energy
The MCAP and CCAP call for renewable energy installations and renewable power generation. In 2021, the City continued to utilize EverGreen service for all City facilities. EverGreen is 100% renewable and is sourced by day with solar energy and by night with geothermal energy. All power is sourced within Sonoma and Mendocino Counties.
During 20 21, renewable energy projects at Laguna Treatment Plant generated solar PV while combined heat and power engines generated electricity from digester gas.
Planning and Economic Development Department staff continue to provide expedited review for all EV charging stations and to require EV charging infrastructure in all new residential projects.
Parking and Land Use Management
The CCAP encourages dense residential and commercial
development near existing services and transit centers within the Urban Growth Boundary to reduce vehicle miles traveled. Planning and Economic Development Depa rtment staff continue to encourage transit use by streamlin ing residential, lodging, and day care projects that are located within Priority Development Areas within a half mile of frequent transit. In the fall of 2021, the conceptual design of the Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing was reviewed by the community and the Design Review Board. This Overcrossing will provide connection between the SRJC area and Coddingtown Mall.
Improved Transportation Options
The CCAP calls for an improved bicycle and pedestrian network, improved transit, and car Figure 23 - The MCAP was adopted in
2013.
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sharing. In 2021 , the Traffic Engineering Division collaborated with the Sonoma County Transportation Authority and the Transportation Authority of Marin to negotiate a contract with a bike share vendor. A bike share pilot program is anticipated to launch in 2022. A shared scooter pilot program will also be launching in 2022.
CityBus staff completed the following items to support SMART service in 2021: 15 minute local bus service for the Santa Rosa Downtown Station along with 3rd Street bus stop improvement, reciprocal transfers -updated Clipper rules, design and procurement of a parking shuttle contractor (canceled after one year of service), off-platform signage for both the Downtown and North Station, CityBus staff will assist SMART by being the Santa Rosa Clipper sales office, and Guerneville Rd turn-up and bus stop improvements.
Waste Reduction, Recycling and Composting
The City of Santa Rosa Zero Waste
Master Plan (Pla n) aims to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions resulting
from consumption and disposal
activities and includes the following
goals: the reduction from 2.8 to one
pound per person per day of franchised
waste landfill disposal (currently at 2.5) and the overall diversion of at least 75-percent (from 45-percent currently) of franchised waste from landfill disposal by 2030. Franchised waste is any waste that is processed by the City’s franchised hauler versus self-haul waste which is waste that is transport ed by individuals or businesses to other locations ( i.e., food waste to pig farmers, corporate backhauling (i.e., Safeway with cardboard), etc.).
The Plan suggests five strategies: stem the flow of waste at its source; increas e community requirements for recycling program participation; maximiz e and enhanc e waste diversion; increase recoverable items from construction activities; and establish the City as a leader for waste reduction behaviors and programs.
In August 2021, the Council adopted the Zero Waste Food Ware Ordinance , a main strategy recommendation in the Plan. Effective as of January 202 2, the Zero Waste Food Ware Ordinance regulates the use of disposable food service ware and bans the sale of polystyrene (plastic foam) and Fluorinated (PFAS) products which contribute to street litte r, marine pollution, harm to wildlife, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste sent to the landfill.
City staff and regional partners (Zero Waste Sonoma and Recology) h ave been focused on a successful implementation of the provisions and requirements contained within SB 1383 - Short-Lived Climate Pollutants : Organic Waste Reductions . SB 1383 became effective in January 2020 and establishes the following statewide greenhouse gas emission reductions goals: by 2025 reduce the amount of organic material disposed in landfills by 75% from the 2014 level and by 2025, no less than 20% of edible food currently disposed must also be recovered for human consumption . SB 1383 impacts both residents and businesses and is the most aggressive waste reduction law to be adopted in California for the past 30 years.
Recology’s Zero Waste team continues to offer waste audits and waste education for Santa Rosa schools, businesses, and conferences. Recology’s Zero Waste team conducted 309 site audits, 206 trainings/presentations, initiated recycling at 3 8 establishments, and started composting programs for 194 accounts during 2021.
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YOUTH AND FAMILY ELEMENT
The Youth and Family Element promotes the health, safety, and welfare of children, teens, the elderly, and their families in Santa Rosa. Childcare services, youth, and senior programs are supported.
City’s Support Program Facility Fund
In 2021, the Council supported funding for the City’s Support Program Facility Fund. This Program seeks to stabilize and grow the childcare business sector, ensuring easy access to quality early childcare and education that is within families’ financial means. The goal of the Childcare Facility Fund is to award the $2.9 m in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation funds via grants in support of childcare facility development and rehabilitation (less program administration costs), and to leverage the $1.4 m General Fund seed funding with other funding sources to be accessed through a no-interest revolving loan program (less program administration costs).
Children’s Savings Account
An investment of $1,575,000 of ARPA funds for the Children's Saving Account (CSA) was approved by the Council in 2021. CSA is a transformational investment into the future of qualifying 2–5-year-olds in the City. Building on an existing CSA program called First 5 Sonoma Futures offered by First 5 Sonoma County, this investment holds some of the most significant opportunities to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and positively impact family economic wellness and self-sufficiency.
Santa Rosa Violence Prevention Partnership (The Partnership) The Santa Rosa Violence
Prevention Partnership (The
Partnership) is funded through
Measure O (2004) proceeds
and provides grants to City
schools and non -profit
organizations to fund programs
related to School Readiness,
Street Outreach & Mediation,
Student Engagement & Truancy
Prevention, and Workforce
Development. Since 2006, the
Partnership has provided more
than $11,000,000 to local
community-based organizations
and schools.
In 2021, The Partnership
partnered with Upstream
Investments to produce an update to the Community Safety Scorecard (2016). The updated data sources reflect 2018 – 2020 data. Committee Members and Staff selected to update the indicators identified in the 2017 – 2022 Strategic Plan. The four indicators are School
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Readiness, Street Outreach and Mediation, Student Engagement and Truancy Prevention and Workforce Development. The four indicators have a direct correlation to community violence.
The Partnership hosted a series of community open houses in English and Spanish, and community partner meetings to address the roots of violence. The Partnership ideology centers around the public health approach to violence prevention which addresses the unique conditions at the root of long -term neighborhood violence. In 2020, there was a recent shift in our community awareness and there is greater acknowledgement for root problems like discrimination, a lack of equity, and poverty.
The Partnership acknowledges community violence roots itself in social structures that exist in Santa Rosa. Our underserved communities face discrimination, a lack of equity and poverty.
Measure O funds are used to invest deeply in providing support in our communities.
The 10 Roots of Community Violence:
• Families are disconnected from community and support
• Neighborhoods are unsafe
• Police do not have strong relationships with community members • Students do not reach their potential
• Reentry is not supported
• Families experience unemployment and poverty
• Families have poor access to health and mental health care • Government has historically not prioritized fostering relationships with marginalized communities to assess and meet needs.
• Prevention services are lacking
• Violence is normalized
Together, the Partnership and Measure O CHOICE grant funded programs work together towards our shared vision, that all Santa Rosa youth are healthy, safe, and connected to their families, schools, communities, and futures.
In conjunction with the Fire Department and the City’s Communications Team, The Partnership held, Santa Rosa: Wildfire Ready virtual workshops in English, Spanish and ASL translation. There were five workshops, three informational and two focused on individual and community trauma. There was a total of 266 attendees at the five workshops. The workshop objectives were to: educate the community on preparedness for the next emergency, engage the community in a conversation about evacuation routes for residents in the Santa Rosa city- limits; provide tools and resources for evacuating; and inform about emergency alerts and notifications and connect attendees with information, resources, and a network to support fire mitigation.
