Sebastopol City Council
January 3, 2023

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Figure 20: Inflow and Outflow Analysis of Sebastopol
Source: OntheMap.ces.census.gov, 2019
Note: Arrows do not indicate directionality of worker flow The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Jobs Proximity Index quantifies the accessibility of a given residential neighborhood as a function of its distance to all job locations within a CBSA, with larger employment centers weighted more heavily. The higher the index value, the better the access to employment opportunities for residents in a neighborhood. In Sebastopol, residents within all census tracts in Sebastopol have relatively good access to employment opportunities, the most southern portion to a lesser extent, and there are no tracts that are either closest or furthest in proximity.

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Figure 21: Job Proximity Index Map of Sebastopol
Source: HUD Jobs Proximity Index, American community Survey 2017 5-Year Estimates Measuring the ratio of jobs-to-housing can offer insight into how well cities are balancing the two, and although imperfect, ratios that are too skewed in either direction can indicate an opportunity for action. Figure 2422 ranks jurisdictions in Sonoma County based on its respective jobs-to-housing ratio. The higher the ranking, the stronger the jobs-to-housing ratio which means that the City more adequately provides housings according to the number of jobs and vice-versa. Sonoma and Sebastopol top the list with jobs-to-housing ratios above 1.4 (i.e., 1.4 jobs for every home built). The jobs-to-housing ratio in these jurisdictions rank well below the average Bay Area jurisdiction given that cities like San Francisco and San Jose produce more than three jobs for every permitted home according to the State of Housing in Sonoma County 2022 report.

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Figure 22: Ratio of All Jobs to Homes in Sonoma County Jurisdictions Source: California Department of Housing and Community Development, Annual Progress Reports, Generation Housing
Disparities in Access to Opportunity: Fair Housing Issues and Contributing Factors Any shortfall in resource levels that might exist in the moderately resourced areas can be attributed to the City’s limited capacity for assistance of households in need of these resources. Application processes for housing in higher resourced areas pose a high barrier for lower-resourced residents and requires more robust administrative assistance to ensure the households that are most likelikely to experience additional challenges with accessing education, healthy environments, public transportation, economic development opportunities, and access to jobs. The small size of the City also restricts its access to financing affordable housing on small sites that could provide housing near resources for at-need residents. Therefore, the two contributing factors to fair housing issues related to access to opportunities are:
• Capacity for assistance
• Access to financing for small sites

4.5.5 Disproportionate Housing Needs, Including Displacement Disproportionate Housing Needs generally refers to a condition in which there are significant disparities in the proportion of members of a protected class experiencing a category of housing needs when compared to the proportion of members of any other relevant groups, or the total population experiencing that category of housing need in the applicable geographic area. For purposes of this definition, categories of housing need are based on such factors as cost burden and severe cost burden, Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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overcrowding, homelessness, and substandard housing conditions. This section analyzes these four housing needs categories as they apply to the City of Sebastopol.

Cost Burden and Severe Cost Burden
Housing cost burden is commonly measured as the percentage of gross income spent on housing, with 30 percent% threshold for 'cost burden' and 50 percent% the threshold for 'severe cost burden.' A lower-income household spending the same percent of income on housing as a higher-income household is therefore more likely experience a ‘cost burden.' Some of the implications of high-cost burden can include housing-induced poverty, where overspending on housing leaves households little financial resources for other expenditures, and reduced savings which can impact asset accumulation.

Home prices have skyrocketed in the last decade; however, most homeowners have mortgages with fixed rates or own outright and are therefore less likely to be impacted by market increases. Renters on the other hand are subject to rent increases based on market rates and tend to experience more cost-burden. This is the case in Sebastopol where 39.9 percent% of renters are either cost-burdened (i.e., spend between 30%-50% of income on rent) or severely cost-burdened (i.e., spend more than 50% of income on rent) compared to 32.2 percent% of cost burdened or severely cost-burdened homeowners (Figure 2523) Roughly two-thirds of homeowners can afford housing by HUD standards (i.e., spend no more than 30% of income on rent) while only half of renters can afford housing in Sebastopol using this standard.

Figure 23: Cost Burden by Tenure in Sebastopol
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019) Housing cost burden for lower income households puts them at greater risk of housing insecurity and/or eviction. Over half of extremely low-income households in Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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Sebastopol are severely cost-burdened and almost all are cost-burdened to some extent. The proportion of severely cost-burdened households becomes exponentially smaller as income increases (Figure 2624). Within highest income households, only 11% are cost-burdened and less than 1% are severely cost-burdened. This indicates that the lowest income households are in the greatest need of affordable housing in Sebastopol.

Figure 24: Cost Burden by Income Level in Sebastopol
Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) ACS tabulation, 2013-2017 release Compared to Sonoma County, renter- and owner-occupied households in Sebastopol experience housing cost burdens at lower rates except in the category of owneroccupied households experiencing severe cost burden. In the State of California, there are slightly more owners and renters experiencing over 30% cost burden than in Sebastopol, while the number of extremely cost burdened homes in Sebastopol also outnumbers the State. Renter households experience ‘cost burden’ and ‘severe cost burden’ at higher rates than owner-occupied households at the City, County, and State levels.

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Table 44: Cost Burden by Tenure in Sebastopol, Sonoma County, and California Cost burden > 30% Cost Burden >50%
Sebastopol
Owner-Occupied 29.31% 14.80%
Renter-Occupied 45.34% 28.57%
Sonoma County
Owner-Occupied 29.68% 12.49%
Renter-Occupied 50.37% 25.67%
California
Owner-Occupied 30.19% 13.03%
Renter-Occupied 50.61% 26.28%
Source: HUD CHAS Data; ACS 2014-2018
Overcrowding
Overcrowding is defined as housing units with more than one person per room, including dining and living rooms, but excluding bathrooms and kitchens.

Overcrowding has been correlated with increased risks of contracting communicable diseases, higher rates of respiratory illness, and greater vulnerability to being homeless. Residential crowding reflects demographic and socioeconomic conditions.

Older-adult immigrant and recent immigrant communities, families with low incomes and renter-occupied households are more likely to experience household crowding.

A form of residential overcrowding known as "doubling up" is co-residing with family members or friends for economic reasons. Doubling up is the most reported living situation for families and individuals before the onset of homelessness (California Health and Human Services)
In the City of Sebastopol, less than 8.2% (the statewide average) are overcrowded and there is no data on severely overcrowded households. Owner occupied households have fewer occupants per room on average than renter occupied households in every category. The vast majority (82.6%) of owner-occupied households have .50 or less occupants per room which is higher than both the County and statewide averages. Renter household occupant numbers more closely resemble State averages, though Sonoma County has 11.8% more renter households with two or more occupants per room, which is considered overcrowded. Sebastopol also has a higher percentage of renter households with 1.51 to 2.00 occupants per room (8.0%) than both the County (5.6%) and California (3.9%) Table 45: Tenure by Occupants Per Room in Sebastopol
Sebastopol Sonoma County California
Owner Occupied Households
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.50 or less occupants per room 82.6% 75.0% 67.4%

0.51 to 1.00 occupants per room 16.6% 22.6% 28.5%

1.01 to 1.50 occupants per room 0.0% 2.4% 3.1%

1.51 to 2.00 occupants per room 0.0% 1.7% 0.8%

2.00 or more occupants per room 0.0% 10.6% 0.3%
Renter Households
.50 or less occupants per room 52.0% 51.8% 44.9%

0.51 to 1.00 occupants per room 35.1% 38.9% 41.9%

1.01 to 1.50 occupants per room 3.8% 12.2% 7.8%

1.51 to 2.00 occupants per room 8.0% 5.6% 3.9%

2.00 or more occupants per room 1.2% 13.0% 1.4%
Source: 2020 ACS 5-Year Estimates
Substandard Housing
As defined by the U.S. Census, there are two types of substandard housing problems:
(1) Households without hot and cold piped water, a flush toilet and a bathtub or shower; and (2) Households with kitchen facilities that lack a sink with piped water, a range or stove, or a refrigerator. There are no reported homeowners or renters experiencing substandard housing conditions in Sebastopol.48F48F 56 Rates of substandard
housing are higher for the region but have decreased from 2010 to 2019 (Table 45).

Table 46: Substandard Housing Issues in SebastopolSonoma County 56 U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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Year 2010 2019
Tenure Owner Renter Owner Renter
Lacking Complete Kitchen 0.5% 1.9% 0.4% 1.7%
Lacking Plumbing 0.5% 1.2% 0.4% 0.6%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5 -Year Data (2015-Estimates: 2010, 2019),, Table B25053, Table B25043, Table B25049
Homelessness
Those experiencingThe Department of Housing and Urban Development defines homelessness include individualsas any, “individual or familiesfamily who lack or are perceived to lacklacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime resident, or who have a residence” or an individual whose, “primary nighttime resident in a shelter, on the street, in a vehicle, or in an enclosure or structure that residence [is] not authorized or fitdesigned for human habitation.or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation… including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground.” People experiencing homelessness have the most immediate housing needs of any population group and are most vulnerable to violence and criminalization due to their unhoused status.

California accounts for almost half of the country's homeless population. Sonoma County has the fourth highest number of homeless individuals for large suburban areas in the United States.57 The 202049F49F
58 Preliminary 2022 Sonoma County Point-InTime (PIT) Count data reported 2,745893 individuals experiencing homelessness, a seven percent decrease5% increase in the homeless personspopulation since 2019.

Of2020.50F50F
59 More comprehensive data released in 2020 shows that the majority (63%) of those experiencing homelessness in the County , the majority (63%) are white men. The number sheltered populationshomeless population increased by five percent5% between 2019 to 2020.51F51F
60 Home to approximately 8,000 people, Sebastopol is one of a growing number of smaller cities in Sonoma County that is facing the need to bring the affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, and transitional housing that is so critical to addressing the housing needs of the most vulnerable unhoused individuals in the County. The 20202022 Point-In-Time Count conducted in early 2020 found that there were 12978 unhoused people in Sebastopol, updown from 69129 two years prior.

The number of students in Sebastopol experiencing homelessness in 2019 represents

2.2 percent% of the Sonoma County total and 0.1 percent% of the Bay Area total.

The number of those who are homeless in Sebastopol has increased between 2018 57 County of Sonoma Community Development Commission “Project Homekey” page 58 County of Sonoma Community Development Commission “Project Homekey” page 59 The Press Democrat, Sonoma County’s homeless population increased 5% during pandemic, May 16 2022 60 Ibid.

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to 2020, while thethen decreased in 2022. The total homeless population in Sonoma County has decreased decreased between 2018 and 2020, then increased in 2022.

While just over a quarter of Sonoma County’s homeless population is sheltered, almost half of Sebastopol’s population is sheltered (Table 4346)). Shelters and resources for the local homeless population are distributed throughout the City, and so are homeless residents. Most of Sonoma County’s homeless population lives in Santa Rosa (1,658 people), followed by Rohnert Park (369 people) and Petaluma (293 people).

Table 47: Homeless Persons in Sebastopol by Shelter Status Jurisdiction Shelter Status 2018 2019 2020 2022
Sebastopol
Unsheltered 69 101 129 40
Sheltered 0 0 0 38
Total 69 101 129 78
Sonoma
County
Unsheltered 1,929 1,957 1,702 2,088
Sheltered 1,067 994 1,033 805
Total 2,996 2,951 2,745 2,893
Source: 20202019 and 2022 Sonoma County Homeless Census Comprehensive Report Section 4.2.2 contains additional information about homelessness, including an analysis of needs, resources, and the City’s efforts in addressing homelessness.

Displacement
Shifts in neighborhood composition are often framed and perpetuated by established patterns of racial inequity and segregation. Neighborhood change is influenced by three processes: movement of people,; public policies, and investments, such as capital improvements and planned transit stops,; and flows of private capital.52F52F 61 These
processes can disproportionally impact people of color, as well as lower income households, persons with disabilities, large households, and persons at-risk or experiencing homelessness. They can also displace people to the extent of homelessness.

For the purposes of this assessment, displacement is used to describe any involuntary household move caused by landlord action or market changes. Displacement is fueled by a combination of rising housing costs, rising income inequality, stagnant wages, and insufficient market-rate housing production.53F53F
62 Decades of disinvestment in lowincome communities, couplescoupled with investor speculation, can result in a rent gap or a disparity between current rental income and the land, and potentially achievable rental income if the property is converted to its most profitable use. 61 Zuk, M., et al. (2015). Gentrification, Displacement, and the Role of Public Investment. Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, 32. 62 Been, V., Ingrid, E., & O’Regan, K. (2019). Supply Skepticism: Housing Supply and Affordability. Housing Policy Debate, 29(1), 25-40.

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The University of California, Berkeley (UCB)’s Urban Displacement Project Bay Area Model 2020 shows that there are no neighborhoods in Sebastopol that are susceptible to or experiencing displacement, nor are there areas at risk of or undergoing gentrification. Most census tracts, however, include neighborhoods are the At Risk of Becoming Exclusive (Figure 2725)). Sebastopol has a lower displacement risk than most jurisdictions in the region (Figure 26).

Figure 25: Urban Displacement Project May Area Model 2020 – Sebastopol Source: Chapple, K., & Thomas, T., and Zuk, M. (2021). Urban Displacement Project website.

Berkeley, CA: Urban Displacement Project.

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Figure 28Figure 26: Urban Displacement Project Bay Area Model 2020 – North Bay Region
Source: Chapple, K., & Thomas, T., and Zuk, M. (2021). Urban Displacement Project website.

Berkeley, CA: Urban Displacement Project.

Rising housing costs are a primary cause of displacement and can assist in identifying and comparing displacement risk trends. Median gross rent in Sebastopol was $1,547 in 2022, up from $1,200 in 2010, an increase of 28.9%. In comparison, median gross rent in all of Sonoma County was $1,743 in 2022 and $1,201 in 2010, an increase of 45%. During the same period, median household income increased by 58.2% in Sebastopol and increased by 36% in Sonoma County.54F54F 63 While displacement risk has
increases Countywide, this issue is not as prevalent in Sebastopol in comparison to the full County. The City has restrictions on non-hosted short-term rentals, which may contribute to this minimized displacement risk.

Figure 27 identifies census tracts that are at risk of disaster-driven displacement from flooding. The Special Flood Hazard Areas in Sebastopol are concentrated in the northeast corner of the City, with one minor segment showing up on the far left-hand side. In these areas, there is a 1 percent% Annual Chance Flood Hazard. There are 63 U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2010 and 2020 5-Year Estimates Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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very few residences within this area, and it does not align with areas with higher concentrations of protected classes.

Figure 27: FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas in Sebastopol (2020) Source: Flood Hazard Areas from the Flood Insurance Rate Map created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Disproportionate Housing Needs: Fair Housing Issues and Contributing Factors The rising cost of housing in Sebastopol, Sonoma County, and across the Bay Area region is driving displacement of the most vulnerable populations. This is not only disruptive and, in some cases, traumatic for displaced households, but is also a primary driver of segregation at the regional scale.

There are no neighborhoods in the City of Sebastopol experiencing gentrification; however, 74.2% of households in Sebastopol live in neighborhoods where low-income households are likely to be excluded due to prohibitive housing costs. There exists a risk of becoming exclusive and further displacement of lower-income residents due to rising housing costs. A lack of affordable housing units in a range of sizes, including larger units to house families, was also cited by stakeholders as an important contributing factor.

4.5.6 Other Relevant Factors and Local Knowledge
Fair housing issues are also affected by historical exclusionary zoning practices, such as the use of zoning ordinances to exclude certain types of land uses and/or races and ethnicities from a given community. Exclusionary zoning was introduced in the early 1900s, typically to prevent racial and ethnic minorities from moving into middleand upper-class neighborhoods. In the United States, exclusionary zoning is standard in almost all communities and is used to limit the supply of available housing units, Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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such as prohibiting multifamily residential dwelling and minimum lot size requirements.

Single-family zoning is exclusionary when it occurs to the exclusion of other types of residential uses. While not intended to be exclusionary, Sebastopol’s past prohibition of anything but single-family homes have excluded persons who do not have incomes high enough to live there.

The City of Sebastopol has taken steps to address past exclusionary zoning practices with each update of the Housing Element. As of 2022, Sebastopol is zoned according to the map shown below. Under its zoning code, Sebastopol has eight residential zoning districts. Districts R1 through R5 are primarily zoned for single family residential uses, but District R5 permits townhomes, condominiums, duplex, triplex, and fourplex uses. Higher density multi-family residential developments are only allowed in Districts R6 and R7, allowing up to 25 dwelling units per acre. Sebastopol is a small city without neighborhood delineations. There are no locations within the City that are not within walking distance to good schools, goods, services, or transit.

Figure 28: Zoning Map of the City of Sebastopol
Source: City of Sebastopol Municipal Code, Title 17: Zoning , 2018 In the recent past, housing costs have been impacted by remote workers from the tech industry and other high paying industries moving out of metropolitan centers and into the area. This trend has continued with remote workers from other Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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industries, as the impact of the COVID pandemic affected employment. While this this typically affects the prices of market rate housing, it is now affecting overall housing costs as units previously attainable by middle income households are now more expensive.

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4.5.67 Fair Housing Goals and Priorities Based on Identified Contributing Factors Summary Table 48: Fair Housing Issues, Contributing Factors, and Programs & Actions Fair Housing
Issue
Contributing
Factors and
Priority
Meaningful Action Metric/Milestone
Neighborhoods
are at-risk of
becoming
exclusive
Community
opposition
(High Priority)
Program A-3.1: The City will establish Objective Design Standards to minimize discretionary decision-making
80% of housing projects using
Objective Design Standards through
the planning period, focusing on
areas zoned to allow multifamily
and mixed-use development
Program A-3.1: The City will establish Objective Design Standards to minimize discretionary decisionmakingProgram D-2.1: The City will work with the County CDC to develop a landlord education program that will
include information on source of income discrimination
and ensure landlords and maintaining Section 8
compliance.Program D-2.2: The City will amend the code
to allow permanent supportive housing and low barrier
navigation centers by-right in zones where multifamily
and mixed uses are permitted
Connect with 15 landlords
throughout the community during
the planning period.

Program D-2.2: The City will amend the code to allow
permanent supportive housing and low barrier navigation centers by-right in zones where multifamily and mixed
uses are permitted
Facilitate development of 1 new PSH
and 1 new LBNC project during the
planning period, near transportation
and amenities .

Access to
financing for
small sites
(High Priority)
Program A-3.2: The City will support affordable housing developers through financial and technical actions to
facilitate development on lots of all sizes and levels of affordability.Program A-4.3: The City will partner with the County CDC to identify feasible funding mechanisms for
the development of affordable housing in the City,
including its small sites.

During the planning period,
financially support 2 affordable
housing projects; increase developer
outreach by 25%; provide staff
assistance to assess development
strategies for 8 new housing
projects; and provide priority
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Fair Housing
Issue
Contributing
Factors and
Priority
Meaningful Action Metric/Milestone
permit processing to 3 affordable
housing projects..

Program A-4.3: The City will partner with the County CDC to identify feasible funding mechanisms for the
development of affordable housing in the City, including its small sites.

Increase developer outreach about
funding opportunities by 25% to
facilitate projects throughout the
community
Risk of
becoming
exclusive and/or
displacement of
residents due to
rising housing
costs
(High Priority)
Program B-1.1b: The City will develop a proactive and
reasonable enforcement program that focuses residential code enforcement activities on situations that pose an
imminent threat to public health and safety.

Program C-2.1: The City will work with the County CDC
and local non-profits and apply for rehabilitation loans and grants to address substandard living conditions and reduce displacement.Program C-1.1: The City will monitor its affordable housing inventory, and work with property owners and non-profit partners. The City will identify
options to ensure continuing affordability of
units.Program D-2.1: The City will work with the County CDC to develop a landlord education program.Program D4.1: The City will require replacement housing units on inventory sites that meet the conditions outlined in
Government Code 65915(c)(3)
Apply for 3 grants throughout the
planning period
Program C-1.1: The City will monitor its affordable
housing inventory, and work with property owners and
non-profit partners. The City will identify options to
ensure continuing affordability of units.

Maintain affordability covenants on
100% of at-risk units (one project)
Program D-2.1: The City will work with the County CDC to develop a landlord education program.

Connect with 15 landlords
throughout the community during
the planning period.

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Fair Housing
Issue
Contributing
Factors and
Priority
Meaningful Action Metric/Milestone
Program D-4.1: The City will require replacement housing units on inventory sites that meet the conditions outlined in Government Code 65915(c)(3)
100% of required replacement
housing units throughout the
community
Limited
availability of
affordable units
in a range of
sizes
(Medium
Priority)
Program A-3.3: The City will increase opportunities for missing middle housing to support a range of housing
types and sizes.
..Program A-3.4: The City will establish a Workforce
Housing Overlay Zone to support a range of housing types and sizes.

Program A-3.5: The City will encourage the development
of ADUs and JADUs to support a range of housing types
and sizes
Facilitate the development of 10
new units throughout the planning
period, primarily in the higher
resource residential areas on the
west side of the City.

Program A-3.4: The City will establish a Workforce
Housing Overlay Zone to support a range of housing types and sizes
Facilitate the development of 2
projects or 20 units using the
Workforce Housing Overlay Zone,
focused in or near the Downtown
area.

Program A-3.6: The City will encourage the development
of ADUs and JADUs to support a range of housing types
and sizes
Aim for an average of 7.5 ADUs per
year for a total of 60 ADUs during
the planning period, including 15
VLI units, 15 LI units, and 15 MI
units, throughout the community.

Limited Fair
Housing
enforcement &
outreach
Lack of
language access
(Medium
Priority)
Program D-1.1: The City will provide fair housing
information in multiple languages.

Provide links and/or information on
website to fair housing resources,
including 50% of those materials in
multiple languages
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Fair Housing
Issue
Contributing
Factors and
Priority
Meaningful Action Metric/Milestone
Lack of
resources for
fair housing
agencies and
organizations
(Medium
Priority)
Program D-1.1: The City will develop a webpage to
provide fair housing information and resources to its
residents. The City will hold annual fair housing
workshops to educate and inform the community about
fair housing rights and available resources. The City will and coordinate with the Sonoma County Housing
Authority and local faith-based and community-based
organizations to implement fair housing programs. The
City will conduct bi-annual meetings with service
providers and advocates to identify needs and seek
solutions.Program C-1.1: In the case of expiring
affordability covenants, the City will work with tenants to provide education regarding tenant rights and
conversation procedures.

Communicate with 2 organizations
annually about fair housing
programs. .

Program C-1.1: In the case of expiring affordability
covenants, the City will work with tenants to provide
education regarding tenant rights and conversation
procedures.

Contact 25% of households residing
in units with expiring affordability
covenants.

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APPENDIX A: COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH
The City of Sebastopol values community input and has had a focus on offering various opportunities for residents and community stakeholders to provide input on housing and community development issues during the preparation of this Housing Element. Government Code 65583(c)(7) requires that “the local government shall make a diligent effort to achieve public participation of all economic segments of the community in the development of the housing element, and the program shall describe this effort.” This appendix documents how public engagement was sought after and gathered during the update process, and how the input received from residents and stakeholders was incorporated into the preparation and content of the Housing Element.

Timeline of Community Engagement and Outreach
Through this outreach, City staff received nearly 300 survey participants, written and verbal public comments, and engaged in-person with local residents. Most agree that housing affordability, traffic, and homelessness are urgent concerns that need to be addressed and that strategies to solving these issues is to encourage a variety of types of housing focusing on creating affordable and senior housing downtown, and infrastructure improvements to address the traffic issues. Public participation opportunities were provided as outlined below:

September 28, 2021: The City conducted a virtual community workshop meeting open to the public where major elements of the Housing Element Update process, updates to Housing Element law, and the City’s current Regional Housing Need Allocation were presented via a PowerPoint presentation. The public was invited to provide initial comments regarding the Housing Element Update process and general housing needs in the City.

September 29, 2021: The City established a dedicated webpage for the Housing Element Update with information on the update process and how to get involved. The webpage also included, a dedicated Housing Element Update email address, and a phone number to the planning department.

October 13, 2021: The Housing 101 video was created to explain what the Housing Element is and the associated update process. The video covers the City’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) and how demographics and public input shape the goals, policies, and programs that are established to meet statutory requirements.

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The video was shared on the City’s social media outlets and Housing Element Update webpage.

