1 SANTA ROSA ANNEXATION OPPORTUNITIES
STUDY SESSION
CITY COUNCIL
JANUARY 24, 2023
Clare Hartman
Director
Planning and Economic Development
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
• Background & Purpose of Session
• Potential Annexation Boundaries
• Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities (DUCs)
• Potential Annexation Principles
• Timing & Cost Estimates
• Staff Recommendation
2 BACKGROUND
• November 2017 – Annexation of Roseland Area (last city-initiated annex) • February 2022 – City Council 22/23 Goals – Housing & Economic • Objective: Initiate annexation discussions with County of Sonoma – evaluate annexation of south Santa Rosa (Moorland Ave, south Santa Rosa Ave, T odd Creek/2010 Area) and other unincorporated areas in Urban Growth Boundary (UGB)
• June 2022 – Housing Element Study Session & County RHNA request • August 2022 – Pre-Application Review of Annex/Develop of T odd Creek • October 2022 – Council adds annexation of T odd Creek to future agenda 3 BACKGROUND
2022
• July - Kick off w/ BoS Chair Coursey and Mayor Rogers and City/County Leadership
• August to present - City/County staff meetings
• October - Mayor and Vice Mayor briefing
• October to present - City team meetings
2023
• January 24th – City Council – study session
• Consideration of a City Initiated Annexation
• Review of potential boundaries, time and cost, determine interest in action, if any
4 PURPOSE OF SESSION
• Receive the report
• Consider if any action is appropriate at this time
• If action is desired; direct staff on next steps
5 Sonoma County Regional Housing Needs Allocation
(RHNA) Breakdown for 6 th Cycle (2023 -2031)
Jurisdiction Very Low
Income
Low
Income
Moderate
Income
Above Moderate
Income
T otal
Cloverdale 74 43 45 116 278
Cotati 60 34 39 101 234
Healdsburg 190 109 49 128 476
Petaluma 499 288 313 810 1,910
Rohnert Park 399 230 265 686 1,580
Santa Rosa 1,218 701 771 1,995 4,685
Sebastopol 55 31 35 92 213
Sonoma 83 48 50 130 311
Unincorporated County 1,036 596 627 1,622 3,881
Windsor 385 222 108 279 994
6 Jurisdiction Very Low
Income
Low
Income
Moderate
Income
Above Moderate
Income
T otal
1,218 701 771 1,995 4,685
1,036 596 627 1,622 3,881
County of Sonoma RHNA Request – May 2022
7 • Council direction - Continue with City’s Draft Housing Element as drafted; and continue the conversation with the County on potential RHNA transfer opportunities through annexation
Santa Rosa’s Capacity to Meet RHNA – June 2022
8 Income
Category
6th Cycle
RHNA
Project
Capacity
Vacant Site
Capacity
Vacant
DSASP
Capacity
Projected
ADUs
T otal
Capacity Surplus
Very Low
1,919 918 454 1,022 346 2,740 821 (43%)
Low
Moderate 771 310 732 0 173 1,215 444 (58%)
Above
Moderate 1,995 4,157 1,435 340 58 5,990 3,995 (200%)
T otal 4,685 5,385 2,621 1,362 577 9,945 5,260
City’s Housing Element progressing on schedule; City can meet RHNA target without rezoning new sites and without annexation; Allocations can occur within City Limits and within transit-oriented Downtown and Priority Development Areas; Capacity buffer is reasonable to allow for flexibility in implementation
ANNEXATION BOUNDARY
CONSIDERATIONS
• Reflect Community Interest
• Accept Fiscal Responsibility
• Conform to Urban Growth Boundary (UGB)
• Comply with City General Plan Policy
• Comply with LAFCO* Annexation Policy
• Comply with State Law
• Be efficient with Time and Cost
*Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO)
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ANNEXATION BOUNDARY OPTION1
SOUTH SANTA ROSA
• Annexation of unincorporated areas in south Santa Rosa South of Hearn and Y olanda Avenues, along both the west and east sides of Hwy 101 – within Urban Growth Boundary
• Study Area included:
• Moorland Avenue Neighborhood
• Industry West
• South Santa Rosa Avenue
• To d d Creek/”2010 Area”
• T otal of approximately 1,404 acres
• T otal population of 6,494 11
12 1,404 acres
13 Close up
view of
South
Santa
Rosa
Option 1
ANNEXATION BOUNDARY OPTION 2
ALL SANTA ROSA
• Annexation of ALL unincorporated areas in Urban Growth Boundary (UGB)
• Includes the south Santa Rosa area, plus ALL other areas, including unincorporated County islands throughout the City • Within Urban Growth Boundary
• T otal of approximately 3,647acres
• T otal population of 10,845
14 15
3,647 acres
16 Close up
PARTIAL
view of
