Santa Rosa to consider streamlining housing process citywide
The measures, like similar ones adopted in the county, have been widely viewed as a reasonable response to an unprecedented disaster and an important message to homeowners that the city is eager to see them rebuild.
But now the city wants to streamline new housing projects -- including multifamily apartments, childcare centers and homeless shelters -- in areas of the city that never burned.
The proposal, which heads to the
"This has the potential to really change the face of
If approved, the ordinance would for the next three years cut some of the red tape for housing projects by reducing the amount of review they would receive from public boards, especially the
Shore said that while that may sound like a reasonable way to boosting housing, in reality many kinds of projects would benefit "with very little public input," including homeless shelters, farmworker housing, and motels and hotels.
The list of projects affected by the proposed ordinance is lengthy. It includes child care facilities, mobile home parks, multifamily apartments, mixed-use projects, single-room occupancy, single-family in limited cases and emergency shelters.
But the number of projects likely to come forward under the proposed ordinance is actually fairly limited, said City Planner
Projects in other parts of the city qualify for streamlining if they include on-site affordable housing, a move aimed as an incentive to developers to include affordable units in their projects.
"As a result of both the October wildfires and the previously existing significant housing shortage, the city is recommending changes to streamline the entitlement permitting process for housing, lodging and child care facilities," Jones said.
If approved, the proposed changes would be welcomed news for developers such as
Much of the regulatory controls in place today in the state were instituted to control abuses by "mercenary developers" in the 70s and 80s who are largely a thing of the past, he said. When a company's track record shows it to be a responsible and successful developer and owner, some of the regulatory review is just unnecessary, he said.
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