October 2021-December 2021: A community opinion survey was conducted in English and Spanish to collect input from Sebastopol residents about Housing Needs and Opportunities in the City. The survey was distributed through the City website, through the City’s newsletter, through posts on City Facebook and Next Door accounts, through tabling at the Farmers Market, and through posting flyers around the community. The survey asked questions regarding current living situations and opinions on various housing issues. The survey was advertised on the City’s social media outlets, on the Housing Element Update Webpage, and on flyers posted at local businesses and community locations including laundromats, grocery stores, apartment complexes, the library, and thrift stores. The survey was open from October 22, 2021 through December 27, 2021 and received 179 responses. (see responses in Appendix B).

November 21, 2021: The Housing Element team conducted outreach by tabling at the Sebastopol City Farmers Market to encourage participation in the community opinion survey and educate the public about the 2023 Housing Element Update.

December 14, 2021: The City conducted a virtual public workshop with the City of Sebastopol Planning Commission to provide an overview of statewide, regional, and local housing issues and laws and to demonstrate where demographic data and community input could inform the 2023 Housing Element Update. The City presented housing topics including affordable housing, Housing Element requirements, RHNA, new housing laws, demographics, project objectives, preliminary sites assessment, potential policy options, and preliminary survey results. The workshop provided an opportunity for the Planning Commission to initiate discussions on potential policy options and seek public input on housing needs and potential solutions.

December 2021–January 2022: A stakeholder opinion survey was conducted to collect input from local developers about Housing Needs and Opportunities in the City. The survey asked questions about housing needs, current and expected housing issues, and the types of housing needed. The survey was open from December 6 through January 17 and received 24 responses (see responses in Appendix B).

January 2022: Stakeholder Interviews were conducted with local agencies to discuss issues and needs for seniors and the local workforce, and to discuss multifamily developer ideas and needs. The participants were an Educational Cohort, the West County Community Services who provide services and support for seniors and youth, and Pacific West Communities, a multi-family housing developer .

March 7, 2022: The City held a public workshop on the Draft Housing Strategy of the 2023 Housing Element Update at the City Council meeting, participants joined the meeting virtually. During the workshop, the Planning Director and the consultant presented information about proposed goals, policies, and programs, and the public had an opportunity to provide comments and feedback.

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April 2022: A community input survey was conducted on the released Draft Housing Strategy to seek public input on housing goals, policies and programs (see responses in Appendix B). Input from the survey were integrated into Section 2 of the Draft Housing Element .

July 2022: The Draft Housing Element was released for public review on July 21, 2022. The City held a public workshop on the draft on July 26, 2022, and the public had an opportunity to provide comments and feedback.

August 2022: The City held a public workshop on the Draft Housing Element on August 2, 2022. The Housing Element team conducted outreach by tabling at the local Gravenstein Apple Fair on August 13 and 14 to inform the public about the release of the draft and to encourage participation in the public comment period. The official public comment period for the Housing Element closed on August 20, 2022.

November 2022: A revised draft Housing Element was released on November 22, 2022 for an additional seven day public comment period.

Equity and Representation in Engagement
From the early outreach efforts for the Housing Element, the City made an effort to reach all segments of the population, including low-income and special needs populations and service providers and advocates that represent these groups (see Table 48 and Table 49). By providing information on the upcoming Housing Element effort in multiple languages, multiple locations, multiple medias, and using early outreach to develop a mailing list, the City was able to hear comments from many segments of the population, including advocates and low-income residents, and integrate their comments into the Draft Housing Element.

Outreach Lists Contacts and Locations
Table 49: Outreach Contact List
Black Oak Builders St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
Burbank Housing The Living Room
CA Waterboard TLC Child and Family Services
Chris Pellascini West County Services
City Ventures Sebastopol Union School District (6)
Colin Doyle AIA West Sonoma County Union High District (29) Community Church of Sebastopol Art at the Source
Cory Maquire Ceres Project (2)
Earthtone Construction Education Development Center
Fritz Architecture Harmony Farm Supply
Kathy Austin AIA Ives Community Pool
Lars Architects Law Offices of Stephen C. Zollman
Leff Construction Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Pacific West Sebastopol Community Cultural Center (2)
Randy Figueredo AIA Sebastopol Downtown Association
Rodriguez Wright, LLP Sebastopol Senior Center (2)
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Rotary Club of Sebastopol Sebastopol World Friends
Satellite Affordable Housing Associates Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce Sebastopol Christian Church SoCo News (2)
Sebastopol Lions Club Sonoma Library (2)
Sebastopol Sunrise Rotary Club The Laguna Foundation
Sebastopol United Methodist Church
Sonoma Applied Village Services City Email list of 204 individuals Community Opinion Survey flyers were posted at 24 locations around town including laundromats, community organizations and non-profits, coffee shops and cafes, grocery stores, retail stores, and an apartment complex.

Table 50: Community Opinion Survey Flyers Posting Locations Laundromats
Hi-Tide 992 Gravenstein Hwy S, Sebastopol, CA 95472
La Fiesta 580 Gravenstein Hwy N, Sebastopol, CA 95472
24 Hour Coin/Hilltop Wash and Dry 167 Pleasant Hill Ave N, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Super Suds 736 Gravenstein Hwy N, Sebastopol, CA 95472
Wash Plus 7110 Bodega Ave, Sebastopol, CA 95472
Community Organizations/Non-Profits
Gravenstein Community Health Center 652 Petaluma Ave Suite H, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Sebastopol City Hall 7120 Bodega Ave, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce & Visitor
Center
265 S Main St, Sebastopol, CA 95472
Sutter Health Hospice Thrift 748 Gravenstein Hwy N, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Sebastopol Senior Center 167 N High St, Sebastopol, 95472 Sebastopol Regional Library 7140 Bodega Ave Sebastopol, CA 95472 The Legacy Senior Center Thrift 789 Gravenstein Hwy S, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Coffee Shops and Cafés
Hole in the Wall Café 972 Gravenstein Hwy S, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Coffee & Moore (previously Coffee Catz) 6761 Sebastopol Ave, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Hardcore Espresso 81 Bloomfield Rd, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Grocery Stores
Fircrest Market 998 Gravenstein Hwy S, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Community Market 6762 Sebastopol Ave #100, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Pacific Market 550 Gravenstein Hwy N, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Retail
People’s Music 122 N Main St, Sebastopol, CA 95472
Sebastopol Bike Center 731 Sebastopol Ave, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Many Rivers Books & Tea 130 S Main St, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Ace Hardware 660 Gravenstein Hwy N, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Whipper Snapper Children’s Consignment 564 Gravenstein Hwy N, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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Apartments
Burbank Heights & Orchard Senior Housing 7777 Bodega Ave, Sebastopol, CA 95472 Stakeholder Interviews
The table below outlines stakeholder interviews that were held during the public outreach period.

Table 51: Stakeholder Interviews

ORGANIZATION

INTERVIEWEE

DATE OF

INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW SUMMARY INCORPORATION IN HOUSING

ELEMENT

WEST COUNTY

UNIFIED
SCHOOL

DISTRICT
DENISE
FISHERFacilities
Coordinator
JENNIE
BRUNEMANDirector of
Facilities
1/13/2022
School District serves incorporated
Sebastopol as well as unincorporated West
County
Affordability is big concern, for teachers
and for families with children
Enrollment levels have declined as the
area’s housing costs have gone up
Main way families can afford to live in
Sebastopol is if their homes have been
passed down from a previous generation
Sebastopol needs higher density – maybe
not big box apartments, but other options
like townhouses or mixed use
Conflict between quaint character of the
town and need for growth
Strong interest in programs with housing
set aside or designated for teachers or
faculty
Some of these comments are
relevant regionally but may not
apply to the City of Sebastopol itself.

Comments incorporated into the
discussion of needs, summary of
constraints, and discussion of
population demographics.

Programs to Address Needs:
• Program A-3.3 Missing
Middle Housing
• Program A-3.4 Workforce
Housing Overlay Zone
• Program D-3.1 First Time
Homebuyer Program and
Affordable Homeownership
Resources

WEST COUNTY

COMMUNITY

SERVICES

DANNIELLE
DANFORTHDirector of
Housing and
Homeless
Services
1/13/2022
Barriers to finding housing for clients
include:
• Affordability
• Availability
• High rents create inaccessibility for
lower wage essential workers
• Lack of permitted supportive
housing
• Community opposition to
affordable housing, transitional
housing, and supportive housing
Comments incorporated into the
discussion of needs, summary of
constraints, discussion of special
needs populations, community
opposition, and Assessment of Fair
Housing.

Programs to Address Needs:
• Program B-3.1 Monitor
Housing Trends, Laws, and
Issues
• Program A-3.4 Workforce
Housing Overlay Zone
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• Program D-1.1 Administer
Housing Services and Provide
Outreach and Education
• Program D-2.1 Landlord
Education
• Program D-2.2 Zoning for a
Variety of Housing Types
DEVELOPERS:

Summary of
Joint
Interviews
LAUREN
ALEXANDERPacific West
Communities,
Inc.

MICHAEL
JACOBS- Talia
Developments
PAUL FRITZFritz
Architecture
and Planning
RICH
WALLACHBurbank
Housing
RICK

OBERDORFER
and WYNE

KLEEFELD
Sonoma
County Habitat
for Humanity
1/18-
1/20/2022
Sebastopol’s “Highest Resource”
designation makes it an especially
attractive City to affordable housing
developers
Barriers to developing affordable housing
include:
• High percentage of land is zoned
single-family residential
• Community opposition to
multifamily units, especially those
designated for lower income
households
• High costs of land, construction,
CEQA, fees, regulatory process
• Lack of local funding, land, or City
capacity to support affordable
housing development
• Design review process, absence of
Objective Design Standards
• Lack of clear timelines and fees
Opportunities:
• More parcels zoned for higher
density, missing middle, mixeduses
• More by-right mixed use or
residential
• Underutilized lots
• Pre-approved plans, education,
and resources for ADUs/JADUs
• Ongoing educational
opportunities for decision makers
to engage in on-going educational
opportunities
Comments incorporated into the
summary of constraints.

Programs to Address Needs:
• Program A-3.1 Objective
Design Standards Program
• Program A-3.2 Support
Efforts of Affordable
Housing Developers
• Program A-3.3 Missing
Middle Housing
• Program A-3.4 Workforce
Housing Overlay Zone
• Program A-4.2 Fee
Mitigation and
Transparency
• Program B-2.1 Expedite
Processing for Affordable
Housing Projects
• Program B-3.1 Monitor
Housing Trends, Laws, and
Issues
• Program A-3.6 Encourage
the Development of
Accessory Dwelling Units
Community Input
The City of Sebastopol sought community input through public workshops, surveys, flyers, and in-person tabling events.

Public comment and survey results demonstrate that residents have given housing issues a lot of thought and have some good ideas for meeting housing needs while Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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preserving the City’s community identity and character. Common themes identified include housing costs, both for renting and purchasing, as a top concern, along with housing affordable to people that work in the City and accessible homes for the aging population. When asked what types of new housing would be most successful in Sebastopol, accessory dwelling units (ADUs, also known as granny units or second units) had the most support from respondents, along with “Missing Middle” housing such as townhouses, smaller single-family homes, or cottages. When asked to provide their thoughts on housing opportunities in the community, respondents had a variety of opinions on different strategies. Responses made include support for using underutilized parking lots, large parcels, and commercial spaces, fee subsidies for ADUs, tiny homes, increased density, transitional housing, senior housing, community housing, and housing for physically and/or mentally disabled. Responses also include concerns about traffic, parking, homeless, needed infrastructure improvements, too many short-term rentals, preserving large lots and historic architecture, and opposition to multifamily development.

Table 51 provides a summary of community comments from the September 2021 workshop through the release of the Draft Housing Element, and how these comments were incorporated into the draft.

Table 52: Incorporation of Community Comments
Summary of Comment Incorporation into Housing Element
Need for accessory dwelling units and to
“streamline process to encourage more
ADUs”
Need for fee subsidies for ADUs “making
the permit process easier and less
expensive to created ADU's and tiny
homes, and garage conversions.”
Simplify the process of converting
existing structures into legal ADUs by
reducing the need for qualified
conversions to go through Planning
Commission review for determination of
a non-conforming use.

Program A-3.6 Encourage the Development of
Accessory Dwelling Units
The City will streamline processing of applications
for conforming ADUs by eliminating the planning
entitlement process and relying instead on planning
department review and sign-off of the building
permit.

The City will make builders, property owners and
members of the public aware of opportunities to
facilitate ADU construction within the city by
creating a dedicated ADU/JADU development
website. This includes the CalHFA ADU Grant
Program which provides up to $40,000 to reimburse
pre-development and non-reoccurring closing costs
associated with the construction of the ADU.

Need for “Missing Middle” housing such
as townhouses, smaller single-family
homes, or cottages
Increase opportunities for small lot
single-family homes, such as tiny homes
and cottage court housing developments
to meet the demand for missing middle
housing
Program A-3.3 Missing Middle Housing
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Need for using underutilized parking lots
and commercial spaces suggestions
include downtown lots: City owned, CVS
Allow housing to be added to
underutilized commercial sites, empty
parking lots, and other identified parcels
near jobs, transit, or both by providing
incentives or other options.

Program A-3.4 Workforce Housing Overlay Zone can
be applied to underutilized parking lots and
commercial spaces
Program A-4.1 Density Bonus Incentives
Need for increased density. Add housing
above commercial buildings. Allow taller
buildings “3 or more story apartments
and condos, townhomes that go up with
a smaller footprint.”
The City already allows housing (CUP) above
commercial buildings in the CD, CO, CM, and OLM
zones. Housing where all units are deed-restricted
affordable is permitted in these zones (no CUP)
The City already allows 3+ story multifamily housing
in the CD zone, and in the R7, CO, CM, and OLM
zones for affordable housing projects.

Programs to increase density allowed include:
• Program A-4.1 Density Bonus Incentives
• Program A-3.3 Missing Middle Housing
Need for more subsidized housing Program A-3.2 Support Efforts of Affordable Housing Developers
Need for Supportive housing for those
with physical and/or mental illness
Policy D-4 The City will continue efforts to improve
housing opportunities for special needs households,
including seniors, disabled persons, developmentally
disabled persons, extremely low-income households,
farmworkers, large families, and persons
experiencing homelessness
Program D-2.2 By Right Permanent Supportive
Housing and Low Barrier Navigation Centers
Program A-3.2: Support Affordable Housing
Developers
Need for transitional housing/
emergency shelter options
Policy D-4 The City will continue efforts to improve
housing opportunities for special needs households,
including seniors, disabled persons, developmentally
disabled persons, extremely low-income households,
farmworkers, large families, and persons
experiencing homelessness
Program D-2.2 By Right Permanent Supportive
Housing and Low Barrier Navigation Centers
Program A-3.2: Support Affordable Housing
Developers
Need for senior housing “develop
additional senior housing near
downtown”
Policy D-4 The City will continue efforts to improve
housing opportunities for special needs households,
including seniors, disabled persons, developmentally
disabled persons, extremely low-income households,
farmworkers, large families, and persons
experiencing homelessness
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Need for Tiny homes, villages,
community housing, trailers with wheels,
yurts, villages, cooperative housing and
to utilize large lots for more housing.

Allow ‘green’ practices such as compost
toilets
Comment appears to apply to land outside City
limits and has been transmitted to County for
consideration
Need to utilize detached garages for
housing
Program A-3.6 Encourage the Development of
Accessory Dwelling Units
Need to consider housing land trust
model
Program D-3.1 First Time Homebuyer Program and
Affordable Homeownership Resources
Need for the extension of the Joe Rodota
Trail from Forestville to Jenner for safer
bicycle travel
Noted; Not in scope of Housing Element
Need opportunities to rezone commercial
areas, especially office rezone areas, into
mixed use. Allow by right in office
commercial zone, length of Hwy 116
(currently requires use permit)
Allow for mixed-use development options
and residential units on commercial
zoned in the Highway 116 corridor by
right rather than the more onerous use
permit
The City does allow mixed-use by right. Buildings
with first floor commercial do not require a use
permit to allow residential units on upper floors.

Purely affordable developments are allowed by right
Program A-3.4 Workforce Housing Overlay Zone
may allow more housing by right in commercial
areas
Program A-3.5 Opportunities for By Right Housing
will allow more housing by right in commercial and
downtown zones when 40% of units are affordable.

Need opportunities for creative land use
and to get rid of single-family only
zoning
Noted; Statute does not require the elimination of
single-family zoning. Programs are included to
increase opportunities for creative land use, small
units, and affordable housing within primarily
single-family neighborhoods
Program A-3.4 Workforce Housing Overlay Zone
Program A-3.3 Missing Middle Housing
Program A-3.6 Encourage the Development of
Accessory Dwelling Units
Streamline/ease permitting for property
owners to build more housing
Program A-3.6 Encourage the Development of
Accessory Dwelling Units
Program B-2.1 Expedite Processing for Affordable
Housing Projects
Program A-3.1 Objective Design Standards Program
Program A-3.3 Missing Middle Housing
Concerns about parking “More housing
downtown would require more parking”
suggestion of a 3-level parking garage at
the public lot on Burnett Street.

See discussion on Parking Requirements in
Technical Background Report
Concerns about preserving historic
architecture
See discussion on Historic Preservation in Technical
Background Report
Concerns about infrastructure, including
sidewalks and traffic.

Comments noted. Statute requires that the City plan
and zone for additional housing despite community
concerns related to growth and traffic.

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Concerns about drought and lack of
water
See discussion on Water and Wastewater in
Technical Background Report. Statute requires that
the City plan and zone for additional housing despite
community concerns about drought.

Concerns about cost to build ADUs See discussion on Accessory Dwelling Units in Technical Background Report
Program A-3.6 Encourage the Development of
Accessory Dwelling Units
Concerns about sprawl to accommodate
housing
See discussion on Growth Controls in Technical
Background Report.

City has an Urban Growth Boundary, and the RHNA
can be accommodated within existing limits.

Concerns about homeless and need for
safe overnight parking and support
services. Are there mandates from
legislature or other entity on what a city
must do in terms of providing homeless
housing?
See discussions on Homelessness in Technical
Background Report
Program D-2.2 By Right Permanent Supportive
Housing and Low Barrier Navigation Centers
Program A-3.2: Support Affordable Housing
Developers
Concerns about residences being used
for short-term rentals instead of housing
and short-term rental units owned by
non-Sebastopol residents. Need for
enforcement of ban on ADU short-term
rentals
The City has a Vacation Rental Ordinance, has
contracted with monitoring company that identifies
illegal short-term rentals, and is contracting with a
new company to help update the ordinance.

Concerns about multifamily development
“dislike the idea of large apartment
buildings which have a concentrated
impact on traffic and utilities”
Noted. Statute required planning and zoning for
multifamily development even though there may be
neighborhood concerns related to traffic.

Additionally, several Programs encourage gentle
density or alternatives to large apartment buildings,
including Missing Middle development, live/work or
mixed-use development, and ADUs. Reference
Programs
Concerns about credits offered to
developers to include Low-Income
housing but then the housing either isn’t
built or does not go to LI residents
See discussion on Housing Resources and Fair
Housing Programs and Actions in Technical
Background Report
Concerns about health issues related to
electromagnetic fields (EMF)
Program B-1.2 Code Enforcement and Reasonable
Accommodation Procedures
Ongoing education about housing trends,
laws, and issues for City staff and
decision-makers with availability to the
pubic
Program B-3.1 Monitor Housing Trends, Laws, and
Issues
Rehabilitation assistance program for
older residential units with lower income
property owners that need repair
Program C-2.1 Rehabilitation Assistance
Support GHG free construction and
remodels by a) banning natural gas
Program C-3.1 Provide Information and Promote
Energy Conservation
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hook-ups on new construction; and b)
providing education materials to
homeowners applying for permits on
options for electric appliances
For homeless: identify more locations for
supported safe parking areas similar to
the Safe Parking Village in northwest
Sebastopol
Addressed in Non-Unit Quantified Objectives
Public Input on the Draft Housing Element
Table 53: Incorporation of Comments on Draft Housing Element Summary of Comment Incorporation into Housing Element
Support for policy to require separate water
meter and billing for each new housing unit
except JADUs to promote water usage awareness
and water conservation.

Noted. Conflicts with State law
Support for Community Land Trusts, support for
partnership with CommonSpace Community Land
Trust for development, acquisition, and
rehabilitation.

Support for more creative solutions, including
shipping containers, used tiny homes, and
community land trusts.

Program D-3.1 First Time Homebuyer
Program and Affordable Homeownership
Resources amended to include multiple
organizations using the Community Land
Trust model
Opposition to parking requirements and support
for Transit-Oriented Development
Recommendation to eliminate parking minimums
and adopt a parking maximum
City changed its parking policies in 2018 in
response to constraints. Developers have
flexibility in parking requirements,
including shared parking lots with nearby
commercial.

Program A-3.4 Workforce Housing Overlay
Zone targets infill and adaptive reuse
development near transit.

Recommendation that Sebastopol eliminate its
Design Review Board and instead use the
Planning Commission along with staff to review
compliance with Design Guidelines
Program A-3.1 Objective Design Standards
Program
Program A-3.5 Opportunities for By Right
Housing was added to address public
comment
Support for ADU Program, recommendation to
commit to stronger actions earlier in the
planning period.

Recommendation to increase allowable square
footage for ADUs.

Concern about ADU affordability
Program A-3.6 Encourage the Development
of Accessory Dwelling Units
Comments noted.

See discussion; City of Sebastopol used
local knowledge and used conservative
affordability assumptions for ADU
affordability in comparison to the regional
study.

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The City should also provide incentives and
encourage landlords to accept Section 8 vouchers
and other housing vouchers.

Program D-1.1 Administer Housing Services
and Provide Outreach and Education
Program D-1.2 Proactive Outreach Program
was added to address public comment and
needs.

Support for Visitability method
Recommendation to strengthen programs
addressing Special Needs Populations
Visitability and Universal Design are being
considered for prioritization under Program
A-4.1 Density Bonus Incentives
See discussion in Section 4.2.2
Homeless shelters should be reviewed to ensure
they are accessible to people with disabilities.

Homeless shelters are subject to the ADA.

Recommendation to move up the timeline for
conducting a new nexus study analysis.

Noted; Not required by State law.

Recommendation to remove use permit for
residential only projects in the CO zone.

Recommendation to ensure the City has a
ministerial process for housing permitting and
remove impact fees for deed-restricted housing.

Program A-3.5 Opportunities for By Right
Housing was added to address public
comment and will allow more housing by
right in commercial and downtown zones
when 40% of units are affordable.

Program A-3.1 Objective Design Standards
Impact fees are required to maintain City
infrastructure. Program A-4.2 Fee
Mitigation and Transparency allows deferral
of impact fees.

Recommendation to end single-family zoning and
allow plexes in all R4 parcels.

Noted; Statute does not require the
elimination of single-family zoning.

Programs are included to increase
opportunities for creative land use, small
units, and affordable housing within
primarily single-family neighborhoods
Program A-3.4 Workforce Housing Overlay
Zone
Program A-3.3 Missing Middle Housing
Program A-3.6 Encourage the Development
of Accessory Dwelling Units
Support for more apartment houses.

Support for higher density housing.

Program A-3.4 Workforce Housing Overlay
Zone
Program 4.1 Density Bonus Incentives
Recommendation to have more proactive
programs, rather than passive actions.

Recommendation to include additional tenant
protection measures, such as a rental registry,
rent control, just cause eviction protections,
proactive rental inspection program, adoption of
Tenants’ Bill of Rights, and adoption of Tenant
Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) or
Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA).

The City has strengthened and clarified
commitments in some of its programs in
response to public comment, including
several fair housing programs.

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Site-specific recommendations Changes were not made to the inventory after public comment, but sites will be
considered for housing under Program A2.1 Administrative List of Additional Sites.

Sites with current commercial uses will be
considered under Program A-3.4 Workforce
Housing Overlay Zone
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APPENDIX B: SURVEY RESULTS
Survey 1: Community Survey Response
Responses collected October 22 through December 27, 2021. 179 responded.

Most residents rated cost of housing as the biggest impediments to housing, followed by lack of opportunity for first time homebuyers, workforce housing, and senior housing. In comments, residents noted the need for transitional housing and places for overnight parking for the homeless population.

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Sebastopol residents expect that housing needs for the workforce, seniors, and children who grew up here will be the biggest needs in the coming 10 years. Followed closely by lack of affordability for new families and the need to repair old homes. In comments, participants asked for more senior housing, transitional housing for homeless, and tiny housing/ADUs.

