Glen Ellen is the place to build

 

Glen Ellen is the place to build

By Fred Allebach

9/18/22

 

Glen Ellen and surrounding estates along Warm Springs, Sonoma Mtn., and Bennett Valley Roads to the north comprise Census Tract 1505.01 The core developed portion, Glen Ellen-proper has a southern border with Eldridge/ SDC, this is Block Group 3 of Tract 1505.01

 

Glen Ellen-proper is in Sonoma Valley’s urban service area (USA) which means it has municipal water and sewer. The County has 12 or so unincorporated area USAs. These USAs are where site inventory for the County’s @ 4000-unit, 6^th cycle Housing Element Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation should go.

 

Let’s have a closer look at Glen Ellen…. could some of this RHNA allocation go here?

 

The 2020 Census for all of Tract 1505.01 shows:

91.8% white, 0.% Black, 3.0% Latino, 1.0% Am Indian   

1309 households, 1,672 units

Per capita income: $104,284 (more than double Sonoma County avg.)

Median household income: $136,000; 37% over $200,000; 27% at $100-$200,000

Median home value: $1,087,900; 39% over $1 million

Minutes travel time to work: 33 (high VMT)

English only: 98%

HS grad: 99.6%, Bachelor’s or higher: 64.2%

 

2020 Census Tract 1505.01, Block Group 3, downtown Glen Ellen:

1,214 people

80% between 50 and 70 years old, (Baby Boomers)

93% white, 0% Black, 2% Latino

Per capita income $166,134.

Median household income $250,000; 63% over $200,000

528 households, 631 units

86% owner-occupied, 14% renters

Median home value $1,133,400.   67% over $1 million

100% HS grad, 71.2% Bachelor’s or higher

 

TCAC High Resource Opportunity Areas

Census demographic features shown above add up to making Tract 1505.01 and its Block Group 3 (Glen Ellen) as 2022, Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC) Highest Resource Opportunity Areas. Sonoma Mtn. and west of Arnold areas are also TCAC Highest. Eldridge has no data bc there is currently no one there.  

 

The TCAC maps, made in conjunction with CA Housing and Community Development and the CA Treasurer, are designed to create “an opportunity map to identify areas in every region of the state whose characteristics have been shown by research to support positive economic, educational, and health outcomes for low-income families—particularly long-term outcomes for children.” Projects that serve low-income residents in High and Highest TCAC areas are to be financed with low-income housing tax credits.

 

The TCAC program addresses single family zoning, opportunity hoarding, concentrated affluence, and white segregation, and seeks to get low-income residents in on the benefits party.

 

The north valley is an appropriate place to build

That the Sonoma Valley USA crosses over with TCAC Highest Resource Opportunity Areas means that Glen Ellen is a perfect place for large, 100% affordable housing projects. Rezoning by the County to facilitate such potential is called for. The same is called for along Arnold Drive nearby bc these locations are also in and adjacent to TCAC Highest Resource Opportunity Areas. Balancing the scales of wealth and future opportunity calls for it. There’s plenty of large lots appropriate for projects here.

 

The TCAC maps and Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) state law both call for the County Housing Element to address unfair opportunity hoarding. The north valley is a clear example of this. Housing, equity, and segregation issues need to be addressed right there by the County, not somewhere else.

 

The County already has tons of open, rural space and within that great, natural bounty; the 12 USAs are the place to build. Hopefully Permit Sonoma will have the spine to put RHNA site inventory throughout the whole Valley unincorporated USA and not concentrate poverty in the primarily Latinx Springs Census Tract 1503.05 (Verano Ave to Madrone Rd, west of Hwy 12 about half way to Arnold) wy 1212whose demographic stats are like a mini-Roseland.  

 

If TCAC Highest Resource Opportunity areas are exactly where AFFH, low-income housing should go and strong inclusions in market rate projects are one of the main ways to get these units now, why should Glen Ellen get a pass on equity? Why was even a modest rezoning in downtown Glen Ellen resisted as if to destroy the character of the whole place?  What if no neighborhoods in Sonoma Valley want any density to disrupt to their “scale” and Sonoma is not taking any extra? How then the necessary scale in the Valley unincorporated USA to make meaningful inclusions or 100% affordable units? We can’t just externalize our housing equity issues to somewhere else based on arbitrary fire danger we all have no matter where we are in the Valley.    

 

If we all agree that dense, 100% affordable housing in already developed, USA areas is what we want, but this type of Baltic/ Connecticut Ave. housing is hard to get, maybe the County Housing Element will bump up its inclusion to 25-30% for special north-valley rezonings? North-valley TCAC Highest Resource Opportunity Areas like Glen Ellen should not have a Get Out of Jail Free card for 6^th cycle low-income RHNA inventory because they already have four houses on Pacific Avenue and hotels on Park Place.