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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Santa Rosa Planning Commission and Housing Authority Joint Study Session on Draft Housing Element and Cherry Ranch Subdivision – June 9, 2022

Planning Commission — Thursday, June 9, 2022

BodySanta Rosa, California

SessionPlanning Commission

DateThursday, June 9, 2022

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:03:45

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:04

Michelle, will we be ready to go at 4 30?

0:08

Yes, it looks like we'll be ready to go.

0:11

Thank you.

1:30

So with that, if people could start turning on their audio and their video, that would be great.

1:36

So we can start at 4 30.

1:42

She just submitted she disabled my whole second.

1:54

No, she did it.

1:57

And if you're not speaking, if we could keep the audio or the um I'm sorry, the audio on mute.

2:05

That would be great.

2:18

Oh, here we go.

2:20

Thank you.

2:27

Okay, great.

2:30

Yeah, my video won't go on either.

2:36

Okay.

2:37

Okay, it looks like um everybody's videos are working.

2:40

And as I mentioned, if you could keep your audio on mute unless you're speaking, um, that helps with background noise with this many people on the uh call.

2:53

So uh Michelle, are we ready?

2:57

We are ready.

2:58

Okay, thank you.

3:00

Uh so with that, I'd like to call the June 9th, 2022 meeting of the Santa Rosa Planning Commission to order.

3:08

Uh before we start, I'd like to read the following statement.

3:11

Due to the provisions of the governor's executive orders n twenty-five-20 and n twenty-nine-20, which suspends certain requirements of the Brown Act and the order of the health officer of the county of Sonoma to shelter in place to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

3:28

Planning commissioners and the housing authority commissioners will be conducting today's meeting in a virtual setting using Zoom webinar.

3:36

Commissioners and staff are participating from remote locations and or practicing social distancing.

3:42

Members of the public may view and listen to the meeting as noted on the city's website and as noted on the agenda.

3:50

And members of the public wishing to speak during item four, which is a public comment portion or during our public hearing tonight, will be able to do so by raising their hand and we'll be given the ability to speak.

4:03

So with that, I'd like to welcome the housing authority to this special joint study session with the planning commission.

4:09

Nice to have you all with us today.

4:12

And if I could ask uh the recording secretary to call roll.

4:18

Yes, thank you.

4:20

Start with our planning commission roll call.

4:23

Um, let the record reflect that all planning commissioners are present with the exception of Commissioner Carter and Vice Chair Peterson.

4:33

And now I will call roll for housing authority.

4:37

I'm sorry, Michelle also uh Commissioner Duggan isn't here tonight.

4:41

Oh yes, thank you.

4:43

I'm sorry, I didn't miss her.

4:44

That's okay.

4:45

I did miss her.

4:46

Um, and then um let the record reflect that all um housing authority commissioners are present with the exception of Vice Chair Owen.

4:57

Great.

4:57

Thank you.

5:00

Uh so with that, I'd like to now open the joint planning commission housing authority study session.

5:05

Uh and it's item two, and item 2.1 is a study session on the housing element review.

5:12

Uh, it's the draft 2023-2031 housing element, and I believe Ms.

5:18

Lyle is going to be doing the presentation.

5:22

Yes, thank you so much.

5:24

Good afternoon, Chair Weeks and Chair Test and members of the commission and housing authority.

5:29

Um, tonight we are going to be talking about our draft housing element.

5:33

And with me tonight, we also have Amy Nicholson, senior planner with our advanced planning team, and also Cynthia Walsh, our consultant with Placeworks, um, will be here and be able to answer questions, and Cynthia will be participating in the presentation as well.

5:50

So I'm gonna go ahead and share my screen.

5:54

So bear with me for one second here.

6:06

All right, is that looking good to my team members there?

6:12

Okay, I'm gonna assume it is.

6:14

So you guys jump in if I feel if you uh see me making a mistake here with the presentation.

6:19

Um as I noted, um, this is really the first opportunity we have to talk to you about the draft housing element.