Common themes to “Other (please specify)” include:

Needs:
• Higher density, multistory, and housing for seniors in urban core • Affordable rentals, subsidized housing
• Tiny homes, villages, community housing, cooperative housing • Supportive housing for those with physical and/or mental illness • Safe overnight parking and support for homeless
Concerns:

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• Fix traffic problems before adding more housing
• Short-term rental units owned by non-Sebastopol residents Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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Overwhelmingly, 80 percent of respondents agree with the statement that rent is too high. They also agreed with statements that housing costs are unaffordable for the workforce, there are too few options, there are no entry level homes, and that seniors need assisted living facilities. Most also agree that there needs to be housing options for all income levels, that costs have increased the last five years, and that they would like to preserve neighborhoods and that older homes will need rehabilitation work.

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Of the choices provided, respondents over 50 percent of respondents think that ADU’s would be the most successful time of housing in Sebastopol, comments throughout support this notion. Also ranking over 50 percent is “Missing Middle” type housing, followed by multi-family, alternative housing (tiny homes, intentional communities), and residential care or senior housing.

Q5 What are some unique features of Sebastopol that can be housing opportunities for the community? For example:
• Underutilized commercial/industrial spaces that could be converted to housing • Detached Garages and other accessory structures that could be converted into housing
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• Large homes that could be modified to accommodate more residents • Large lots that could accommodate additional housing units Answered: 135. Skipped: 44
Common themes (in alphabetical order):

Needs:
• Additional stories to current buildings and multistory new buildings • “All of the above”
• Apartments/condos above businesses
• Consider housing land trust model
• Create intentional villages/tiny home communities outside the downtown area
• Extension of Joe Rodota Trail from Forestville to Jenner for safer bicycle travel
• Housing on commercial/industrial zoned land
• Large, vintage homes could be split into multi-units
• Renting RV, Yurt for short-term to open housing for long-term rentals • Restrict short-term rentals
• Safe places for homeless
• Senior housing
• Streamline/ease permitting for property owners to build more housing • Tiny home villages with shared accommodations such as kitchens, laundry, garden, etc
• Underutilized parking lots, industrial and commercial spaces • Utilize detached garages for housing
Concerns:
• Homeless population – supported campgrounds and 24-hour safe parking places
• Traffic: “[Sebastopol] does not have the capability of handling all the vehicles that building Apartments will bring in. Traffic is a very big problem.

Bringing in more people without planning better roads, sidewalks and parking is only going to lead to a more congestion.”
Survey 2: Stakeholder Survey Results
Responses collected December 6, 2021 through January 17, 2022. 24 respondents.

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Most participants in the Stakeholder Survey represented community passed organizations (8), followed by educational faculty (7). Residents (4), faith-based representatives (2), a developer, a business owner, and a representative from an advocacy group that represents underserved or special needs community members.

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Stakeholder respondents overwhelmingly agree housing cost is the biggest issue, over 80 percent stated a need for lower priced housing, followed by the need for lower cost rental housing, and homes that are affordable for first-time homebuyers.

Housing for seniors and for workforce housing also rated high. Comments additionally indicate needs for people with disabilities and housing and services for the homeless.

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Over the next ten years, stakeholder respondents expect that housing expense will continue to be a burden for young adults, people who work in Sebastopol, and for new families looking to move to Sebastopol. They indicate a strong need accessible, well-designed hosing for its aging population. As with the residential survey, respondents expect that older homes will need repair.

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One hundred percent of respondents agree that housing costs have increased in the last five years. They also overwhelmingly agree that young adults cannot afford to live in Sebastopol, there are no entry-level homes available to purchase, and that Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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rental prices are too high. The majority agree that there are not enough housing options, people who work in Sebastopol often cannot afford to live here, and that more apartments need to be built.

Of the types of housing options provided, highest ranked were multi-family, “Missing Middle,” and accessory dwelling units.

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Q6 What are some unique features of Sebastopol that can be housing opportunities for the community?
For example:

Underutilized commercial/industrial spaces that could be converted to housing Detached Garages and other accessory structures that could be converted into housing
Large homes that could be modified to accommodate more residents Large lots that could accommodate additional housing units Common themes (in alphabetical order):

Needs:
• “All of the above”
• Develop underutilized commercial and industrial spaces • Higher density downtown
• Larger homes could be divided into multi-units
• Senior housing
• Tiny homes, tiny home villages with ‘green’ practices such as compost toilets
• Utilize detached garages for housing
Concerns:
• High cost to build ADU’s
• Sprawl
• Traffic
• Water
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Survey 3: Policies and Programs Community Input Survey
Responses collected March 30 through April 15, 2022. 94 respondents.

Respondents generally agree that clarification of development standards the approval process is a priority. Comments indicated that it is difficult for residents to build ADU’s and for developers to build multi-unit housing. There was also mention of concern of water scarcity.

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Of the options provided, allowing up to three units on qualifying single-family parcels was most popular. Comments suggested allowing both options, but that traffic is an issue and needs to be addressed. Suggesting that R-5 zoning be in areas with walkable access to shopping and transit
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Respondents overwhelmingly agreed that there should be incentives for housing development in underutilized areas. Comments suggest this housing should be developed for workforce/lower income residents.

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Respondents overwhelmingly support the simplification of processes required to convert existing unpermitted residential structures into legal ADUs without having to go through the Planning Commission suggesting that the Building Department review for safety, but otherwise no need for the Planning Commission. Although some comments indicate there are concerns for increased density in neighborhoods and that these projects should still go through the Planning Commission siting unsightly designs and/or privacy concerns.

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Respondents overwhelmingly support ongoing education about housing trends, laws, and issues for City staff and decision-makers with availability for the pubic.

Comments indicate some would like to include social issues and an understanding of economic ramifications of decisions made.

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This was the most skipped question in the survey, of those who responded, they overwhelmingly support a rehabilitation assistance program for older residential units for lower income property owners acknowledging neighbors that cannot afford to keep up their house and that it is less costly to maintain the existing housing stock.

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Respondents overwhelmingly support a First Time Homebuyer Program coordinated with the Housing Land Trust of Sonoma County. Comments suggest that families with young children are needed in Sebastopol and to make sure the website includes this program information in Spanish.

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APPENDIX C: HOUSING NEEDS DATA
REPORT
Prepared by ABAG/MTC Staff and Baird + Driskell Community Planning 2021-04-02

1. Introduction
The Bay Area continues to see growth in both population and jobs, which means more housing of various types and sizes is needed to ensure that residents across all income levels, ages, and abilities have a place to call home. While the number of people drawn to the region over the past 30 years has steadily increased, housing production has stalled, contributing to the housing shortage that communities are experiencing today. In many cities, this has resulted in residents being priced out, increased traffic congestion caused by longer commutes, and fewer people across incomes being able to purchase homes or meet surging rents.

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The 2023-2031 Housing Element Update provides a roadmap for how to meet our growth and housing challenges. Required by the state, the Housing Element identifies what the existing housing conditions and community needs are, reiterates goals, and creates a plan for more housing. The Housing Element is an integral part of the General Plan, which guides the policies of Sebastopol.

2. Summary of Key Facts
• Population – Generally, the population of the Bay Area continues to grow because of natural growth and because the strong economy draws new residents to the region. The population of Sebastopol decreased by 0.4% from 2000 to 2020, which is below the growth rate of the Bay Area. • Age – In 2019, Sebastopol’s youth population under the age of 18 was 1,299 and senior population 65 and older was 1,729. These age groups represent

16.7% and 22.3%, respectively, of Sebastopol’s population. • Race/Ethnicity – In 2020, 79.1% of Sebastopol’s population was White while

1.6% was African American, 3.0% was Asian, and 9.3% was Latinx. People of color in Sebastopol comprise a proportion below the overall proportion in the Bay Area as a whole.5F5F
64 • Employment – Sebastopol residents most commonly work in the Health & Educational Services industry. From January 2010 to January 2021, the unemployment rate in Sebastopol increased by 0.1 percentage points. Since 2010, the number of jobs located in the jurisdiction increased by 440 (9.8%).

Additionally, the jobs-household ratio in Sebastopol has increased from 1.42 in 2002 to 1.5 jobs per household in 2018.
• Number of Homes – The number of new homes built in the Bay Area has not kept pace with the demand, resulting in longer commutes, increasing prices, and exacerbating issues of displacement and homelessness. The number of homes in Sebastopol increased, 1.8% from 2010 to 2020, which is above the growth rate for Sonoma County and below the growth rate of the region’s housing stock during this time period.
• Home Prices – A diversity of homes at all income levels creates opportunities for all Sebastopol residents to live and thrive in the community. 64 The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey accounts for ethnic origin separate from racial identity. The numbers reported here use an accounting of both such that the racial categories are shown exclusive of Latinx status, to allow for an accounting of the Latinx population regardless of racial identity. The term Hispanic has historically been used to describe people from numerous Central American, South American, and Caribbean countries. In recent years, the term Latino or Latinx has become preferred. This report generally uses Latinx, but occasionally when discussing US Census data, we use Hispanic or Non-Hispanic, to clearly link to the data source.

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o Ownership - The largest proportion of homes had a value in the range of $500k-$750k in 2019. Home prices increased by 75.2% from 2010 to 2020.
o Rental Prices – The typical contract rent for an apartment in Sebastopol was $1,290 in 2019. Rental prices increased by 30.3% from 2009 to 2019. To rent a typical apartment without cost burden, a household would need to make $51,960 per year.56F56F
65 • Housing Type – It is important to have a variety of housing types to meet the needs of a community today and in the future. In 2020, 63.2% of homes in Sebastopol were single family detached, 9.6% were single family attached,

10.9% were small multifamily (2-4 units), and 14.4% were medium or large multifamily (5+ units). Between 2010 and 2020, the number of single-family units increased more than multi-family units. Generally, in Sebastopol, the share of the housing stock that is detached single family homes is above that of other jurisdictions in the region.
• Cost Burden – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development considers housing to be affordable for a household if the household spends less than 30% of its income on housing costs. A household is considered “cost-burdened” if it spends more than 30% of its monthly income on housing costs, while those who spend more than 50% of their income on housing costs are considered “severely cost-burdened.” In Sebastopol,

16.6% of households spend 30%-50% of their income on housing, while

20.5% of households are severely cost burden and use the majority of their income for housing.
• Displacement/Gentrification – According to research from The University of California, Berkeley, 0.0% of households in Sebastopol live in neighborhoods that are susceptible to or experiencing displacement, and 0.0% live in areas at risk of or undergoing gentrification. 74.2% of households in Sebastopol live in neighborhoods where low-income households are likely excluded due to prohibitive housing costs. There are various ways to address displacement including ensuring new housing at all income levels is built. • Neighborhood – 0.0% of residents in Sebastopol live in neighborhoods identified as “Highest Resource” or “High Resource” areas by Statecommissioned research, while 0.0% of residents live in areas identified by this research as “Low Resource” or “High Segregation and Poverty” areas.

These neighborhood designations are based on a range of indicators covering 65 Note that contract rents may differ significantly from, and often being lower than, current listing prices.

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areas such as education, poverty, proximity to jobs and economic opportunities, low pollution levels, and other factors.57F57F 66 • Special Housing Needs – Some population groups may have special housing needs that require specific program responses, and these groups may experience barriers to accessing stable housing due to their specific housing circumstances. In Sebastopol, 11.1% of residents have a disability of any kind and may require accessible housing. Additionally, 2.4% of Sebastopol households are larger households with five or more people, who likely need larger housing units with three bedrooms or more. 11.7% of households are female-headed families, which are often at greater risk of housing insecurity.

Note on Data
Many of the tables in this report are sourced from data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey or U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) data, both of which are samples and as such, are subject to sampling variability. This means that data is an estimate, and that other estimates could be possible if another set of respondents had been reached. We use the five-year release to get a larger data pool to minimize this “margin of error” but particularly for the smaller cities, the data will be based on fewer responses, and the information should be interpreted accordingly.

Additionally, there may be instances where there is no data available for a jurisdiction for particular data point, or where a value is 0 and the automatically generated text cannot perform a calculation. In these cases, the automatically generated text is “NODATA.” Staff should reword these sentences before using them in the context of the Housing Element or other documents.

Note on Figures
Any figure that does not specify geography in the figure name stands for data for Sebastopol.
66 For more information on the “opportunity area” categories developed by HCD and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, see this website: https://www.treasurer.ca.gov/ctcac/opportunity.asp. The degree to which different jurisdictions and neighborhoods have access to opportunity will likely need to be analyzed as part of new Housing Element requirements related to affirmatively furthering fair housing. ABAG/MTC will be providing jurisdictions with technical assistance on this topic this summer, following the release of additional guidance from HCD.

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3. Looking to the Future: Regional Housing Needs

3.1 Regional Housing Needs Determination
The Plan Bay Area 205058F58F
67 Final Blueprint forecasts that the nine-county Bay Area will add 1.4 million new households between 2015 and 2050. For the eight-year period covered by this Housing Element Update, the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has found the region’s housing need as 441,176 units. The total number of housing units assigned by HCD is separated into four income categories that cover housing types for all income levels, from very lowincome households to market rate housing.59F59F 68 This calculation, known as the
Regional Housing Needs Determination (RHND), is based on population projections produced by the California Department of Finance as well as adjustments that incorporate the region’s existing housing need. The adjustments result from recent legislation requiring HCD to apply additional adjustment factors to the baseline growth projection from California Department of Finance, in order for the regions to get closer to healthy housing markets. To this end, adjustments focus on the region’s vacancy rate, level of overcrowding and the share of cost burdened households, and seek to bring the region more in line with comparable ones.60F60F 69 These new laws governing the methodology for how HCD calculates the RHND resulted in a significantly higher number of housing units for which the Bay Area must plan compared to previous RHNA cycles.

3.2 Regional Housing Needs Allocation
A starting point for the Housing Element Update process for every California jurisdiction is the Regional Housing Needs Allocation or RHNA – the share of the RHND assigned to each jurisdiction by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). State Housing Element Law requires ABAG to develop a methodology that calculates the number of housing units assigned to each city and county and distributes each jurisdiction’s housing unit allocation among four affordability levels.

For this RHNA cycle, the RHND increased by 135%, from 187,990 to 441,776. For more information on the RHNA process this cycle, see ABAG’s website:
https://abag.ca.gov/our-work/housing/rhna-regional-housing-needs-allocation 67 Plan Bay Area 2050 is a long-range plan charting the course for the future of the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

It covers four key issues: the economy, the environment, housing and transportation 68 HCD divides the RHND into the following four income categories:

Very Low-income: 0-50% of Area Median Income
Low-income: 50-80% of Area Median Income
Moderate-income: 80-120% of Area Median Income
Above Moderate-income: 120% or more of Area Median Income 69 For more information on HCD’s RHND calculation for the Bay Area, see this letter sent to ABAG from HCD on June 9, 2020: https://www.hcd.ca.gov/community-development/housing-element/docs/abagrhna-final060920(r).pdf Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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Almost all jurisdictions in the Bay Area are likely to receive a larger RHNA this cycle compared to the last cycle, primarily due to changes in state law that led to a considerably higher RHND compared to previous cycles.

In January 2021, ABAG adopted a Draft RHNA Methodology, which is currently being reviewed by HCD. For Sebastopol, the proposed RHNA to be planned for this cycle is 213 units, a slated increase from the last cycle. Please note that the previously stated figures are merely illustrative, as ABAG has yet to issue Final RHNA allocations. The Final RHNA allocations that local jurisdictions will use for their Housing Elements will be released at the end of 2021. The potential allocation that Sebastopol would receive from the Draft RHNA Methodology is broken down by income category as follows:

Table 54: Illustrative Regional Housing Needs Allocation from Draft Methodology Income Group
Sebastopol
Units
Sonoma
County
Units
Bay Area
Units
Sebastopol
Percent
Sonoma
County
Percent
Bay Area
Percent
Very Low
Income (<50%
of AMI)
55 3999 114442 25.8% 27.5% 25.9%
Low Income
(50%-
80% of AMI)
31 2302 65892 14.6% 15.8% 14.9%
Moderate
Income (80%-
120% of AMI)
35 2302 72712 16.4% 15.8% 16.5%
Above Moderate
Income (>120%
of
AMI)
92 5959 188130 43.2% 40.9% 42.6%
Total 213 14562 441176 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Source: Association of Bay Area Governments Methodology and tentative numbers were approved by ABAG’s Executive board on January 21, 2021 (Resolution No. 02-2021). The numbers were submitted for review to California Housing and Community Development in February 2021, after which an appeals process will take place during the Summer and Fall of 2021.

THESE NUMBERS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE PER HCD REVIEW
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4. Population, Employment and Household Characteristics

4.1 Population
The Bay Area is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the nation and has seen a steady increase in population since 1990, except for a dip during the Great Recession. Many cities in the region have experienced significant growth in jobs and population. While these trends have led to a corresponding increase in demand for housing across the region, the regional production of housing has largely not kept pace with job and population growth. Since 2000, Sebastopol’s population has decreased by 0.4%; this rate is below that of the region as a whole, at 14.8%. In Sebastopol, roughly 11.4% of its population moved during the past year, a number

2.0 percentage points smaller than the regional rate of 13.4%.

Table 55: Population Growth Trends
Geography 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
Sebastopol 7008 7470 7774 7760 7379 7610 7745
Sonoma
County
388222 416776 458614 475703 483878 500640 492980
Bay Area 602014
7 638196
1 678434
8 707391
2 715073
9 759569
4 779053
7 Source: Universe: Total population
Source: California Department of Finance, E-5 series
For more years of data, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-01 In 2020, the population of Sebastopol was estimated to be 7,745 (see Table 54).

From 1990 to 2000, the population increased by 10.9%, while it decreased by 5.1% during the first decade of the 2000s. In the most recent decade, the population increased by 5.0%. The population of Sebastopol makes up 1.6% of Sonoma County.61F61F
70 70 To compare the rate of growth across various geographic scales, Figure 1 shows population for the jurisdiction, county, and region indexed to the population in the year 1990. This means that the data points represent the population growth (i.e. percent change) in each of these geographies relative to their populations in 1990.

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Figure 29: Population Growth Trends
Source: California Department of Finance, E-5 series Note: The data shown on the graph represents population for the jurisdiction, county, and region indexed to the population in the first year shown.

The data points represent the relative population growth in each of these geographies relative to their populations in that year.

For some jurisdictions, a break may appear at the end of each decade (1999, 2009) as estimates are compared to census counts.

DOF uses the decennial census to benchmark subsequent population estimates.

For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-01.

4.2 Age
The distribution of age groups in a city shapes what types of housing the community may need in the near future. An increase in the older population may mean there is a developing need for more senior housing options, while higher numbers of children and young families can point to the need for more family housing options and related services. There has also been a move by many to agein-place or downsize to stay within their communities, which can mean more multifamily and accessible units are also needed.

In Sebastopol, the median age in 2000 was 40.6; by 2019, this figure had increased, landing at around 47 years. More specifically, the population of those under 14 has decreased since 2010, while the 65- and-over population has increased (see Figure 30).

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Figure 30: Population by Age, 2000-2019
Universe: Total population
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 SF1, Table P12; U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2010 SF1, Table P12; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B01001
For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-04.

Looking at the senior and youth population by race can add an additional layer of understanding, as families and seniors of color are even more likely to experience challenges finding affordable housing. People of color62F62F 71 make up 2.4% of seniors
and 28.0% of youth under 18 (see Figure 31).
71 Here, we count all non-white racial groups
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Figure 31: Senior and Youth Population by Race
Universe: Total population
Notes: In the sources for this table, the Census Bureau does not disaggregate racial groups by Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity, and an overlapping category of Hispanic / non-Hispanic groups has not been shown to avoid double counting in the stacked bar chart.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B01001(A-G)
For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table SEN-02.

4.3 Race and Ethnicity
Understanding the racial makeup of a city and region is important for designing and implementing effective housing policies and programs. These patterns are shaped by both market factors and government actions, such as exclusionary zoning, discriminatory lending practices and displacement that has occurred over time and continues to impact communities of color today63F63F

72. Since 2000, the percentage of
residents in Sebastopol identifying as White has decreased – and by the same token the percentage of residents of all other races and ethnicities has increased – by 8.2 percentage points, with the 2019 population standing at 6,141 (see Figure 32). In absolute terms, the Other Race or Multiple Races, Non-Hispanic population increased the most while the White, Non-Hispanic population decreased the most. 72 See, for example, Rothstein, R. (2017). The color of law : a forgotten history of how our government segregated America. New York, NY & London, UK: Liveright Publishing.

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Figure 32: Population by Race, 2000-2019
Universe: Total population
Notes: Data for 2019 represents 2015-2019 ACS estimates. The Census Bureau defines Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity separate from racial categories. For the purposes of this graph, the “Hispanic or Latinx” racial/ethnic group represents those who identify as having Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity and may also be members of any racial group. All other racial categories on this graph represent those who identify with that racial category and do not identify with Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000, Table P004; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015- 2019), Table B03002
For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-02.

4.4 Employment Trends

4.4.1 Balance of Jobs and Workers
A city houses employed residents who either work in the community where they live or work elsewhere in the region. Conversely, a city may have job sites that employ residents from the same city, but more often employ workers commuting from outside of it. Smaller cities typically will have more employed residents than jobs there and export workers, while larger cities tend to have a surplus of jobs and import workers. To some extent the regional transportation system is set up for this flow of workers to the region’s core job centers. At the same time, as the housing affordability crisis has illustrated, local imbalances may be severe, where local jobs and worker populations are out of sync at a sub-regional scale.

One measure of this is the relationship between workers and jobs. A city with a surplus of workers “exports” workers to other parts of the region, while a city with a surplus of jobs must conversely “import” them. Between 2002 and 2018, the number of jobs in Sebastopol increased by 8.3% (see Figure 33).

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Figure 33: Jobs in a Jurisdiction
Universe: Jobs from unemployment insurance-covered employment (private, state and local government) plus United States Office of Personnel Management-sourced Federal employment Notes: The data is tabulated by place of work, regardless of where a worker lives. The source data is provided at the census block level. These are crosswalked to jurisdictions and summarized.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics, Workplace Area Characteristics (WAC) files, 2002-2018
For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-11.

There are 4,068 employed residents, and 6,839 jobs64F64F 73 in Sebastopol - the ratio of
jobs to resident workers is 1.68; Sebastopol is a net importer of workers.

Figure 34 shows the balance when comparing jobs to workers, broken down by different wage groups, offering additional insight into local dynamics. A community may offer employment for relatively low- income workers but have relatively few housing options for those workers - or conversely, it may house residents who are low wage workers but offer few employment opportunities for them. Such relationships may cast extra light on potentially pent-up demand for housing in particular price categories. A relative surplus of jobs relative to residents in a given wage category suggests the need to import those workers, while conversely, surpluses of workers in a wage group relative to jobs means the community will export those workers to other jurisdictions. Such flows are not inherently bad, though over time, sub-regional imbalances may appear. Sebastopol has more lowwage jobs than low- wage residents (where low-wage refers to jobs paying less 73 Employed residents in a jurisdiction is counted by place of residence (they may work elsewhere) while jobs in a jurisdiction are counted by place of work (they may live elsewhere). The jobs may differ from those reported in Figure 5 as the source for the time series is from administrative data, while the cross-sectional data is from a survey.

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than $25,000). At the other end of the wage spectrum, the city has more highwage jobs than high-wage residents (where high-wage refers to jobs paying more than $75,000) (see Figure 34).65F65F
74 Figure 34: Workers by Earnings, by Jurisdiction as Place of Work and Place of Residence
Universe: Workers 16 years and over with earnings
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data 2015-2019, B08119, B08519 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-10.

Figure 35 shows the balance of a jurisdiction’s resident workers to the jobs located there for different wage groups as a ratio instead - a value of 1 means that a city has the same number of jobs in a wage group as it has resident workers - in principle, a balance. Values above 1 indicate a jurisdiction will need to import workers for jobs in a given wage group. At the regional scale, this ratio is 1.04 jobs for each worker, implying a modest import of workers from outside the region (Figure 35).
74 The source table is top-coded at $75,000, precluding more fine grained analysis at the higher end of the wage spectrum.

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Figure 35: Jobs-Worker Ratios, By Wage Group
Universe: Jobs in a jurisdiction from unemployment insurance-covered employment (private, state and local government) plus United States Office of Personnel Management-sourced Federal employment
Notes: The ratio compares job counts by wage group from two tabulations of LEHD data: Counts by place of work relative to counts by place of residence. See text for details.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics, Workplace Area Characteristics (WAC) files (Jobs); Residence Area Characteristics (RAC) files (Employed Residents), 2010-2018
For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-14.