Find more information about The Partnership online at www.srcity.org/santarosapartnership
or on Facebook and Instagram @santarosapartnership.
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ECONOMIC VITALITY ELEMENT
The General Plan calls for a positive business climate that includes retaining and expanding existing businesses and attracting new
businesses to maintain the economic
vitality of business locations in the City.
Despite the ongoing pandemic, fluctuation
in health order restrictions, and continued
economic constraints, Santa Rosa’s diverse
economy remained stable overall, seeing an
uptick in sales tax cash receipts. There are,
however, continued resiliency and recovery
discrepancies based on socio -economic
status.
In terms of vacancy rates, office, industrial,
and retail was historically steady until 2020
when, mirroring national trends, all sectors saw increases in vacancies, with retail being hit the hardest. In 2021, industrial vacancy rates returned to pre-pandemic levels, though office and retail vacancies remain high. In addition, since Sonoma County’s tourism sector relies more heavily on domestic travelers vs. international visitors, tou rism saw a rebound, though not quite to pre-pandemic levels, as travel restrictions have loosened, and more businesses have reopened.
The City continued to respond to business
needs with policy and program development
and Zoning Code interpretations allowing
businesses to pivot and/or make operational
changes while remaining compliant with health
orders. Certain pandemic driven temporary
policies have been extended with some
becoming permanent changes.
Driven by community inequities highlighted
and intensified by the longevity of the
pandemic, the Economic Development Division
developed a plan to demonstrate the City’s
long-term vision for a healthy and thriving
Santa Rosa community by centering equity and
targeted universalism. As seen below, the
theory of change articulates how the Economic
Development Division will fulfill the vision of a healthy and thriving Santa Rosa community, fueled by the exchange of diverse ideas, innovative practices, and collective responsibility.
Figure 24 – Local Sales Tax Percent Change (quarterly)
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HISTORIC PRESERVATION ELEMENT
General Plan policy calls for preserving Santa Rosa’s historic structures and neighborhoods by pursuing new designated landmarks and preservation districts, ensuring that alterations to historic buildings are compatible with the character of the building and district, and increasing public participation in the preservation process.
A Landmark Alteration Permit (LMA) is required for all exterior alterations to designated landmarks, and for all buildings within historic preservation districts , with few exceptions.
There were 18 LMA applications submitted in 2021, including the SMART Village Residential Development, a 6 -story, 114 -unit residential mixed-use building in the Railroad Square Preservation District. This project was approved by the Cultural Heritage Board in November 2021. No new historic landmarks were designated in 2020.
On March 23, 2021, the Council approved a Professional Services Agreement with Architectural Resources Group, Inc. to prepare a Historic Resource Evaluation (HRE) of the Downtown Station Area (DSA). This grant funded project fulfills a Downtown Station Area Specific Plan policy to prepare a historic context statement and conduct a comprehensive historic resource survey (HRE) to locate, identify, and document DSA structures and sites that may qualify for nomination to State or federal historic registers, or that may otherwise be of local significance. The HRE will consider more than 700 structures constructed between 1870 and 1974 that are located within the DSA boundary but outside of existing preservation districts.
The project kicked off officially in April 2021 and is projected to be completed in January 2023.
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NOISE AND SAFETY ELEMENT
On November 30, 2021, the Council adopted the Sonoma County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (MJHMP). The City elected to participate in the development of an MJHMP recognizing that hazards cross jurisdictional and political boundaries. The benefits of taking a multijurisdictional approach to hazard mitigation planning include the ability to pool resources and eliminate redundant activities within a planning area that has uniform risk exposure and vulnerabilities, creating opportunities for coordination and collaboration, and the ability to create stronger grant applications by joining with other agencies.
The MJHMP includes two volumes. Volume 1 contents apply to all partners and Sonoma County in its entirety. Volume 2 includes an Annex, or chapter, for each of the participating local agencies and special districts. The City of Santa Rosa Annex, found in Volume 2 Chapter 3, addresses City-specific vulnerabilities to natural hazards such as earthquake, flood, and wildfire and includes mitigation action items to minimize the effect these natural hazards have on people, property, and natural systems. The City’s Annex updates the City’s previous Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) adopted in January 2017, and incorporates all actionable items included in the City’s 2020 Community Wildlife Protection Plan. The MJHMP and LHMP update will serve as foundational documents for the Safety Element as part of the General Plan update process. Visit: srcity.org/LHMP for more information and to access the Plan.
Some of the City’s recent and ongoing actions to
identify, address, and prioritize mitigation projects
related to flooding, drought, hazardous materials,
wildfires, and other potential hazards are:
• In February 2021, the Council provided
direction to staff to allocate $8 million of the
City’s $95 million PG&E 2017 wildfire
settlement funds for the following uses:
• $5.25 million to implement a 5-year
Vegetation Management Program using the
City’s Community Wildfire Protection
Plan as a roadmap to reduce the risk of
wildfires locally through evacuation route improvements, community wildfire education, wildfire and evacuation preparedness, structural hardening of the built environment, vegetation treatments to reduce wildfire threat, implementation of defensible space standards and increased staffing dedicated to the wildfire mitigation workload.
• $2.75 million for implementation of the Fire Department’s Wildland Resiliency and Response Strategic Plan. Implementation of this plan will provide additional resources to legislative efforts, community engagement and education, and additional wildland firefighting apparatus and equipment to significantly improve the Fire Department’s capacity and abilities to prevent, mitigate, and respond to wildland fires using current staffing and fire stations.
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• The Fire Department received approval for two FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grants totaling $4.9 million in 2021 to implement Fuel Reduction along Evacuation Routes and Wildland Urban Interface Fuel Modification (A Home Hardening and Defensible Space Program) Programs. These programs are described in the Community Wildfire Protection Plan, which was adopted in 2020.
• The Water Department initiated environmen tal review required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to construct an earthen berm around the Laguna Treatment Plant to prevent flooding. This project is in the final review phase for a $10 million FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance Program grant. • Water Department staff received grant funding in 2019 to examine groundwater contamination sites in the vicinity of its Freeway Well and study the feasibility of potential groundwater cleanup and/or protection measures. The feasibility study was completed in September 2021.
• A Hazard Mitigation Grant Program application was approved to retrofit approximately 175 traffic signals with a battery backup system which will provide power for four hours following a power outage. Construction of these systems was completed in August of 2021.
• Progress was made toward the replacement for F ire Station 5, located in the Fountaingrove area, and included environmental review and land acquisition, which were approved by Council in February 2022. An award for design/building of the Fire Station is anticipated in Fall 2022.
• Environmental Compliance Inspectors review hazardous waste manifests to ensure that hazardous materials are not being dumped to sewer. These actions protect the Laguna Treatment Plant, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer collection systems .
Secondary containment is verified for Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and California Non -RCRA wastes. O utside storage of equipment, chemicals, and materials is evaluated to verify that rain will not wash unwanted materials, especially hydrocarbons, to the storm drain system. Best Management Practices are shared as they relate to these inspection items. Additionally, b usinesses are encouraged to contact the local Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) with questions. • Planning and Economic Development Department staff review new development for compliance with building code requirements including soil stability and seismic risk evaluation and require appropriate erosion control measures during construction. • In 2021, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was activated one time for a flash flood event in October requiring the evacuation of 95 homes. The City is working through the implementation of a state grant to upgrade the EOC over the next few years, which will allow it to remain ‘hot’ (permanently set up) rather than ‘warm’ (ready to go) where the space is shared amongst multiple departments. Over the summer the City distributed 12K NOAA Weather Radios provided by a FEMA grant to the community at 6 drive-through events, allowing additional alert and warning capability. Two major plans; the Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), are due for update in 2022, including their respective annexes.