ALL
Santa
Rosa
Option 2
DISADVANTAGED UNINCORPORATED
COMMUNITIES (DUCS)
• October 2011: Governor approves SB 244
• Addresses disadvantaged unincorporated communities (DUCs) • DUC: A community with an annual median household income that is less than 80% of the Statewide annual median household income
• This law would impact the boundary setting of the South Santa Rosa areas as this area appears to meet the state definition • Smaller boundary areas likely could not be annexed without including any contiguous DUC areas within the UGB – final determination by LAFCO as part of annexation process
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ANNEXATION PRINCIPLES
19 Setting of key principles would inform expectations by the community for the annexation process and subsequent City services and inform the scope, time and cost estimates for the work plan
Roseland Annexation Principles as Example:
1. New residents will receive the same level of service as current residents
2. Existing service levels to current City residents will not be reduced in order to provide services to the Annexation Area
TIME ESTIMATE – CITY INITIATED
ANNEXATION PROCESS
• Phase 1 – Confirm/Execute interest (6 months)
• Council direction
• Establish Annexation Ad-Hoc & City Team
• Provide high level direction on annexation boundary, key principles; engagement expectations, and work plan
• Direct staff to prepare work plan & budget
• Council action
• Adopt work plan and budget
• Allocate funding
20 TIME ESTIMATE – CITY INITIATED
ANNEXATION PROCESS
• Phase 2 – Secure contracts, conduct studies & negotiate city/county cost sharing agreement (6 months)
• Phase 3 – Implement Annexation, Specific Plan, Plan for Services, Pre-Zoning & Environmental Review Process
(2.5 years)
• Phase 4 – Process Annexation through LAFCO (6 months) • Phase 5 – Transfer jurisdiction/Implement MOU
21 TIME ESTIMATE – WORK PLAN
• Roseland Annexation Example: 3.5 years (April 2014 – November 2017) Annexation of 713 acres; Specific Plan for 1,860 acres; T otal population of 7,433
Included Annexation, Specific Plan and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and extensive community engagement
• Option 1 - South SR: Approximately same amount of time • Option 2 - All SR: Approximately one additional year due to additional acreage and widely dispersed locations
necessitating additional outreach and analysis
• Both options would include preparation of a Specific Plan for T odd Creek/2010 Area, to be processed concurrently
22 TIME ESTIMATE – IMPACTS
• Roseland Annexation was a prioritized all hands effort for 3.5 years • Taking on a city-initiated annexation effort – either boundary – will have both immediate and long-term impacts to City Work Plan • City Council Goals 2022-2023 Work Plan
• Staff time needed to prepare a work plan and budget
• Impact/delay to current work plan items – some are time sensitive • Effort will need to be sustained through future Work Plans • 2023-2024
• 2024-2025
• 2025-2026 23
COST ESTIMATE – WORK PLAN
• Roseland Annexation Example:
Staff time and consultant cost to prepare plan and costs to provide services, gauge support for annexation and complete process through LAFCO = $1.4 million (General Fund)
Specific Plan and EIR cost = $650,000 (grant funded)
• High-level, preliminary review of potential cost for either Options will be more than the ~$2M Roseland budget
• Given size and complexity of annexing all unincorporated areas (Option 2), the budget will likely need to be more than south Santa Rosa (Option 1)
24 COST ESTIMATE:
PROJECT MANAGEMENT/CMO
• Roseland: One full-time Senior Planner and one half time Assistant City Manager
Executive oversight by City Manager's Office (CMO) of analysis of budget impacts, cost-sharing discussions
between City and County, preparation and presentation of workplan to Council, and high-level management
Senior Planner managed the day-to-day process
• Similar budget for Option 1
• Additional budget for Option 2 (for additional year of process)
25 COST ESTIMATE – FINANCE
• The cost estimates for Finance Department, for either option, likely to be consistent with cost for Roseland Annexation • Finance will rely on the other City departments to identify needs • Need to develop revenue estimates for sales tax, revenue projections and prepare cost/benefit analyses