Such balances between jobs and workers may directly influence the housing demand in a community. New jobs may draw new residents, and when there is high demand for housing relative to supply, many workers may be unable to afford to live where they work, particularly where job growth has been in relatively lower wage jobs. This dynamic not only means many workers will need to prepare for long commutes and time spent on the road, but in the aggregate it contributes to traffic congestion and time lost for all road users.

If there are more jobs than employed residents, it means a city is relatively jobsrich, typically also with a high jobs to household ratio. Thus bringing housing into the measure, the jobs-household ratio in Sebastopol has increased from 1.42 in 2002, to 1.5 jobs per household in 2018 (see Figure 36).

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Figure 36: Jobs-Household Ratio
Universe: Jobs in a jurisdiction from unemployment insurance-covered employment (private, state and local government) plus United States Office of Personnel Management-sourced Federal employment; households in a jurisdiction
Notes: The data is tabulated by place of work, regardless of where a worker lives. The source data is provided at the census block level. These are crosswalked to jurisdictions and summarized. The ratio compares place of work wage and salary jobs with households, or occupied housing units. A similar measure is the ratio of jobs to housing units. However, this jobs-household ratio serves to compare the number of jobs in a jurisdiction to the number of housing units that are actually occupied. The difference between a jurisdiction’s jobs-housing ratio and jobs-household ratio will be most pronounced in jurisdictions with high vacancy rates, a high rate of units used for seasonal use, or a high rate of units used as short-term rentals.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics, Workplace Area Characteristics (WAC) files (Jobs), 2002-2018; California Department of Finance, E-5 (Households) For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-13.

4.4.2 Sector Composition
In terms of sectoral composition, the largest industry in which Sebastopol residents work is Health & Educational Services, and the largest sector in which Sonoma residents work is Health & Educational Services (see Figure 37). For the Bay Area as a whole, the Health & Educational Services industry employs the most workers.

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Figure 37: Resident Employment by Industry
Universe: Civilian employed population age 16 years and over Notes: The data displayed shows the industries in which jurisdiction residents work, regardless of the location where those residents are employed (whether within the jurisdiction or not). Categories are derived from the following source tables: Agriculture & Natural Resources: C24030_003E, C24030_030E; Construction: C24030_006E, C24030_033E; Manufacturing, Wholesale & Transportation: C24030_007E, C24030_034E, C24030_008E, C24030_035E, C24030_010E, C24030_037E; Retail: C24030_009E, C24030_036E; Information: C24030_013E, C24030_040E; Financial & Professional Services: C24030_014E, C24030_041E, C24030_017E, C24030_044E; Health & Educational Services: C24030_021E, C24030_024E, C24030_048E, C24030_051E; Other:

C24030_027E, C24030_054E, C24030_028E, C24030_055E
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table C24030 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-06.

4.4.3 Unemployment
In Sebastopol, there was a 0.1 percentage point increase in the unemployment rate between January 2010 and January 2021. Jurisdictions through the region experienced a sharp rise in unemployment in 2020 due to impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, though with a general improvement and recovery in the later months of 2020.

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Figure 38: Unemployment Rate
Universe: Civilian noninstitutional population ages 16 and older Notes: Unemployment rates for the jurisdiction level is derived from larger-geography estimates. This method assumes that the rates of change in employment and unemployment are exactly the same in each sub-county area as at the county level. If this assumption is not true for a specific sub-county area, then the estimates for that area may not be representative of the current economic conditions.

Since this assumption is untested, caution should be employed when using these data. Only not seasonally- adjusted labor force (unemployment rates) data are developed for cities and CDPs.

Source: California Employment Development Department, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), Sub-county areas monthly updates, 2010-2021.

For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-15.

4.5 Extremely Low-Income Households
Despite the economic and job growth experienced throughout the region since 1990, the income gap has continued to widen. California is one of the most economically unequal states in the nation, and the Bay Area has the highest income inequality between high- and low-income households in the state6F6F 75 .

In Sebastopol, 50.2% of households make more than 100% of the Area Median Income (AMI)67F67F
76, compared to 14.8% making less than 30% of AMI, which is considered extremely low-income (see Figure 39).
75 Bohn, S.et al. 2020. Income Inequality and Economic Opportunity in California. Public Policy Institute of California. 76 13 Income groups are based on HUD calculations for Area Median Income (AMI). HUD calculates the AMI for different metropolitan areas, and the nine county Bay Area includes the following metropolitan areas: Napa Metro Area (Napa County), Oakland-Fremont Metro Area (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties), San Francisco Metro Area (Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties), San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara Metro Area (Santa Clara County), Santa Rosa Metro Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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Regionally, more than half of all households make more than 100% AMI, while 15% make less than 30% AMI. In Sonoma County, 30% AMI is the equivalent to the annual income of $29,450 for a family of four. Many households with multiple wage earners – including food service workers, full-time students, teachers, farmworkers and healthcare professionals – can fall into lower AMI categories due to relatively stagnant wages in many industries.

Note on Estimating the Projected Number of Extremely Low-Income Households Local jurisdictions are required to provide an estimate for their projected extremely low-income households in their Housing Elements. HCD’s official Housing Element guidance notes that jurisdictions can use their RHNA for very low-income households (those making 0-50% AMI) to calculate their projected extremely lowincome households. For more information, visit HCD’s Building Blocks page on Extremely Low-Income Housing Needs.

This document does not contain the required data point of projected extremely lowincome households, as Bay Area jurisdictions have not yet received their final RHNA numbers. Once Sebastopol receives its 6th Cycle RHNA, staff can estimate the projected extremely low-income households using one of the following three methodologies:

Option A: Assume that 59.8% of Sebastopol’s very low-income RHNA is for extremely low-income households.
• According to HCD’s Regional Housing Need Determination for the Bay Area,

15.5% of the region’s housing need is for 0-30% AMI households while 25.9% is for 0-50% AMI households. Therefore, extremely low-income housing need represents 59.8% of the region’s very low-income housing need, as 15.5 divided by 25.9 is 59.8%. This option aligns with HCD’s guidance to use U.S. Census data to calculate the percentage of very low-income RHNA that qualifies for extremely low-income households, as HCD uses U.S. Census data to calculate the Regional Housing Need Determination.

Option B: Assume that 55.2% of Sebastopol’s very low-income RHNA is for extremely low-income households.
• According to the data shown below (Figure 39), 913 of Sebastopol’s households are 0-50% AMI while 504 are extremely low-income. Therefore, extremely low income households represent 55.2% of households who are 0-50% AMI, as 504 divided by 913 is 55.2%. This option aligns with HCD’s guidance to use U.S.

Area (Sonoma County), and Vallejo-Fairfield Metro Area (Solano County). The AMI levels in this chart are based on the HUD metro area where this jurisdiction is located. Households making between 80 and 120 percent of the AMI are moderate-income, those making 50 to 80 percent are low-income, those making 30 to 50 percent are very low-income, and those making less than 30 percent are extremely low-income. This is then adjusted for household size.

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Census data to calculate the percentage of very low-income RHNA that qualifies for extremely low-income households, as the information in Figure 39 represents a tabulation of Census Bureau Data.

Option C: Assume that 50% of Sebastopol’s very low-income RHNA is for extremely low-income households.

HCD’s guidance notes that instead of using use U.S. Census data to calculate the percentage of very low-income RHNA that qualifies for extremely low-income households, local jurisdictions can presume that 50% of their RHNA for very low income households qualifies for extremely low-income households.

Figure 39: Households by Household Income Level
Universe: Occupied housing units
Notes: Income groups are based on HUD calculations for Area Median Income (AMI). HUD calculates the AMI for different metropolitan areas, and the nine county Bay Area includes the following metropolitan areas: Napa Metro Area (Napa County), Oakland-Fremont Metro Area (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties), San Francisco Metro Area (Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties), San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara Metro Area (Santa Clara County), Santa Rosa Metro Area (Sonoma County), and Vallejo-Fairfield Metro Area (Solano County). The AMI levels in this chart are based on the HUD metro area where this jurisdiction is located. The data that is reported for the Bay Area is not based on a regional AMI but instead refers to the regional total of households in an income group relative to the AMI for the county where that household is located. Local jurisdictions are required to provide an estimate for their projected extremely low-income households (0-30% AMI) in their Housing Elements. HCD’s official Housing Element guidance notes that jurisdictions can use their RHNA for very low-income households (those making 0-50% AMI) to calculate their projected extremely low-income households. As Bay Area jurisdictions have not yet received their final RHNA numbers, this document does not contain the required data point of projected extremely low-income households. The report portion of the housing data needs packet contains more specific guidance for how local staff can calculate an estimate for projected extremely low-income households once jurisdictions receive their 6th cycle RHNA numbers.

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Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) ACS tabulation, 2013-2017 release For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table ELI-01.

Throughout the region, there are disparities between the incomes of homeowners and renters. Typically, the number of low-income renters greatly outpaces the amount of housing available that is affordable for these households.

In Sebastopol, the largest proportion of renters falls in the Greater than 100% of AMI income group, while the largest proportion of homeowners are found in the Greater than 100% of AMI group (see Figure 40).

Figure 40: Household Income Level by Tenure
Universe: Occupied housing units
Notes: Income groups are based on HUD calculations for Area Median Income (AMI). HUD calculates the AMI for different metropolitan areas, and the nine county Bay Area includes the following metropolitan areas: Napa Metro Area (Napa County), Oakland-Fremont Metro Area (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties), San Francisco Metro Area (Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties), San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara Metro Area (Santa Clara County), Santa Rosa Metro Area (Sonoma County), and Vallejo-Fairfield Metro Area (Solano County). The AMI levels in this chart are based on the HUD metro area where this jurisdiction is located.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) ACS tabulation, 2013-2017 release For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-21.

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excluded them from the same opportunities extended to White residents.68F68F 77 These
economic disparities also leave communities of color at higher risk for housing insecurity, displacement or homelessness. In Sebastopol, Black or African American (Hispanic and Non-Hispanic) residents experience the highest rates of poverty, followed by White (Hispanic and Non-Hispanic) residents (see Figure 41).

Figure 41: Poverty Status by Race
Universe: Population for whom poverty status is determined Notes: The Census Bureau uses a federally defined poverty threshold that remains constant throughout the country and does not correspond to Area Median Income. For this table, the Census Bureau does not disaggregate racial groups by Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity. However, data for the white racial group is also reported for white householders who are not Hispanic/Latinx. Since residents who identify as white and Hispanic/Latinx may have very different experiences within the housing market and the economy from those who identify as white and non-Hispanic/Latinx, data for multiple white sub-groups are reported here. The racial/ethnic groups reported in this table are not all mutually exclusive. Therefore, the data should not be summed as the sum exceeds the population for whom poverty status is determined for this jurisdiction. However, all groups labelled “Hispanic and NonHispanic” are mutually exclusive, and the sum of the data for these groups is equivalent to the population for whom poverty status is determined.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B17001(A-I)
For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table ELI-03.

4.6 Tenure
The number of residents who own their homes compared to those who rent their homes can help identify the level of housing insecurity – ability for individuals to 77 Moore, E., Montojo, N. and Mauri, N., 2019. Roots, Race & Place: A History of Racially Exclusionary Housing the San Francisco Bay Area. Hass Institute.

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stay in their homes – in a city and region. Generally, renters may be displaced more quickly if prices increase. In Sebastopol there are a total of 3,333 housing units, and more residents rent than own their homes: 50.2% versus 49.8% (see Figure 42). By comparison, 38.5% of households in Sonoma County are renters, while 44% of Bay Area households rent their homes.

Figure 42: Housing Tenure
Universe: Occupied housing units
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25003 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-16.

Homeownership rates often vary considerably across race/ethnicity in the Bay Area and throughout the country. These disparities not only reflect differences in income and wealth but also stem from federal, state, and local policies that limited access to homeownership for communities of color while facilitating homebuying for White residents. While many of these policies, such as redlining, have been formally disbanded, the impacts of race-based policy are still evident across Bay Area communities.69F69F
78 In Sebastopol, 0.0% of Black households owned their homes, while homeownership rates were 24.2% for Asian households, 25.5% for Latinx households, and 51.3% for White households. Notably, recent changes to state law require local jurisdictions to examine these dynamics and other fair housing issues when updating their Housing Elements.
78 See, for example, Rothstein, R. (2017). The color of law : a forgotten history of how our government segregated America. New York, NY & London, UK: Liveright Publishing.

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Figure 43: Housing Tenure by Race of Householder
Universe: Occupied housing units
Notes: For this table, the Census Bureau does not disaggregate racial groups by Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity. However, data for the white racial group is also reported for white householders who are not Hispanic/Latinx. Since residents who identify as white and Hispanic/Latinx may have very different experiences within the housing market and the economy from those who identify as white and nonHispanic/Latinx, data for multiple white sub-groups are reported here. The racial/ethnic groups reported in this table are not all mutually exclusive. Therefore, the data should not be summed as the sum exceeds the total number of occupied housing units for this jurisdiction. However, all groups labelled “Hispanic and Non-Hispanic” are mutually exclusive, and the sum of the data for these groups is equivalent to the total number of occupied housing units.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25003(A-I) For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-20.

The age of residents who rent or own their home can also signal the housing challenges a community is experiencing. Younger households tend to rent and may struggle to buy a first home in the Bay Area due to high housing costs. At the same time, senior homeowners seeking to downsize may have limited options in an expensive housing market.

In Sebastopol, 83.4% of householders between the ages of 25 and 44 are renters, while 35.3% of householders over 65 are (see Figure 44).

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Figure 44: Housing Tenure by Age
Universe: Occupied housing units
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25007 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-18.

Figure 45: Housing Tenure by Housing Type
Universe: Occupied housing units
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25032 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-22 Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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4.7 Displacement
Because of increasing housing prices, displacement is a major concern in the Bay Area. Displacement has the most severe impacts on low- and moderate-income residents. When individuals or families are forced to leave their homes and communities, they also lose their support network.

The University of California, Berkeley has mapped all neighborhoods in the Bay area, identifying their risk for gentrification. They find that in Sebastopol, 0.0% of households live in neighborhoods that are susceptible to or experiencing displacement and 0.0% live in neighborhoods at risk of or undergoing gentrification.

Equally important, some neighborhoods in the Bay Area do not have housing appropriate for a broad section of the workforce. UC Berkeley estimates that 74.2% of households in Sebastopol live in neighborhoods where low-income households are likely to be excluded due to prohibitive housing costs.70F70F 79 Figure 46: Households by Displacement Risk and Tenure 79 More information about this gentrification and displacement data is available at the Urban Displacement Project’s webpage: https://www.urbandisplacement.org/. Specifically, one can learn more about the different gentrification/displacement typologies shown in Figure 18 at this link:
https://www.urbandisplacement.org/sites/default/files/typology_sheet_2018_0.png. Additionally, one can view maps that show which typologies correspond to which parts of a jurisdiction here: https://www.urbandisplacement.org/sanfrancisco/sf-bay-area-gentrification-and-displacement Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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Universe: Households
Notes: Displacement data is available at the census tract level. Staff aggregated tracts up to jurisdiction level using census 2010 population weights, assigning a tract to jurisdiction in proportion to block level population weights. Total household count may differ slightly from counts in other tables sourced from jurisdiction level sources. Categories are combined as follows for simplicity: At risk of or Experiencing Exclusion: At Risk of Becoming Exclusive; Becoming Exclusive; Stable/Advanced Exclusive At risk of or Experiencing Gentrification: At Risk of Gentrification; Early/Ongoing Gentrification; Advanced Gentrification Stable Moderate/Mixed Income: Stable Moderate/Mixed Income Susceptible to or Experiencing Displacement: Low- Income/Susceptible to Displacement; Ongoing Displacement Other: High Student Population; Unavailable or Unreliable Data Source: Urban Displacement Project for classification, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25003 for tenure.

For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-25.

5. Housing Stock Characteristics

5.1 Housing Types, Year Built, Vacancy, and Permits
In recent years, most housing produced in the region and across the state consisted of single-family homes and larger multi-unit buildings. However, some households are increasingly interested in “missing middle housing” – including duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, cottage clusters and accessory dwelling units (ADUs). These housing types may open up more options across incomes and tenure, from young households seeking homeownership options to seniors looking to downsize and agein-place.

The housing stock of Sebastopol in 2020 was made up of 63.2% single family detached homes, 9.6% single family attached homes, 10.9% multifamily homes with 2 to 4 units, 14.4% multifamily homes with 5 or more units, and 2.0% mobile homes (see Figure 47). In Sebastopol, the housing type that experienced the most growth between 2010 and 2020 was Single-Family Home: Detached.

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Figure 47: Housing Type Trends
Universe: Housing units
Source: California Department of Finance, E-5 series
For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table HSG-01.

Production has not kept up with housing demand for several decades in the Bay Area, as the total number of units built and available has not yet come close to meeting the population and job growth experienced throughout the region. In Sebastopol, the largest proportion of the housing stock was built 1960 to 1979, with 1,409 units constructed during this period (see Figure 48). Since 2010, 0.7% of the current housing stock was built, which is 26 units.

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Figure 48: Housing Units by Year Structure Built
Universe: Housing units
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25034 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table HSG-04.

Vacant units make up 4.1% of the overall housing stock in Sebastopol. The rental vacancy stands at 3.2%, while the ownership vacancy rate is 1.5%. Of the vacant units, the most common type of vacancy is For Rent (see Figure 49).71F71F 80 Throughout the Bay Area, vacancies make up 2.6% of the total housing units, with homes listed for rent; units used for recreational or occasional use, and units not otherwise classified (other vacant) making up the majority of vacancies. The Census Bureau classifies a unit as vacant if no one is occupying it when census interviewers are conducting the American Community Survey or Decennial Census.

Vacant units classified as “for recreational or occasional use” are those that are held for short- term periods of use throughout the year. Accordingly, vacation rentals and short-term rentals like AirBnB are likely to fall in this category. The Census Bureau classifies units as “other vacant” if they are vacant due to foreclosure, personal/family reasons, legal proceedings, repairs/renovations, abandonment, preparation for being rented or sold, or vacant for an extended absence for reasons such as a work assignment, military duty, or incarceration.72F72F 81 In
a region with a thriving economy and housing market like the Bay Area, units being 80 The vacancy rates by tenure is for a smaller universe than the total vacancy rate first reported, which in principle includes the full stock (4.1%). The vacancy by tenure counts are rates relative to the rental stock (occupied and vacant) and ownership stock (occupied and vacant) - but exclude a significant number of vacancy categories, including the numerically significant other vacant.
81 For more information, see pages 3 through 6 of this list of definitions prepared by the Census Bureau:
https://www.census.gov/housing/hvs/definitions.pdf
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renovated/repaired and prepared for rental or sale are likely to represent a large portion of the “other vacant” category. Additionally, the need for seismic retrofitting in older housing stock could also influence the proportion of “other vacant” units in some jurisdictions.73F73F
82 Figure 49: Vacant Units by Type
Universe: Vacant housing units
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25004 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table HSG-03.

Between 2015 and 2019, 59 housing units were issued permits in Sebastopol.

42.4% of permits issued in Sebastopol were for above moderate-income housing,

33.9% were for moderate-income housing, and 23.7% were for low- or very lowincome housing (Table 55). 82 See Dow, P. (2018). Unpacking the Growth in San Francisco’s Vacant Housing Stock: Client Report for the San Francisco Planning Department. University of California, Berkeley.

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Table 56: Housing Permitting
Income Group value
Above Moderate Income
Permits
25 Moderate Income Permits 20
Low Income Permits 10
Very Low Income Permits 4
Universe: Housing permits issued between 2015 and 2019
Notes: HCD uses the following definitions for the four income categories: Very Low Income: units affordable to households making less than 50% of the Area Median Income for the county in which the jurisdiction is located. Low Income: units affordable to households making between 50% and 80% of the Area Median Income for the county in which the jurisdiction is located. Moderate Income: units affordable to households making between 80% and 120% of the Area Median Income for the county in which the jurisdiction is located. Above Moderate Income: units affordable to households making above 120% of the Area Median Income for the county in which the jurisdiction is located.

Source: California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), 5th Cycle Annual Progress Report Permit Summary (2020)
This table is included in the Data Packet Workbook as Table HSG-11.

5.2 Assisted Housing Developments At-Risk of Conversion While there is an immense need to produce new affordable housing units, ensuring that the existing affordable housing stock remains affordable is equally important.

Additionally, it is typically faster and less expensive to preserve currently affordable units that are at risk of converting to market-rate than it is to build new affordable housing.

The data in the table below comes from the California Housing Partnership’s Preservation Database, the state’s most comprehensive source of information on subsidized affordable housing at risk of losing its affordable status and converting to market-rate housing. However, this database does not include all deed-restricted affordable units in the state, so there may be at-risk assisted units in a jurisdiction that are not captured in this data table. There are 253 assisted units in Sebastopol in the Preservation Database. Of these units, 0.0% are at High Risk or Very High Risk of conversion.74F74F
83 83 California Housing Partnership uses the following categories for assisted housing developments in its database: VeryHigh Risk: affordable homes that are at-risk of converting to market rate within the next year that do not have a known overlapping subsidy that would extend affordability and are not owned by a large/stable non-profit, mission-driven developer.

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Note on At-Risk Assisted Housing Developments
HCD requires that Housing Elements list the assisted housing developments at risk of converting to market-rate uses. For more information on the specific properties that are at Moderate Risk, High Risk, or Very High Risk of conversion, local jurisdiction staff should contact Danielle Mazzella, Preservation & Data Manager at the California Housing Partnership, at [email protected].

Table 57: Assisted Units at Risk of Conversion
Income Sebastopol Sonoma
County
Bay
Area
Low 253 7195 110177
Moderate 0 68 3375
High 0 267 1854
Very High 0 149 1053
Total Assisted Units in
Database
253 7679 116459
Universe: HUD, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), USDA, and CalHFA projects. Subsidized or assisted developments that do not have one of the aforementioned financing sources may not be included.

High Risk: affordable homes that are at-risk of converting to market rate in the next 1-5 years that do not have a known overlapping subsidy that would extend affordability and are not owned by a large/stable non-profit, missiondriven developer.

Moderate Risk: affordable homes that are at-risk of converting to market rate in the next 5-10 years that do not have a known overlapping subsidy that would extend affordability and are not owned by a large/stable non-profit, missiondriven developer.

Low Risk: affordable homes that are at-risk of converting to market rate in 10+ years and/or are owned by a large/stable non-profit, mission-driven developer.

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Notes: While California Housing Partnership’s Preservation Database is the state’s most comprehensive source of information on subsidized affordable housing at risk of losing its affordable status and converting to market-rate housing, this database does not include all deed-restricted affordable units in the state. Consequently, there may be at-risk assisted units in a jurisdiction that are not captured in this data table. Per HCD guidance, local jurisdictions must also list the specific affordable housing developments at-risk of converting to market rate uses. This document provides aggregate numbers of at-risk units for each jurisdiction, but local planning staff should contact Danielle Mazzella with the California Housing Partnership at [email protected] to obtain a list of affordable properties that fall under this designation. California Housing Partnership uses the following categories for assisted housing developments in its database: Very-High Risk: affordable homes that are at- risk of converting to market rate within the next year that do not have a known overlapping subsidy that would extend affordability and are not owned by a large/stable non-profit, mission-driven developer. High Risk: affordable homes that are at-risk of converting to market rate in the next 1-5 years that do not have a known overlapping subsidy that would extend affordability and are not owned by a large/stable non-profit, mission-driven developer. Moderate Risk: affordable homes that are at-risk of converting to market rate in the next 5-10 years that do not have a known overlapping subsidy that would extend affordability and are not owned by a large/stable non-profit, mission-driven developer. Low Risk: affordable homes that are at- risk of converting to market rate in 10+ years and/or are owned by a large/stable non-profit, mission-driven developer.

Source: California Housing Partnership, Preservation Database (2020) This table is included in the Data Packet Workbook as Table RISK-01.

5.3 Substandard Housing
Housing costs in the region are among the highest in the country, which could result in households, particularly renters, needing to live in substandard conditions in order to afford housing. Generally, there is limited data on the extent of substandard housing issues in a community. However, the Census Bureau data included in the graph below gives a sense of some of the substandard conditions that may be present in Sebastopol. For example, 0.0% of renters in Sebastopol reported lacking a kitchen and 0.0% of renters lack plumbing, compared to 0.0% of owners who lack a kitchen and 0.0% of owners who lack plumbing.

