In early May, in collaboration with data consultants from UC Berkeley, Generation Housing researched & presented a county-wide overview of housing policy at the local level based on the primary criteria developed for the Department of Housing and Community Development’s Prohousing Designation. We offered initial scoring recommendations to each city and town in four areas including (1) zoning & land use; (2) ministerial approval processes; (3) development & impact fees; and (4) parking, the findings were presented as part of Generation Housing’s 2023 Sonoma County State of Housing report.
This initial feedback was designed to be utilized by jurisdictions to perform internal assessments of their progress towards the Prohousing Designation. In addition, the team is developing resources for model policies in each of these four areas by building a network of practitioners from around the state & country who have advanced policies and practices in pre-approved design plans, affordable by design construction methods, and alternative funding sources for localities.
Finally, we are excited to announce the inaugural session of Generation Housing’s Community Connectors – the resident-based advisory group who will meet quarterly to provide feedback on the priorities of each community to address the housing shortage. In the first session, Community Connectors assessed the housing and transportation needs of their communities and began to prioritize policy areas. In addition to creating neighborhood surveys and serving as ambassadors between residents and city officials, the 20-member group will advise on the model policies that will reverse decades of underdevelopment.
We thank all of our Community Connectors including: Ali Soto Anguiano, Alonso Rodriguez Villalobos, Arlo Karpelevitch, Celia Gonzalez, Christopher Presar, Colin Thoma, Cristal Lopez, Elizabeth Escalante, Haley Presar, Iliana Inzunza Madrigal, Jamellen Tabor, Kelly Zamudio, Kenna Lee, Kimberly Zepeda, Kimi Barbosa, Litzy Hernandez, MaDonna Cruz, and Sarah Vetter. We eagerly look forward to our second session in June. If you’d like to learn more about the Community Connectors group, please email Ramon Meraz at ramon@generationhousing.org.