Sonoma County Transportation Authority

The County of Sonoma and City of Santa Rosa have authorized the creation of a Renewal Enterprise District (RED), a new government entity that will be responsible for leading the development of new housing necessary for Sonoma County’s recovery from the devastating wildfires of October 2017, which destroyed over 5,300 homes where a severe housing shortage existed even before the fires. The RED will implement the goal set by the county and the city to create 30,000 new homes by developing a unifying vision, providing the policy direction necessary, and refining financial tools that can be targeted to Sonoma’s unique circumstances. The Sonoma County Transit Authority serves as the lead agency for the RED, which will work closely with the Sonoma County Community Development Commission to regionalize housing planning and production; pool and leverage financing tools and funding sources; streamline environmental review of housing near transit and employment; create regulatory certainty; strategically use publicly owned land; and put equity, affordability, and climate solutions in the center of economic strategy. This grant supports increased capacity for staffing and additional expertise for the two-year start-up phase.