Housing Authority proclaims May Affordable Housing Month; staff reports HUD allocations and development pipeline

At its May 19 meeting the Santa Rosa Housing Authority read a proclamation declaring May Affordable Housing Month and recognized South Park Commons, a recent development that will serve people who were previously unhoused and low-income families. The authority’s executive director briefed commissioners on HUD funding allocations, recent openings and updates to the affordable-housing pipeline.

Chair Jeremy Newton read the proclamation on behalf of the authority, noting the agency’s stated role in financing and monitoring affordability. The proclamation text in the public record said the authority provides financing and affordability monitoring for more than 6,500 housing units, oversees a $199,000,000 loan portfolio, and administers more than 2,000 Housing Choice Vouchers. The proclamation also notes the authority awarded $3,100,000 this fiscal year to develop or rehabilitate 70 affordable units and highlighted South Park Commons as a completed development on former city surplus property that received $5,800,000 and 30 project-based vouchers from the city and authority.

Lauren Koenig Schoffer of Abode Services accepted the proclamation on behalf of Abode Services and partnering developers. She described South Park Commons as a 62‑unit property with a mix of formerly homeless households and low-income families, including studios through three-bedroom units, and said the site is beginning to lease and show signs of a new resident community.

In the executive director report, Megan (Executive Director) told commissioners the housing authority’s HUD allocations for CDBG and HOME came in within about 2 percent of the authority’s estimates, while HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS) came in about 1 percent higher. She said the authority’s HCV funding for the remainder of 2025 also came in and is stable for the calendar year. Megan flagged the president’s proposed fiscal 2026 budget (the “skinny budget”) as proposing deep cuts to HUD — she cited a reported proposal of roughly a 43 percent reduction — and reminded the board that a congressional appropriations process will determine the final outcome.

Megan also highlighted recent project events and the pipeline: staff acknowledged the Cannery at Railroad Square opening (a recent event cited as 29 new affordable units in Railroad Square), and said invitations to the South Park Commons grand opening would be distributed for a June event. Staff provided updates to the development pipeline, listing completed and upcoming projects. Notable items discussed included Santa Rosa Avenue Apartments (a development that will have 54 affordable units overall, 35 of which are restricted through a density bonus that the housing authority monitors), Mahonia Glen (lease-up at about 70 percent, with farmworker documentation requirements cited as affecting some lease-up timing), and Round Barn Village (date of completion updated).

Commissioners asked questions about SB 35 ministerial approval, the density-bonus process and whether state or federal funding shifts would change local production. Staff described the density bonus as a state mechanism that can grant development concessions in exchange for on-site affordable units and said SB 35 provides ministerial review for qualifying projects that meet thresholds and affordability requirements. Staff reiterated that financial and regulatory details shape whether developers use specific state streamlining tools.

Ending: Commissioners thanked staff for the pipeline updates and attended recent openings; staff will circulate invitations and continue to monitor HUD appropriations and project lease-up progress.