8 North Bay Business Journal MONDAY, AUGUST 21, 2023

RENT
continued from page 7

Most of Massey’s rent increases

happened on an annual basis until a
few years ago when everyone in her
apartment complex was transitioned to
month-to-month leases.
Her complex was sold a few months
ago to a different apartment manage-
ment company with plans to raise rent
10%.
”You used to be able to move north to
get less rent, but that’s not even possible
anymore,“ Massey said. ”Now you have
to think about leaving the state altogeth-
er because there’s no affordable living
here.”
The latest State of Housing report
from Generation Housing found that the
majority of permitting in Sonoma Coun-
ty has continued to be for single-family
homes since at least the 1980s.
Census data showed that between 2010
and 2020, the county population grew 1%
whereas housing units only grew about
one-tenth of 1% in the same period.
RentCafe analysis from Yardi Matrix
data determined there were 839 apart-
ment units completed between 2020
and 2022 in the Santa Rosa-Petaluma
metropolitan area. A study from the
research firm and apartment listing
website estimates that 798 units will be CHRISTOPHER CHUNG/THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
completed in 2023. Shelly Massey reacts to a picture colored by neighbor Sherlyn Solis, 9, in her Rohnert Park apartment on Aug. 10. Massey paid $570 per month when she
Shipper added that there’s also a delay moved in and now pays $1,980 for the same apartment she has lived in since 1988.
in what they call “household formation,”
when people, typically between the ages
of 25 and 45 begin to settle down and
“Now you have to
start to think about having a family.
But due to the increase in rent and
think about leaving
prices overall, that’s being delayed an
estimated five years.
the state altogether
because there’s no
RENT IN NAPA AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH
In Napa, there has been a sharp in- affordable living here.”
crease in rent each year for the past few
years, with June marking the highest SHELLY MASSEY, Rohnert Park renter
rental price at $3,227.93.
Napa is fairly isolated, geographical- tion, in the planning phase or recently
ly. Because of this, renters are forced completed, such as the Caritas Village
to find rental options exclusively in that opened in early July.
Napa County or take on a long, heavily The affordable housing development,
trafficked commute to and from their located on Old Sonoma Road in Napa,
workplace. selected tenants through a lottery and
Fair Housing Napa Valley is a non- they have steadily been moving in since
profit agency that offers counseling to the opening.
both tenants and landlords regarding BETH SCHLANKER / THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Zatarain said the impact these new
Leah Cambra of Mike’s Painting touches up the front door of a unit at the Caritas Village affordable
their rights and responsibilities. housing complex in Napa. developments on their own will have on
Zatarain said the inventory of rental the affordable housing inventory will be
housing has been especially low in Napa wine industry has led to the recent build sion and employment but no housing for minimal and that Napa is experiencing a
County following the pandemic, fires of luxury hotels, resulting in an increase the employees,” Redwitz said. “catch-up” to find solutions.
and other factors similar to what’s been inservice industry jobs. “Our project means at least 20 families “Napa is very conscious, perhaps pro-
experienced in Sonoma County. But, he said many of the employees at can work and live in proximity to where tective, you might say, of (preserving)
Caritas Corp. is a California-based these hotels and tourist lodgings have they’re working as opposed to commut- agricultural land and so the capacity to
nonprofit that recently opened its first been priced out of living nearby and are ing between an hour or even two hours build is limited by that,” he said.
Napa affordable housing development instead commuting to work nearly an from the outside area.” “So really, what you’re looking at is
earlier this summer. CEO Randy Red- hour-and-a-half one way. There are multiple affordable housing more high-density building, which pro-
witz said Napa’s popularity with the “It’s an interesting dynamic of expan- projects that are either under construc- motes smart growth.”