6:28

Um, we have talked to you so far about the actual general plan update, Santa Rosa Forward, and with the housing authority.

6:36

Um, we did talk about a month ago about our general plan update and the housing element.

6:42

So some of this may be some review for you, um, but we are going to go through a various components of the housing element, and we will stop at a couple different points because this is a lot of dense information, so you'll have time to ask questions and clarifying uh comments as we as we move through.

7:03

So we are going to talk about our state law and the housing element requirements and why we were at this point.

7:10

We'll talk about the outreach we've done as part of this effort.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Housing███████████████████████████27%

Affordable Housing██████████████████18%

Planning And Zoning████████████████16%

Public Engagement██████████10%

Procedural██████6%

Public Comment█████5%

Wildfire Management███3%

Public Works██2%

Environmental Protection██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Santa Rosa Planning Commission and Housing Authority Joint Study Session on Draft Housing Element and Cherry Ranch Subdivision – June 9, 2022

The Santa Rosa Planning Commission and Housing Authority held a virtual joint study session on June 9, 2022, to review the Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element, followed by a regular Planning Commission meeting that included a public hearing on the Cherry Ranch Subdivision project. No final action was taken on the Housing Element; the Cherry Ranch project was approved unanimously.

Study Session – Draft 2023-2031 Housing Element

Staff (Amy Lyle, Cynthia Walsh) presented an overview of the draft Housing Element, including state requirements, outreach efforts, site inventory, Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), and proposed programs. The city must adopt a certified Housing Element by January 31, 2023. The current RHNA target is ~4,600 units, with increased lower-income requirements. The city has existing capacity without rezoning and projects a buffer above RHNA targets (e.g., 200% for above-moderate, 43% for very low/low).
Staff discussed two policy questions for input: (1) whether to include vacant sites located within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) in the site inventory, and (2) the county of Sonoma’s request to transfer 1,800 RHNA units from the county to Santa Rosa.
Public Comments:
- George McKinney (Oakmont resident) expressed concerns about wildfire evacuation risks for Oakmont (5,000 residents, median age 75) and asked that no approvals be given to developments that could worsen evacuation times. He cited Paradise fire parallels.
- Iris Harrell (Oakmont board) presented a proposed amendment to the existing General Plan to address evacuation time requirements and ensure new WUI developments do not increase evacuation times.
- Crystal Antoine (Oakmont GM) reiterated the need for evacuation studies and asked that the El NOCA project specifically be required to evaluate impacts on Oakmont evacuation.
- Gregory Fearon praised the inclusion of acutely low-income categories but urged better outreach to the broader community.
- Margaret DeMatteo (Legal Aid of Sonoma County) highlighted the lack of tenant-protection policies and the upcoming eviction cliff, asking for stronger anti-displacement measures.
- Duane DeWitt (Sonoma County Housing Advocacy Group) criticized insufficient outreach (survey got <1% of population) and called for authentic community engagement, especially in Roseland.
- Deborah McKay requested hard copies of the Housing Element and more public outreach.
Housing Authority Commissioner Comments: Commissioners supported increasing focus on neighborhood revitalization and dispersal of affordable housing throughout the city. Several expressed interest in the county’s RHNA transfer but wanted more information and noted the tight timeline.
Planning Commissioner Comments: Commissioners generally supported keeping WUI sites in the inventory (cannot remove development rights). They opposed the county RHNA transfer due to timing, risk of reducing buffers, and potential for future annexation obligations. Commissioner Okrepkie raised concerns about adding density on Dennis Lane due to poor infrastructure and evacuation routes.
Key Outcomes: No action taken; staff will incorporate input and present to City Council on June 21, 2022. The draft will be submitted to HCD after a 30-day public comment period ends July 3, 2022. Final adoption is expected in January 2023.

Public Comments (Regular Meeting)

Duane DeWitt spoke about the need for better outreach and transparency in the Santa Rosa Forward process, especially for disadvantaged communities like Roseland, and asked commissioners to hold in-person meetings.

