Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Planning Commissioners Academy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners report takeaways from Planning Commissioners Academy: housing, RHNA and meeting management
Summary
Director Virginia DeRosa and three commissioners summarized last month’s Planning Commissioners Academy in Santa Rosa, highlighting training on running effective meetings, housing element obligations, RHNA pressures, CEQA, density bonus rules and market barriers to rental development.
Director of Community Development Virginia DeRosa and commissioners who attended the Planning Commissioners Academy in Santa Rosa on March 5–7 briefed the commission at the March 18 meeting about lessons from the training.
DeRosa said the academy offered sessions for new and advanced commissioners and emphasized running effective meetings, handling disruptions politely and disclosing ex parte contacts. “They also really encouraged commissioners to really dive into the land use and housing elements because that's the foundation of all of our decision making,” DeRosa said.
Commissioner Furdick, who attended as a newer member, said she found the sessions valuable and was surprised by the scale of some RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Allocation) numbers in other communities. “I was stunned at how large some other communities' RHNA allocations were,” she said, and noted the pressure those numbers place on cities.
Attendees discussed why rental housing is not being built at scale, citing current market dynamics and construction costs; a developer panel including a City Ventures representative described why multifamily development, rather than rental apartments, is often the feasible product in current market conditions.
Commissioners also reported on sessions covering CEQA, density bonus law and the growing number of state housing bills the academy presenters had summarized. One commissioner warned that actions taken now could not be used to reduce residential capacity identified in the housing element, and staff and commissioners discussed the need to stay current on state laws that affect local land‑use discretion.
Ending: Commissioners said they will share the academy materials with the full commission and may return to topics such as ADU ordinances, housing element implementation and outreach practices in future meetings.