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ART AND CULTURE ELEMENT
The General Plan Art and Culture Element calls for public art throughout Santa Rosa. Over the years, the City’s Public Art Program has grown to include the following key areas:
Public Art Program
In late 2018, the Public Art Program was relocated from the Recreation & Parks Department to the Planning & Economic Development Department.
Some 2021 Public Art Program highlights include:
Public Art Strategic Plan. In 2019, the program began a strategic planning process that was completed in February 2021. The planning process resulted in a roadmap to operationalize the Public Art Program’s vision and goals over the next four years. The Public Art Program and Art in Public Places Committee (APPC) embarked on a process to set a new, bold vision that can help the City navigate the current crises and build an empowered, thriving, and inclusive Santa Rosa community connected through the power of art. The plan was created in collaboration with City staff, APPC members, area artists, issue experts, community leaders, and engaged citizens. More about the plan can be found
HERE.
Vision
An empowered, thriving, and inclusive Santa Rosa community connected through the power of art.
Mission
Champion artistic expression and amplify community voices through a diverse array of public art experiences.
Theory of Change
Our theory of change, as seen below, articulates how the Public Art Program will fulfill the vision of a thriving and inclusive Santa Rosa region. It outlines the logic behind how our mission and activities will produce outputs and outcomes that lead to our vision.
Public Art
Projects
Site Specific
Installations
Temporary &
Permanent
Projects
Community
Based Projects
Collection
Management
Accessions &
Deaccessions
Relocations
Maintenance &
Conservation
Public Art in
Private
Development
Art on Site
Fee In-Lieu
Cultural Events
Live at Juilliard
Earth Day On
Stage
Performances
Crafts Fair
Vendor Jury
Rotating Art
Exhibits
30 Exhibits Per
Year
Installed in select
City / community
buildings
National Arts
Program Exhibit
& Competition
Street
Performer
Permits
Annual permits
issued over the
counter
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Public Art
Public art is art—in any media—that is created for the benefit of the general public.
Public art is inherently expansive, requiring only that it be visually and/or physically accessible to the public. In Santa Rosa, we strive for public art that is placemaking, meaning-making, and community-building, and welcome art makers of any discipline, practice, background, and vision.
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Imagine Art in Old
Courthouse Square Public
Art Project. In December
2020, Blessing Hancock
was approved for her work
Unum by the Art in Public
Places Committee.
Inspired by the unified Old
Courthouse Square, the
sculpture embraces
themes of welcoming and
inspiration, while relaying
the Santa Rosa values of
innovation and cultural
inclusivity through its
integral text, which was
collected through a
community engagement process in 2021. Eighteen words were identified through the process to appear in the languages most commonly spoken in Santa Rosa. Installation is anticipated in Summer 2022.
Ruth Asawa Art Panels. Returning the Ruth Asawa Panels to a new fountain in Old Courthouse Square has been planned since the reunification of the square in 2016. In 2021, the Public Art Program, working with a conservator, the family of the artist and ex perts in the field recommended the
panels to be cast in
bronze. The original
glass fiber reinforced
concrete (GFRC)
material deteriorated
over time,
threatening the
structural integrity of
the panels. In August
2021, the Art in
Public Places
Committee appr oved
casting the panels in
bronze. In November
2021, the City Council
approved funding to complete the bronze casting. Coordination efforts are underway with private sector partners who are constructing the fountain. It is anticipated the art panels will be installed in the next year.
Figure 25 - Unum, Blessing Hancock
Figure 26 - Rendering of Ruth Asawa Panels on Old Courthouse Square Fountain
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Maintenance & Conservation. To care for its existing collection, the Public Art Program performs annual repairs and maintenance on murals, sculptures, and mosaics. In 2021, repairs and/or annual cleaning was
performed on the following items: Hangover
II by Charles Ginnever, Daphne by Ron
Rodgers, Untitled by Harry Dixon, El Viejo by
Florence Dixon, Illumination by Mario
Nardin, Guardian of the Creek by Mario
Uribe/Artstart, Wellspring by Wowhaus, and
ZAGG by Michael Hayden.
Figure 28 - ZAGG, Michael Hayden
Figure 27 - Guardian of the Creek, Mario
Uribe/Artstart
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II. ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE GROWTH MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
The City’s Growth Management Ordinance regulates residential growth. In 2021 , the Growth Management Ordinance allowed 800 new residential allotments. Each allotment allows for the future issuance of a building permit.
Growth Management allotments are available from two reserves, "A" and "B," each reserve having 400 new allotments per year. Reserve "A" allotments are for accessory dwelling units, mixed use units, units affordable to very low- and low-income households, and other qualifying units. Reserve “A” q ualifying units also include all multifamily units, for-sale single family attached units with project density of 10 units per acre or more, and smaller single family attached or detached units with maximum lot size, square footage, and bedroom requirements. Reserve "B" allotments are generally for any single -family unit greater than 1,250-square feet.
Section 21-03.140 of the Growth Management Ordinance specifies that at least once each calendar year, City staff shall prepare a report on the Growth Management program. The following covers the information required by the Ordinance for the 2021 calendar year. 1) The number of building permits issued (1) with Reserve "A" allotm ents and (2) with Reserve "B" allotments during the time period covered by the report.
In 2021, 1,404 residential building permits were issued. Of these permits, 1,225 were issued with Reserve “A,” allotments and 179 were issued with Reserve “B” allotments. 2) The number of entitlements, if any, that remained unallotted in (1) Reserve "A" and (2) Reserve "B" during the time period. The number of Reserve "A" entitlements, if any, borrowed from the next year's Reserve "A" entitlements. The number of Reserve "B" entitlements, if any, that were reserved in future calendar year entitlements.
In 2021, 400 new Reserve “A” allotments became available, with 1,225 Reserve “A” qualifying unit s permitted . Pursuant to City Code section 21 -03.090 Untitled entitlements, Reserve “A” entitlements which are not allotted in a particular calendar year shall be added to the new Reserve “A” entitlements which will become available in the next calendar year. In 2021, 825 of the 830 Reserve “A” allotments that remained available from 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 were used. Of the 400 new Reserve “B” allotments made available in 2020, 179 allotments were used including the recordation of the Elson Place, Baggett Cottages, Grove Village, and Kerry Ranch I final subdivision maps.
3) An evaluation of the coordination of planning and development decisions, including infrastructure planning, with policies related to growth management.
Residential development is not approved without acknowledging the requirements of the Growth Management Ordinance . Residential development applications must indicate the total number and type of units proposed and for what year reserve allotments are requested.
The relationship between infrastructure planning and the growth management program is indirect. Infrastructure planning is done on a broad basis, to ensure there is sufficient infrastructure to serve General Plan buildout a s well as to support
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individual project requirements. The Downtown and North Santa Rosa Station Area Specific Plans outline the infrastructure need s and cost estimates for future development within each respective plan area.
Development impact fees are used to finance capital improvement projects. Projects programmed in the City’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP) are reviewed annually by the Planning Commission to ensure that the CIP is consistent with improvements identified by the General Plan.
4) An analysis of the provision of public services, and if those services, including fire and police response, parks, water, and wastewater services, have sufficient capacity to meet the needs of Santa Rosa.
