Sonoma County Inclusionary Housing
and Jobs-Housing Linkage Fee
We won! Greenbelt Alliance is proud to announce that on June 7th, 2005
the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved a jobs-housing linkage
fee and an inclusionary housing ordinance. For more information about
the campaign and the policies, read on.
Greenbelt Alliance worked to pass an inclusionary housing policy and
a jobs-housing linkage fee for the County of Sonoma. These are two proven
policies that are creating affordable housing throughout the Bay Area.
Jobs-housing linkage fees are fees on new commercial development that
go toward building affordable homes. These fees help ensure that the number
of homes in a community will keep up with the number of jobs. Inclusionary
housing policies require new residential developments to include a percentage
of homes that are affordable to people making less than the median income.
Both of these policies encourage building homes within existing cities
instead of on rural lands or natural areas. They also help ensure that
people don't have to move to the region's outskirts to find a home they
can afford.
What's at Stake
The skyrocketing cost of housing in the Bay Area over the last decade
has put the dream of homeownership out of reach for a majority of working
people, and has forced them to pay high percentages of their monthly income
for rental housing. The lack of affordable housing near Sonoma County
job centers has serious consequences. The people who need this housing
are the people who keep our communities running—everyone from firefighters
and policemen to schoolteachers and office workers. Local workers are
being forced to move farther away—to Lake and Mendocino Counties—to
find homes they can afford, resulting in longer commutes and hours spent
in traffic instead of with family and friends.
The County must ensure that future development contains adequate affordable
housing in order to maintain the strength of the local economy. Supplying
affordable housing will help ensure that people of all incomes can afford
homes near their jobs and that businesses have access to a high quality
work force. By locating affordable housing near job centers and shopping,
we can reduce the amount of driving necessary in day-to-day life and prevent
increased traffic problems.
Campaign Update
May 2006
In the continuing effort to see a jobs-housing linkage fee adopted by
all the cities in Sonoma County, one victory was claimed in April, and
two more are on the horizon. Cotati became the fifth jurisdiction in Sonoma
County to adopt a jobs-housing linkage fee by a 4-1 vote of the Council
in late April. As well, the Rohnert Park City Council will soon be reviewing
the idea and taking it to a vote. And while Santa Rosa is still trailing
behind on the adoption of a strong inclusionary policy, a recent vote
by the Planning Commission to get rid of an exemption on mixed-use development
from inclusionary ordinance requirements looks promising. While Santa
Rosa is in the midst of reviewing its Inclusionary Zoning ordinance, Greenbelt
Alliance is working with the Accountable Development Coalition to improve
the policy in small steps. The Coalition will continue its work, lobbying
elected officials on these councils to ensure that both of these votes
turn out victorious for affordable housing in Sonoma County.
June 2005
Greenbelt Alliance is proud to announce that on June 7th, 2005 the Sonoma
County Board of Supervisors approved a model package of affordable housing
policies including a jobs-housing linkage fee and an inclusionary housing
ordinance. The inclusionary housing ordinance requires 20 percent of units
in new single family residential developments to be affordable to low
and moderate income households, and the jobs-housing linkage fee requires
new commercial developments to contribute to the construction of affordable
housing. Four of five Supervisors stated their strong support for both
policies. Greenbelt Alliance would like to applaud the Supervisors and
planning staff for their leadership and commitment to the affordable housing
and the long-term health of Sonoma County.
May 2005
In late April 2005, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors took a monumental
leap toward providing more affordable housing for County residents. The
Supervisors tentatively approved a full package of policies intended to
encourage the production of affordable housing units, including a jobs-housing
linkage fee and an inclusionary housing ordinance. The inclusionary housing
ordinance requires 20% of units in new single family residential developments
to be affordable to low and moderate income households, and the landmark
jobs housing linkage fee requires new commercial developments to contribute
to the construction of affordable housing. Four of five Supervisors stated
their strong support for both policies. The final vote is scheduled for
June 7th. For several years Greenbelt Alliance has worked with a broad
coalition of labor, housing advocacy, faith and business groups to enact
these policies throughout each of Sonoma County's jurisdictions. Greenbelt
Alliance commends the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and planning
staff for their leadership and commitment to the affordable housing and
the long-term health of Sonoma County.
April 2005
The Board considered a full package of housing policies on April 5th,
including a jobs-housing linkage fee and an inclusionary housing policy.
Greenbelt Alliance worked with our local allies-Housing Advocacy Group
(HAG), Sonoma County Conservation Action, local labor unions and others
to turn out over 100 people to this hearing. The majority of the Supervisors
support both policies and are scheduled conclude their deliberations and
vote on April 26th at 6pm. Come and support these policies and the health
of our community.
