Santa Rosa City Council, Feb 23rd Agenda

Next Tuesday’s Santa Rosa City Council meeting will begin a series of four meetings in which the Council will hear “Housing Series” Reports they asked be prepared and delivered to them in time for their 2016-2017 budget deliberations.

February 23, 2016 City Council Meeting: 

• Housing Program Options and Funding: revenues that can be redirected and /or adjusted for housing projects.
• Planning Process Improvement Action Plan: process improvements specific to the development review process.

April 19, 2016 City Council Meeting: 

• Alternative Housing Programs: specification of new housing programs that emphasize inclusionary housing and stimulus of market rate housing. 
• Assessment of Santa Rosa by Brokers, Builders, Employers: result of outreach seeking input that could spur development.

May 17, 2016 City Council Meeting:

• Housing Incentives and Production: Specific regulatory reforms and financial incentives for stimulating housing development.

July 12, 2016 City Council Meeting: 

• Economic Development Initiatives: actions to build upon and/or enhance existing strategies related to housing. 
• Implementation: Council actions initiating implementation of preferred reforms, programs and housing funding sources.

Next Tuesday, in Agenda Items 15.2 and 15.3 (late in the meeting), Housing and Community Services Director David Gouin and David Guhin, Planning and Economic Development Interim Director, will present two reports aimed at providing the Council with options to strengthen the City’s ability to operate homeless programs and provide affordable housing. 

The options from Housing and Community Services include:

·       Sustain existing level of General Fund support for the City’s homeless and housing programs.

·       Develop a set of regulatory and financial incentives to offset Housing Impact Fees, charged to rental housing projects and consider increasing the Housing Impact Fees (within the limits set forth in the Nexus Study) to encourage on-site production of affordable rental housing units.

·        Following completion of a Commercial Linkage Fee Nexus Study, consider imposing the fee at a level deemed not to inhibit desired commercial development.

·        Seek voter approval of a tax measure supporting housing programs and homeless services.

·        Consider short-term General Fund investments in housing programs and planning services to stimulate housing production and economic development.

·        Consider increase housing program funding using an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) or similar tax increment mechanisms.

The options from Planning and Economic Development include:

·        Process improvements designed to improve customer experience.

·        Increase transparency, and ease permitting and entitlement procedures to encourage business and housing development.