Planning to ensure sufficient capacity to meet the future service needs of Santa Rosa is ongoing. The City meets each of the above noted service needs in the following ways:
Parks
Santa Rosa’s Park
acreage includes
approximately: 1,036
acres of neighborhood
and community parks,
open space, special
purpose parks,
recreational facilities,
public plazas and
gathering spaces, and a
golf course. The City
maintains an additional
65 acres of medians,
roadway landscapes and
frontages. The General
Plan standard is 6 acres of
park land per 1,000 residents, with city parks (community, neighborhood, and special purpose) making up 3.5 acres per 1,000 residents, publicly accessible school recreational land accounting for 1.4 acres per 1,000 residents, and public serving open space accounting for 1.1 acres per 1,000 residents. City staff continue to work to ensure provision of parks and recreation and community facilities for Santa Rosa residents. City Staff continues to work diligently to acquire new park land and open existing land to new recreational features.
Conditions That Could Affect Water Supply
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Sonoma Water to ensure protections for three salmon species that are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act: Central California coast steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss); Central California Coast Coho salmon (O. kisutch); and California Coast Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha). City restoration efforts include the protection and enhancement critical habitat and managing waterway flow rates among others . Adhering to NMFS waterflow requirements could impact Sonoma Figure 29 - Juilliard Park Stone Bridge
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Water’s ability to meet peak water demands during prolonged dry seasons.
Sonoma Water and
USACE completed
construction of the final
elements of Phases I
through III including
habitat enhancement in
six reaches along the 14 -
mile length of Dry Creek
between Lake Sonoma
and the Russian River
confluence.
In 2021, some minor
damage occurred in a
small area of the inlet of a
newly constructed site as
a result of a panel of
erosion control fabric being
lifted up during the approximate 3,000 cfs flows that occurred during the October 24, 2021, atmospheric river event. No other damage was noticeable to any of the features throughout the site. Sonoma Water environmental staff continue to conduct physical and biological surveys on previously constructed and maintained sites to quantify the habitat areas and identify changes or maintenance needs. This involves collecting topographic data and imagery with drones, surveying the topography and the underwater bathymetry, measuring the velocity and depth of the water, and recording the location and exten t of specific habitat structures such as log jams, pools, and riffles.
Sonoma Water and the Army Corps of Engineers continue to make progress on Phases IV through VI of the habitat enhancement project. The bid documents for Phase IV were completed and construction is planned for summer 2022. The Army Corps completed review of right -of-way agreement modifications requested by some participating property owners . The 99% design submittals for Phases V and VI were completed .
Construction of Phase V is scheduled to begin in summer 2023 and Phase VI in 2024.
A successful project will enable flow rates in Dry Creek to meet the current and future water demands of Sonoma Water, further stabilizing the region’s water supply.
Future Water Supply
The City adopted its 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (UWMP) and submitted it to the State Department of Water Resources on June 30, 2021. The UWMP provides an updated analysis of the City’s projected water demand, water supply, and water supply reliability for the next 25 years . The City’s projections integrate population g rowth, forecasted development, potential climate change impacts, and anticipated water savings from plumbing codes and regulations. The UWMP includes an analysis of water supply reliability in the event of five consecutive dry years for 2021-2025 and for each five-year increment through 2045.
Figure 30 - USACE and Sonoma Water employees work to improve Dry Creek waterflows and salmon habitat.
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In addition, the City prepared and adopted an updated Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) in June 2021. The WSCP describes how the City will respond to water shortage conditions in times of drought, supply reductions, or emergencies to ensure the City is prepared to respond to water shortages ranging from mild (up to 10%) to severe (over 50%). Short-term water supply shortages are anticipated in the City’s long- term water supply planning and are not expected to constrain new development. The City adopted an Amended WSCP on November 30, 2021 , with changes to the Excess Use Penalty structure and revisions to the offset requirements for any new development that may occur during severe shortages (Stages 5-8).
The City’s 2020 UWMP water demand analysis indicates that the City water supply will be adequate to meet demand through 2045. As described in the WSCP, the City will enact the appropriate stage of its Shortage Plan to ensure water demand does not exceed supply.
On April 21, 2021, the Governor declared a drought emergency in Sonoma County due to historically low rainfall in 2020 and 2021 . On June 14, 2021, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) issued a Temporary Urgency Change Order approving Sonoma Water’s request to reduce their releases from Lake Sonoma into the Russian River, the source of 95% Santa Rosa’s drinking water. The SWRCB Order also required that Sonoma Water, the regional water supply wholesaler, reduce the amount of water it supplies to communities by 20 percent, compared to 2020 levels, from July through December of 2021.
In Santa Rosa, this triggered a need to enact a water shortage declaration with prohibitions and water use restrictions to ensure the Santa Rosa community reduced water use immediately. On June 29, 2021, the Santa Rosa City Council declared a Stage 3 water shortage and adopted a mandatory 20 percent communitywide reduction in water use and initiated water prohibitions and restrictions. These actions were in addition to the City’s ongoing Water Use Efficiency programs and ongoing enforcement of its Water Waste Ordinance.
On October 19, 2021, the Governor issued a proclamation extending the drought emergency statewide and further urging Californians to step up their water conservation efforts. Due to local October storm events in the Russian River watershed, instream flows in the Russian River increased. As a result, the SWRCB issued an amended order that temporarily suspended the ban on Russian River water diversions for water rights holders. The amended order also require d Sonoma Water customers that are urban water suppliers to implement the appropriate stage of their respective Water Shortage Contingency Plans, consistent with the Governor’s October 19, 2021, emergency drought proclamation. Santa Rosa was already in compliance with this requirement.
While rains through December brought much needed precipitation, the reservoir level in Lake Sonoma continue d to be historically low. Therefore, the City remained in a Stage 3 water shortage, requiring a 20% reduction in water use compared to 2020.
The community exceeded this goal by reducing total water use by 23% for the July - December time period compared to the same time period in 2020.
Santa Rosa plans to continue to enact Stage 3 of its WSCP until sufficient rainfall
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replenishes Lake Sonoma and the Russian River watershed. However, if no additional rainfall is received in the first half of 2022, the City may need to declare a more severe water shortage emergency (Stage 4 or higher) to ensure demand for water does not exceed very limited supplies.
Wastewater
The City’s wastewater collection system , inclusive of scheduled, planned, and anticipated CIP projects, is anticipated to adequately serve existing and future development needs as predicted by the General Plan. Example CIP projects include on- going annual replacement of wastewater collection and trunk pipelines, improvements to wastewater lift sta tions, and maintenance and repair of the City’s wastewater system.
Wastewater from Santa Rosa is treated at the Laguna Subregional Wastewater Treatment Plant (LTP) and is reclaimed in the Santa Rosa Subregional Water Reclamation System. The CIP includes LTP and reclamation system improvements that are intended to maintain adequate capacity to treat and reclaim General Plan anticipated wastewater volumes. The reclamation system’s current 21.34 -mgd capacity is anticipated to be sufficient into the future . Projects that would expand the existing reclamation system to 25.89-mgd to meet General Plan projections for Santa Rosa and other subregional partners have been identified. 5) A listing of any significant problems which arose during the time period covered in administering the Growth Management program.
No specific Growth Management administration problems were experienced in 2021; however, there is overall conflict between the program and realization of City housing production goals and Regional Housing Needs Assessment requirements. The maximum allowable 800 residential allotments per year is further limited on a per project basis to 75 single-family allotments per year and 200 multi -family allotments per year and Council action is required to allow more than 400 allotments per calendar year for most detached single -family construction. During both 2020 and 2021, Reserve “A” allotments were borrowed from previous years, however, this may not be a viable way to achieve housing goals depending on the number of residential units in future years.
