FEBRUARY 2023
2 023 – 2031 Housing Element Page 1-5
1 Introduction
Regional Housing Need
State law (California Government Code Section 65580 et seq.) requi res the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to proj ect statewide housing needs and allocate the anticipated need to each region in the state. Fo r the Bay Area, including Santa Rosa, HCD provides the regional need to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), which then distributes the RHNA to the cities and counties within the ABAG region. ABAG allocates housing production goals for cities and counties based on their projected shar e of the region’s household growth, the state of the local housing market and vacancies, and the jurisdiction’s housing replacement needs.
ABAG is responsible for developing a Regional Ho using Needs Plan (RHNP) allocating the region’s share of the statewide housing needs to local juri sdictions. The RHNA is a minimum projection of additional housing units needed to accommodate projected household growth of all income levels by the end of the housing element’s statutory planning period. As shown in Ta ble 1-1, Santa Rosa is required to plan for 4,6855,326 units during the 2023-2031 planni ng period at certain densities, 1,9191,953 units of which must be affordable to low er-income (extremely low-, very low-, and low- income) households, 771 units must be affordable to moderate-income households, and 1,9952,602 for above moderate-income households. These numbers include a transfer of 641 RHNA units from the County of Sonoma to the City of Santa Rosa, completed in March 2025, following the annexation of a 34.93-acre site into the City of Santa Rosa and a subsequent RHNA transfer agreement between the two jurisdictions. The 641 transferred RHNA units are broken down into 607 Above Moderate- income units and 34 Very Low income units.
Table 1-2 SANTA ROSA REGIONAL HOUSING NEED, 2023-2031
Income Category 2023 – 2031 RHNA Percentage of RHNA
Very Low 1,2181,252 2624%
Low 701 1513%
Moderate 771 1614%
Above Moderate 1,9952,602 4349%
Total 4,6855,326 100%
Source: ABAG, 2021
Note: It is assumed that 50 percent of the very low-income units are allocated to the extremely low-income category.
General Plan Consistency
The Housing Element has been reviewed for consistency with the City’s other General Plan Elements.
The Santa Rosa General Plan has been periodica lly amended since the last comprehensive update was adopted in 2009 and a comprehensive update is currently (2022) in process. The policies and programs in this Housing Element are consistent with the policy direction contained in other parts of the current General Plan. The City will continue to review and revise the Housing Element, as necessary for consistency, once the comprehensive update is complete and when any future amendments are made to the General Plan.
Exhibit A
2023 – 2031 Housing Element Page 5-1
5 Housing Sites Analysis
5. Housing Site Analysis
California law (Government Code Section 65583 (a)(3)) requires that the Housing Element contain an inventory of land suitable for re sidential development, including va cant sites that can be developed for housing within the planning period and nonvaca nt (i.e., underutilized) sites having potential for redevelopment. State law also requires an analysis of the relationship of zoning and public facilities and services to these sites.
Regional Housing Needs Allocation
The Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) is the State of California-required process that seeks to ensure cities and counties are planning fo r enough housing to accommodate all economic segments of the community. The process is split into the following three steps.
1. Regional Determination: The California Department of Ho using and Community Development (HCD) provides each region a Regional Determination of housing need, which includes a total number of units split into four income categories. The City of Santa Rosa is within the region covered by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). HCD provided ABAG a Regional Determination of 441,176 units for the 6th Cycle RHNA (2023-2031). This is the total number of units that the cities and counties in the ABAG region must collectively plan to accommodate.
2. RHNA Methodology: Councils of Government s (COG), including ABAG, are responsible for developing an RHNA Methodology for allocating the Regional Determination to each city and county in the COG’s region. This methodology must further specific state objectives, including, but not limited to, promoting infill, equity, and environmental pr otection; ensuring jobs -housing balance; and affirmatively furthering fair housing.
3. Housing Element Updates : Each city and county must then adopt a housing element that demonstrates how the jurisdiction can accommoda te its assigned RHNA through its zoning. HCD reviews each jurisdiction’s housing element for compliance with state law.
The City of Santa Rosa’s share of the regional housing need wa s determined by a methodology prepared by ABAG as part of the Regional Ho using Needs Plan, adopted in December 2021. In accordance with ABAG’s Regional Housing Needs Plan, the City must plan to accommodate a total of 4,685 housing units between June 30, 2022, and December 15, 2030. In March 2025, the City of Santa Rosa and County of Sonoma signed a joint letter ag reeing to a transfer of 641 RHNA units, broken down into 607 Above Moderate incomeModerate-income units and 34 Very Low-income units, following the annexation of a 34.93-acre site into the City of Santa Rosa. Table 5-1 shows the City’s RHNA by income category , including the agreed upon transfer units . Of the 4,6855,326 total units , including the transferred units , the city must plan to accommodate 1,2181,252 units for very low- income households, 701 units for low-income households, 771 units for moderate-income households, and 1,9952,602 units for above moderate-income households.
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
5 Housing Sites Analysis
Table 5-1REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ALLOCATION, 2023–2031
Income Category Allocation Percentage
Very Low* 1,2181,252 2624%
Low 701 1513%
Moderate 771 1614%
Above Moderate 1,9952,602 4349%
Total 4,6855,326 100%
Source: ABAG 2021
Note: It is assumed that 50 percent of the very low-income is allocated to the extremely low-income category.
