Housing policies and programs are the strategies and laws that cities and counties legally have at their disposal to produce more and preserve existing affordable housing, as well as protect existing residents from getting displaced from their homes and communities.
Local housing policies and programs, as part of a housing element, have significant impacts on a city or county reaching its affordable housing goals. Each additional housing policy has a significant impact on the residents who are most in need of affordable housing. However, the number of policies or programs that a jurisdiction includes in their housing element is not meant to imply how well a city or county is addressing local housing needs since the quality and impact of each will need to be determined as well. Policies and programs listed here from jurisdictions’ Housing Elements are intended to allow readers to review the text themselves and see if a city or county is doing all they can to reach their affordable housing goals.
To further policy innovation and local action, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) contacted all of the region's jurisdictions to track the adoption of key housing policies throughout the nine county Bay Area in four major categories Protect, Preserve, Produce, and Prevent. This data is from ABAG’s Policies and Program list and was last updated in 2018/2019.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development tracks all of the ongoing and completed programs from 2018 onward and can be seen in the table below.
YEAR | PROGRAM NAME | PROGRAM OBJECTIVE | STATUS | ACCOMPLISHED DATE | HOUSING CYCLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | H-16: Code Enforcement | Proactively identify and require the correction of code compliance and safety issues as development is occurring, and prioritize enforcement of substandard state and federally funded affordable housing units. | The Town has a dedicated code enforcement program and prioritizes life safety issues and substandard housing. | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-40: Streamlined Approval (SB 35) | Continue to implement its procedure through use of a checklist and application packet for eligible projects. | An SB 35 application is available on the Town’s website for developers. Staff works with all applicants to efficiently process all housing applications. | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-18: Mobile Home Park Rent Stabilization | Continue to provide for administration and enforcement of the Mobile Home Park Rent Stabilization Ordinance. | Staff continues to enforce the Mobile Home Park Rent Stabilization Ordinance adopted in 2022 which placed a limit on rental increase of 100% CPI or 3%, which either is less. | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-36: Promote Equal Housing Opportunities | Make referrals to assist with housing discrimination complaints and provide materials on fair housing education to tenants and landlords. | The Town's code enforcement program priortizes health and life safety issues for housing. The Town's housing webpage includes resources for housing rights for tenants and requirements for landlords. | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-33: Homeless Services | Provide financial support for homeless services at the Town and/or regional level. | The Town was awarded Reach For Home, a grant in FY 23/24 plus additional funding for services provided related to outreach and assistance. This includes weekly services provided at the Presbyterian Church. Additionally, the Town is part of the County of Sonoma Continuum of Care, a collaboration of cities within the County addressing homelessness. | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-17: Replacement Housing | Facilitate place-based revitalization for households at risk of displacement due to new development and require replacement housing units on sites identified in the site inventory. | No displacement occurred in 2023. Staff reviews this throughout the year to comply with the Sites Inventory for displacement. | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-19: Monitoring of Rental Unit Conversion and Affordable Unit Supply | The Town shall monitor local trends in rental unit conversion and examine the feasibility of a condominium conversion ordinance to preserve the supply of rental units. | There were no requests for condominium conversions in 2023. The Town has a tracking list for affordable units and monitors this in compliance with this program. | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-39: Water Smart Home Program | Continue to offer residents free water use assessments. | The Town continues to offer free in-home residential water use assessments as requested, or as required for participation in water conservation rebate incentive programs. The assessment includes performance checks of water using fixtures, a whole-house leak check, and an irrigation system inspection with scheduling recommendations. | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-11: Mortgage Credit Certification Program | Continue participation in the Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) Program and publicize program on the Town's website and in brochures. | Research determined the program is no longer active. Staff will continue to look for other sources. | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-12: Section 8 Rental Housing Subsidies | Make Section 8 rental housing subsidies available to Windsor residents whenever available. | The Housing Authority provided rental assistance to 104 households in
Windsor in 2023, 9 of which were new voucher recipients. | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-20: Preservation of Assisted Housing Stock | Work with other governmental and non-profit organizations to preserve or replace existing affordable housing stock. | None of the Town's affordable housing stock is in jeopardy of converting to market rate due to 45 year restrictions. | Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-9: Assistance to Affordable Housing and Special Needs Housing Developers | Provide support to affordable housing developers, in forms such as provding support for funding requests, direct financial assistance, design review work, and site location. | In 2023, the Town released a Notice of Funding Availability, awarding $2.2 million for three affordable housing projects ($1.2 Million for Heritage Park and $500,000 each to Duncan Village and Redwood Glen). The Town also applied for a NOFA for a pro-housing incentive pilot program and the Town intends to apply again in 2024. The Town was awarded Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities funds in 2023; the loan and grant money is for the Kashia Affordable Housing Project and for mobility improvements within a mile of the project. | Ongoing & December 2024 | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-34: Assistance for Persons with Developmental Disabilities | Coordinate with the North Bay Regional Center to explore incentives to increase housing mobility opportunities. | Staff will meet with the Center this year in support of this program. | 2023 & Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-35: Support the Development of Rental Housing and Housing Affordable to Extremely-Low Income Households | Encourage additional housing resources for extremely low-income residents, particularly seniors and persons with physical or developmental disabilities. | Staff prioritizes the review and processing of applications for affordable housing projects, and actively seeks funding opportunities for these populations. | Research and seek funding opportunities biannually | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-41: Multifamily Development Fee Review | Analyze development fees for multifamily housing to ensure they are reasonable and do not unduly constrain development. | Staff is reviewing development fees in 2024 and will assess in regards to multifamily developments. | 2024 & 2025 | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-13: Housing Local Community Land Trust Program | Investigate development of a Community Land Trust program to determine its feasibility and affordable housing production possibilities. Continue to support the Housing Land Trust of Sonoma County. | The Town applied for the first round of Prohousing Pilot Incentive (PIP) Program, for which the majority of the funding would have gone to fund a local housing trust program and/or support the existing Housing Land Trust of Sonoma County. The PIP application was not successful, primarily because the Town’s Housing Element had not yet been certified. The Town intends to apply for the second round. If the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority measure is successful, the Town would seek to use a portion of the local funds to support local housing trust program(s). | Jul-25 | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-25: Low-Barrier Navigation Centers | Review the Zoning Ordinance and revise as necessary to allow low-barrier navigation centers for the homeless by right in mixed-use zones and nonresidential zones permitting multifamily uses, | The Town is expected to adopt a Zoning Ordinance in June 2024 in support of this program. | 2023 | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-29: Objective Design Standards | Provide for streamlined and ministerial review that will improve certainty for residential development. Evaluate design review findings, particularly findings 3 and 4, and revise to be objective. | The Town is expected to adopt a Zoning Ordinance in June 2024 which incorporates objective design standards. | 2023 | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-26: Transitional Housing, Supportive Housing, and Residential Care Homes | Amend the Zoning Ordinance to ensure that transitional and supportive housing types are defined and permitted as residential uses and are only subject to restrictions that apply to other residential dwellings of the same type in the same zone, and allow for the approval of 100 percent affordable developments. | The Town is expected to adopt a Zoning Ordinance in June 2024 in support of this program. | 2023 & Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |
| 2023 | H-27: Residential Care Facilities | Amend provisions in the Zoning Ordinance to permit residential care facilities for seven or more persons only subject to the restrictions that apply to residential uses in the same zone. | The Town is expected to adopt a Zoning Ordinance in June 2024, which includes an updated definition of family. Remaining action is in progress. | 2023 & Ongoing | 6th cycle, 2023 to 2031 |