6) A listing of any staff recommendations, with regard to changes or revisions to the adopted program to improve its effectiveness and/or administration.
See item seven (7) response below.
7) A recommendation, if any, together with factual supporting data, as to whether the Growth Management Element of the General Plan and/or the Growth Management program should be substantially revised or discontinued.
The Growth Management Ordinance, Chapter 21 -03 of the City Code, sunset at the end of 2020, however, General Plan Policy GM-B -1, in the Growth Management Element, provides housing allocations through 2035. Staff is evaluating amendments to the Growth Management General Plan Element as a part of the comprehensive General Plan update with considering the City’s current and projected need for housing
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development including affordable housing.
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III. ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE INCLUSIONARY HOUSING ORDINANCE
The City's 2016 Housing Action Plan seeks to increase development of affordable housing. A key tool in that effort is the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. The Inclusionary Housing Ordinance requires that housing projects include on -site affordable units or the payment of “in lieu” funds which are used for affordable housing development. Allocated units are defined as a newly constructed “for-rent” or “for-sale” dwelling unit which is:
• Made available and occupied by a household of lower or moderate income • Subject to occupancy and affordable rent or sales price controls for a period of not less than 55 years
• Compatible with the design of other units in the residential housing development of which it is part in terms of exterior appearance, materials, and quality finish, and • A similar unit type and bedroom mix to the overall residential development.
Pursuant to City Code Section 21 -02.140, City staff reports on the effectiveness of the inclusionary housing ordinance at least once each calendar year including the items listed below.
1) The number of allocated units, both on and off site, issued building permits during the time period covered by the report.
Between January 1 and December 31, 202 1, a total of 298 allocated units were issued building permits on the respective housing development site . No building permits were issued for allocated units off site.
The number of qualifying units, owner/builder units, second units, very low- or low- income units and mixed-use units issued building permits during the time period covered by the report.
Between January 1 and December 31, 20 21, 1,309 units were subject to the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance . In 2021, 95 building permits were issued for Accessory Dwelling Units (excluding the fire rebuild area), which are exempt from the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. Building permits were issued for 471 units targeted to lower income households, including 28 units for extremely low-income households, 183 units for very low-income households, 190 units for low-income households, and 70 for moderate-income households. A total of nine owner/builder building permits were issued (for Accessory Dwelling Units) outside of the fire rebuild area last year. 2) The amount of housing impact fees collected.
In 2021, $1.58 million was collected in Housing Impact fees, representing a 24 percent increase from 2020, when $1.2 million was collected. The amount of Housing Impact fees collected since the Ord inance’s adoption in 1992 is more than $ 33 million. A total of 1,870 affordable units have been supported through this fee. 3) The amount of acreage by land use category dedicated to the City.
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No land was dedicated to the City through the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance during 2021.
4) A listing of any staff recommendations , with regard to changes or revisions to the adopted program to improve its effectiveness and/or administration.
The Inclusionary Housing Ordinance was updated in December 2019. Planning and Economic Development and Housing and Community Services staff continued implementation of th is Ordinance in 2021 without issue. There are no staff recommended changes at this time.
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HOUSING ELEMENT POLICY APPENDIX
2021 ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT
Policy Objective Housing
Element
Timeframe
Policy Implementation Status
H-A-1 Ensure adequate sites are
available for development of
a variety of housing types for
all income levels, including
single and multifamily units,
mobile homes, transitional
housing, and homeless
shelters.
Ongoing The 2014 Housing Element identified vacant parcels available for construction of residential units at various densities. Subsequent rezones in the SMART station
areas increased the number of sites zoned for high
density residential housing. The City Council adopted an updated Downtown Station Area Specific Plan in October
2020 which offers strategies designed to encourage
density and increase housing production for all income
levels. The City is currently updating its General Plan which will update the inventory of vacant parcels and
explore density increases within appropriate areas.
Planning staff are also working on the development of a Missing Middle Housing Ordinance which would increase
the residential densities on many sites located within
walkable neighborhoods.
H-A-2 Pursue the goal of meeting
Santa Rosa’s housing needs
through increased densities,
when consistent with
preservation of existing
neighborhoods. The number
of affordable units permitted
each year, and the adequacy
of higher density sites shall
be reported as part of the
General Plan Annual Review
report.
Ongoing The City's Density Bonus Ordinance was updated in November 2021 to comply with State density bonus law
which now allows qualified affordable housing projects at 50% density increase and further reduces parking ratios, especially for projects served by transit. They City’s
supplemental density provision has not changed and
allows up to a 100% density bonus, depending on project location.
H-A-3 Promote conservation and
rehabilitation of the existing
housing stock and discourage
intrusion of incompatible uses
into residential
neighborhoods which would
erode the character of
established neighborhoods or
lead to use conflicts.
Ongoing City staff continue to implement the City’s Zoning Code regulations, which consider land use compatibility in
residential neighborhoods, on a project-by-project basis.
In 2021, City staff continued to administer the Housing Quality Standards Inspection Program, and the
Neighborhood Revitalization Program, which focus on
rehabilitating existing housing stock throughout the City, in particular housing units for low-income households.
H-A-4 Meet and confer with Sonoma
County Planning staff on a
regular basis to address
housing needs of lower
income and special needs
groups, to coordinate
regarding issues including
infrastructure, zoning and
land use, annexations,
community acceptance
strategies, homeless shelters,
farmworkers, persons with
disabilities, environmental
Ongoing City and County staff meet as needed to discuss housing needs regionally. Santa Rosa planners attend monthly
Planning Advisory Committee (PAC) meetings, comprised
of Planning staff from each of the nine cities within the County and County of Sonoma staff, and a representative from the Association of Bay Area Governments, to
collaborate on State Legislation related to housing, and discuss State and regional funding opportunities and
regional transportation issues and opportunities.
Annexation initiatives are discussed on an as needed
basis between City and County staff.
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issues, funding, and impact
fees.
H-A-5 Improve community
acceptance of higher density
housing through community-
based outreach, recognition
of existing livable
neighborhoods, and
assurance of well-designed
high-density projects.
2018 This policy is implemented on a project-by-project basis.
In 2021, Planning staff continued to hold neighborhood
meetings, continuing with a virtual format in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to raise public awareness of
proposed projects, to ensure transparency, and to receive public input. Additionally, projects which utilized the City’s Pre-Application Meetings and/or Concept Design Review
benefitted from early feedback regarding the project
design.
H-B-1 Rehabilitate 50 housing units
annually through the city’s
rehabilitation programs,
focusing on very low- and low-
income beneficiaries.
Ongoing Housing Choice Voucher Housing Quality Standards Inspections resumed in October 2021 after being
suspended in March 2020 due to COVID-19. For the
months of October – December 2021, 108 inspections
were performed. A total of 116 units were rehabilitated in 2021 following Housing Choice Vouched Housing Quality
Standard inspections. Rehabilitations from these
inspections may be minor in nature, and do not always
require a building permit to correct. In addition, Code Enforcement violations resulted in the issuance of 76
building permits to bring residential units of all income categories to current building code standards. These
building permits included modifications to plumbing,
electrical and other systems. In addition, in 2021, the Housing Authority provided a loan in the amount of
$77,498 for rehabilitation of Hearn House, a 15-bed
transitional housing development for extremely low-
income formerly homeless veterans.
