City of Santa Rosa
100 Santa Rosa Avenue Santa Rosa, CA 95404
www.srcity.org
County of Sonoma
2550 Ventura Avenue Santa Rosa CA 95403
www.PermitSonoma.org
December 18, 2024
SEN
T VIA EMAIL
B
ella Ramos
Association of Bay Area Governments
Bay Area Metro Center
375 Beale Street, Suite 800
San Francisco, CA 94105
RE: Request for Time Extension Per Gov. Code § 65584.07(d)(2)(A) D
ear President Ramos:
Pursuant to Government Code Section 65584.07(d)(2)(A), the City of Santa Rosa and County of Sonoma jointly request an extension of the 90-day deadline to submit a mutually acceptable RHNA transfer agreement after an annexation. On September 25, 2024, Sonoma LAFCO completed an annexation of approximately 41.55 acres in northwest Santa Rosa; the deadline to submit a mutually acceptable RHNA transfer agreement is December 24, 2024, unless extended by ABAG. City and County staff have identified a preliminary agreement which requires approval by the Santa Rosa City Council. A 90-day extension is requested to allow sufficient time for the item to be placed on the earliest available City Council meeting agenda.
Government Code Section 65584.07(d)(2)(A) provides that ABAG may extend the deadline to submit a mutually acceptable RHNA transfer agreement “if it determines an extension is consistent with the objectives of this article.” The referenced objectives for the regional housing needs allocation plan are provided in Government Code Section 65584(d)(1)-(5). The 90-day extension requested by the City and County is consistent with the referenced objectives, with the most relevant being subsections (d)(1), (d)(2), and (d)(5), as outlined below.
65584(d)(1): Increasing the housing supply and the mix of housing types, tenure, and affordability in all cities and counties within the region in an equitable manner, which shall result in each jurisdiction receiving an allocation of units for low- and very low income households.
The requested extension is necessary to enable the City of Santa Rosa and the County of Sonoma to finalize a mutually acceptable RHNA transfer agreement Attachment 5
City of Santa Rosa
100 Santa Rosa Avenue Santa Rosa, CA 95404
www.srcity.org
County of Sonoma
2550 Ventura Avenue Santa Rosa CA 95403
www.PermitSonoma.org
following annexation of unincorporated land to the City. The preliminary agreement reached by City and County staff proposes transfer of a total of 641 units, including 34 units affordable to very low-income households and 607 above moderate-income units. The very low-income RHNA reflects the units and affordability level of the housing development project recently approved by the City for the annexed area.
65584(d)(2): Promoting infill development and socioeconomic equity, the protection of environmental and agricultural resources, the encouragement of efficient development patterns, and the achievement of the region’s greenhouse gas reductions targets provided by the State Air Resources Board pursuant to Section 65080.
As stated above, an extension is requested to enable the City of Santa Rosa and the County of Sonoma to finalize a mutually acceptable RHNA transfer agreement for an annexation of unincorporated land to the City. The annexed area was an unincorporated island surrounded by incorporated territory of the City, and is located within approximately one-half mile of the North Santa Rosa SMART station. Annexation enables the site to be developed at higher densities due to the availability of City water and sewer services. The contemplated RHNA transfer is consistent with the actual units recently approved by the City for the project site.
65584(d)(5): Affirmatively furthering fair housing.
The extension would enable a transfer of RHNA units in an amount that tracks the number of units, by income level, recently approved by the City for the annexation area. The 34 very low-income units proposed for transfer are proposed on a 1:1 basis with the number contemplated in project approvals, and the significant majority of units are above moderate-income units. The annexed area is in a CTCAC lower-resource area, and the income mix of the contemplated transfer is consistent with both the City’s and County’s AFFH obligations.
If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Jones, Santa Rosa Deputy Director of Planning at 707-543-3253 or [email protected] or S
cott Orr , Permit Sonoma Assistant
Director at 707-565-1754 or [email protected].
Sincerely,
Jessi
ca Jones Scott Orr
Deputy Director of Planning, City of Santa Rosa Assistant Director, Permit Sonoma
City of Santa Rosa
100 Santa Rosa Avenue Santa Rosa, CA 95404
www.srcity.org
County of Sonoma
2550 Ventura Avenue Santa Rosa CA 95403
www.PermitSonoma.org
EC:
Maraskeshia Smith, City of Santa Rosa, City Manager [email protected] Gabe Osburn, City of Santa Rosa, Director of Planning & Economic Development [email protected] Christina Rivera, County Executive christina.rivera@sonoma- county.org Tennis Wick, Permit Sonoma, Director tennis.wick@sonoma- county.org Ross Markey, Permit Sonoma, Comprehensive Planning Manager ross.markey@sonoma -county.org