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General Plan

Housing Element

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The Housing Element is a section of the Sonoma County General Plan, which presents goals, objectives, policies, and supporting information related to the provision of housing for existing and future residents of the County. Every city and county in California is required by law to adopt a Housing Element as part of its General Plan.

The purpose of the Housing Element is to guide decision-making by elected and appointed officials, in the context of broader General Plan policy and time frame, regarding housing. Specifically, the Housing Element sets forth how the County will address the need for housing, especially by low and moderate income families and special needs families and individuals. The Housing Element also provides housing-related data and information to the public on housing in the County.

The Housing Element is organized into four sections:

  • The Housing Element provides community information including demographics, housing characteristics, and constraints to development. It also includes the County's housing goals, objectives, policies and implementation programs.
  • Appendices A through C contain documentation on the community engagement done for the Housing Element draft development, a report on housing needs data, and a review of the effectiveness of the 2014 Housing Element respectively.
  • Appendix D presents a detailed housing site inventory, including a discussion of methodology, development trends, infrastructure, and environmental constraints.
  • The Technical Background Report provides statutorily required data including an assessment of housing needs & programs, an analysis of non-governmental and governmental constraints to affordable housing development, and a discussion of special needs populations.

The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) is responsible for calculating the Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA) for Bay Area cities and counties.

More information on the ABAG Regional Housing Program

Amended: August 22, 2023

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