H-B-2 Discourage the subdivision of
mobile home parks or
conversion to other uses
through enforcement of the
Conversion of Mobilehome
Parks chapter of the City
Code.
Ongoing Implementation of the City's Mobilehome Parks
Conversion ordinance is conducted on a project-by-
project basis.
H-B-3 Retain federal, state and
locally subsidized affordable
units which may be lost
through contract termination.
Ongoing No locally funded affordable units were lost to market rate in 2021.
H-B-4 Continue improving living
conditions in the city’s
neighborhoods through active
code enforcement and the
Neighborhood Revitalization
Program.
Ongoing The Code Enforcement Division continued to operate the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) in 2021. This Program, a coordinated inter-departmental City task
force, focuses on improving living conditions and quality of life in specific neighborhoods throughout the City. The NRP resulted in 102 cases opened in 2021 and 26 cases
closed. Cases identified through the NRP inspections
often do not require a building permit to resolve, and
include addressing issues including door and window
weatherstripping, inadequate smoke detectors, and
moisture and mold.
H-B-5 Revise the Condominium
Conversion Ordinance to
preserve rental apartments
from conversion to ownership
units.
2018 The existing Condominium Conversion Ordinance has not been updated; however, the City has not received any
applications or inquiries related to condominium
conversions since the 2014 General Plan Housing
Element update.
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H-B-6 Administer the federal
Section 8 Housing Choice
Voucher rental assistance
program.
Ongoing The Housing Authority continues to administer the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program providing
assistance to over 2,000 households.
H-B-7 Continue to designate a
portion of the Real Property
Transfer Tax, through annual
budget appropriations, to
affordable housing programs.
Ongoing The Housing Authority budgets a portion of the Real Property Transfer Tax for citywide affordable housing
programs.
H-B-8 Review and document the
performance of affordable
housing programs annually.
Report the number of
affordable units developed
from various funding sources,
the number and income
levels of households assisted
through various programs and
the number of existing homes
sold at affordable prices.
Ongoing This policy goal is met by various ongoing city housing programs and is reported annually to HCD and the City
Council in compliance with State law.
H-B-9 Continue to operate the
Mobile Home Repair Loan
and Mobile Home Rent
Deferral programs.
Ongoing In 2021, the Department of Housing and Community Services did not have the funds to provide new Mobile
Home repair loans but continued to administer the
existing loans from these sources.
H-B-10 Recognize existing
nonconforming residential
uses which are located in
non- residential land use
categories. Allow such uses to
be zoned residential and to
be found consistent with the
General Plan on an interim
basis, until the area is ready
to convert and rezone to non-
residential uses
Ongoing This policy is implemented on a project by project as allowed through the non-conforming section in the City's Zoning Code.
H-C-1 Amend the Housing Allocation
Plan, the city’s inclusionary
housing ordinance, to change
the trigger for provision of
affordable units from acres to
units and to consider
elimination of the exemption
for mixed use developments
and a commercial linkage fee.
Complete In 2019, the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance was amended to (1) revise the inclusionary (on-site)
affordable unit percentage requirement, (2) modify the
Housing Impact Fee structure, (3) reduce the inclusionary percentage and housing impact fee for multifamily
housing and mixed-use development in the Downtown
Area to help encourage higher intensity development,
and (4) establish a new Commercial Linkage Fee to
increase affordable housing development within the City.
H-C-2 Implement the Housing
Allocation Plan to increase
the number of affordable
units in Santa Rosa, both on
site and through collection of
in lieu fees and subsequent
development of affordable
units.
Ongoing In 2021, $1.58 million was collected through In-Lieu Housing Impact fees and will be used to subsidize
affordable housing projects.
H-C-3 Utilize fees generated through
the Housing Allocation Plan
for the development of
housing units affordable to
Ongoing Fees generated through the In-Lieu Housing Impact fees from the City's Inclusionary Housing Ordinance are used for the construction of affordable units. Since 1992,
1,870 affordable units have been supported through this
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extremely low-, very low-, and
low-income households.
fee.
H-C-4 Consider a Commercial
Linkage Fee for non-
residential development to
increase funds available for
the development of housing
units affordable to very low-
and low-income households
Complete This implementation measure was completed through the 2019 update to the City's Inclusionary Housing
Ordinance.
H-C-5 Rezone Medium and Medium
High-Density sites of two
acres or more concurrent with
the adoption of this Housing
Element to facilitate the
development of higher
density sites
Complete This implementation measure has been completed.
H-C-6 Rezone residential and mixed
use sites in the Downtown
Station Area Specific Plan
boundary to allow residential
uses by right.
Complete This implementation measure was completed in
November of 2020.
H-C-7 Utilize the Santa Rosa
Housing Trust to maximize
and leverage available
federal, state, and local
funding to assist in the
development of affordable
housing, the preservation and
rehabilitation of low-income
housing, the development
and maintenance of
homeless shelters, and the
acquisition and development
of facilities for the physically
and developmentally disabled
Ongoing These activities are ongoing.
H-C-8 Continue to provide funding
for affordable housing
projects, particularly if a
portion of the project units
are targeted to extremely low-
income households.
Ongoing The City and Housing Authority continue to provide financing for affordable housing projects through ongoing revenue, including Housing Impact fees, and State and
Federal grants.
H-C-9 Allow Low Density sites of 3
acres or less to develop at
densities up to 15 units per
acre under the following
conditions:
• Where infrastructure is
sufficient to support the
increased density;
• When the project design is
compatible with the
surrounding residential
neighborhood in terms of
building mass, setbacks and
landscaping;
• Where at least one very low
Ongoing This policy is implemented on a project-by-project basis.
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or two low income rental units
are included for every 10
market rate units with
affordability maintained for
10 years; and
• Where affordable housing
units are incorporated into
the neighborhood using
superior design such that
affordable units are
indistinguishable from market
rate units.
H-C-10 Encourage production of
residential units downtown as
envisioned by the Downtown
Station Area Specific Plan.
Ongoing The City Council approved an updated Downtown Station Area Specific plan in October 2020. The updated plan
utilizes floor-area ratios (FAR) to encourage maximum
density, reduces parking requirements, and provides fee- reduction incentives and other streamlining measures for downtown development. A November 2020 amendment
to the City's Resilient City Development Measures
extends measures that encourage housing and economic
development within the City including reduced review
authority for certain uses within the Downtown Station
Area. As of January 2022, 596 residential units were
under construction, and 757 residential units were under planning review or had been approved, in the Downtown
Station Area Specific Plan area.
H-C-11 Provide opportunities for
higher density and affordable
housing development on
regional/arterial streets and
near the rail transit corridor
for convenient access to bus
and rail transit.
Ongoing The City's General Plan 2035, the Northwest Station Area Specific Plan, and the Downtown Station Area Specific
Plan designate higher density sites along
regional/arterial streets and the rail corridor. Ongoing streamlining efforts seek to incentivize development in these areas through reduced parking requirements,
increased height limits, the City's density bonus
ordinance and fee incentives. The ongoing General Plan
update process will include review for possible increased housing densities in these areas.
H-C-12 Promote the development of
second units. Discuss this
option with residential
developers during initial
development application
meetings.
Ongoing The City continues to update its local Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Ordinance to comply with changes in State
law. In 2021, Planning staff continued coordination with the Napa Sonoma ADU Foundation, a non-profit devoted
to promoting the production of ADUs, by participating in educational webinars and collaborating on a variety of
resources geared toward homeowners. The City’s ADU
permit review times continue to be shorter than review
times mandated by State law, and building permits were
issued for 95 ADUs in 2021.
