Generation Housing and numerous community partners have come together to advocate for the use of the PG&E wildfire settlement funds to invest in housing. One of the two items asks that we invest in spurring housing production by funding the Renewal Enterprise District (RED). In this article, we answer the two most important questions, “What is the RED Fund and why does it deserve to receive funding from the PG&E settlement?”
The RED was formed as a partnership between the City of Santa Rosa and County of Sonoma in the aftermath of the 2017 wildfires as a response to the State’s call to action to address our housing challenge. At its core, the RED was established to help address our urgent need for more housing by accelerating the production of more affordable and middle income, infill housing near transit.
The RED works across jurisdictions to market and attract developers, blend private financing and public funds, leverage state and federal grant funds, and facilitate creation of housing that meets established public policy goals for increased density, access to transit, protection of open space and community separators; improved energy efficiency, climate resilience, and affordability; and to advance and ensure equitable access to housing.
In pursuit of these goals, the RED recently worked with local government and developers of both affordable and middle-income housing to win nearly $38 million in State of California funding to catalyze innovative, infill, transit oriented mid-to-high density housing development in Santa Rosa. This housing will have the effect of significantly reducing GHG emissions, in addition to addressing other public policy objectives.
As an example, for the Roseland Village development that was awarded funding from both the Infill Infrastructure Grant and Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities programs, the Air Resources Board (ARB) GHG Calculator estimates emissions reductions of 69,375 tons of GHG’s (MTCO2e) from the environment over a 40 year time horizon. The included Windsor SMART extension, plus locating affordable and middle-income housing in a central location, will result in a reduction of passenger Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) of over 367 Million Miles Traveled. This leads to savings of over 10.4 million gallons of fossil fuels, and travel cost savings of over $251 Million for local residents. Throughout the life cycle of the project, it will eliminate 6,600 pounds of ROG reductions, 33,800 pounds of NOx reductions, and over 15,000 pounds of PM2.5 reductions.
Moreover, Roseland Village, featuring 100 units of market rate and 75 units of affordable housing, is designed with amenities for a diverse cross-section of the Roseland community. The development creates a vibrant market-hall and business incubator for local restaurant and food enterprise; delivers a one acre public plaza and green space that serves as a hub for community events, art, culture, recreation and a rotating food truck ‘pop-up’; develops a civic building which accommodates community serving programs; and supports the revitalization of Sebastopol Road and Joe Rodota Trail linkages to regional transit, employment and recreational centers.
Finally, awarded funding supports a partnership with Job Link of Sonoma County and the Roseland Neighborhood Local Hire Program to provide training and employment placement services to community residents seeking jobs in Roseland and its surrounding areas to fill employment positions that will be available during and after the construction of the development. And, in partnership with the City of Santa Rosa, each unit in the 75-unit affordable housing development will be provided with one free annual transit pass for three years.
Roseland Village exemplifies how the RED intends to facilitate development of housing to meet a diversity of needs within the County, and in a way that protects the environment, supports our economic renewal, and improves the well-being of the County and its residents.
We believe a RED Housing Fund stands the best chance of making a difference in the amount of housing available in Sonoma County. The RED Fund will build housing that allows people who call Sonoma County home to build fulfilling lives here. Our nurses. Our teachers. Our firefighters. Our essential workers. Our neighbors. They’re all struggling to afford to live here, and this fund could be the lifeline our community needs.
This is why we’re for an initial seed investment of $20 million allocated from the PG&E settlement that will grow by attracting significantly more outside funding, empowering the fund to push projects across the finish line and get shovels in the ground.
What can you do? Share this post to help us raise awareness and visit our website to find out more about the RED, the potential of a new Housing Fund and our PG&E settlement allocations.