Scheduled Item – Cherry Ranch Development (930 Fresno Ave)

Project Description: A 67-unit small-lot subdivision (62 attached duplexes, 5 detached single-family homes) on a 6.87-acre vacant parcel. Requires a Minor Conditional Use Permit for small lots, tentative map, and adoption of an EIR addendum. The project is within the Sebastopol Corridor Priority Development Area and complies with zoning. Staff recommended approval with an added condition for temporary fencing along the east boundary before removal of existing fencing.
Public Testimony: No public comments were made during the public hearing.
Commission Deliberation: Commissioners expressed support for the project, particularly the potential use of modular construction to speed delivery. They made all required findings for the EIR addendum, conditional use permit, and tentative map.
Key Outcomes: Three resolutions adopted unanimously (4-0, with Vice Chair Peterson and Commissioners Carter and Duggan absent):
1. Resolution PC2022-010 adopting the Addendum to the Southwest Area Projects Subsequent EIR.
2. Resolution PC2022-011 approving the Minor Conditional Use Permit, as amended to include a condition requiring temporary fencing along the east boundary.
3. Resolution PC2022-012 approving the Tentative Map for the 67-lot subdivision. The decision is final unless appealed within 10 calendar days.

Meeting Transcript

Michelle, will we be ready to go at 4 30? Yes, it looks like we'll be ready to go. Thank you. So with that, if people could start turning on their audio and their video, that would be great. So we can start at 4 30. She just submitted she disabled my whole second. No, she did it. And if you're not speaking, if we could keep the audio or the um I'm sorry, the audio on mute. That would be great. Oh, here we go. Thank you. Okay, great. Yeah, my video won't go on either. Okay. Okay, it looks like um everybody's videos are working. And as I mentioned, if you could keep your audio on mute unless you're speaking, um, that helps with background noise with this many people on the uh call. So uh Michelle, are we ready? We are ready. Okay, thank you. Uh so with that, I'd like to call the June 9th, 2022 meeting of the Santa Rosa Planning Commission to order. Uh before we start, I'd like to read the following statement. Due to the provisions of the governor's executive orders n twenty-five-20 and n twenty-nine-20, which suspends certain requirements of the Brown Act and the order of the health officer of the county of Sonoma to shelter in place to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Planning commissioners and the housing authority commissioners will be conducting today's meeting in a virtual setting using Zoom webinar. Commissioners and staff are participating from remote locations and or practicing social distancing. Members of the public may view and listen to the meeting as noted on the city's website and as noted on the agenda. And members of the public wishing to speak during item four, which is a public comment portion or during our public hearing tonight, will be able to do so by raising their hand and we'll be given the ability to speak. So with that, I'd like to welcome the housing authority to this special joint study session with the planning commission. Nice to have you all with us today. And if I could ask uh the recording secretary to call roll. Yes, thank you. Start with our planning commission roll call. Um, let the record reflect that all planning commissioners are present with the exception of Commissioner Carter and Vice Chair Peterson. And now I will call roll for housing authority. I'm sorry, Michelle also uh Commissioner Duggan isn't here tonight. Oh yes, thank you. I'm sorry, I didn't miss her. That's okay. I did miss her. Um, and then um let the record reflect that all um housing authority commissioners are present with the exception of Vice Chair Owen. Great. Thank you. Uh so with that, I'd like to now open the joint planning commission housing authority study session. Uh and it's item two, and item 2.1 is a study session on the housing element review. Uh, it's the draft 2023-2031 housing element, and I believe Ms. Lyle is going to be doing the presentation. Yes, thank you so much. Good afternoon, Chair Weeks and Chair Test and members of the commission and housing authority. Um, tonight we are going to be talking about our draft housing element. And with me tonight, we also have Amy Nicholson, senior planner with our advanced planning team, and also Cynthia Walsh, our consultant with Placeworks, um, will be here and be able to answer questions, and Cynthia will be participating in the presentation as well. So I'm gonna go ahead and share my screen.

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