• City does not currently have budget assigned
• Effort would impact Council and Department workplans
26 COST ESTIMATE – POLICE
• Review calls for service from Sheriff’s Department and CHP • Following Roseland Annexation, SRPDrecorded 10% increase in police related responses compared to previous year (prior to annexation) - higher than projected and strained SRPD
• Option 1 - at least one additional police beat
• Option 2 - requires an adjustment of the City-wide police minimum staffing requirements
27 COST ESTIMATE – FIRE
• Annexation would include detachment from the Sonoma County Fire District (formerly Rincon Valley Fire Protection District) and North Bay Fire District (CSA 40).
• Option 1 – the City may need to expedite the construction of Fire Station 9 and add nine FTE to staff that station; and add two FTE Fire Inspectors (at minimum) to absorb the fire inspection and fire prevention volume
• Option 2 – same as above plus add an additional two FTE Fire Inspectors to absorb the fire inspection and fire prevention volume to serve the additional area
28 COST ESTIMATE:
TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS
• Analysis of general services in area (street improvement and transit needs)
• Oversee preparation of annexation maps and legal
description
• Prepare plan for services for upgrades of structures, roads, and sewer and water facilitates
• Actual costs far exceeded estimates with Roseland Annex Options 1 and 2 will require more than what was allocated for Roseland
• Need to analyze potential new transit routes
29 COST ESTIMATE: WATER
• Review the South Park County Sanitation District (South Park) agreement between the City and County and negotiate a transfer of responsibility
• Address how water and sewer service can be provided to the annexation areas if residents wish to extend service
• Analyze the condition of storm drain infrastructure within the annexation areas
• Review FEMA flood maps and potential impacts to storm drain infrastructure
• Additional budget, beyond what was allocated for the Roseland Area Annexation, would be needed for either Option 1 or 2. 30 COST ESTIMATE:
PLANNING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
• Need to assess infrastructure needs for business expansion and attraction; Analysis needed to assess permit review and code enforcement needs
• Option 1 needs an integrated land use and infrastructure plan to strategically plan for and support new development and infrastructure and to engage new community members with the City • A Specific Plan efficiently supports the analysis, planning and public engagement process. The corresponding Environmental Impact Report will streamline private development and public improvements consistent with that Plan
• Potential for economic and community growth in south Santa Rosa 31 COST ESTIMATE: HOUSING
• Analysis needed to assess impact of mobile home rental control and management of new rental assistance vouchers • Additional budget needed for Option 1 or 2 (more budget for larger area)
• More mobile home parks than Roseland, in addition to new housing programs that would add complexities
• Section 8/Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) rental assistance would be more complex and take additional time
32 COST ESTIMATE: PARKS
• Analysis needed to evaluate existing park acreage, medians and back-on landscaping, the cost of improving new
parks/facilities and annual operation and maintenance costs • Option 1: Currently there are no City maintained parks – need to address acceptance and maintenance of existing
Andy’s Unity Park and need to evaluate needs for new parks • Option 2: City currently reviewing parks through General Plan update, and issues will be addressed for County islands 33 RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended by the City Manager’s Office and the Planning and Economic Development Department that the Council accept the report and provide direction to City staff on:
1. Whether or not to proceed with a city-initiated annexation at this time; and
2. If annexation is to proceed, provide direction to staff on the boundary for annexation and key principles for annexation, and direct staff to bring back a workplan and cost estimate for the annexation process.
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