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Sonoma commission recommends city council adopt ordinances to implement housing element programs
Summary
The planning commission unanimously recommended that city council adopt two ordinances to implement Housing Element Programs 15 and 20. Key changes include adding definitions and by‑right allowances for low‑barrier navigation centers, supportive and transitional housing, clarified employee housing and SRO standards (150–500 sq ft), emergency shelter capacity increased from 15 to 30 beds in the public zone, and by‑right multifamily development where 20% of units are affordable on three identified sites.
The Sonoma City Planning Commission voted unanimously on Nov. 20 to recommend that the City Council adopt two ordinances to implement housing element Programs 15 and 20, directing staff to finalize language with the modifications discussed at the hearing.
Community Development Director Jennifer Gates said the ordinances update Sonoma Municipal Code to align with recent state law changes and to provide local processing and operational standards for several specialized housing types: low‑barrier navigation centers; supportive and transitional housing; residential care facilities; employee (agricultural) housing; single‑room occupancy (SRO) units; and emergency shelters. Gates told the commission that staff added or revised definitions, updated land‑use tables and included new processing standards where state law allows local adjustments.
Key changes and clarifications from the presentation and commission discussion include:
- Low‑barrier navigation centers: defined consistent with state government code and to be permitted by‑right in mixed‑use and nonresidential zones that also permit multifamily; on‑site support services and coordinated system reporting (homeless management information system) will be required where applicable.
- Supportive and transitional housing: revised definitions to match state law; these uses will be treated as residential and subject only to the same restrictions applicable to similar housing types in the same zones.
- Employee housing: clarified that housing for six or fewer employees is treated like a single‑family dwelling; larger employee housing (e.g., group quarters up to specified maximums) will be allowed in agricultural zones consistent with state oversight (California Department of Housing and Community Development) and will require covenants and operational standards.
- Single‑room occupancy (SRO): staff proposed unit sizes of 150–500 square feet, common facilities requirements (bathrooms, laundry, at least one common kitchen per project or per 10 units), and an on‑site manager for projects with more than 10 units. Commissioners favored treating SRO rooms as non‑counting for standard residential density (i.e., not counting each SRO room as a separate dwelling unit for density limits) and agreed to require common kitchen facilities rather than a full kitchen in each unit.
- Emergency shelters: proposals include clarifying parking references and increasing the number of beds allowed by‑right in the public zone from 15 to 30 as identified in the Housing Element.
- Program 20 (by‑right affordable projects): the ordinance would allow developments by‑right where at least 20% of units are affordable to lower‑income households on three specifically identified sites in Appendix A (examples mentioned by staff included a lot next to Safeway, the Norbond property at 590 and a site wrapping a corner on Napa Road). The draft includes definitions for affordable rent/sales price and methods for calculating affordability tied to household AMI.
Commission discussion covered density counting for SROs, minimum/maximum room sizes, parking standards for group quarters, kitchen and common‑area requirements, owner/tenant responsibilities for employee housing, and how much of the ordinance is prescriptive due to state law versus locally discretionary. After discussion staff moved that the commission recommend approval of the ordinances with the modifications discussed; the motion passed unanimously by roll call.
The commission’s recommendation sends the two draft ordinances to the City Council for final action. Staff indicated CEQA exemptions were proposed for the ordinance adoption and will prepare the ordinance package with the agreed clarifications.
