Objective Design Standards for Multi-Unit Housing, File No. ORD24-0007
Summary
SCH Number
2025120489
Public Agency
Sonoma County
Document Title
Objective Design Standards for Multi-Unit Housing, File No. ORD24-0007
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
12/11/2025
Document Description
The ordinance includes amendments to Chapter 26 (Zoning Code) of the Sonoma County Code to establish Objective Design Standards (ODS) for multi-unit housing development projects. These standards will apply to all housing development projects as defined under the Housing Accountability Act, such as multifamily developments, certain mixed-use housing projects, condominiums, townhomes, and subdivisions, except for projects consisting solely of a single-family dwelling proposed with an accessory dwelling unit. Objective design standards will replace the subjective design standards historically applied during the design review process and build on existing objective design standards specific to individual use types and project sites. The standards address site design, structure design, and exterior lighting.
Contact Information
Name
Isabella Wotring
Agency Name
Permit Sonoma
Job Title
Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Counties
Sonoma
Regions
Countywide, San Francisco Bay Area
State Highways
US 1, US 101, SR 12, SR 37, SR 1
Railways
Multiple
Airports
Sonoma County Airport
Schools
Multiple
Waterways
Multiple
Other Location Info
Base: Mt. Diablo
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
CEQA Guidelines Section 15308
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed amendments to Chapter 26 (Zoning Code) are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) (the common sense exemption) and Section 15308 (actions to protect the environment). CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) provides that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect (substantial adverse change) on the environment. It can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility the project will result in a direct or indirect adverse change in the environment because the code amendments do not make changes to allowed land uses or intensities and instead provide objective design standards where subjective standards previously applied, covering all the same topics and ensuring potential aesthetic impacts are addressed. Additionally, or alternatively, the ordinance is exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15308, which provides that actions by regulatory agencies to assure enhancement or protection of the environment are categorically exempt from CEQA. The proposed amendments would only enhance and improve protections of the environment because the objective standards are more specific and more restrictive than the current subjective design review standards, thus ensuring greater protections to aesthetic resources, and because the current subjective standards are often unenforceable under the HAA. Further, all projects currently reviewed under CEQA will continue to be subject to environmental review.
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
Section 15061(b)(3)
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed amendments to Chapter 26 (Zoning Code) are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061{b)(3) (the common sense exemption) and Section 15308 (actions to protect the environment). CEQA Guidelines Section 15061{b)(3) provides that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect (substantial adverse change) on the environment. It can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility the project will result in a direct or indirect adverse change in the environment because the code amendments do not make changes to allowed land uses or intensities and instead provide objective design standards where subjective standards previously applied, covering all the same topics and ensuring potential aesthetic impacts are addressed. Additionally, or alternatively, the ordinance is exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15308, which provides that actions by regulatory agencies to assure enhancement or protection of the environment are categorically exempt from CEQA. The proposed amendments would only enhance and improve protections of the environment because the objective standards are more specific and more restrictive than th.e current subjective design review standards, thus ensuring greater protections to aesthetic resources, and because the current subjective standards are often unenforceable under the HAA. Further, all projects currently reviewed under CEQA will continue to be subject to environmental review.
County Clerk
Sonoma
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. For more information, please visit LCI’s Accessibility Site.