Expert recommendations that could improve Sonoma Valley's housing situation

Here are the top policy recommendations from a recent cross-sector literature review conducted by the Committee to House the Bay Area. These are just some of the strategies we can consider, to improve the housing affordability situation in Sonoma Valley.

• Increase local and regional funding for affordable housing

• Use surplus public land for affordable housing

• Preserve existing affordable housing at risk of conversion

• Expand housing impact fees and inclusionary requirements

• Streamline permitting for infill housing (affordable and market-rate)

• Accessory Dwelling Units: ease restrictions and create incentives to build

• Encourage new units that are affordable by design (micro-units, modular, etc.)

We invite you to share your ideas, examples from other communities, studies, and anything else you want community leaders on the Sustainable Sonoma Council to know about.

Join the biking solutions book club

Many comments from Sustainable Sonoma’s Voices of Sonoma Valley sessions expressed a desire for more biking, walking, and transit options in Sonoma Valley. Sonoma Valley Climate Coalition is forming a book club to read Building the Cycling City, which looks at how the Dutch have built a cycling culture, and how communities in the US have applied those lessons here. If you’d like to join the book club to discuss what can be implemented in Sonoma Valley, please contact Jennifer Palladini.

Sharing Sustainable Sonoma's lessons from listening sessions

Sustainable Sonoma staff led workshops to enable neighboring communities to replicate and improve upon our listening sessions approach. 

Over 100 community organizers, health workers and community members from across Sonoma County attended the training, designed to share knowledge between Health Action chapters on strategies for developing active resident leadership. Sustainable Sonoma is the Sonoma Valley Health Action chapter.