Projects Under Construction
The City may take RHNA credit for units built afte r the start of the planning period, which was June 30, 2022 for the 6th cycle Housing Element. The city relied on funding subsidies to credit units towards very low-, low-, and moderate- income categories. Table 5-2 shows the units currently under construction.
Table 5-2 REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ALLOCATION, 2023–2031PROJECTS UNDER
CONSTRUCTION BY INCOME CATEGORY
# Project Name Very
Low Low Mod Abv.
Mod
Total
Units Funding
UC-1 Mahonia Glen 26 22 50 1 99 CDBG, local
UC-2 Aviara 136 136 DIP, RED
UC-3 Bellevue Ranch 7 34 34 Market Rate
UC-4 Stony Point Flats Apartments 30 19 1 50 Local, Tax Credits
UC-5 Grove Village 78 157 Market Rate
Total Units 56 177 50 114 476
Planned and Approved Projects
Santa Rosa has a significant number of development projects that are seeking entitlements or that have been approved. Table 5-3 summarizes the inventory of residential and mixed-use projects that are pending approval and Table 5-4 summarizes the inventory of residential and mixed-use projects that have current active entitlements. Figure 5-1 provides a map of all approved and pending projects.
Figures 5-1 and 5-2 also map the WUI Influence, Intermix, and Interface zones. The zones are defined as follows:
FEBRUARY 2023
2023 – 2031 Housing Element Page 5-25
5 Housing Site Analysis
Accessory Dwelling Unit Potential
California Government Code Section 65583.1(a) states that a town, ci ty, or county may identify sites for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) based on the number of ADUs developed in the prior Housing Element planning period, whether the units are p ermitted by right, the need for ADUs in the community, the resources or incentives available for their development, and any other relevant factors.
Based on recent changes in state law reducing th e time to review and approve ADU applications, requiring ADUs that meet requirements to be allo wed by right, eliminating discretionary review for most ADUs, and removing other restrictions on ADUs , it is anticipated that the production of ADUs will increase in the 6th-Cycle Housing Element planning period.
The City issued the following ADU building permits over the last four years:
» 2018 – 80 ADUs received building permits
» 2019 – 50 ADUs received building permits
» 2020 – 63 ADUs received building permits
» 2021 – 95 ADUs received building permits
This analysis assumes that the number of ADU applications and permits will average 72 ADUs per year, for a total of 577 ADUs over the eight-year planning period. To promote ADUs, the City has included Program H-5 promote the construction of affordable ADUs through several actions.
To determine assumptions on AD U affordability in the ABAG regio n, ABAG conducted a regional analysis of existing ADU rents and prepared a draft report in September 2021. The analysis resulted in affordability assumptions that allocate 30 percent of ADUs to very low-income households, 30 percent to low-income households, 30 percent to modera te-income households, and 10 percent to above moderate-income households. Afford ability of ADUs projected to be built in the city during the planning period were based on the ABAG analysis. Of the 577 ADUs projected to be built, it is estimated that 173 will be for ve ry low-income households, 173 will be for low-income households, 173 for moderate-income households, and 58 for above moderate-income households.
Summary of Capacity to Accommodate the RHNA
Tables 5-10 and 5-11 compares the City’s RHNA to its site inventory capacity. Accounting for projects currently under construction, Table 5-10 shows the city’s remaining RHNA that needs to be accommodated within the planning period. Looking at the capacity in Table 5-11 and accounting for approved and pending projects, capacity within the DSASP, the vacant site capacity (outside of the DSASP area) and the projected ADUs, the City has a total surplus of 2,3142,100 units. Breaking this down by income category, the City has a surplus of 861 827 units in the lower- income (including extremely low-, very low-, and low-income) category, a 193 313 unit surplus in the moderate-income category, and a 1,260961 unit surplus in the above moderate-income category.
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
5 Housing Site Analysis
Table 5-10 REMAINING RHNA AFTER UNITS CONSTRUCTED CREDITED Income Category RHNA
Projects Under
Construction - June
30, 2022 and later*
Remaining RHNA
Very Low
1,9191,953 233 1,6861,720
Low
Moderate 771 50 721
Above Moderate 1,9952,602 114 1,8812,488
Total 4,6855,326 397 4,2884,929
Source: ABAG 2021, City of Santa Rosa, December 2022
*See Table 5-1A
Table 5-11 SUMMARY OF RESIDENTIAL CAPACITY COMPARED TO THE 6TH CYCLE RHNA BY INCOME CATEGORY
Income
Category
Remaining
RHNA
Approved/
Pending
Project
Capacity
DSASP
Vacant
Site
Capacity
Vacant
Site
Capacity1
Projected
ADUs
Total
Capacity Surplus
Very Low
1,6861,720 725 1,022 454 346 2,547 861827
Low
Moderate 721 129 0 662732 173 9641,034 193313
Above
Moderate 1,8812,488 1,616 340 1,2411,435 58 3,2553,449 1,260961 Total 4,2884,929 2,470 1,362 2,3582,621 577 6,7667,030 2,3142,100 Source: ABAG 2021, City of Santa Rosa, December 2022
1 Outside of the DSASP area
.