March 2005
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is poised to take a monumental
leap toward helping provide more affordable housing for all. The Planning
Commission unanimously recommended that Sonoma County enact a full package
of housing policies including a jobs-housing linkage fee and an inclusionary
housing policy. We need your help before the Board of Supervisors on April
5th at 6pm! Come and support these policies and the health of our community.
February 2005
The County Planning Commission finalized their recommendation to the Board
of Supervisors (BOS) on January 13. The Board will begin their deliberation
on April 5th at 6:00 PM. Greenbelt Alliance is working with our local
allies—Housing Action Group (HAG), Sierra Club, local labor unions
and others—to ensure the County adopts these policies.
January 2005
The County Planning Commission is set to finalize their recommendation
to the Board of Supervisors (BOS) on these two policies on January 13.
November 2004
The County Planning Commission is positioned to recommend both a jobs-housing
fee as well as an inclusionary housing policy for adoption; the Board
of Supervisors will consider them in early 2005.
Recently, Greenbelt Alliance also launched an Inclusionary Housing Initiative
with the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH) that
seeks to increase the number of inclusionary housing policies around the
Bay Area. Inclusionary policies require each new development to include
a percentage of homes that are affordable to people making less than the
median income.
The Planning Commission held two public hearings in October on these
policies. They are expected to complete their recommendation to the Board
of Supervisors on October 19th. Greenbelt Alliance and other housing advocates
turned out speakers in favor of the policies at the last hearing on October
12; the speakers represented a broad spectrum of interest groups ranging
from labor and environmental groups to business and developer representatives.
The Realtors Association was the only group in opposition. The Commission
appears generally favorable to both policies.
September 2004
Currently Sonoma County is considering the adoption of both a jobs-housing
fee as well as an inclusionary housing policy. County Planning Commission
hearings will begin in late September 2004. Greenbelt Alliance will be
working with the Housing Action Group, Sierra Club and other coalition
partners to ensure that the county adopts the policy and fee in the coming
year.
June 2004
County planning staff is preparing a draft jobs-housing linkage fee and
inclusionary housing ordinance for presentation to the Board of Supervisors
this summer. Kelly Brown, Greenbelt Alliance's Sonoma-Marin Field Representative
is currently working with housing advocates to develop a strategy for
tracking and passing both ordinances in the coming months. Our position
paper on the County General Plan Update will address the jobs-housing
linkage fee.
April 2004
For over two years Greenbelt Alliance has worked with local housing advocates
to enact a jobs-housing linkage fee in each city in Sonoma County. This
fee, which applies to new commercial development, will provide a much-needed
funding source for the production of housing affordable to the working
people of the County. In December 2003, we helped to pass the county's
first ordinance in the City of Petaluma. In early April 2004, the City
of Sebastopol adopted Sonoma County's 2nd and strongest jobs-housing linkage
fee! Greenbelt Alliance will continue working with coalition partners
to ensure that the other cities and the county adopt this fee in the coming
year.
December 2003
In a significant victory that will increase housing opportunities in Sonoma
County, in late December, the Petaluma City Council adopted a new fee
on nonresidential development that will be used to create affordable housing.
This per-square-foot fee on new commercial development will create local
funding for construction of affordable housing. The jobs-housing linkage
fee is a useful tool that helps communities meet the housing needs of
the local workforce. Greenbelt Alliance will continue to work with housing
and smart growth advocates in Sonoma to get more communities to adopt
this important revenue stream.
November 2003
Despite significant local support and ample evidence that this fee would
positively affect the local economy, Santa Rosa—the county's largest
city—voted down the fee in August. Despite Santa Rosa's unwillingness
to take a leadership role, we will continue to work with coalition partners
to ensure that other cities, including Petaluma, Sebastopol and Cotati,
adopt it.
April 2003
The Mayor and Councilmember's Association Working Group, charged with
developing a model impact fee ordinance for each of the jurisdictions
to consider, will meet for their final time April 17. After this final
meeting, each of the cities and the county are expected to put this model
ordinance on the agenda within the next several months.
March 2003
The Housing Action Forum, co-sponsored by Greenbelt Alliance, was a great
success. Approximately 75 people attended the event, 60 of who signed
up to take action on an Impact fee campaign. Attendees represented a broad
cross section of community leaders, stakeholders and elected officials.
Kelly Brown, Greenbelt Alliance's Sonoma-Marin Field Representative, is
working closely with the Faith Based Coalition, Service Employees International
Union Local 707, Sierra Club, New Economy—Working Solutions, and
the Housing Advocacy Group to develop a campaign plan to pressure elected
officials to implement an Impact fee.
February 2003
Read the press
release about the Housing Action Forum.
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