Note on Substandard Housing
HCD requires Housing Elements to estimate the number of units in need of rehabilitation and replacement. As a data source for housing units in need of rehabilitation and replacement is not available for all jurisdictions in the region, ABAG was not able to provide this required data point in this document. To produce an estimate of housing needs in need of rehabilitation and replacement, staff can supplement the data below on substandard housing issues with additional local information from code enforcement, recent windshield surveys of properties, building department data, knowledgeable builders/developers in the community, or nonprofit housing developers or organizations. For more information, visit HCD’s Building Blocks page on Housing Stock Characteristics.

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5.4 Home and Rent Values
Home prices reflect a complex mix of supply and demand factors, including an area’s demographic profile, labor market, prevailing wages and job outlook, coupled with land and construction costs. In the Bay Area, the costs of housing have long been among the highest in the nation. The typical home value in Sebastopol was estimated at $956,150 by December of 2020, per data from Zillow.

The largest proportion of homes were valued between $500k-$750k (see Figure 50). By comparison, the typical home value is $691,580 in Sonoma County and $1,077,230 the Bay Area, with the largest share of units valued $500k-$750k.

The region’s home values have increased steadily since 2000, besides a decrease during the Great Recession. The rise in home prices has been especially steep since 2012, with the median home value in the Bay Area nearly doubling during this time.

Since 2001, the typical home value has increased 91.1% in Sebastopol from $500,430 to $956,150. This change is below the change in Sonoma County, and below the change for the region (see Figure 51).

Figure 50: Home Values of Owner-Occupied Units
Universe: Owner-occupied units
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25075 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table HSG-07.

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Figure 51: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI)
Universe: Owner-occupied housing units
Notes: Zillow describes the ZHVI as a smoothed, seasonally adjusted measure of the typical home value and market changes across a given region and housing type. The ZHVI reflects the typical value for homes in the 35th to 65th percentile range. The ZHVI includes all owner-occupied housing units, including both single-family homes and condominiums. More information on the ZHVI is available from Zillow. The regional estimate is a household-weighted average of county-level ZHVI files, where household counts are yearly estimates from DOF’s E-5 series For unincorporated areas, the value is a population weighted average of unincorporated communities in the county matched to censusdesignated population counts.

Source: Zillow, Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI)
For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table HSG-08.

Similar to home values, rents have also increased dramatically across the Bay Area in recent years. Many renters have been priced out, evicted or displaced, particularly communities of color. Residents finding themselves in one of these situations may have had to choose between commuting long distances to their jobs and schools or moving out of the region, and sometimes, out of the state.

In Sebastopol, the largest proportion of rental units rented in the Rent $1000- $1500 category, totaling 40.6%, followed by 29.1% of units renting in the Rent $1500-$2000 category (see Figure 52). Looking beyond the city, the largest share of units is in the $1000-$1500 category (county) compared to the $1500-$2000 category for the region as a whole.

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Figure 52: Contract Rents for Renter-Occupied Units
Universe: Renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25056 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table HSG-09.

Since 2009, the median rent has increased by 30.3% in Sebastopol, from $1,090 to $1,290 per month (see Figure 25). In Sonoma County, the median rent has increased 22.7%, from $1,200 to $1,470. The median rent in the region has increased significantly during this time from $1,200 to $1,850, a 54% increase.75F75F 84 84 While the data on home values shown in Figure 23 comes from Zillow, Zillow does not have data on rent prices available for most Bay Area jurisdictions. To have a more comprehensive dataset on rental data for the region, the rent data in this document comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which may not fully reflect current rents. Local jurisdiction staff may want to supplement the data on rents with local realtor data or other sources for rent data that are more current than Census Bureau data.

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Figure 53: Median Contract Rent
Universe: Renter-occupied housing units paying cash rent Notes: For unincorporated areas, median is calculated using distribution in B25056.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data releases, starting with 2005- 2009 through 2015-2019, B25058, B25056 (for unincorporated areas). County and regional counts are weighted averages of jurisdiction median using B25003 rental unit counts from the relevant year.

For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table HSG-10.

5.5 Overpayment and Overcrowding
A household is considered “cost-burdened” if it spends more than 30% of its monthly income on housing costs, while those who spend more than 50% of their income on housing costs are considered “severely cost-burdened.” Low-income residents are the most impacted by high housing costs and experience the highest rates of cost burden. Spending such large portions of their income on housing puts low-income households at higher risk of displacement, eviction, or homelessness.

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Figure 54: Cost Burden by Tenure
Universe: Occupied housing units
Notes: Cost burden is the ratio of housing costs to household income. For renters, housing cost is gross rent (contract rent plus utilities). For owners, housing cost is “select monthly owner costs”, which includes mortgage payment, utilities, association fees, insurance, and real estate taxes. HUD defines cost-burdened households as those whose monthly housing costs exceed 30% of monthly income, while severely cost-burdened households are those whose monthly housing costs exceed 50% of monthly income.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25070, B25091 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table OVER06.

Renters are often more cost-burdened than owners. While the housing market has resulted in home prices increasing dramatically, homeowners often have mortgages with fixed rates, whereas renters are more likely to be impacted by market increases. When looking at the cost burden across tenure in Sebastopol, 19.9% of renters spend 30% to 50% of their income on housing compared to 13.8% of those that own (see Figure 54). Additionally, 20.0% of renters spend 50% or more of their income on housing, while 18.4% of owners are severely cost-burdened.

In Sebastopol, 20.5% of households spend 50% or more of their income on housing, while 16.6% spend 30% to 50%. However, these rates vary greatly across income categories (see Figure 55). For example, 55.3% of Sebastopol households making less than 30% of AMI spend the majority of their income on housing. For Sebastopol residents making more than 100% of AMI, just 0.6% are severely costburdened, and 88.9% of those making more than 100% of AMI spend less than 30% of their income on housing.

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Figure 55: Cost Burden by Income Level
Universe: Occupied housing units
Notes: Cost burden is the ratio of housing costs to household income. For renters, housing cost is gross rent (contract rent plus utilities). For owners, housing cost is “select monthly owner costs”, which includes mortgage payment, utilities, association fees, insurance, and real estate taxes. HUD defines cost-burdened households as those whose monthly housing costs exceed 30% of monthly income, while severely cost-burdened households are those whose monthly housing costs exceed 50% of monthly income. Income groups are based on HUD calculations for Area Median Income (AMI). HUD calculates the AMI for different metropolitan areas, and the nine county Bay Area includes the following metropolitan areas: Napa Metro Area (Napa County), Oakland-Fremont Metro Area (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties), San Francisco Metro Area (Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties), San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara Metro Area (Santa Clara County), Santa Rosa Metro Area (Sonoma County), and Vallejo-Fairfield Metro Area (Solano County). The AMI levels in this chart are based on the HUD metro area where this jurisdiction is located.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) ACS tabulation, 2013-2017 release For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table OVER-05.

Currently, people of color are more likely to experience poverty and financial instability as a result of federal and local housing policies that have historically excluded them from the same opportunities extended to White residents. As a result, they often pay a greater percentage of their income on housing, and in turn, are at a greater risk of housing insecurity.

American Indian or Alaska Native, Non-Hispanic residents are the most cost burdened with 50.0% spending 30% to 50% of their income on housing, and Black or African American, Non-Hispanic residents are the most severely cost burdened with 100.0% spending more than 50% of their income on housing (see Figure 56).

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Figure 56: Cost Burden by Race
Universe: Occupied housing units
Notes: Cost burden is the ratio of housing costs to household income. For renters, housing cost is gross rent (contract rent plus utilities). For owners, housing cost is “select monthly owner costs”, which includes mortgage payment, utilities, association fees, insurance, and real estate taxes. HUD defines cost-burdened households as those whose monthly housing costs exceed 30% of monthly income, while severely cost-burdened households are those whose monthly housing costs exceed 50% of monthly income. For the purposes of this graph, the “Hispanic or Latinx” racial/ethnic group represents those who identify as having Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity and may also be members of any racial group. All other racial categories on this graph represent those who identify with that racial category and do not identify with Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) ACS tabulation, 2013-2017 release For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table OVER-08.

Large family households often have special housing needs due to a lack of adequately sized affordable housing available. The higher costs required for homes with multiple bedrooms can result in larger families experiencing a disproportionate cost burden than the rest of the population and can increase the risk of housing insecurity.

In Sebastopol, 0.0% of large family households experience a cost burden of 30%- 50%, while 25.6% of households spend more than half of their income on housing.

Some 16.8% of all other households have a cost burden of 30%-50%, with 20.4% of households spending more than 50% of their income on housing (see Figure 57).

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Figure 57: Cost Burden by Household Size
Universe: Occupied housing units
Notes: Cost burden is the ratio of housing costs to household income. For renters, housing cost is gross rent (contract rent plus utilities). For owners, housing cost is “select monthly owner costs”, which includes mortgage payment, utilities, association fees, insurance, and real estate taxes. HUD defines cost-burdened households as those whose monthly housing costs exceed 30% of monthly income, while severely cost-burdened households are those whose monthly housing costs exceed 50% of monthly income.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) ACS tabulation, 2013-2017 release For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table OVER-09.

When cost-burdened seniors are no longer able to make house payments or pay rents, displacement from their homes can occur, putting further stress on the local rental market or forcing residents out of the community they call home.

Understanding how seniors might be cost-burdened is of particular importance due to their special housing needs, particularly for low-income seniors. 44.2% of seniors making less than 30% of AMI are spending the majority of their income on housing.

For seniors making more than 100% of AMI, 81.7% are not cost-burdened and spend less than 30% of their income on housing (see Figure 58).

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Figure 58: Cost-Burdened Senior Households by Income Level Universe: Senior households
Notes: For the purposes of this graph, senior households are those with a householder who is aged 62 or older. Cost burden is the ratio of housing costs to household income. For renters, housing cost is gross rent (contract rent plus utilities). For owners, housing cost is “select monthly owner costs”, which includes mortgage payment, utilities, association fees, insurance, and real estate taxes. HUD defines cost-burdened households as those whose monthly housing costs exceed 30% of monthly income, while severely cost-burdened households are those whose monthly housing costs exceed 50% of monthly income. Income groups are based on HUD calculations for Area Median Income (AMI). HUD calculates the AMI for different metropolitan areas, and the nine county Bay Area includes the following metropolitan areas: Napa Metro Area (Napa County), Oakland-Fremont Metro Area (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties), San Francisco Metro Area (Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties), San Jose- Sunnyvale-Santa Clara Metro Area (Santa Clara County), Santa Rosa Metro Area (Sonoma County), and Vallejo-Fairfield Metro Area (Solano County). The AMI levels in this chart are based on the HUD metro area where this jurisdiction is located.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) ACS tabulation, 2013-2017 release For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table SEN-03.

Overcrowding occurs when the number of people living in a household is greater than the home was designed to hold. There are several different standards for defining overcrowding, but this report uses the Census Bureau definition, which is more than one occupant per room (not including bathrooms or kitchens).

Additionally, the Census Bureau considers units with more than 1.5 occupants per room to be severely overcrowded.

Overcrowding is often related to the cost of housing and can occur when demand in a city or region is high. In many cities, overcrowding is seen more amongst those that are renting, with multiple households sharing a unit to make it possible to stay in their communities. In Sebastopol, 4.5% of households that rent are severely Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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overcrowded (more than 1.5 occupants per room), compared to 0.0% of households that own (see Figure 59). In Sebastopol, 2.2% of renters experience moderate overcrowding (1 to 1.5 occupants per room), compared to 0.5% for those own.

Figure 59: Overcrowding by Tenure and Severity
Universe: Occupied housing units
Notes: The Census Bureau defines an overcrowded unit as one occupied by 1.01 persons or more per room (excluding bathrooms and kitchens), and units with more than 1.5 persons per room are considered severely overcrowded.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) ACS tabulation, 2013-2017 release For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table OVER-01.

Overcrowding often disproportionately impacts low-income households. 2.0% of very low-income households (below 50% AMI) experience severe overcrowding, while 0.6% of households above 100% experience this level of overcrowding (see Figure 60).

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Figure 60: Overcrowding by Income Level and Severity
Universe: Occupied housing units
Notes: The Census Bureau defines an overcrowded unit as one occupied by 1.01 persons or more per room (excluding bathrooms and kitchens), and units with more than 1.5 persons per room are considered severely overcrowded. Income groups are based on HUD calculations for Area Median Income (AMI). HUD calculates the AMI for different metropolitan areas, and the nine county Bay Area includes the following metropolitan areas: Napa Metro Area (Napa County), Oakland-Fremont Metro Area (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties), San Francisco Metro Area (Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties), San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara Metro Area (Santa Clara County), Santa Rosa Metro Area (Sonoma County), and Vallejo-Fairfield Metro Area (Solano County). The AMI levels in this chart are based on the HUD metro area where this jurisdiction is located.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) ACS tabulation, 2013-2017 release For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table OVER-04.

Communities of color are more likely to experience overcrowding similar to how they are more likely to experience poverty, financial instability, and housing insecurity. People of color tend to experience overcrowding at higher rates than White residents. In Sebastopol, the racial group with the largest overcrowding rate is Hispanic or Latinx (see Figure 61).

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Figure 61: Overcrowding by Race
Universe: Occupied housing units
Notes: The Census Bureau defines an overcrowded unit as one occupied by 1.01 persons or more per room (excluding bathrooms and kitchens), and units with more than 1.5 persons per room are considered severely overcrowded. For this table, the Census Bureau does not disaggregate racial groups by Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity. However, data for the white racial group is also reported for white householders who are not Hispanic/Latinx. Since residents who identify as white and Hispanic/Latinx may have very different experiences within the housing market and the economy from those who identify as white and non- Hispanic/Latinx, data for multiple white sub-groups are reported here. The racial/ethnic groups reported in this table are not all mutually exclusive. Therefore, the data should not be summed as the sum exceeds the total number of occupied housing units for this jurisdiction.

However, all groups labelled “Hispanic and Non-Hispanic” are mutually exclusive, and the sum of the data for these groups is equivalent to the total number of occupied housing units.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25014 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table OVER-03. 6 Special Housing Needs

6.1 Large Households
Large households often have different housing needs than smaller households. If a city’s rental housing stock does not include larger apartments, large households who rent could end up living in overcrowded conditions. In Sebastopol, for large households with 5 or more persons, most units (58.0%) are renter occupied (see Figure 62). In 2017, 0.0% of large households were very low-income, earning less than 50% of the area median income (AMI).

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Figure 62: Household Size by Tenure
Universe: Occupied housing units
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25009 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table LGFEM-01.

The unit sizes available in a community affect the household sizes that can access that community. Large families are generally served by housing units with 3 or more bedrooms, of which there are 1,518 units in Sebastopol. Among these large units with 3 or more bedrooms, 25.3% are owner-occupied and 74.7% are renter occupied (see Figure 63).

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Figure 63: Household Size by Tenure
Universe: Housing units
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B25042 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table HSG-05.

6.2 Female-Headed Households
Households headed by one person are often at greater risk of housing insecurity, particularly female- headed households, who may be supporting children or a family with only one income. In Sebastopol, the largest proportion of households is Married-couple Family Households at 40.2% of total, while Female-Headed Households make up 11.7% of all households.

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Figure 64: Household Type
Universe: Households
Notes: For data from the Census Bureau, a “family household” is a household where two or more people are related by birth, marriage, or adoption. “Non-family households” are households of one person living alone, as well as households where none of the people are related to each other.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B11001 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table POPEMP-23.

Female-headed households with children may face particular housing challenges, with pervasive gender inequality resulting in lower wages for women. Moreover, the added need for childcare can make finding a home that is affordable more challenging.

In Sebastopol, 20.9% of female-headed households with children fall below the Federal Poverty Line, while 0.0% of female-headed households without children live in poverty (see Figure 65).

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Figure 65: Female-Headed Households by Poverty Status
Universe: Female Households
Notes: The Census Bureau uses a federally defined poverty threshold that remains constant throughout the country and does not correspond to Area Median Income.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B17012 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table LGFEM-05.

6.3 Seniors
Senior households often experience a combination of factors that can make accessing or keeping affordable housing a challenge. They often live on fixed incomes and are more likely to have disabilities, chronic health conditions and/or reduced mobility.

Seniors who rent may be at even greater risk for housing challenges than those who own, due to income differences between these groups. The largest proportion of senior households who rent make 0%-30% of AMI, while the largest proportion of senior households who are homeowners falls in the income group Greater than 100% of AMI (see Figure 66).

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Figure 66: Senior Households by Income and Tenure
Universe: Senior households
Notes: For the purposes of this graph, senior households are those with a householder who is aged 62 or older. Income groups are based on HUD calculations for Area Median Income (AMI). HUD calculates the AMI for different metropolitan areas, and the nine county Bay Area includes the following metropolitan areas: Napa Metro Area (Napa County), Oakland-Fremont Metro Area (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties), San Francisco Metro Area (Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties), San Jose- Sunnyvale-Santa Clara Metro Area (Santa Clara County), Santa Rosa Metro Area (Sonoma County), and Vallejo-Fairfield Metro Area (Solano County). The AMI levels in this chart are based on the HUD metro area where this jurisdiction is located.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) ACS tabulation, 2013-2017 release For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table SEN-01.

6.4 People with Disabilities
People with disabilities face additional housing challenges. Encompassing a broad group of individuals living with a variety of physical, cognitive and sensory impairments, many people with disabilities live on fixed incomes and are in need of specialized care, yet often rely on family members for assistance due to the high cost of care.

When it comes to housing, people with disabilities are not only in need of affordable housing but accessibly designed housing, which offers greater mobility and opportunity for independence. Unfortunately, the need typically outweighs what is available, particularly in a housing market with such high demand. People with disabilities are at a high risk for housing insecurity, homelessness and institutionalization, particularly when they lose aging caregivers. Figure 67 shows Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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the rates at which different disabilities are present among residents of Sebastopol.

Overall, 11.1% of people in Sebastopol have a disability of any kind.76F76F 85 Figure 67: Disability by Type
Universe: Civilian noninstitutionalized population 18 years and over Notes: These disabilities are counted separately and are not mutually exclusive, as an individual may report more than one disability. These counts should not be summed. The Census Bureau provides the following definitions for these disability types: Hearing difficulty: deaf or has serious difficulty hearing.

Vision difficulty: blind or has serious difficulty seeing even with glasses. Cognitive difficulty: has serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions. Ambulatory difficulty: has serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs. Self-care difficulty: has difficulty dressing or bathing. Independent living difficulty: has difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B18102, Table B18103, Table B18104, Table B18105, Table B18106, Table B18107.

For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table DISAB-01.

State law also requires Housing Elements to examine the housing needs of people with developmental disabilities. Developmental disabilities are defined as severe, chronic, and attributed to a mental or physical impairment that begins before a person turns 18 years old. This can include Down’s Syndrome, autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and mild to severe mental retardation. Some people with developmental disabilities are unable to work, rely on Supplemental Security Income, and live with family members. In addition to their specific housing needs, 85 These disabilities are counted separately and are not mutually exclusive, as an individual may report more than one disability. These counts should not be summed.

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they are at increased risk of housing insecurity after an aging parent or family member is no longer able to care for them.7F7F
86 In Sebastopol, of the population with a developmental disability, children under the age of 18 make up 39.0%, while adults account for 61.0%.

Table 58: Population with Developmental Disabilities by Age Age Group value
Age 18+ 25
Age Under
18 16
Universe: Population with developmental disabilities
Notes: The California Department of Developmental Services is responsible for overseeing the coordination and delivery of services to more than 330,000 Californians with developmental disabilities including cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, Down syndrome, autism, epilepsy, and related conditions. The California Department of Developmental Services provides ZIP code level counts. To get jurisdiction-level estimates, ZIP code counts were crosswalked to jurisdictions using census block population counts from Census 2010 SF1 to determine the share of a ZIP code to assign to a given jurisdiction.

Source: California Department of Developmental Services, Consumer Count by California ZIP Code and Age Group (2020)
This table is included in the Data Packet Workbook as Table DISAB-04.

The most common living arrangement for individuals with disabilities in Sebastopol is the home of parent /family /guardian.

Table 59: Population with Developmental Disabilities by Residence Residence Type value
Home of Parent /Family
/Guardian
31 Independent /Supported
Living
5 Community Care Facility 4
Other 1
Foster /Family Home 1
Intermediate Care Facility 0
86 For more information or data on developmental disabilities in your jurisdiction, contact the Golden Gate Regional Center for Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties; the North Bay Regional Center for Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties; the Regional Center for the East Bay for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties; or the San Andreas Regional Center for Santa Clara County.

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Universe: Population with developmental disabilities
Notes: The California Department of Developmental Services is responsible for overseeing the coordination and delivery of services to more than 330,000 Californians with developmental disabilities including cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, Down syndrome, autism, epilepsy, and related conditions. The California Department of Developmental Services provides ZIP code level counts. To get jurisdiction-level estimates, ZIP code counts were crosswalked to jurisdictions using census block population counts from Census 2010 SF1 to determine the share of a ZIP code to assign to a given jurisdiction.

Source: California Department of Developmental Services, Consumer Count by California ZIP Code and Residence Type (2020)
This table is included in the Data Packet Workbook as Table DISAB-05.

6.5 Homelessness
Homelessness remains an urgent challenge in many communities across the state, reflecting a range of social, economic, and psychological factors. Rising housing costs result in increased risks of community members experiencing homelessness.

Far too many residents who have found themselves housing insecure have ended up unhoused or homeless in recent years, either temporarily or longer term.

Addressing the specific housing needs for the unhoused population remains a priority throughout the region, particularly since homelessness is disproportionately experienced by people of color, people with disabilities, those struggling with addiction and those dealing with traumatic life circumstances. In Sonoma County, the most common type of household experiencing homelessness is those without children in their care. Among households experiencing homelessness that do not have children, 71.2% are unsheltered. Of homeless households with children, most are sheltered in emergency shelter (see Figure 68).

Figure 68: Homelessness by Household Type and Shelter Status, Sonoma County Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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Universe: Population experiencing homelessness
Notes: This data is based on Point-in-Time (PIT) information provided to HUD by CoCs in the application for CoC Homeless Assistance Programs. The PIT Count provides a count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons on a single night during the last ten days in January. Each Bay Area county is its own CoC, and so the data for this table is provided at the county-level. Per HCD’s requirements, jurisdictions will need to supplement this county-level data with local estimates of people experiencing homelessness.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports (2019)
For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table HOMELS-01.

People of color are more likely to experience poverty and financial instability as a result of federal and local housing policies that have historically excluded them from the same opportunities extended to White residents. Consequently, people of color are often disproportionately impacted by homelessness, particularly Black residents of the Bay Area. In Sonoma County, White (Hispanic and Non-Hispanic) residents represent the largest proportion of residents experiencing homelessness and account for 64.7% of the homeless population, while making up 74.8% of the overall population (see Figure 69).

Figure 69: Racial Group Share of General and Homeless Populations, Sonoma County
Universe: Population experiencing homelessness
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Notes: This data is based on Point-in-Time (PIT) information provided to HUD by CoCs in the application for CoC Homeless Assistance Programs. The PIT Count provides a count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons on a single night during the last ten days in January. Each Bay Area county is its own CoC, and so the data for this table is provided at the county-level. Per HCD’s requirements, jurisdictions will need to supplement this county-level data with local estimates of people experiencing homelessness. HUD does not disaggregate racial demographic data by Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity for people experiencing homelessness. Instead, HUD reports data on Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity for people experiencing homelessness in a separate table. Accordingly, the racial group data listed here includes both Hispanic/Latinx and non-Hispanic/Latinx individuals.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports (2019); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B01001(A-I)
For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table HOMELS-02.

In Sonoma, Latinx residents represent 28.2% of the population experiencing homelessness, while Latinx residents comprise 26.5% of the general population (see Figure 70).

Figure 70: Latinx Share of General and Homeless Populations, Sonoma County Universe: Population experiencing homelessness
Notes: This data is based on Point-in-Time (PIT) information provided to HUD by CoCs in the application for CoC Homeless Assistance Programs. The PIT Count provides a count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons on a single night during the last ten days in January. Each Bay Area county is its own CoC, and so the data for this table is provided at the county-level. Per HCD’s requirements, jurisdictions will need to supplement this county-level data with local estimates of people experiencing homelessness. The data from HUD on Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity for individuals experiencing homelessness does not specify racial group identity. Accordingly, individuals in either ethnic group identity category (Hispanic/Latinx or non-Hispanic/Latinx) could be of any racial background.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports (2019); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B01001(A-I)
For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table HOMELS-03.

