From: Wendy Krupnick
To: City Council Public Comments
Cc: Lyle, Amy
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Fwd: City Housing element question
Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2023 5:07:55 PM
Dear Santa Rosa City Council members,
I apologize that these comments are a day late and I could not attend your meeting today so they may be of limited value at this point, but I read that your discussion today will not include a final decision so hope you will still consider them.
As you can see, I sent the questions below on Jan. 13 but did not receive a reply.
I applaud your consideration of taking some of the County's RHNA numbers as those numbers are far too high and there are serious problems with many of the sites the County is considering rezoning for housing.
However, I do not support the rezoning Santa Rosa is considering to accommodate more housing. I feel that both of these rezoning efforts would be sprawl as they are on the edges of urban areas and not at all convenient to services such as schools, stores, work sites, etc. Roads and other infrastructure are not adequate for these urban fringe developments and Vehicle Miles Traveled would increase significantly, adding even more to our traffic problems as well as GHGs.
Please see my comments below about mixed zoning and adding more housing in commercial areas. No rezoning should happen until the potential for housing in commercial zones is evaluated. My guess is that a large number of the required housing units could be accommodated in these areas, which would be consistent with the City and County goals of city-centered growth and more walkable communities. Imagine the top level of Coddingtown and Santa Rosa Plaza as apartment units and strip malls throughout the city with apartments as well as retail. Big Oak Plaza at Fulton and West Third, which currently has many units for rent, (as do so many of these shopping/office centers), would be the perfect place for mixed use.
Again, I hope you will consider my comments and apologize for being late.
Wendy Krupnick
-------- Original Message --------
Subject:City Housing element question
Date:2023-01-13 18:50
From:Wendy Krupnick <[email protected]>
To:[email protected]
Although I don't live in the city limits, I'm close and know how important the city is in the county's total housing situation.
I'm particularly interested in more "mixed use" zoning, ie. more housing in zones that have been exclusively commercial/retail. In recent years I've seen so many for rent signs in town centers, strip malls and larger shopping and office building areas. These would be perfect places for small, affordable apartments which so many are looking for. Remodels and more plumbing would be needed but still far less expensive than new construction. And relieve the pressure for what I consider to be sprawl on city edges.
I noted that mixed use is included in the downtown specific plan but I did not see it in other parts of the city. My understanding is that a new state law requires mixed use in commercial zones but it is not effective until this summer, I think. My questions are: Is Santa Rosa anticipating incorporating more mixed use in current planning? How will this new state requirement be folded into the new Housing element? Thank you and have a good weekend,
Wendy