Santa Rosa planning commissioners recommend approval of housing element implementation package

The Santa Rosa Planning Commission voted 6-0 on Jan. 8, 2026 to recommend that the City Council approve zoning and municipal code amendments implementing the city’s 2023–2031 housing element and state housing laws (File PLN25‑0397).

Kristen, a planning department presenter, told the commission the package updates two housing element programs and several zoning provisions to align local regulations with state law. “Before you today is the housing element implementation package,” Kristen said, describing the project as both an implementation step and a compliance effort.

The package includes housing element program H6, which the staff described as “innovative housing options.” Under H6 the city would allow tiny homes on wheels as an explicit housing option with design standards and limits: units would be self-contained on a trailer chassis, include a bathroom and kitchen, be limited to 400 square feet and 14 feet in height, require DMV licensing and a minor conditional use permit, and generally be limited to one per property in RR and R‑1 zoning districts. The staff also proposed…