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Many of those experiencing homelessness are dealing with severe issues – including mental illness, substance abuse and domestic violence – that are potentially life threatening and require additional assistance. In Sonoma County, homeless individuals are commonly challenged by chronic substance abuse, with 1,015 reporting this condition (see Figure 40). Of those, some 80.5% are unsheltered, further adding to the challenge of handling the issue.

Note on Homelessness Data
Notably all the data on homelessness provided above is for the entire county. This data comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Point in Time count, which is the most comprehensive publicly available data source on people experiencing homelessness. HUD only provides this data at the county- level and not for specific jurisdictions. However, Housing Element law requires local jurisdictions to estimate or count of the daily average number of people lacking shelter. Therefore, staff will need to supplement the data in this document with additional local data on the number of people experiencing homelessness. If staff do not have estimates of people experiencing homelessness in their jurisdiction readily available, HCD recommends contacting local service providers such as continuum-of-care providers, local homeless shelter and service providers, food programs, operators of transitional housing programs, local drug and alcohol program service providers, and county mental health and social service departments.78F78F
87 87 For more information, see HCD’s Building Blocks webpage for People Experiencing Homelessness:
https://www.hcd.ca.gov/community-development/building-blocks/housing-needs/people-experiencinghomelessness.shtml Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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Figure 71: Characteristics for the Population Experiencing Homelessness, Sonoma County
Universe: Population experiencing homelessness
Notes: This data is based on Point-in-Time (PIT) information provided to HUD by CoCs in the application for CoC Homeless Assistance Programs. The PIT Count provides a count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons on a single night during the last ten days in January. Each Bay Area county is its own CoC, and so the data for this table is provided at the county-level. Per HCD’s requirements, jurisdictions will need to supplement this county-level data with local estimates of people experiencing homelessness. These challenges/characteristics are counted separately and are not mutually exclusive, as an individual may report more than one challenge/characteristic. These counts should not be summed.

Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports (2019)
For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table HOMELS-04.

In Sebastopol, the student population experiencing homelessness totaled 13 during the 2019-20 school year and decreased by 7.1% since the 2016-17 school year. By comparison, Sonoma County has seen a 12.9% decrease in the population of students experiencing homelessness since the 2016-17 school year, and the Bay Area population of students experiencing homelessness decreased by 8.5%. During the 2019-2020 school year, there were still some 13,718 students experiencing homelessness throughout the region, adding undue burdens on learning and thriving, with the potential for longer term negative effects.

The number of students in Sebastopol experiencing homelessness in 2019 represents 2.2% of the Sonoma County total and 0.1% of the Bay Area total.

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Table 60: Students in Local Public Schools Experiencing Homelessness Academic
Year
Sebastopo
l
Sonoma
County
Bay
Area
2016-17 14 690 14990
2017-18 15 1445 15142
2018-19 11 345 15427
2019-20 13 601 13718
Universe: Total number of unduplicated primary and short-term enrollments within the academic year (July 1 to June 30), public schools
Notes: The California Department of Education considers students to be homeless if they are unsheltered, living in temporary shelters for people experiencing homelessness, living in hotels/motels, or temporarily doubled up and sharing the housing of other persons due to the loss of housing or economic hardship. The data used for this table was obtained at the school site level, matched to a file containing school locations, geocoded and assigned to jurisdiction, and finally summarized by geography.

Source: California Department of Education, California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS), Cumulative Enrollment Data (Academic Years 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019- 2020)
This table is included in the Data Packet Workbook as Table HOMELS-05.

6.6 Farmworkers
Across the state, housing for farmworkers has been recognized as an important and unique concern. Farmworkers generally receive wages that are considerably lower than other jobs and may have temporary housing needs. Finding decent and affordable housing can be challenging, particularly in the current housing market.

In Sebastopol, there were no reported students of migrant workers in the 2019-20 school year. The trend for the region for the past few years has been a decline of

2.4% in the number of migrant worker students since the 2016-17 school year. The change at the county level is a 3.5% increase in the number of migrant worker students since the 2016-17 school year.

Table 61: Migrant Worker Student Population
Academic
Year
Sebastopo
l
Sonoma
County
Bay
Area
2016-17 0 825 4630
2017-18 0 789 4607
2018-19 0 738 4075
2019-20 0 854 3976
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Universe: Total number of unduplicated primary and short-term enrollments within the academic year (July 1 to June 30), public schools
Notes: The data used for this table was obtained at the school site level, matched to a file containing school locations, geocoded and assigned to jurisdiction, and finally summarized by geography.

Source: California Department of Education, California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS), Cumulative Enrollment Data (Academic Years 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019- 2020)
This table is included in the Data Packet Workbook as Table FARM-01.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Census of Farmworkers, the number of permanent farm workers in Sonoma County has increased since 2002, totaling 6,715 in 2017, while the number of seasonal farm workers has decreased, totaling 7,664 in 2017 (see Figure 72).

Figure 72: Farm Operations and Farm Labor by County, Sonoma County Universe: Hired farm workers (including direct hires and agricultural service workers who are often hired through labor contractors)
Notes: Farm workers are considered seasonal if they work on a farm less than 150 days in a year, while farm workers who work on a farm more than 150 days are considered to be permanent workers for that farm.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Census of Farmworkers (2002, 2007, 2012, 2017), Table 7:

Hired Farm Labor
For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table FARM-02.

6.7 Non-English Speakers
California has long been an immigration gateway to the United States, which means that many languages are spoken throughout the Bay Area. Since learning a new language is universally challenging, it is not uncommon for residents who have immigrated to the United States to have limited English proficiency. This limit can lead to additional disparities if there is a disruption in housing, such as an eviction, Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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because residents might not be aware of their rights or they might be wary to engage due to immigration status concerns. In Sebastopol, 1.8% of residents 5 years and older identify as speaking English not well or not at all, which is below the proportion for Sonoma County. Throughout the region the proportion of residents 5 years and older with limited English proficiency is 8%.

Figure 73: Population with Limited English Proficiency
Universe: Population 5 years and over
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2015-2019), Table B16005 For the data table behind this figure, please refer to the Data Packet Workbook, Table AFFH-03.

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APPENDIX D: FULL SITE INVENTORY DATA
Address APN Site Gen
Plan
Des
Zone Min
upa
Max
upa
Acres Existing
Use
Current
Infrastructure
OwnershipSite
Status
Used in Prev.

Planning
Cycles
Unit Capacity by
Income Group
LI MI AMI Total
911 Litchfield Ave
95472
004-134-016 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.38 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedPending Project
No 1 1
773 1st St 95472 004-172-017 MDR R3 2.6 5.4 0.42 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedPending Project
No 2 2
7716 Bodega Ave
95472
004-211-007 A MDR R7 12.1 25 3.59 Residential Yes PrivatelyOwnedPending Project
Used in Two
Consecutive
Prior HEs
83 1 84
7760 Bodega Ave
95472
060-230-067 A MDR R7 12.1 25 1.36 Residential Yes PrivatelyOwnedPending Project
No
7095 Fellers Ln
95472
004-124-001 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.19 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedPending Project
No 2 2
7950 Bodega Ave
95472
004-350-024 HDR R7 12.1 25 0.39 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedPending Project
No 10 10
333 N Main St
95472
004-670-022 CC CD 43.6 0.17 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedPending Project
No 4 4
7621 Healdsburg
Ave 95472
004-291-019 HDR R7 12.1 25 1.26 Residential Yes PrivatelyOwnedPending Project
No 3 19 22
1009 – 1011
Gravenstein Hwy
North 95472
060-261-026 B OLI OLM 21.8 2.97 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedPending Project
No 8 72 80
1009 – 1011
Gravenstein Hwy
North 95472
060-261-028 B OLI OLM 21.8 2.94 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedPending Project
No
7154 Fircrest Ave
95472
004-320-005 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 1.11 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 4 4 8 940 Maytum Ave
95472
004-131-014 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.9 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 3 3 6 Laguna Park Way
95472
004-041-093 C HDR R6 12.1 17.4 0.11 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 2 2 4 Laguna Park Way
95472
004-041-097 C HDR R6 12.1 17.4 0.27 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 8086 Bodega Ave
95472
004-350-076 CO CG 21.8 0.3 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 3 3 359 Johnson St
95472
004-041-094 HDR R6 12.1 17.4 0.07 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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586 Harrison St
95472
004-312-027 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.27 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 2 2 7605 Washington
Ave 95472
004-222-004 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.03 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 400 West St 95472 004-251-012 HDR R6 12.1 17.4 0.15 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 2 2 7860 Brookside
Ave 95472
004-330-044 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.3 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 2 2 1st St 95472 004-172-015 MDR R3 2.6 5.4 0.43 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 2 2 723 Western Ave
95472
004-152-006 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.09 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 485 Swain Ave
95472
004-181-014 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.2 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 Springdale St
95472
004-272-052 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.21 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 Springdale St
95472
004-272-054 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.23 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 7850 Washington
Ave 95472
004-272-055 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.42 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 7776 Healdsburg
Ave 95472
004-480-051 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.11 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 530 Swain Woods
Ter 95472
004-161-029 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.23 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 561 Swain Woods
Ter 95472
004-161-031 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.25 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 7580 Washington
Ave 95472
004-223-030 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.17 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 7816 Brookside
Ave 95472
004-281-021 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.2 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 7801 Stefenoni Ct
95472
004-400-026 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.19 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 7429 Giusti Ct
95472
004-660-031 MDR R3 2.6 5.4 0.32 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 Robinson Rd
95472
004-410-021 LDR R2 1.1 2.5 0.15 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 1209 Jean Dr
95472
004-470-042 LDR R2 1.1 2.5 0.48 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 1213 Jean Dr
95472
004-470-043 LDR R2 1.1 2.5 0.32 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 1208 Enos Ave
95472
004-470-048 LDR R2 1.1 2.5 0.4 Vacant Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 1 Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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7605 Bodega Ave
95472
004-213-007 HDR R6 12.1 17.4 1.2 SFD Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 8 7 15 496 Vine Ave
95472
004-182-010 MDR R4 5.5 8.7 0.49 SFD Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 1 2 3 7765 Healdsburg
Ave 95472
004-281-035 CO CO 15 0.95 Office
Building
Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 5 6 11
7765 Bodega Ave
95472
004-400-013 CO CO 15 0.41 Office
Building
Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 2 3 5
845 Gravenstein
Hwy N 95472
060-261-030 CO CG 21.8 0.85 Temporary
RV Safe
Parking
Village
Yes PrivatelyOwnedAvailable No 18 18
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APPENDIX E: GMO
COMPLIANCE WITH SB 330
City of Sebastopol
Planning Department
Date: November 17, 2022
To: 4LEAF, City Attorney Larry McLaughlin
From: Kari Svanstrom, Planning Director Subject:

GMO Compliance with SB330
Gov Code 66330 Section 13, CHAPTER 12. Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (b) (1) Notwithstanding any other law except as provided in subdivision (i), with respect to land where housing is an allowable use, an affected county or an affected city shall not enact a development policy, standard, or condition that would have any of the following effects:
(A) Changing the general plan land use designation, specific plan land use designation, or zoning of a parcel or parcels of property to a less intensive use or reducing the intensity of land use within an existing general plan land use designation, specific plan land use designation, or zoning district below what was allowed under the land use designation and zoning ordinances of the affected county or affected city, as applicable, as in effect on January 1, 2018, except as otherwise provided in clause (ii) of subparagraph (B). For purposes of this subparagraph, “less intensive use” includes, but is not limited to, reductions to height, density, or floor area ratio, new or increased open space or lot size requirements, or new or increased setback requirements, minimum frontage requirements, or maximum lot coverage limitations, or anything that would lessen the intensity of housing.
(B) (i) Imposing a moratorium or similar restriction or limitation on housing development, including mixed-use development, within all or a portion of the jurisdiction of the affected county or city, other than to specifically protect against an imminent threat to the health and safety of persons residing in, or within the immediate vicinity of, the area subject to the moratorium or for projects specifically identified as existing restricted affordable housing.
(ii) The affected county or affected city, as applicable, shall not enforce a zoning ordinance imposing a moratorium or other similar restriction on or limitation of housing development until it has submitted the ordinance to, and received approval from, the department. The department shall approve a zoning ordinance submitted to it pursuant to this subparagraph only if it determines that the zoning ordinance satisfies the requirements of this subparagraph. If the department denies approval of a zoning ordinance imposing a Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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moratorium or similar restriction or limitation on housing development as inconsistent with this subparagraph, that ordinance shall be deemed void.Imposing or enforcing design standards established on or after January 1, 2020, that are not objective design standards. (C) Except as provided in subparagraph (E), establishing or implementing any provision that:
(i) Limits the number of land use approvals or permits necessary for the approval and construction of housing that will be issued or allocated within all or a portion of the affected county or affected city, as applicable.
(ii) Acts as a cap on the number of housing units that can be approved or constructed either annually or for some other time period.
(iii) Limits the population of the affected county or affected city, as applicable. (D) Notwithstanding subparagraph (D), an affected county or affected city may enforce a limit on the number of approvals or permits or a cap on the number of housing units that can be approved or constructed if the provision of law imposing the limit was approved by voters prior to January 1, 2005, and the affected county or affected city is located in a predominantly agricultural county. For the purposes of this subparagraph, “predominantly agricultural county” means a county that meets both of the following, as determined by the most recent California Farmland Conversion Report produced by the Department of Conservation:
(i) Has more than 550,000 acres of agricultural land.
(ii) At least one-half of the county area is agricultural land.

City of Sebastopol’s GMO documentation:
1) History of Ordinance meets requirements of SB330 exemption (E) for adoption prior to 1/1/2005 First approved by voters/enacted Ordinance 910 Adopted in 1994.

Last renewed by voters/updated in April 2017, after the Fifth Cycle Housing element adoptiong and the 2016 General Plan Update Date, which modified the GMO as follows to better serve the City’s focus on sustainable growth, infill development, and encouraging Affordable and Special Needs housing:
o Increased the allocation from 35 units to 50 units per year (with ‘carryover provisions’ for 3 years for unused allocations) to match the City’s General Plan Buildout to 2035. o Exempted the following units from the unit cap:

1. Affordable housing units.

2. Accessory dwelling units.

3. Replacement residential structures.

4. Single-family homes on an existing lot of record as of November 1994.

5. Homeless shelters, single room occupancy residences, and community care or health care facilities.

6. Residential units in the Central Core (downtown core zoning district) o Units in senior housing and single room occupancy projects, and units of less than 500 square feet shall count as one-half of a dwelling unit. Community care or health care facilities and homeless shelters shall be counted as zero dwelling units. 2) Sebastopol is located within Sonoma County, which meetings Section (E) (i) and (ii) as a predominantly Agricultural County, in that the most recent California Farmland Conversion Report produced by the Department of Conservation (2014-16 report):
a. Sonoma County has 577,735 acres of agricultural land a.b. The total size of Sonoma County is 1,026085 acres, so the agricultural acreage is 56.3% Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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October 13, 2022
To: Bay Area Local Planning Directors
RE: Proposed Update Process for Bay Area Housing Elements to Achieve Meaningful Public Participation
Dear Bay Area Planning Directors,
We, the Bay Area Housing Element Working Group, are writing to urge you to prioritize community input to develop strong housing policy in the final stages of the 2023-2031 Housing Element Planning process. The Bay Area Housing Element Working Group is convened by the 6 Wins for Social Equity Network, a regional equity coalition founded in 2010. The Housing Element Working Group consists of housing law and policy experts working together to ensure the region is one where everyone can find a home. We believe that strong housing policy and planning is an essential step towards that vision.

Deep community engagement is at the heart of the Housing Element process in California. True community engagement requires more than just extensive outreach to the community. It must be designed to facilitate the meaningful dialogue and co-planning with your residents necessary to realize the potential of the Bay Area as a vibrant, diverse, and healthy community. After months of work, the Bay Area jurisdictions have largely submitted first drafts of your 2023-2031 Housing Elements to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), and have recently received or are awaiting a letter from HCD reviewing your draft and recommending changes. In this next stage it is important not only to respond to HCD’s comments, but to do so in a way that meaningfully involves the community in that response.

This requires that you give community members an adequate opportunity to read, analyze, and comment on the updates, and then transparently incorporate that feedback into your final Housing Element before submitting a final version to HCD.

State law requires local governments to make “a diligent effort...to achieve public participation of all economic segments of the community in the development of the housing element.” (Gov. Code 65583(c)(9) (emphasis added)). “A diligent effort means going beyond simply giving the public an opportunity to provide input and should be proactively and broadly conducted through a variety of methods to assure access and participation.” (Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Guidance Memo, April 2021, p. 21).

In order to ensure that your communities continue to have the opportunity to understand and influence your decisions, we recommend you take the following steps:

1. Publish the review letter you receive from HCD on your Housing Element website as soon as you receive it. This will ensure that community members have as much time as possible to understand HCD’s opinions and concerns, so that they can best participate in updating your Housing Element and ensure it prioritizes equity and fairness.

PUBLIC COMMENTS PRIOR TO PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING
Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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2. Hold one or more community meetings, work sessions, and/or public hearings to take comments on the HCD review findings and how best to address them before the next draft is prepared. Incorporate as much community input as possible, including expertise from local community based organizations, about housing needs and solutions. Consider all proposed analyses and recommendations. A diverse range of methods for soliciting comments from the community will facilitate the input of residents with disabilities and language access needs. This input is necessary to your ability to fully consider the housing needs of disabled residents and English Language Learners in your jurisdiction, as the State Housing Element law requires.

3. Once the revised draft is finalized, post it on your Housing Element website in both a clean version and a version with visible redlines against the initial public review draft. This will allow community members to more easily review the changes you have made, which will in turn: enable the community to help ensure compliance with state law; clarify the reasons behind the jurisdiction’s decisions regarding revisions and community input; and help build trust. Ensuring transparency and accountability in the process will yield the strongest possible final Housing Element.

4. Publish a summary of comments received and a list of changes made to the original draft identifying which comments or policy suggestions were accepted, which were not, and why. This, again, enables the community ease in reviewing and understanding the changes the jurisdiction has made. It is similar to the federal Administrative Procedure Act standards for public input in decision-making processes, and provides a best practice towards developing trust between governments and their constituents. That trust is even more important at the local level.

5. While state law only requires a 7-day comment period, you should provide a 30-day public comment period after releasing revised drafts. Allowing the necessary time for community members to review the Housing Element will improve the quality of the public input received by the city. Cities that use higher-quality public input to inform their Housing Elements will increase the likelihood of certification by HCD, as their Housing Elements will better address the needs of the community. Providing a 30-day public comment period additionally furthers the spirit of the legal requirements under California Housing Element law, and will allow for better policy outcomes.

The Housing Element Working Group remains committed to working in partnership with Bay Area jurisdictions to ensure that, from start to finish, the Housing Element update process is inclusive, laying out a roadmap to effectively and equitably address the affordable housing crisis. All Bay Area residents deserve a safe, accessible, and affordable place to call home, with a range of choices free of barriers to fair housing. The Housing Element update process provides the tools to do just that. We look forward to continuing this work with you.

Regards,
Bay Area Housing Element Working Group
Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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1 Kari Svanstrom
From: Margaret DeMatteo <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2022 11:34 AM
To: Calum Weeks; Kari Svanstrom; [email protected] Cc: John Jay; Kirstyne Lange
Subject: Re: HCD Housing Element letter
Attachments: Sonoma County Housing Element Working Group Letter.pdf Hello all,
I hope this finds you well. Cal, Kirstyne and I are part of a multi-sector working group that are working diligently to improve housing element plans throughout Sonoma County. It is a challenge to participate meaningfully if we do not have access to the letter from HCD, or the redlined version of changes to the modified draft, which is required to incorporate additional public input. As it stands, we have only a 7-day comment window over a 4-day holiday weekend. Without the letter from HCD, or invitation to provide comments, our hands are tied and time is nil.

Please provide a copy of the letter ASAP.

In the alternative, I have cc'ed Mashal Ayobi, who might be so kind as to provide it in reply to this email. Mashal, if you are able to share we would greatly appreciate it as City staff may be off for the holidays. The HCD website has not been updated in some time or we would get it ourselves.

I have also attached a copy of the letter we sent recently making requests for a redlined version of changes made in response to HCD and time for meaningful public participation. We reiterate these requests.

Thanks you all for your prompt attention to this matter.

Best Regards,
Margaret
Margaret DeMatteo (she/her/hers)
Housing Policy Attorney
144 South E Street Suite 100
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
[email protected]
Cell: 415-952-6519
Fax: 707-542-0177
https://legalaidsc.org/

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From: Calum Weeks <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2022 10:49 AM
To: Kari Svanstrom <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected] <[email protected]>; Margaret DeMatteo <[email protected]>; Kirstyne Lange <[email protected]>
Subject: HCD Housing Element letter

Hello both,
Before departing for your well-deserved vacation, can you please share the letter HCD sent with comment on your draft Housing Element? I'm assuming they sent one since the 7-day review period is now open.

Can you please also extend the review period to November 30th? As most people will be enjoying a long holiday, it would be appreciated if this review period was extended. I'm also not certain I even received a notification with these updates. To my knowledge, I am signed up for these alerts.

Thanks in advance for whatever information you can offer! Best,
--
Calum (Cal) Weeks | Policy Director
(he/him)
Generation Housing
GenerationHousing.org
427 Mendocino Ave, Suite 100 | Santa Rosa, CA 95401
(c) 760-799-4771
Have you requested your #WeAreGenH yard sign? Click here to do so! To help protect your priv acy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.

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Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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3 Kari Svanstrom
From: Margaret DeMatteo <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, November 01, 2022 12:50 PM
To: Kari Svanstrom; John Jay
Cc: Kirstyne Lange; Caroline Peattie; Savannah Wheeler; Cal Weeks; [email protected]; Karen Rosenberg; caitlin cornwall; Fred Allebach; Ann Colichidas; [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: Sonoma County Housing Element Working Group Comment Letter Attachments: Sonoma County Housing Element Working Group Letter.pdf Hello,
I am writing on behalf of the Sonoma County Housing Element Working Group, a broad coalition of multi-sector organizations that focus on housing policy. We provide you with the attached letter with the hope that it informs best practices regarding your next round with HCD on Sebastopol's 6th Cycle housing Element Draft.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you! Best Regards,
Margaret
Margaret DeMatteo (she/her/hers)
Housing Policy Attorney
144 South E Street Suite 100
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
[email protected]
Cell: 415-952-6519
Fax: 707-542-0177
https://legalaidsc.org/

CONFIDENTIAL AND PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION
The information in this email message is for the confidential use of the intended recipients only. The information is subject to the attorney-client privilege and may be attorney work product. Recipients should not file copies of this email with publicly accessible records. If you are not an intended recipient or an authorized agent responsible for delivering this email to an intended recipient, you have received this email in error, and any further review, dissemination, distribution, copying or forwarding of the email is strictly prohibited. If you received this email in error, please notify us by return email and delete this message. Thank you.

Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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4 Kari Svanstrom
From: Skylar Spear <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 19, 2022 10:30 AM
Subject: Best Practices for Finalizing 2023-2031 Housing Elements Attachments: LETTER Regionwide - Finalizing Draft Elements.pdf Dear Bay Area Planning Directors,
I am writing on behalf of the Bay Area Housing Element Working Group, a collection of housing law and policy experts convened by the 6 Wins Network to help Planning Directors around the Bay Area submit the best possible version of their 2023-2031 Housing Elements. We understand that you have just received or are about to receive comment letters from HCD after their review of your initial Housing Element Drafts. As you begin to revise and finalize your Housing Elements, we wanted to provide some best practices for you to implement.

Attached you will find a brief letter detailing these best practices. If you have any questions or concerns about these practices, please reach out to us—we are happy to discuss! Thank you for your time,
Bay Area Housing Element Working Group
[email protected]

Skylar Spear

METROPOLITAN EQUITY LEGAL FELLOW
131 Steuart St.|Suite 300|San Francisco 94105
415.625.8466
Pronouns: They| Them| Theirs
[email protected] www.publicadvocates.org
Join us October 20th to celebrate our 50th! Order Tickets today __________________________

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This email message and any attachments are intended only for the use of the addressee named above and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, distribution, or copying is strictly prohibited. If you received this email message in error, please immediately notify the sender by replying to this email message or by telephone. Thank you.

Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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November 1, 2022
To: Sonoma County Planning Directors
RE: Proposed Update Process for Bay Area Housing Elements to Achieve Meaningful Public Participation
Dear Sonoma County Planning Directors,
We, the Sonoma County Housing Element Working Group, are writing to urge you to prioritize community input to develop strong housing policy in the final stages of the 2023-2031 Housing Element Planning process.The Housing Element Working Group consists of housing law and policy experts working together to ensure the region is one where everyone can find a home.

