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Santa Rosa council introduces SB9-related zoning changes and debates ADU limits in wildfire- and narrow-street areas
Summary
After a public hearing and deliberation on Jan. 7, 2025, Santa Rosa's City Council introduced an ordinance amending zoning code provisions to reflect recent state housing laws (including SB9), debated limits on ADUs when a single-family parcel is redeveloped under both SB9 provisions, and voted to introduce staff's recommended code changes with council refinements.
Santa Rosa planning staff presented proposed zoning-code updates on Jan. 7, 2025, to implement new state laws including changes to accessory dwelling-unit rules and Senate Bill 9 (SB9) procedures. The Planning Commission and staff recommended text amendments to Title 20 to ensure local code alignment with recent state changes and to add an optional local restriction on ADUs in cases where property owners fully use SB9's two provisions.
What staff proposed: Planning staff said recent state laws require local code changes for ADUs, density bonus rules, shared parking agreements and general-plan/zoning coordination. The presentation described three ADU-related state changes: (1) permanent removal of the owner-occupancy deed restriction for ADUs; (2) a legalization pathway for existing unpermitted ADUs; and (3) allowing up to eight ADUs on multifamily properties (subject to existing unit counts).
SB9 and ADU interaction: SB9 allows either an urban lot split (two-lot subdivision) and/or a…
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