Petaluma To Sonoma County Grand Jury: City Is Tackling Housing Problems But Ready To Team With Other Cities

PETALUMA, CA — Petaluma has one foot in the past as the center of agriculture and another in the future as a tony town with chic boutiques and a trendy entertainment hub.

The latter has attracted new businesses and residents, as well as changed the cost of living, including housing.

Service workers, agricultural laborers, teachers, and new families — considered the backbone of Sonoma County communities including Petaluma's — are finding it increasingly difficult to afford housing in a region where the median sales price of a home in April reached nearly $1 million.

The price tag is simply out of reach for most residents, according to conclusions by the 2024-2025 Sonoma County Grand Jury.

The pressing question, according to jurors was: How can Sonoma County towns like Petaluma make housing more affordable?

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines affordable housing as housing that costs no more than 30 percent of a household's gross income, whether renting or buying a home.

Petaluma has taken concrete steps to making housing accessible in the town, including reducing fees for affordable housing applications and, recently, establishing a new long-term loan program to help affordable housing developers leverage additional state and federal funding, Petaluma Mayor Kevin McDonnell said in a report that will go to the city council tonight.

The grand jury report targeted Healdsburg and Rohnert Park but invited Petaluma to respond to the recommendations.

Petaluma supports a county-wide task force of stakeholders recommended in the grand jury report, according to McDonnell. That includes a community engagement plan with multilingual education, surveys, public workshops, and dedicated working groups.

The City has taken concrete steps to make housing more affordable, according to McDonnell by reducing fees for affordable housing applications and, most recently, establishing a new long-term loan program to help affordable housing developers leverage additional state and federal funding.

Petaluma was designated as a pro-housing city by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The designation is given to jurisdictions that make housing more accessible based on state criteria including decreasing fees for affordable projects, creating a trust fund for low-income housing, adopting permit-ready accessory dwelling units plans, and demonstrating a capacity to accommodate sufficient housing growth. The designation comes with funding incentives and additional resources to the city reach those goals.