We believe that strong housing policy and planning is an essential step towards that vision.

Deep community engagement is at the heart of the Housing Element process in California. True community engagement requires more than just extensive outreach to the community. It must be designed to facilitate the meaningful dialogue and co-planning with your residents necessary to realize the potential of Sonoma County as a vibrant, diverse, and healthy community. After months of work, the Bay Area jurisdictions have largely submitted first drafts of your 2023-2031 Housing Elements to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), and have recently received or are awaiting a letter from HCD reviewing your draft and recommending changes. In this next stage it is important not only to respond to HCD’s comments, but to do so in a way that meaningfully involves the community in that response.

This requires that you give community members an adequate opportunity to read, analyze, and comment on the updates, and then transparently incorporate that feedback into your final Housing Element before submitting a final version to HCD.

State law requires local governments to make “a diligent effort...to achieve public participation of all economic segments of the community in the development of the housing element.” (Gov. Code 65583(c)(9) (emphasis added)). “A diligent effort means going beyond simply giving the public an opportunity to provide input and should be proactively and 1 Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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broadly conducted through a variety of methods to assure access and participation.” (Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Guidance Memo, April 2021, p. 21).

In order to ensure that your communities continue to have the opportunity to understand and influence your decisions, we recommend you take the following steps:

1. Publish the review letter you receive from HCD on your Housing Element website as soon as you receive it. This will ensure that community members have as much time as possible to understand HCD’s perspective, so that they can best participate in updating your Housing Element and ensure it prioritizes equity and fairness.

2. Hold one or more community meetings, work sessions, and/or public hearings to take comments on the HCD review findings and how best to address them before the next draft is prepared. Incorporate as much community input as possible, including expertise from local community based organizations, about housing needs and solutions. Consider all proposed analyses and recommendations. A diverse range of methods for soliciting comments from the community will facilitate the input of residents with disabilities and language access needs. This input is necessary to your ability to fully consider the housing needs of disabled residents and English Language Learners in your jurisdiction, as the State Housing Element law requires.

3. Once the revised draft is finalized, post it on your Housing Element website in both a clean version and a version with visible redlines against the initial public review draft. This will allow community members to more easily review the changes you have made, which will in turn: enable the community to help ensure compliance with state law; clarify the reasons behind the jurisdiction’s decisions regarding revisions and community input; and help build trust. Ensuring transparency and accountability in the process will yield the strongest possible final Housing Element.

4. Publish a summary of comments received and a list of changes made to the original draft identifying which comments or policy suggestions were accepted, which were not, and why. This, again, enables the community ease in reviewing and understanding the changes the jurisdiction has made. It is similar to the federal Administrative Procedure Act standards for public input in decision-making processes, and provides a best practice towards developing trust between governments and their constituents. That trust is even more important at the local level.

5. While state law only requires a 7-day comment period, you should provide a 30-day public comment period after releasing revised drafts. Allowing the necessary time for community members to review the Housing Element will improve the quality of the public input received by the city. Cities that use higher-quality public input to inform their Housing Elements will increase the likelihood of certification by HCD, as their Housing Elements will better address the needs of the community. Providing a 30-day public comment period additionally furthers the spirit of the legal requirements under California Housing Element law, and will allow for better policy outcomes. 2 Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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The Housing Element Working Group remains committed to working in partnership with Sonoma County jurisdictions to ensure that, from start to finish, the Housing Element update process is inclusive, laying out a roadmap to effectively and equitably address the affordable housing crisis. All Sonoma County residents deserve a safe, accessible, and affordable place to call home, with a range of choices free of barriers to fair housing. The Housing Element update process provides the tools to do just that. We look forward to continuing this work with you.

Best Regards,
Sonoma County Housing Element Working Group
Kirstyne Lange, President
NAACP Santa Rosa - Sonoma
Margaret DeMatteo, Housing Policy Attorney
Legal Aid of Sonoma County
Caitlin Cornwall, Project Director
Sonoma Valley Collaborative
Caroline Peattie, Executive Director
Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California
Fred Allebach, Member
Sonoma Valley Housing Group
Jen Klose, Executive Director
Generation Housing
Victor Flores, Resilience Manager
Greenbelt Alliance
cc: HCD, [email protected]
3 Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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Dear Commissioners,
I have read the various documents concerning the updated housing element. I'd like to bring forth three topics: the need for low/moderate family housing, the need for a very clear policy for short-term rentals, the need for a usage survey of existing ADUs.

The housing element is a guide for development to make sure that cities and regions have enough housing to meet demographic needs; key factors are no net loss of housing and filling gaps in housing types.

The City's Plan: ADUs instead of Housing Development
Instead of committing to building housing across housing types to meet the demand, the City has a strategy of using ADU credits - 60 in total to meet the RHNA goals.

This strategy adds small units to existing properties. These units are built without impact fees.

These units are not appropriate for families as they are typically under 1200 feet.

There is a demonstrated need for low/moderate income family housing, which ADUs do not address.

ADUs do not require parking spots, which in a car dependent area are necessary. People who work in the trades, parents, people who commute for their work all need cars.

Build Low and Moderate Income Family Housing Instead of ADU Credits City should make a commitment to building low/moderate income family housing.

1. The housing element documents point out a need for Low and Moderate Housing units.

They also point to a need for family housing. I would encourage the Commission and the City of Sebastopol to look for and support projects that build Low and Moderate Family units instead of ADUs, which are not large enough for families;

2. I would encourage the City to revisit some of the affordable housing developers to see if there are any funds available to build 30 units of low/moderate family housing within City Limits instead of 30 ADUs;

3. Family housing should have 3-4 bedrooms to accommodate parents and children;

4. Family housing is crucial to the County and the City so that more young families can join our community and our schools;

5. Given current interest rates, their might be incentives for low-income housing developers which have alternative means of funding to pursue family housing projects within the City;

6. Sebastopol has many large infill sites currently owned by religious organizations, perhaps there could be some synergy between the religious organizations and the affordable housing developers;

7. If the City could mend its relationship with CVS, perhaps they would be willing to sell their stake in the Redwood MarketPlace so the entire site could be developed for mixuse use.

No Net Loss and The Need for Short-Term Rental Policies Given the information in the various reports on the housing element, it appears that Sebastopol needs to immediately implement policies on short term rentals.

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As the City is relying on 60 ADUs instead of 60 units within planned development to add additional housing, short-term rental policy needs to be developed and enforced to preserve housing stock, to limit the impact on vacation rentals in neighborhoods and to increase workforce and low/moderate income housing.

Most importantly, policy needs to be put into place so people develop ADUs with the intent of long-term rentals for the ADU, the primary residence or both. Given the current housing shortage, people should not develop ADUs with the intent of short-term rentals and should be made aware of why ADU development is encouraged, why they don't pay impact fees and why other zoning rules are more favorable toward ADUs; ADUs are part of a housing stock strategy.

There is one line in the ADU checklist which acknowledges short-term rental but it is weak and needs more reinforcement, "ADUs authorized after July 1, 2017 may not be rented on a transient occupancy basis (less than thirty-one (31) days), except with a Use Permit." ADUs are problematic for several reasons:

1. There is no guarantee they will be rented and thus do not necessarily add to housing stock;

2. They can be used for short-term rental to boost homeowner's incomes instead of providing workforce housing;

3. They don't pay any of the traditional fees associated with development yet their tenants use infrastructure and other common resources;

4. They are not appropriate for families;

5. The setbacks are not as ample as would be required for other forms of development thus impacting neighbors, especially if the unit is used for a short-term rental, where occupants change regularly;

6. They are added into neighborhoods, which were not necessarily built for density. Thus more people are added to neighborhoods without consideration for noise, fire, emergency and parking.

The City should be trying to increase housing stock by design, which would accommodate for the density and the needs of density such as additional parking, noise, emergency services and impact fees.

Given the fact that the City is relying on 60 ADUs to meet its housing needs, it is crucial to enact a very clear and enforced policy regarding short-term rentals so that our neighborhoods do not become vacation zones and more importantly, that ADU development will provide long-term workforce housing.

Short term rental policy:

1. Hosted only, no unhosted rentals;

2. Only one short term unit per property;

3. No short-term rentals in apartment buildings, multi-family or complexes with more than 2 units on site;

4. A certain percentage of total housing units. Sebastopol has approximately 3600 units.

My suggestion would be to allow .01% of the housing stock to be hosted vacation rentals, that would equal 36 units.

Lottery Procedure to Determine Short-Term Vacation Rental Permits:

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1. Each qualifying address would be able to have a short term rental for 6 out of 15 years, limits intact through change of ownership;

2. Residents would enter a lottery and would have a rental permit for 3 years. At the expiration of their term, they could continue for another 3 years or release their spot.

People who release their spot after 3 years could apply in a future lottery for another 3 years. People who did not use their full 3 year term would forfeit their remaining time on the 3 years (for instance if a person dropped out after 2 years, they would forfeit their final year);

3. At the end of the 6 year period, they would have to wait 9 years to apply again. If the house sold, the new owners would still be obligated to wait the entire 9 years before reapplying;

4. People who have currently permitted short-term rentals would be able continue operation until the lottery was decided. They could apply for a position in the lottery for a full six years. No penalty for currently running a short term rental if it is permitted.

5. People found to be running a non-permitted short-term rental would be exempt from applying to the lottery for 6 years.

Having a 3 year lottery process would reduce staff time as they would only be permitting for short-term rentals every three years. The rest of staff time could be geared for enforcement.

It is critical to preserve ADUs as housing stock and limit short term rentals otherwise the ADUs do not add to the housing stock:

1. We in a housing crisis and any liveable space should be rented to people who work in our community;

2. Neighborhoods are not designed for tourists, they are designed for residents who have are committed to their neighbors and their towns;

3. The housing element specifies no net loss in housing. If we give up housing to short term rentals, that should be a counted as a loss of housing stock;

4. Short term rentals are, in effect, businesses. The goal of all housing policy is to build more housing stock for workers, not to increase profitability for homeowners, many of whom have Prop. 13 protection and are not paying current rates for infrastructure and City supported services;

5. We need to encourage the development of hotels to support tourists. Hotels are designed for tourists, they have parking, fire and noise requirements. They have contingencies in place for emergencies. They are located in walking distances to restaurants, shops and other downtown amenities.

6. If you imagine the compact footprint of 60 hotel rooms in one building versus 60 ADUs spread across neighborhoods (cars, noise, visitors), it's clear that hotel rooms are preferable to ADUs in terms of hosting tourists;

7. Hotel rooms do not need to be monitored by City Staff as they have regulatory procedures in place in terms of noise, fire, parking and emergency services;

8. If the City does not make short-term rental policy restrictive and clear with penalties, the 60 ADUs might become 60 hotel rooms spread throughout Sebastopol neighborhoods without any of the parking, noise, fire and emergency contingencies required for hotels and their development.

Survey Current ADU Owners

1. At this point, the City has many ADUs; it would be informative to survey current owners to see how the ADUs are used.

2. The City could send out a simple email survey to track the following information:

1. If the unit is occupied or vacant;

2. How the unit is being used:

1. Owner occupied for home office, additional space;
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2. Family member accommodations;

3. Owner lives in ADU and rents primary residence;

4. Short-term rental;

5. Long-term rental
This basic information would give the Commission and Planning department valuable data on how ADUs are currently being used and how they might work as housing in the future.

I hope moving into 2023 and with the updated Housing Element the Commission will pursue more low/moderate family housing and undertake a serious review of the short term rental policy and put into a place that preserves our housing stock for residents and our community members.

Best,
Kate Haug
Resources
Units Existing:
"The City had 3,606 households as of January 2022 (California Department of Finance [DOF] 2022). As of 2022, 72.2 percent were single-family units, which included 62.5 percent singlefamily detached units and 9.7 percent single-family attached units; 25.8 percent were multifamily dwelling units; and the remaining two percent were mobile homes (DOF 2022)."

https://www.ci.sebastopol.ca.us/getattachment/Meeting-Event/PlanningCommission/2022/Planning-Commission-Meeting-of-December-13th,-2022/Housing-ElementCEQA-Addendum.pdf.aspx ADU Accommodation and No Net Loss:

Accommodation of the RHNA Sebastopol’s RHNA for the current (2023-2031) planning period is 213 units, consisting of 55 very low-income housing units, 31 low-income housing units, 35 moderate-income housing units, and 92 above moderate-income housing units. The City must demonstrate the availability of sites with appropriate zoning and development standards that can facilitate and encourage the development of such units. The Housing Element Update includes a housing plan that accommodates the RHNA plus a buffer of additional housing units as recommended by the HCD. The City has identified enough units through RHNA Credits (projected Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) development and pending, approved, or permitted projects) to meet the 6th Cycle RHNA for each category except for moderate-income. To identify enough sites for its moderate-income RHNA, and to provide an additional buffer of lower-income units to address No Net Loss requirements, the Housing Element includes an inventory of suitable sites for housing development. Table 3 shows the City’s RHNA and capacity of Housing Opportunity Sites. Page 23
https://www.ci.sebastopol.ca.us/getattachment/Meeting-Event/PlanningCommission/2022/Planning-Commission-Meeting-of-December-13th,-2022/Housing-ElementCEQA-Addendum.pdf.aspx 60 New ADUs
ADUS Jurisdictions may count the potential for ADU development as credits towards their RHNA. Legislation in California has recently facilitated the increased permitting and production of ADUs in many communities, including Sebastopol. From 2018 to 2021, the City permitted an annual average of 7.5 ADUs, which has helped address many of the City’s identified housing needs, including special needs housing. The City used conservative affordability assumptions to Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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ensure the distribution of affordability reflects local development trends. The distribution of affordability will be applied to the projection of 7.5 ADUs built annually, for a total of 60 units (15 units per income level) over the 8- year planning period credited towards Sebastopol’s RHNA. https://www.ci.sebastopol.ca.us/getattachment/Meeting-Event/PlanningCommission/2022/Planning-Commission-Meeting-of-December-13th,-2022/Housing-ElementCEQA-Addendum.pdf.aspx Need for Houses Large Enough for Families
"The lack of housing available and affordable for young families, combined with a naturally aging population base, has resulted in a nearly 30 percent decrease in the number of households with children (under age 18) since the peak in 2000. This reflects a local need for stable and affordable housing available to the aging population and young families." Page 14 https://www.ci.sebastopol.ca.us/getattachment/Meeting-Event/PlanningCommission/2022/Planning-Commission-Meeting-of-December-13th,-2022/SebastopolPlanning-Commission-Hearing-Draft-12-8-22.pdf.aspx Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
City Council Meeting Packet of January 3, 2023

3 Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube
Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
City Council Meeting Packet of January 3, 2023

1 Kari Svanstrom
From: Kari Svanstrom
Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2022 4:35 PM
To: Calum Weeks
Cc: John Jay; Margaret DeMatteo; Kirstyne Lange
Subject: RE: HCD Housing Element letter
Attachments: HCD review letter _SebastopolDraft Housing Element_120122.pdf Hi all,
Please see the attached letter of comments from HCD as requested.

This is also on our website should you like to share:
https://www.ci.sebastopol.ca.us/City-Government/Departments-Services/Planning/Housing-Element Kari Svanstrom
Planning Director
From: Calum Weeks <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2022 10:49 AM
To: Kari Svanstrom <[email protected]>
Cc: John Jay <[email protected]>; Margaret DeMatteo <[email protected]>; Kirstyne Lange <[email protected]>
Subject: HCD Housing Element letter
Hello both,
Before departing for your well-deserved vacation, can you please share the letter HCD sent with comment on your draft Housing Element? I'm assuming they sent one since the 7-day review period is now open.

Can you please also extend the review period to November 30th? As most people will be enjoying a long holiday, it would be appreciated if this review period was extended. I'm also not certain I even received a notification with these updates. To my knowledge, I am signed up for these alerts.

Thanks in advance for whatever information you can offer! Best,
--
Calum (Cal) Weeks | Policy Director
(he/him)
Generation Housing
GenerationHousing.org
Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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1 Kari Svanstrom
From: Michael Jacob <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2022 7:41 PM
To: Kari Svanstrom
Cc: Michael Jacob
Subject: Council meeting 3/1/2022 re: Public Participation Opportunity- City of Sebastopol Housing Element Attachments: Sebastopol Draft Housing Strategy.docx
Kari
I was not able to stay on the zoom this evening.

I have a few comments about housing element strategy draft.

1. Construction of ADU’s is expensive and getting more so every year. The high costs can be a barrier to households embarking on this effort. I suggest that the city do more research and move towards allowing tiny homes with foundations and tiny homes built on trailers with wheels on appropriate residential lots in the city so long as they can be connected to all the property’s proper utility hook-ups.

2. The city should move quickly to support GHG free remodels, ADU’s and business TI's in the following areas. a. Ban natural gas hook-ups on new construction.
b. Provide educational materials to homeowners when applying for permits on options for electric appliances to achieve an “all-electric" project.

Also related to houseless folks in our town. Work towards identifying more locations for supported trailer parks as was recently approved and occupied within the city limits.

Thanks to the council for all your efforts.

Michael Jacob
________________________
Talia Developments
Construction Management
656 Robinson Rd.

Sebastopol CA 95472
707/246-8845
Begin forwarded message:

PUBLIC COMMENTS ON PUBLIC DRAFT
Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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2 From: Jackie Criger <[email protected]>
Subject: Public Participation Opportunity- City of Sebastopol Housing Element Date: February 28, 2022 at 12:15:43 PM PST
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Good morning,
The Draft Housing Strategy for the City of Sebastopol’s 6th Cycle Housing Element Update is now available for public review and input. You are receiving this email because you have been identified as a key stakeholder in the community and/or you have indicated in previous conversations that you would like to provide feedback to the Draft Housing Strategy and proposed policies and programs.

Tomorrow, March 1 at 6 PM, the City is holding a public workshop to review the policy options that will address the housing needs and priorities of the community. I am including an attachment of the Draft Housing Strategy and Policy Options as well as link to the Public Workshop that will be held with the City Council. You are welcome and encouraged to join this session to provide your input which will become part of the public record.

Additionally, if you have any comments or suggestions you would like to make, feel free to include them in a response to this email.

Jackie Oneal Criger
Associate Planner
Mobile: (415) 818-5813 Email: [email protected]
Address: 2126 Rheem Drive, Pleasanton, CA, 94588
Location: Topic: City Council Meeting - March 1, 2022
Time: Mar 1, 2022 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

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1 Kari Svanstrom
From: Charles Glynn <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 19, 2022 6:16 PM
To: Kari Svanstrom
Subject: Re: Housing Element draft - Comment
Hi Kari,
Thanks for your thoughtful response. I was encouraged to see some projects well along in planning, and I hope that there are also more ADU's being built. As a renter (just outside the City limits), I'm happy to walk by a number of duplexes along Pine Tree Lane likely built in the 60's that don't seem out of place with the larger rural estate homes here too (I live in a "granny" unit on a two acre property). It seems like we have so many opportunities and possibilities, I wish the process were more straightforward (and land and construction costs weren't so high :).

Thank you,
Charlie
On Wed, Sep 14, 2022 at 8:34 AM Kari Svanstrom <[email protected]> wrote:

Hi Charles,

Thanks for your questions. The State Housing and Community Development (HCD) has very specific requirements for sites that can be included in the “site inventory”, including that they be vacant, certain size, etc., and that you cannot reuse sites used in past Housing Elements. Our past HE had a few sites in commercial zones (one is developed with the Barlow Townhomes, one is the approved Hotel Sebastopol site, one is the vacant parcel across from Southpoint Shopping Center /south of Big-o tires). Many of our other commercial sites that are underutilized (vacant bldgs. or under utilized) would not qualify as ‘vacant sites’ for HCD. That does not mean that they can’t be developed with housing, only that they do not qualify in meeting the requirements for the state-mandated housing inventory.

Regarding ‘rezoning’ – we are looking at a policy to do a ‘workforce housing’ overlay zone, which could be applied to certain parcels or areas. Most, however, would not be in the M zones (the areas along Morris are in flood zone – about 9-10 ft under the flood level, and not appropriate for housing), the CF zones are either open space or other community facilities (parkland), along morris street have open space restrictions as they are proximate to the Laguna.

Kari Svanstrom
Planning Director

From: Charles Glynn <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, August 20, 2022 3:59 PM
Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
City Council Meeting Packet of January 3, 2023

2 To: Kari Svanstrom <[email protected]>
Subject: Housing Element draft - Comment

Good day,

Perhaps I don't understand the portions of the proposed Housing Element dealing with potential housing sites, both vacant and non-vacant. From what I see, all of the identified vacant sites are in zoning areas with an "R" designation, as are most of the identified non-vacant sites (excepting some with CO/CG zoning).

Are the potential identified sites limited to those that are currently zoned for residential uses ? What of rezoning ?

In my frequent walks and cycling around town, I see many more potential housing sites (both vacant and underutilized) that are within M, LI and CF zones (for example: some vacant M/LI parcels along Morris Street and Johnson Street; also, under-utilized CF zoned parcels in adjoining areas).

It seems there are far more potential housing sites if these non "R" zoned parcels are considered to be in the mix; afterall, it's not unusual for a developer to apply for rezoning along with a development application. But, perhaps I'm missing something.

Regards,

Charlie Glynn
Pine Tree Lane
--
Charles W. Glynn, MAI
Commercial Real Estate Appraisal &
Consulting
Home Office: 707-823-7671
Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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4 Kari Svanstrom
From: Margaret DeMatteo <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2022 10:50 AM
To: Una Glass; Sarah Glade Gurney; Neysa Hinton; Diana Rich; Patrick Slayter; Kari Svanstrom Subject: Public Comment on Sebastopol's 6th Cycle Draft Housing Element Plan Attachments: LASC_FHANC_PILP_NAACP Public Comment Letter_Sebastopol Housing Element Update, Cycle 6.pdf Good morning,
Please see attached public comment regarding the Draft Housing Element Plan that is open for public review until August 31, 2022. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for the opportunity to review and comment!
Best Regards,
Margaret
Margaret DeMatteo (she/her/hers)
Housing Policy Attorney
144 South E Street Suite 100
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
[email protected]
Cell: 415-952-6519
Fax: 707-542-0177
https://legalaidsc.org/

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Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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August 25, 2022

SENT VIA EMAIL
Mayor Una Glass, [email protected]
Vice Mayor Sarah Glade Gurney, [email protected] Council Member Neysa Hinton, [email protected] Council Member Diana Gardner Rich, [email protected] Council Member Patrick Slayter, [email protected]
Planning Director Kari Svanstrom, [email protected] RE: Public Review of Sebastopol's 6th Cycle Draft Housing Element Plan Dear Honorable City Council and City Planning Department:

We, the undersigned, thank you for the opportunity to review and comment on the City of Sebastopol's 6th cycle Housing Element Plan. We have reviewed the information available on the Draft Housing Element Plan (“Plan”). We commend the planning team for the hard work that they have invested in the Plan, and appreciate the extended window for submission of public comment to August 31, 2022. We hope that you will have time to meaningfully consider the input provided below.

We urge the City of Sebastopol to take meaningful action in the 6th Cycle Housing Element update to address the unmet needs of low-income households, identify specific strategies to conserve and improve affordable housing, and Affirmatively Further Fair Housing (AFFH).

Specifically, we are calling on the City to commit to the critical goal of preserving existing housing stock and preventing displacement by: (1) passing rent control, just cause for eviction, and a proactive rental inspection program by 2023 (rather than merely code enforcement as stated in Program B-1.1); and (2) passing a Tenant or Community Opportunity to Purchase Act by 2024.