H-C-13 Support affordable housing
sponsors by continuing to
provide funds to subsidize the
production of affordable
housing.
Ongoing The Department of Housing and Community Services, through the Housing Authority, provides annual funding
from a compilation of federal and local sources and
programs to finance affordable housing production. The
current Housing Authority Loan Portfolio includes
approximately $137 million in loan funds for over 4,500 subsidized units, across all funding sources.
H-C-14 Continue commitment of
redevelopment area tax
increment funds for
Ongoing Redevelopment was dissolved by the Governor of
California in 2011; loan repayments are used to
rehabilitate existing dwelling units, acquire land for
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affordable housing programs.
Utilize the Redevelopment
Low- and Moderate-Income
Housing Fund for affordable
housing targeting extremely
low-, very low-, low-, and
moderate-income
households.
development of new affordable units, and provide
financial assistance to permanent supportive housing
units.
H-C-15 Participate in tax credit and
mortgage revenue bond
programs which provide tax
exempt, low-cost financing to
developers of projects making
a portion of the units
affordable.
Ongoing The City supports tax credit applications and serves as the sponsor for affordable housing bond issuances.
H-C-16 Aggressively participate in
available federal, state, and
private non-profit programs
for the provision of affordable
housing.
Ongoing City staff works with HUD and HCD to access available all resources and grants to sustain and expand affordable
housing in Santa Rosa.
H-C-17 Allow mobile homes on single
family lots through issuance
of a certificate of compatibility
Ongoing Mobile homes are permitted on single family lots citywide with certain standards.
H-C-18 Continue participation in the
Mortgage Credit Certificate
program to assist lower
income and/or first-time
homebuyers in purchasing
new homes
Ongoing Mortgage Credit Certificates are not currently available.
Staff is reviewing ability to reestablish program.
H-C-19 Investigate development of a
Community Land Trust
program for Santa Rosa to
determine its feasibility and
affordable housing production
possibilities
2012 Housing Land Trust of Sonoma County works with
developers and non-profit organizations to further
homeownership opportunities throughout the County.
H-C-20 Encourage the development
of units with three or more
bedrooms in affordable
housing projects.
Ongoing City staff continuously meets and confers with applicants to address and encourage all levels of housing types and affordability.
H-D-1 Continue existing programs
for persons with special
needs, including disabled
persons, elderly, homeless,
large families, single parent
households, and
farmworkers.
Ongoing The Housing Authority provides funding and regulatory oversight for properties that serve special needs
individuals and families. These efforts include: the
Housing Accessibility Modification (HAM) Program,
Housing Opportunities for Persons with Aids, and projects serving seniors, disabled, large families, and
farmworkers.
H-D-2 Require new units specifically
for households with special
needs by conditioning new
multifamily construction to
meet federal and state
requirements for accessibility
and/or adaptability for
disabled persons.
Ongoing All projects are required to meet California Building Code requirements, including, but not limited to, accessibility requirements.
H-D-3 Evaluate issues of 2011 ADA requirements are mandatory for multifamily projects,
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“visitability” in residential
building design and develop a
program for implementation
of appropriate policies and/or
standards
and any housing developments which utilize the density
bonus program or state or federal funding. No additional measures have been evaluated.
H-D-4 Investigate and promote
incorporation of universal
design features in new
residential construction by
developing an ordinance
based on the state’s
voluntary model ordinance
2011 ADA requirements are mandatory for multifamily projects, and any housing developments which utilize the density
bonus program or state or federal funding. No additional measures have been evaluated.
H-D-5 Encourage special housing
arrangements, including
shared and congregate
housing and single room
occupancy facilities (SROs),
by helping sponsors obtain
federal and state funds.
Commit city funds (to the
extent such funds are
available for the purpose in
light of competing housing
objectives) to help non- profit
developers of such housing
types.
Ongoing The City continues to facilitate and support innovative housing approaches on a project-by-project basis to
provide a variety of housing opportunities.
H-D-6 Encourage the development
of Single Room Occupancy
facilities, consistent with the
Single Room Occupancy
Ordinance.
Ongoing The City continues to facilitate and support innovative housing approaches on a project-by-project basis to
provide a variety of housing opportunities.
H-D-7 Support the development of
rental housing for seasonal
and permanent farmworkers.
Ongoing The City continues to encourage the inclusion of units for farmworkers in new affordable housing projects and
provides consultation assistance and support in the State funding application process to affordable housing
developers providing farmworker units. In 2021, the
Housing Authority awarded $2.9M in funds to the
Mahonia Glen project, which designates 43 out of the 99 units for farmworkers and their families.
H-D-8 Amend the Zoning Code to
include a provision allowing
agricultural employee housing
for six or fewer residents as a
permitted residential use in
residential zoning districts.
2010 This Zoning Code revision was completed.
H-D-9 Provide funding to groups
providing shelter and other
services to the homeless.
Ongoing The City provides funding and support for homeless service providers such as Catholic Charities, the Living Room, Community Action Partnership, Sonoma County
Continuum of Care (COC). In Fiscal Year 2021/2022, the
City’s budget for homeless services, shelters, and the
safe parking program was $6.9 million.
H-D-10 Amend the Zoning Code to
allow emergency shelters as a
permitted use in the General
Commercial (CG) district,
subject to the same
2010 The Zoning Code has been amended to allow Emergency Shelters by right in the City's General Commercial (CG) zoning district.
53 | Page
development standards as
other permitted uses in the
CG zone.
H-D-11 Amend the Zoning Code to
define supportive housing in
the glossary and to allow
transitional and supportive
housing as residential uses,
subject to the same
regulations as other
residential uses in the same
zoning district.
2010 This Zoning Code revision was completed.
H-D-12 Support programs which
address long term solutions
to homelessness including
job training and placement
and which provide other
supportive services.
Ongoing The City provides funding and support for homeless service providers such as Catholic Charities, the Living Room, Community Action Partnership, Sonoma County
Continuum of Care (COC).
H-D-13 Provide incentives for
development of housing for
the elderly, particularly for
those in need of assisted and
skilled nursing care.
Incentives may include
density bonuses, reduced
parking requirements or
deferred development fees.
Ongoing The Zoning Code includes reduced parking ratios and density bonus options for senior housing, and community care facilities.
H-D-14 In new senior housing built
receiving any development
incentives or money from the
city, require that a substantial
portion, at least 25 percent,
be available to low-income
seniors.
Ongoing This policy is implemented on a project-by-project basis.
H-D-15 Encourage development of
senior housing not receiving
city funding or concessions to
provide a substantial number
of units affordable to low-
income seniors
Ongoing This policy is implemented on a project-by-project basis.
H-D-16 Through flexibility in design
guidelines which encourage
innovative housing programs,
stimulate development of
senior housing which
addresses the housing needs
of the senior population
Ongoing This policy is implemented on a project-by-project basis.
H-E-1 Eliminate discrimination in
housing opportunities in
Santa Rosa and assure that
access to housing will not be
denied on the basis of race,
ethnic or national origin,
religion, marital status, sexual
orientation, age or physical
disability. As an exception,
Ongoing The City is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development entitlement jurisdiction. The City provides annual funding for Fair Housing services. The City
promotes Fair Housing activities by providing brochures for distribution to Section 8 clients and to others
requesting housing information. Fair Housing Advocates
of Northern California provides mediation and resolution of tenant/landlord disputes, outreach services, among
other services. Information is also provided to local
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mobile home parks and other
developments designed
specifically for seniors or the
disabled will be permitted to
exclude children as
permanent residents.
service providers that include Becoming Independent and Disability Services and Legal Center. In 2019, the City added a Housing Anti-Discrimination chapter to City Code to comply with state law and to prohibit housing
discrimination based on source of income, including
Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, and other rent
subsidies.
