Sonoma County and Santa Rosa approve measures to improve housing availability
The
Supervisors also paved the way for several new sanctioned locations where residents can sleep in their cars or trailers overnight. They put a temporary halt on any new vacation rental permits and waived or reduced permit fees for property owners who want to build granny units.
"We are hell-bent on getting this right quickly," Tennis Wick, the county's planning director, told supervisors. The department stands ready to issue permits for the reconstruction of burned homes in the unincorporated area.
Across the county, 6,800 structures were destroyed, including 2,900 homes in
"The sense of urgency that's needed in our agency to respond to this is there," Wick said.
"What I mainly want to do tonight is to act to assure the community that we are committed to recovery and rebuilding," Mayor
The measures taken by the two government bodies were similar, but differed in one key way. The supervisors decided not to move forward with a local ordinance that sought to combat price gouging in the rental market.
It prohibits landlords from raising rents more than 10 percent above what they were advertised pre-disaster until
But Ravitch urged supervisors to table the ordinance, warning it could get in the way of her office's ability to prosecute suspected price gougers based on state law, which she said already had "a lot of strength to it." Ravitch's office has investigated 25 allegations of price gouging since the fires began and is closing in on a few cases that could be brought to court, she said.
"Honestly, I just think you're diluting what we're trying to do," Ravitch said.
County officials were receptive to Ravitch's plea, though staff members may still revisit the issue if they can craft an ordinance that compliments the efforts of the
"I think this whole board finds it disgusting that anybody would take advantage of our victims," said Supervisor
Hours later, the
Property manager
"The idea that a property might have been listed at
Becker, however, urged the council not to duplicate the work of Ravitch's office. Council members, perhaps persuaded that the people most vulnerable to price gouging might not be inclined to report it to authorities, voted in favor of the local rule.
"I think we now need to send a message to renters, giving them hope," said Councilman
The move followed an earlier decision by the council to create a special zoning district to cover affected areas and make the rebuilding process as fast and efficient as possible.
The five zones identified include parts of
The council approved the district only after a debate that laid bare the tension between those who want to move forward quickly to rebuild what was here before and those who'd rather see the city put more study into how to improve those neighborhoods.
Longtime developer
"This is one of the finest moments in the history of
Others, however, urged the council to go more slowly and think seriously about allowing homeowners to rebuild just as they did before -- on hillsides prone to potentially deadly fires in some cases.
"We can't let expediency be the enemy of sustainability," said city resident
The council approved the ordinance 6-0, with
On vacation rentals, a controversial issue before the fires burned across some areas of the county, the
Zane said she would like to see some of the county's 1,500 permitted vacation rentals become long-term housing.
"Those are perfect places for our fire victims," she said. "They have furnishings. They have dishes. They have cookware. They're ready-made for families."
But
Barring residents from getting a new vacation rental permit won't necessarily ensure their properties will become part of the rental stock, he said.
"I don't think we have the facts -- what we have right now is a lot of emotion," Abodeely said.
You can reach Staff Writer J.D. Morris at 707-521-5337 or [email protected]. On Twitter @thejdmorris.
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