Santa Rosa study on rent control, other options expected next month
CAA North Coast educating council on ills of punitive policies
CAA North Coast eagerly awaits a consultant’s findings — expected to be completed next month — on possible ways to address Santa Rosa’s affordable housing crisis.
On Oct. 20, 2015, the Santa Rosa City Council voted 4-3 to hire the consultant, who is examining three possible approaches to the city’s housing issues: rent control, just‐cause eviction rules, and a process to provide mediation and arbitration between rental property owners and their residents.
The study derives from concerns of a housing crisis in the Santa Rosa region, where rental inventory is reportedly scarce and housing costs are rising.
CAA North Coast is working with our members and business coalition partners to educate the City Council on the ills of rent control and offer alternatives to new regulations on the rental industry. It’s important that the City Council understand:
- The unfairness of rent control as an affordable housing solution;
- That the region suffers from a severe housing shortage;
- That they need to remove barriers to adding new housing supply.
CAA North Coast has called on the city of Santa Rosa to focus its efforts toward future affordable housing policy.
On Nov. 10, the City Council held a hearing to better understand the local housing market, existing affordable housing policy, and production efforts. The City Council agreed with CAA that affordable housing production should be a high priority. The City Council expressed support for:
- Shifting housing production emphasis toward higher-density development and “infill” sites;
- Incentivizing market rate housing production;
- Increasing private-sector production of affordable housing;
- Increasing City investment and participation in housing production.
CAA will be working with the city to focus on these four items as they have the greatest potential to address the housing challenges facing Santa Rosa. Moreover, CAA is grateful to the city for holding its affordable housing workshop, a sentiment expressed in this letter.
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