H-E-2 Continue to fund and support
Fair Housing of Sonoma
County, which serves as the
city’s equal opportunity
housing agency.
Ongoing As a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development entitlement jurisdiction, the City provides annual funding for Fair Housing services. The City currently has a
contract with Fair Housing Advocates of Northern
California.
H-F-1 Ensure that residential
projects are heard by the first
decision-making board, within
a period not to exceed 120
days of receipt of an
application for development
approval
Ongoing In 2021, despite challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic the City continued to improve
interdepartmental coordination and effectively prioritize residential entitlement review, particularly residential projects with an affordable component. Planning staff
continue to implement the Universal Permit Application
created in 2020, which streamlines and encourages
more complete permit submittals shortening project
review timelines.
H-F-2 Fast track all development
projects which are comprised
fully of units affordable to
extremely low-, very low-, and
low-income households with
long term affordability
restrictions. Utilize a fast-
track schedule mutually
acceptable to the project
applicant and the city.
Ongoing The City continues to prioritize affordable housing projects by coordinating and focusing staff efforts across departments on residential projects particularly those
with high unit counts, and affordable units.
H-F-3 Acquire sites for potential
affordable housing projects,
with subsequent disposition
to affordable housing
providers.
Ongoing In 2021, the City's Real Property Team completed a citywide survey to identify and classify surplus lands, which identified four surplus vacant sites. The City
continues to provide first right of refusal for surplus city land to developers of affordable housing. As determined by budget and goal setting processes, the Housing
Authority funds property acquisition and banks land
acquired for later provision to affordable housing
developers.
H-F-4 Defer payment of
development fees for
affordable units.
Ongoing The City continues to allow applicants to defer impact fees to final occupancy instead of permit issuance.
H-F-5 Revise the local Density
Bonus Ordinance to ensure it
reflects state law and to
simplify the city process of
obtaining a density bonus.
Complete The City continues to modify the local Density Bonus Ordinance to reflect State Law. On November 9, 2021,
the City Council adopted an ordinance to implement
Assembly Bill 2345, which increased the maximum
density bonus from 35% to 50% above the maximum
general plan land use density and permits a 100%
density bonus for 100% lower income housing
developments.
H-F-6 Develop a checklist specific to
affordable housing
developments which will
facilitate such projects in the
Design Review process.
Complete The City Council adopted Objective Design Standards for Streamlined and Ministerial Residential Developments
(Zoning Code Chapter 20-39) effective December 20,
2019 to incorporate the intent of the Santa Rosa Design Guidelines to the greatest extent possible while
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complying with the intent of State legislation (Senate Bill 35) to facilitate and expedite the construction of housing in Santa Rosa.
H-F-7 Ensure that regulations
contained in the Santa Rosa
Zoning Code provide
development standards,
parking requirements, and
use allowances which
facilitate the development of
housing for all income groups
Ongoing The Zoning Code contains a number of concessions and a reduced parking requirement to facilitate the
development of housing for all income groups, including through the density bonus program (updated in 2021 in
accordance with State law) and the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance The Inclusionary Housing Ordinance was
amended in 2019 to (1) revise the inclusionary (on-site) affordable unit percentage requirement, (2) modify the
Housing Impact Fee structure, (3) reduce the inclusionary percentage and housing impact fee for multifamily
housing and mixed-use development in the Downtown
Area to help encourage higher intensity development,
and (4) establish a new Commercial Linkage Fee to
increase affordable housing development within the City.
In 2021, housing impact fees totaled $1.58 million, and building permits were issued for 223 deed restricted
affordable units.
H-F-8 Continue to participate in
regional conservation efforts
regarding sensitive habitat
and endangered species to
ensure that mitigation
opportunities are available to
maintain adequate sites at
appropriate densities to
accommodate the City’s
RHNA
Ongoing On a project-by-project basis, the City continues to implement the requirements of CEQA as they pertain to
California Tiger Salamander and other sensitive plant and animal species, ensuring that impacts to habitat are
minimized and that appropriate mitigation is required on- or off-site when necessary. Planning staff continue to
attend regional meetings with representation from
County jurisdictions and the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. These meetings
provide a forum for regional coordination on long-range planning and policy efforts.
H-G-1 Maximize energy efficiency in
residential areas.
Ongoing The City participates in the County Property Assessed Clean Energy retrofit program, the Sonoma Clean Power
renewable utility provider, and implementation of
CALGreen building standards and select Tier 1 standards.
The City has adopted all-electric reach code standards for new low-rise residential development effective January 1, 2020. New residential projects are reviewed for
compliance with the Climate Action Plan.
H-G-2 Require, energy efficiency
through site planning and
building design by assisting
residential developers in
identifying energy
conservation and efficiency
measures appropriate to the
Santa Rosa area.
Ongoing The City participates in the County Property Assessed Clean Energy retrofit program, utilities Sonoma Clean
Power as utility provider, and implements CALGreen
building standards and select Tier 1 standards. The City also implements the requirements of the City's Climate
Action Plan at the project level and has adopted all-
electric reach code standards for new low -rise residential development effective January 1, 2020.
H-G-3 Promote energy efficiency in
the provision and use of
water in all residential
developments
Ongoing A citywide upgrade from manually read water meters to Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meters that
report hourly usage rates, detect leaks and water waste was completed in 2021. In addition, new development is
required to comply with CALGreen building standards, the City's Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, and the
Climate Action Plan.
H-G-4 Reduce the amount of water
used, encourage the use of
Ongoing The City continues to implement WELO standards for new construction and increased its turf removal rebate rate in
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recycled water for
landscaping where available,
and require compliance with
the city’s Water Efficient
Landscape Policy
July of 2021. The Water Department continues
community outreach and incentives for water reduction
with programs including “Fix a Leak Week,” Pool Cover
rebates, and providing water efficient showerheads and
faucet aerators upon completion of a WaterSmart Survey.
H-G-5 Continue to require the use of
fuel-efficient heating and
cooling equipment and other
appliances, in accordance
with the city’s green building
program.
Ongoing The City continues to implement CALGreen building standards and select Tier 1 standards for energy
efficiency in new construction. CALGreen building
standards are required also for additions and remodels.
The City adopted an all-electric reach code requirement effective January 1, 2020, which is applicable for new
low-rise residential developments.
H-G-6 Continue to fund energy
conservation through the
Housing Authority’s
rehabilitation loans and
develop programs to assist
low-income households and
rental properties in meeting
weatherization and energy
conservation needs.
Ongoing The Housing Authority continues to utilize its affordable housing funds to construct new, energy efficient units
and to rehabilitate residential units to include energy efficiency. Tracking improvements for energy efficiency will be considered in the future.
H-G-7 Work with organizations
specializing in green building
measures to develop public-
private partnerships
supporting energy efficiency
retrofit programs for existing
residential structures.
Ongoing The City continues to participate in the County's Property Assessed Clean Energy loan program for energy efficient retrofits of existing residential structures.
H-G-8 Increase local energy
awareness
Ongoing Ongoing updates to City web resources to direct residents and developers to opportunities for energy efficient
rebate programs, Property Assessed Clean Energy retrofit programs, and other energy efficiency resources.