30,000 homes in 5 years? Sonoma County eyes aggressive approach to ease housing crisis
Under the same banner of a hands-on, government-led recovery, the
And supervisors mulled a relocation of most administrative offices of county government, one half of an idea that would free up both the county campus and
The proposals were among numerous suggestions put forward during a daylong workshop the
The disaster exacerbated a severe housing shortage, county officials and community leaders agreed.
"As we all know, we've talked about the problem for far too long," said Supervisor
The 30,000-unit goal, which has not yet been formally adopted by the board, reflects what various estimates indicate the county would need to rightsize its insufficient supply, said
The high target -- which calls for 7,000 more units than currently exist in the city of
Called a renewal enterprise district, the new agency would be akin to the public supplier
Supervisor
"My eyebrows just shot through the roof," Gorin said. "I love goals. (But) 30,000 units in five years is not going to happen."
Supervisor
But she said it could be doable if officials radically change their approach, possibly through the renewal enterprise district. Another housing tool supervisors considered in their workshop was potentially asking voters this fall to agree to a bond similar to those already in place in other
"To me, it still seems we don't have the tools to address this crisis and keep pace with rising demand," said
Tibbetts said the bond could take the form of a levy on each
As the governments discuss potential moves, they're thinking about moving into the same building, possibly in downtown
"Let's think about doing something big together for this community," Coursey said. "Combining our forces is the only way can both help our residents rebuild what was lost in the fire and at the same time work not just toward the kind of housing that we need in
The county is looking at freeing up 26 acres at the county campus -- excluding the courthouse, jail and the
Supervisors were mostly supportive of the idea, but Hopkins worried that if the county offices were in downtown
County staff members are expected to bring a more specific plan for the administrative campus before the board at a later date.
You can reach Staff Writer J.D. Morris at 707-521-5337 or [email protected]. On Twitter @thejdmorris.
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