At the outset, we remind the City of Sebastopol that state law requires all Housing Element programs to have beneficial impact within the planning period, including identification of specific actions, which agency or official is responsible for those actions, and a timeline.1 Programs to affirmatively further fair housing must identify clear “metrics and milestones for determining what fair housing results will be achieved.”2 Furthermore, a recent survey of HCD reviews of draft housing actions from Southern California jurisdictions emphasizes that time bound actions with “specific commitments [from local actors], metrics, and milestones” are required.3
3 ABAG, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Policy Tips Memo Learning from Southern California & Sacramento: Early Experiences in Complying with AB686. 2 Gov. Code § 65583(c)(10)(A)(iv).
1 1 Gov. Code § 65583(c).
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I. Sebastopol Should Prioritize Specific Policies and Programs to Protect Tenants Sebastopol is legally required to develop concrete, measurable, and realistic actions to address disparities identified in the Assessment of Fair Housing, including displacement risk.4 Sebastopol is legally required to analyze fair housing issues, including “disproportionate housing needs” and “displacement risk” of members of protected groups, and identify and prioritize concrete actions to remedy these injustices. One of the most stark and urgent housing disparities in Sebastopol and Sonoma County is that Black, Latinx, Native American, and mixed-race households are dramatically more likely to rent rather than own their homes. As a result of systemic racism in education, employment, and intergenerational wealth, Black residents in Sonoma County have lower levels of well-being than Black residents of the state as a whole. Black residents of Sonoma County live over three years fewer, on average than Black Californians. Black children and young adults are enrolled in school at a rate 6 percentage points lower than Black children and young adults statewide. Sonoma County’s Black residents have a lifespan ten years shorter than any other racial and ethnic group in the county and have lower educational attainment rates than the county average.5
This means that Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) residents are disproportionately vulnerable to exploitation and displacement due to predatory rent hikes, arbitrary evictions, being forced to live in uninhabitable conditions and landlord harassment and retaliation- a fact that the Housing Element must recognize and remedy. Unfortunately, the current draft fails to include meaningful actions to address them.

A legally adequate assessment of housing needs should identify that lower-income people, as well as many vulnerable populations, are disproportionately likely to rent rather than own their homes – and it should dig deeper into what causes those patterns and the specific needs of renters. For example, a legally adequate assessment of housing needs should examine how the dramatic increase in rents over the past ten years, combined with stagnating wages for lower-paid workers has increased overpayment for housing, led to overcrowding, driven displacement, and made it more difficult for low-income people to find homes in the community. The analysis should also consider “jobs-housing fit” – the number of low-wage jobs in the jurisdiction compared to the number of homes affordable to low-wage earners, which is woefully inadequate almost everywhere in California. A robust analysis is required of the needs of renters, including the numbers and demographics of renters who are forced to pay more than they can afford for rent, trends in the displacement of renters over time, evidence of landlord harassment, and other issues facing renters.

The element must describe any concentrations of substandard housing. The element must also provide demographic information on the homeless population and evaluate impacts on protected characteristics and disparities in access to opportunity (e.g., access to services).

Finally, the element must describe displacement due to disinvestment and disaster. While Sebastopol may not be located in CalFire’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone Map (developed in 5 A PORTRAIT OF CALIFORNIA 2021–2022 | REGIONAL REPORT SERIES 4 Gov. Code § 65583(c)(10)(A)(ii).
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2007) the surrounding geography is. The element must analyze the impact that surrounding wildfires have had in regard to population density before and after major disasters in Sebastopol and provide an analysis of rent prices. Climate change migration may affect population growth and change in Sebastopol over the next cycle. The 6th cycle update is an efficient way to become proactive in measuring this cyclical climate disaster.

According to the Draft Housing Element at p. 91, 20.5% of households spend 50% or more of their income on housing, which is considered severely cost-burdened. Renters are more cost-burdened than owners and lower-income earners are more cost-burdened than higher-income earners. Knowing that over half of Sebastopol residents rent as opposed to owning their homes, there must be actual resources and services delineated to protect tenants, beyond mere educational programs which are heavily relied upon in the Draft Housing Element Plan.

For instance, Program D-1.1 Administer Housing Services and Provide Outreach and Education, offers fair housing workshops once a year to inform the community on their rights to fair housing, available services, and provides a multilingual fact sheet on affordable housing highlighting the “needs of the community.” The City also notes its decision to continue bi-annual meetings with service providers, faith organizations, and community-based organizations to assist people experiencing homelessness. These are passive actions, rather than specific programs as required by the housing element.

The housing element plan is a once in a decade opportunity for Sebastopol to elevate areas where the City is poised to lead! Millions of people in California urgently need Rent Control and Just Cause to protect them from arbitrary evictions, predatory rent hikes, and landlord harassment. A stable and safe home is crucial for renters and the communities where they live to thrive and prosper. The Housing Element process is an opportunity to ensure renters of all backgrounds can continue to call Sebastopol home! The following programs are recommended in order to meet the housing element requirements and address the vulnerabilities and needs of the large renter community in Sebastopol. ● Rental Registry
A Rental Registry has the potential to be one of the most innovative and progressive programs that can be implemented as part of a housing element plan. It will provide Sebastopol with the data required to enact meaningful policies to prevent tenant displacement. It can collect data on evictions and identify systemic housing issues in Sebastopol. It can be used to facilitate a proactive rental inspection program to address maintenance and preservation of rental housing. It can also be used to implement eviction protections that prevent displacement of tenants. ● Rent Control and Just Cause Eviction Protections
Rent Control and Just Cause protections preserve existing non-subsidized affordable housing stock and affirmatively further fair housing. Rent Control policies limit how much a landlord can raise the rent on an existing tenant each year by tying the allowable increase to inflation thereby maintaining affordability. Just Cause for Eviction policies protect tenants from being evicted without a specific justification, 3 Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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such as nonpayment of rent. It is essential to pair Rent Control with Just Cause to prevent landlords from evicting tenants in order to raise rents or from raising rents so much that tenants are forced to leave.

Together, Rent Control and Just Cause are an essential cornerstone of protecting renters from displacement, harassment, and uninhabitable living conditions — all of which the Housing Element must address. Unaffordable rent hikes and no-cause evictions disproportionately impact protected classes; these are fair housing issues that are causing displacement. Rent Control and Just Cause protections have existed in select cities across the country for many decades and have a strong track record of success.6
The statewide Rent Cap and Just Cause protections of the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (“TPA”) fall short of providing the needed tenant protections. The statewide Rent Cap limits massive annual rent increases, which can help prevent rent hikes that force renters out overnight, but it is not true rent stabilization, which ensures that rents do not rise faster than inflation and can provide long term stability.

Statewide Just Cause protections fail to protect tenants from arbitrary evictions in the first year of their tenancy, and tenants who rent certain types of homes (like duplexes where the landlord lives in one of the units) are not covered. Certain no-cause evictions are rampantly abused, especially those sought through the Ellis Act (where the landlord is allegedly withdrawing a unit from the rental market). A local ordinance is necessary to prevent that abuse, and authorized in the text of the Ellis Act itself!7 The TPA’s “Substantial remodel” loophole allows landlords to evict a tenant, to remodel their unit, and the tenant is not allowed to return.

Local governments have clear authority to pass Rent Control and Just Cause ordinances that are more protective than state law, and can do it as part of a meaningful Housing Element plan.
● Mandatory/Proactive Rental Inspection Program
Traditionally, code enforcement programs have operated primarily on a complaint basis—a resident complains about a potential code violation, a city code inspector or enforcement officer investigates the complaint, and if a violation is verified, enforcement actions are initiated.

However, under a proactive rental inspection (PRI) program, also known as a systematic or periodic code enforcement program, covered rental housing is inspected mandatorily and routinely to identify issues and protect the health and safety of tenants more effectively. PRI programs shift the burden of code enforcement from 7 See Government Code 7060.2 et seq.
6 More Information: Strengthening Communities through Rent Control and Just-Cause Evictions: Case Studies from Berkeley, Santa Monica, and Richmond;
Opening the Door for Rent Control Toward a Comprehensive Approach to Protecting California’s Renters; Rent Matters: What are the Impacts of Rent Stabilization Measures?; Who rents and who owns in the U.S. | Pew Research Center 4 Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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reliance solely on tenant complaints to a more prevention-based, equitable approach to improve housing quality. As discussed below, eight in ten farmworker/immigrants live in rental housing, nearly double the rate in the county overall. Frequently, due to fear of the loss of housing, farmworker and immigrant communities do not make complaints regarding substandard conditions in their rental housing. A mandatory proactive rental inspection program could improve the housing these communities are currently residing in.
● Consider Adoption of a Tenant’s Bill of Rights (See attached) Rental registries, rent stabilization, just cause, and proactive rental inspection policies improve and conserve existing non-subsidized affordable housing stock.

Sebastopol should commit to passing these tenant protection ordinances in the program of actions in order to meet the obligations under Housing Element Law to improve the condition of existing housing, and to preserve existing non subsidized affordable housing stock and maintain the affordability of that housing.

II. Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing
According to HCD Guidance in response to AB 686, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing is defined as“meaningful actions, in addition to combating discrimination, that overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunity based on protected characteristics.”8 While the Sebastopol Draft Housing Element briefly describes fair housing services, it generally does not address this requirement nor make it a guiding principle. The element includes some data on race, familial status, disability, and income, however, it must also analyze this data in such a way that also addresses patterns, trends, conditions, characteristics, and coincidence with other fair housing components (e.g., disparities in access to opportunity, disproportionate housing needs), and the effectiveness of past and current strategies to promote inclusive and equitable communities.

This analysis should be complemented by local data and knowledge, including input from commenters, community organizations, and other relevant stakeholders. For race, the analysis should be geographic and describe concentrations of different races throughout the City, and identify historical land use, zoning, governmental and nongovernmental spending including transportation investments, demographic trends, historical patterns of segregation, or other information that may have impeded housing choices and mobility. Regarding disability, the element should describe and analyze the data provided and relate it to other factors to understand the quality of life conditions and better formulate appropriate policies and programs. The analysis for familial status must analyze the data within the City as well as how the City differs from the surrounding region. For more information and guidance on this analysis, please visit pages 28-30 of the HCD’s AFFH Guidance Memo, and the 8 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Guidance for All Public Entities and for Housing Elements. (2021).

California Department of Housing and Community Development. 5 Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Policy Tips Memo.

One group that has faced the most challenges while attempting to live in Sonoma County are Black residents. According to the most recent Portrait of Sonoma report, they score 3.99, an alarming drop from 4.68 in the 2014 report.9 Black residents in Sonoma County have lower levels of well-being than Black residents of the state as a whole. Black residents of Sonoma County live over three years fewer, on average than Black Californians. Black children and young adults are enrolled in school at a rate 6 percentage points lower than Black children and young adults statewide. Sonoma County’s Black residents have a lifespan ten years shorter than any other racial and ethnic group in the county and have lower educational attainment rates than the county average.10
Policies like rent control and just cause eviction protections can be the most effective way to preserve the City’s affordable housing stock, prevent displacement and maintain economic and ethnic diversity.

III. Goals, Priorities, Metrics, and Milestones
The element must be revised to add or modify goals and actions based on the outcomes of a complete analysis. Goals and actions must specifically respond to the analysis and to the identified and prioritized contributing factors to fair housing issues and must be significant and meaningful to address identified patterns and trends. Actions must have specific commitment, metrics, milestones, and geographic targeting and must address housing mobility enhancement, new housing choices, and affordability in high resource areas, place-based strategies for community preservation and revitalization and displacement protection. See Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Policy Tips Memo.

The element mentions program D-3.1 First Time Homebuyer Program, and Affordable Homeownership Resources, in efforts to grow homeownership opportunities. According to Figure 23 in the Housing Element Appendices, the typical home value has increased 91.1% in Sebastopol from $500,430 to $956,150 since 2001. Figure 22 draws attention to the average cost of owner-occupied units valued from $500k-$750k. According to Figure 14, more residents rent than own their homes: 50.2% versus 49.8%, and 20.5% of households spend 50% or more of their income on housing. The Sebastopol Housing Element acknowledges greater wealth accumulation through homeownership and mentions “the City will seek to establish a First Time Homebuyer Program in coordination with the Housing Land Trust of Sonoma County (HLT) to monitor the development of permanently affordable homeownership opportunities in the City of Sebastopol” however, makes no specific goal, metric, or commitment to provide homeownership opportunities to low- and moderate-income families. The housing element requires specificity, and a program that merely “seek[s] to establish” an action will not satisfy the legal requirements. 10 Id.
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Recommended: TOPA/COPA
A commitment to introduce TOPA/COPA by 2024 will advance multiple Housing Element requirements.We recommend adoption of Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) or Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) programs as an option to meaningfully create opportunities, mechanisms, and time for tenants to purchase and stay in their homes long-term when they go up for sale. TOPA/COPA gives tenants and/or qualified organizations like community land trusts and nonprofit affordable housing developers, advance notice that the landlord intends to sell the building, along with specified timelines to exercise the “right of first offer” to buy the property before it goes on the market and the “right of first refusal” to match a third party offer if their initial offer is rejected.

As a key intervention against speculation, TOPA/COPA preserves currently affordable housing and generates new permanently affordable housing for future generations.

TOPA/COPA expands stability and wealth-building opportunities for tenants by creating pathways to homeownership. TOPA/COPA does not require landlords to sell their properties or sell for less than market rate.

As mentioned above, Sebastopol is required to address the housing needs of low income households, affirmatively further fair housing, and identify specific strategies to conserve housing stock. As communities of color continue to be the primary demographic affected by displacement and lack of affordable housing, the City should identify and prioritize anti-displacement strategies such as TOPA/COPA to address these fair housing issues.

TOPA policies also provide wealth-building opportunities for BIPOC communities who have historically been denied access to homeownership. Finally, properties purchased through TOPA/COPA are subject to permanent affordability restrictions, conserving Sebastopol’s affordable housing stock and removing property from the speculative market.

The acquisition and preservation of currently market-rate rental housing stock as permanently affordable housing is a crucial strategy that would help Sebastopol meet these obligations under Housing Element Law.

IV. Special Needs Populations
Programs A-1.3, B-1.1, and D-13 serve as opportunities to provide assistance for special needs populations however they lack concrete details on what has been successful during their operation, how long have they been in operation, how they are being maintained, who explicitly is benefiting from each of them, and where decisions for the benefit of special needs populations are being discussed.

1. Elderly
Virtually all cities and towns across Sonoma County have seen increases in their senior populations over the last twenty years.11 Seventeen (17) percent of the population of Sebastopol are seniors,12 and according to the Draft, over 40 percent of total senior households and 62 percent of lower-income senior households in Sebastopol experience 12 Sebstopol, CA Senior Guide
11 State of Housing in Sonoma County. (2022). Generation Housing 7 Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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some level of cost burden. The Sonoma County 2020 one-day homeless census counted 648 individuals older than the age of 55 among the unhoused population, which was an increase of 42 percent from the previous year’s count.13 The housing element must provide sufficient place-based housing strategies to support the aging residents of Sebastopol.

2. Persons with Disabilities
Census data from the American Community Survey 2019 indicate that there are 329 Sebastopol residents with an independent living disability, 255 with a self-care disability, 391 with an ambulatory disability, 145 with a vision disability, 420 with a cognitive disability, and 218 with a hearing disability. These numbers are not exclusive, as some residents have more than one type of disability and some disability types are not recorded for children below a certain age. The element needs to be more clear on how universal and accessible design techniques will be applied, and where the geographic focus is for improving the standard of living for persons with disabilities.

3. Farmworkers
Farmworkers, who tend to be members of our immigrant communities, are the backbone of California’s economy and bring talent and vitality to Sonoma County’s farm sector. Despite their countless contributions, they face disproportionate challenges in a number of areas.

Eight in ten immigrants live in rental housing, nearly double the rate in the county overall.

Frequently, due to fear of the loss of housing, farmworker and immigrant communities do not make complaints regarding bad conditions in their rental housing, and are forced to live in substandard conditions. A mandatory proactive rental inspection program could improve the housing these communities are currently residing in. See Tenant Protections above.

4. Female Headed Households
According to a recent report, Sebastopol and Healdsburg experienced the largest declines in the number of households with children, with a reduction in nearly 30 percentage points from 2000-2019.14 As noted in the Draft Housing Element Plan, State law requires an analysis of female-headed households to identify whether adequate childcare and job training resources are available. Of Sebastopol’s 1,865 total family households, 390 (21 percent) are female-headed households. Of these, 75 percent are renter households; for those with children at home, 21 percent are living below the Federal poverty level. These numbers indicate that not only have female headed households fled Sebastopol, the families that remain struggle to make ends meet. Considering that 75% of female headed households are renters, more specific and concrete action must be taken via the housing element to support these families and prevent displacement. See recommendations regarding tenant protections/displacement.

V. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
It is possible for ADU’s to meet some of the City’s need for affordable housing but the City needs reliable rental data to verify this as an option. In many cases, ADUs are occupied by family members who are paying a discounted rent or no rent at all. If these units are included 14 State of Housing in Sonoma County. (2022). Generation Housing 13 Sonoma County homeless census shows graying population. (2020). The Press Democrat 8 Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
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in a rent survey, it skews the results in ways that do not reflect the true rental market and cannot project what will happen with new ADUs that are actually made available on the open rental market. Oakland recently produced an ADU study which showed somewhat low rents, however, it is unclear whether they excluded units that have no rent at all, thereby skewing the result. More problematically, they also did an analysis to show that ADUs were economically feasible, but the rents they projected for that part of the study were far higher than the rents they used to argue for affordability.
15 It is important to note that ADU’s have a
limited number of bedrooms and lack accessibility features and therefore do not meet some of the housing needs identified in the City.

VI. Public Participation
State law requires local governments to make “a diligent effort...to achieve public participation of all economic segments of the community in the development of the housing element.” (Gov. Code 65583(c)(9) (emphasis added)). “A diligent effort means going beyond simply giving the public an opportunity to provide input and should be proactively and broadly conducted through a variety of methods to assure access and participation.” (Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).16 For jurisdictions to meaningfully engage with all economic segments of the community during the Housing Element process, cities and counties must make intentional, proactive, and robust efforts to solicit and incorporate input from low-income people, many or most of whom are renters. Jurisdictions must also specifically include members of protected groups, such as people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, and others who often face barriers to being heard in public decision making. While the element describes public participation and key themes from public engagement, public participation is not simply about soliciting community input, but incorporating that input into the Housing Element update. The proposed programs and actions aimed at addressing the needs of residents and the urgency of increasing affordable housing do not accomplish this.

We urge the City to incorporate the community’s input before finalizing and submitting the plan to HCD.

VII. Conclusion
It is clear that there is much work being done and much more that Sebastopol wants to achieve for the well-being of the community. We believe that all these efforts, along with more ideas from the community (including those submitted herein), will set up Sebastopol with a robust Housing Element and outcomes that meet the City’s required goals for the 6th cycle Housing Element update. We share a commitment to housing justice and meeting the current and future housing needs across Sonoma County. There is a tremendous opportunity with this Housing Element to outline specific, aligned, and actionable plans that will have widespread impact for years and decades to come. The City must seize this opportunity and 16 Public Participation and Transparency for Bay Area Housing Elements. (2021). Public Advocates. 15 OAKLAND ADU INITIATIVE
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take the lead to outline and advance specific policies and practices if we as a community are to realize this goal.

Thank you for your work and time on this urgent and important opportunity. We recognize the enormous amount of resources that the Housing Element requires and look forward to actively contributing in its completion, approval, and implementation. We thank you, again, for the opportunity to comment on Sebastopol’s Draft Housing Element and we look forward to reading your responses to the comments and recommendations made throughout this letter as part of your submission of the Draft Housing Element to HCD.

Sincerely,
Margaret DeMatteo, Housing Policy Attorney
Legal Aid of Sonoma County
Caroline Peattie, Executive Director
Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California (FHANC)
Valerie Feldman, Staff Attorney
Public Interest Law Project
Kirstyne Lange, President
NAACP Santa Rosa-Sonoma
Isabelle Donohoe, Master of City Planning, 2023
University of California, Berkeley
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TENANT BILL OF RIGHTS
❖ Rental Registry – necessary to obtain an accurate understanding of the rental housing market in Sonoma County and enact meaningful policies
❖ Clean, Safe Housing - protect tenants from eviction if they deduct repairs from rent ❖ Proactive Rental Inspection Program - Rental units are inspected on a regular basis to ensure that they are safe and habitable and that property values are maintained and to take the burden of the complaint based system off tenants in fear of losing their housing ❖ Rent Stabilization - Maintain existing affordable housing and limit disruptions and displacement caused by rapid rent increases
❖ Just Cause Eviction Protections including:
❖ Protections for Subletting - Subletting not a just cause for eviction IF landlord unreasonably withheld consent following written request by tenant, so long as max number of occupants does not exceed allowable limits
❖ Protections for Families - Addition of family members not just cause for eviction, so long as number of occupants does not exceed allowable limits ❖ Substantial Repairs - Repairs for health and safety concerns only and permits obtained before notice to vacate served; tenant has right to return under same terms/rent, subject to allowable rent increases
❖ Owner Move-In – Limited during school year where minor or educator lives in the unit; limited if a tenant is 62 years old or disabled or terminally ill. ❖ Withdrawal from the Rental Market – Implement Gov. Code 7060.1-7060.5 (Ellis Act); clarify that a sale of the property is not “withdrawal;” notices required to be filed with the City; 120 day notice period (one year for seniors and disabled persons); right to return for displaced tenants; period of recorded constraints on the property in accordance with Ellis Act
❖ Higher relocation payments and longer notice periods for no-cause evictions ❖ Fair Chance Housing - Criminal and/or eviction history and credit checks for Sec. 8 should be limited to AFTER a prospective tenant is accepted by landlord and given opportunity to explain/cure
❖ Nonpayment - Requires a 7-day warning letter before a 3-day notice to pay or quit ❖ Anti-Retaliation
❖ Anti-Harassment
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5 Kari Svanstrom
From: Lauralee Aho <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2022 10:00 AM
To: Kari Svanstrom
Cc: Lauralee Aho
Subject: Fwd: Draft Housing Element - Don't forget to Comment! Hi Kari,
What an extensive document you and your team created! Great job! I have questions/comments/and typos to note.

I read the article thru two sets of eyes—one as a elder living in HUD-subsidized housing (Burbank Heights) and the other as a property owner in the city limits of Sebastopol.

Let’s get the typo’s addressed:

period.

low…” for removed completely? Or should “income" be inserted somewhere?

Element”?
GENERAL QUESTIONS:

has ~ 140 HUD subsidized apartments--rent is on a tiered structure).

policies and programs.”

NOTE: "Burbank Heights and Orchards” (BHO) is always getting confused with “Burbank Housing.” BHO is owned by to church-based corporations (Sebastopol Area Housing Corporation (SAHC) and Burbank Orchards, Inc). The United Methodist and the Sebastopol Community Church own the corporations. John Stewart Company manages both properties.

A few years ago, the president of the SAHC Board, Paul Schoch (now retired), announced that there was a possibility of adding additional housing on the backside of the Heights property. Do you know what happened with that proposal?

Pleasant Hill Road.

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6

neighbor stop the construction/installation of an ADU? The only thing stopping us from contracting with Adobu is financing.

BTW: Burbank Orchards has 6 disability-designated units: R101-R106. Burbank Heights and Orchards is promoted as a senior community, however individuals with disabilities who are under 62 years old have been accepted.

As a native Sebastopol resident, I am so fascinated by all the activity you’ve shown with the graphs and maps. Thank you so much for developing this document and sharing it with the population.

Lauralee Aho
(707) 696-0572
Begin forwarded message:

From: City of Sebastopol <[email protected]>
Subject: Draft Housing Element - Don't forget to Comment! Date: August 17, 2022 at 4:00:47 PM PDT
To: [email protected]
Reply-To: [email protected]
To help protect your privacy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.

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Hi all,
As most of you know, our Draft Housing element is now available on the City’s website on the Housing Element page.

The page includes links to the presentations to both Planning Commission and City Council, the DRAFT Housing Element and appendices, and the power point presentation from Council’s August 2, 2022 review.

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City Council Meeting Packet of January 3, 2023

7 The official public comment period closes on August 20, 2022, but we will continue to accept comments for incorporation to the Draft Revised Housing Element through August 31, 2022.

We will also accept comments after this date and through the end of the year, but we’d love to get your comments now!
Please send any comments to me: [email protected] or, you can send directly to the State Housing And Community Development at [email protected].

Kari Svanstrom, AICP, Architect
Planning Director
City of Sebastopol |Planning Department
7120 Bodega Avenue |Sebastopol, CA 95472
(707) 823-6167 phone
www.cityofsebastopol.org
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Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
City Council Meeting Packet of January 3, 2023

8 Kari Svanstrom
From: deebee1 <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2022 9:57 AM
To: Kari Svanstrom
Subject: DRAFT. Apartment houses
Sebastopol could have more apartment houses to make better use of the land available.

I live in a single dwelling area of the city, on Wilton Ave. Next to me is a six unit apartment building, with off street parking. I understand that when it was built the people in the area did not like the idea, but I don’t hear any complaints now.

The units are not for low income housing but are rented by couples and an occasional single person. It houses 11 people on the same amount of space as my single unit.

Here’s to more apartment buildings for a variety of income levels.

Apartments is not a dirty word!
Dorothy Blake
38’N 122.8’ W
Agenda item Number:9 Agenda item Number:9
City Council Meeting Packet of January 3, 2023