A Preview of Sonoma Valley Commons:What We Have Learned So Far
Thank you to everyone who joined us on April 17th for a preview of Sonoma Valley Commons. Sonoma Valley Collaborative is creating this new nonprofit organization to fill a critical gap in our community: developing and preserving lower-cost housing in Sonoma Valley.
We launched the Sonoma Valley Housing Affordability Roadmap last fall, outlining eight strategies to address the housing crisis. The findings were clear: Sonoma Valley’s desirability, combined with decades of limited housing development, has created an exclusivity that now drives severe housing pressures. In Sonoma Valley...
Median home prices range from $1.25M–$1.3M
54% of renters are rent burdened
There is a deficit of approximately 6,400 housing units
There is no institutional infrastructure to support small-scale or “missing middle” housing
The market caters primarily to luxury buyers, leaving essential workers—teachers, hospitality staff, farmworkers, younger adults, undocumented families—and seniors facing deep housing insecurity.
The Big Idea: Sonoma Valley Commons
The most novel strategy in the Housing Affordability Roadmap, Strategy 1, was to create a new housing development organization that works on behalf of our community. Since publishing the Roadmap, we have convened a group of experts to serve as a steering committee and conducted more than 35 interviews with housing specialists, funders, community development corporations, financial institutions, and organizations leading similar efforts across the Bay Area and neighboring regions. Drawing from their insights, we refined an initial set of 12 potential business models down to three focused approaches that work for the early stages of the organization, and developed a detailed business plan for each to guide implementation.
Sonoma Valley Commons' Three Initial Business Models
1. Acquisition & Preservation
This model preserves existing affordable housing by strategically acquiring naturally occurring (non-subsidized) affordable housing and at-risk deed-restricted properties before they are lost to market-rate conversion. Compared to new construction, this strategy can be 25–45% more cost-effective, allowing limited resources to go further while increasing Sonoma Valley's affordable housing portfolio. The per unit cost for these project types could range between $150k - $250K depending on the rehab needs.
2. ADU Navigator Program
Residential lots have untapped housing capacity in backyards, garages, and underutilized additions. ADUs (accessory dwelling units, also called granny units, backyard cottages, or casitas) are more likely to be affordable than full-size homes, but homeowners consistently face three barriers that prevent projects from moving forward. With this model, The Commons will partner with technical assistance organizations like the ADU Center and financing institutions like Redwood Credit Union to scale up ADU production valley-wide.
3. Joint Venture Partnership
With this model, Sonoma Valley Commons partners with established affordable housing developers to build new housing while deepening its own business capacity. The Commons contributes its extensive community relationships, local knowledge, and ability to navigate entitlements and public processes, while the senior development partner provides capital, technical expertise, and construction management. This model enables Sonoma Valley Commons to gain hands-on development experience, generate developer fee revenue, and participate in projects with reduced financial risk, creating a pathway to grow into being a more independent developer over time.
What's Next
We expect Sonoma Valley Commons to launch as a new nonprofit organization in early June. The Commons' Board of Directors is forming. Julian Mackie will take the helm as The Commons' Executive Director. Maria Saldaña Membrila will be The Commons' Housing Programs Director. Caitlin Cornwall and Maria will remain staff at Sonoma Valley Collaborative.
We are thrilled to be working with The Future Collective as they design the name, logo, branding, and communications for The Commons.
The Commons has research and planning funding from Community Foundation Sonoma County and initial startup funding committed by Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund. We are so grateful to these steadfast, innovation-oriented funders!
Please join the journey. Sign up for updates using this form: here.
