As we move into the last quarter of the year, it’s time to focus on tangible and meaningful changes to achieve our vision for the North Bay. Our North Bay NEXT: 5 Action Steps outline a transformative path to ensure everyone has a place they can call home. If you’re looking to make a difference today, we urge you to sign our North Bay Next petition. The steps are doable, impactful, and within the reach of our local leaders.
1) Bring Millions to Fund Housing: Pass a resolution endorsing the BAHA regional bond measure to bring at least $403M to Sonoma County, and $179M to Napa County, for housing production and preservation.
2) Zone for People: End exclusionary zoning. Create more diverse and more affordable housing by allowing up to 4-plex housing in single-family zones and expand zoning for Missing Middle small apartment complexes. This also empowers homeowners to maximize the value of their property and takes a step toward righting the wrong of decades of discriminatory zoning practices.
3) Fast & Fair: Streamline housing development by integrating Design Review Boards into Planning Commissions. This accelerates housing projects while still ensuring transparency and accountability in decision-making
4) Incentivize Affordability: Support near-term construction of Affordable and affordable-by-design workforce housing by offering a three-year temporary fee waiver and adopting fees based on square footage. This is an imperative offset to current economic forces making development financially infeasible.
5) People & Planet Over Parking: Let developers and their tenants make climate-smart decisions on parking needs by eliminating costly and heavy-handed parking mandates. This promotes a more sustainable approach to housing without passing on additional costs to residents.
Earlier this month, we’ve rolled out three policy briefs providing more information on the North Bay NEXT action steps, beginning with 1) Bring Millions to Fund Housing, 2) Zone for People and 3) Fast & Fair. These guides answer key questions from our community and provide an in-depth look at how these action steps can make a monumental impact. Keep an eye out for our last two upcoming policy briefs here. Our North Bay Housing Education webinar series will offer even more opportunities to learn about these crucial NEXT policies.
We also invite you to join us for our upcoming webinar, Housing is Economic Health, on Thursday, November 2nd. This webinar will feature local leaders and experts discussing the ripple effects of housing on everything from your local taco trucks to North Bay tourism.
Lastly, as you contemplate your year-end charitable plans, we hope you’ll consider making Generation Housing part of your charitable giving plans. Your support empowers us to continue advocating for the housing solutions that will shape an equitable, healthy, and resilient North Bay! We invite you all to engage with us—read, learn, ask questions, and, most importantly, get involved and become a GenH member, we’re all in this together.