But with the onslaught of urban growth boundaries in Sonoma County, coupled with the region's ongoing population boom, the key to the future may be high-density housing. High er density. We're not talking 12-story apartment blocks. We're talking eight units to the acre. You have to deal with neighborhood organizations who think that affordable housing means crack housing, which is absurd.
Neighbors get all in a twist at the idea of low-income housing.
Sonoma County, with its rolling hills and open pastureland, seems to invite endless development. But the supply of land isn't endless, and voters have made it clear that they want to curb growth and contain sprawl. In 1996, Sonoma County became the first in the nation to establish comprehensive growth boundaries by voter approval. Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, and Healdsburg adopted boundaries, followed two years later by Cotati, Petaluma, and Windsor. Rohnert Park is revisiting its four-year boundary, and Sonoma is considering jumping on the bandwagon.