FPA Blog

The 2023-2031 Housing Element Update Project

Facilitates and encourages housing development over the 8-year planning period beginning February 1, 2023 and ending in early 2031. The County prepared the 2023-2031 Housing Element to affirmatively further fair housing and to accommodate the County’s 3,824-unit Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) for the 2023-2031 Housing Element period.

In addition to responding to all of the new statutory requirements, the Housing Element demonstrates how its identified local housing needs will be met, including those of special needs populations, through new and revised policies and programs.

Extensive public participation, including from a Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) and equity priority populations was critical to the policy development during the Housing Element Update.

The County submitted its Initial Draft Housing Element to the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on December 30, 2022, and a Revised Draft on March 13, 2023.

The Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Housing Element Update project was published on June 30, 2023. It contains responses to written and oral comments received on the Draft EIR, as well as amendments to the Draft EIR that were made in response to comments or to make corrections. The County received 271 written comments on the Draft EIR. Responses to these comments are in Section 3 of the Final EIR.

In addition, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on February 2, 2023 to accept public comments on the Draft EIR prior to the close of the review period; responses to comments received during the hearing are included in Section 4 of the Final EIR.

There were also several surveys, MAC/CAC meetings, and public workshops conducted at various stages to inform the content of the Housing Element.

Housing Element Timeline – Project Milestones and Events

11/02/2021 Tribal Consultation invited under SB 18 (General Plan Amendments) and AB 52 (CEQA)
12/30/2021 Housing Element Kick-Off Workshop at Planning Agency
12/15/2021 1st Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) meeting
01/11/2022 1st community survey released
02/01/2022 2nd Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) meeting
02/12 & 02/15/22 – Housing Element Public Workshops
03/08/2022 3rd Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) meeting
03/10/2022 2nd community survey released
04/21/2022 1st Planning Commission Workshop
05/17/2022 4th Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) meeting
06/15/2022 Notice of Preparation of Program EIR published
06/28/2023 EIR Scoping Meeting
07/06/2022 3rd community survey released
08/09/2022 Board of Supervisors Workshop
10/03/2022 Publication of Public Review Draft Housing Element – Following the completion of data collection, outreach and noticing, the draft development of the Housing Element and the Draft EIR began. The public review draft Housing Element was published on October 3, 2022, and circulated for public comment
11/15/2022 District 5 workshop
11/17/2022 Planning Commission Workshop on Public Review Draft Housing Element
11/30/2022 SVCAC (Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Council) Joint Workshop
12/01/2022 Joint Workshop Districts 2, 3, and 4
12/28/2022 Publication of Draft EIR
12/30/2022 Initial Draft Housing Element Submitted to Housing and Community Development (HCD) The County received numerous comments on the draft and made changes to policies, programs, background discussion, organization, and readability in response to those comments. The Initial Draft Housing Element was submitted to HCD on December 30, 2022.
02/02/2023 Planning Commission DEIR Hearing
3/13/2023 Revised Draft Housing Element Submitted to HCD
03/30/2023 Receipt of HCD comments on Revised Draft
04/20/2023 Forestville town hall meeting
06/30/2023 Publication and posting of Planning Commission Adoption Element, Appendices, and Technical Background Report Draft Housing
6/30/2023 Publication and posting of Final EIR
8/22/2023 County Board of Supervisors authorize revisions

Revised Housing Element
Permit Sonoma has released an updated version of the adopted Housing Element containing new, non-substantive revisions as authorized by the County Board of Supervisors on August 22, 2023, by Resolution 23-0429. The revisions include updates to data and analysis, minor adjustments to programs, updates to the Technical Background Report and appendices, and clarifying language in response to preliminary feedback received from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) on the County’s adopted Housing Element. The revised version does not include changes to the Sites Inventory.

FORESTVILLE REZONE SITES approved by the County Board of Supervisors on August 22/23 are:

FOR-1 (6555 Covey Rd)
FOR-3 (6194 Forestville Street)
FOR-6 (6250 Forestville Street)

Members of the public may view the revised Housing Element documents at: https://permitsonoma.org/longrangeplans/adoptedlong-rangeplans/housingelement