The City of Santa Rosa has completed its public review draft of the city’s housing element, a key component of the city’s general plan update, and is asking for the public to review and provide feedback on housing opportunities, needs, and solutions.

Part of Santa Rosa Forward, the city’s general plan update, the draft housing element identifies the current conditions and future needs of housing in the city while categorizing objectives and outlining policies and programs that could meet those needs, all in the hope of addressing segments of the population with special housing needs like low-income households, seniors, persons with disabilities, and veterans.

The public review draft of the housing element includes:

• Public Outreach and Engagement: Overview of outreach activities to engage the community and stakeholders in preparation of the Housing Element.
• Housing Needs Assessment: Examination of demographic, employment, and housing trends and conditions that affect local housing needs.
• Fair Housing Assessment: Summary of fair housing issues; an analysis of available federal, State, and local data that support identifying patterns of segregation or other barriers to fair housing; and prioritization of factors contributing to fair housing issues.
• Housing Sites Inventory: Inventory of sites identified as available and suitable for housing development or redevelopment. The Sites inventory ensures there is adequate capacity to meet anticipated housing needs.
• Housing Constraints: Analysis of and recommended remedies for existing and potential barriers to housing development.
• Evaluation of Previous Housing Element: Assessment of the 5th Cycle Housing Element to measure its progress toward implementation of the identified policies and programs.
• Goals, Policies, and Programs: Goals, policies, and programs identified to address the community’s housing needs.

The public will be able to review and comment on the report in a variety of ways. By providing public comment at the June 9 Planning Commission and Housing Authority meeting, or at the June 21 City Council meeting, by commenting on the report directly by emailing staff their opinions of the report at [email protected], or by sending a comment through Santa Rosa Forward website through July 3.

For more information about Santa Rosa Forward, go to santarosaforward.com/HE.