During his state of the state address, Gov. Gavin Newsom pointed to 47 cities that have failed to meet their requirements for planning new housing.

Given those numbers, it’s no wonder local governments are taking much of the blame for California’s ongoing housing shortage.

At the same time, cities that do their fair share to address housing scarcity too often go unnoticed.

CAA’s North Bay members got to hear about one such city last month — Rohnert Park.

While speaking at a CAA North Bay membership meeting, Mayor Gina Belforte offered a detailed briefing on various housing projects throughout the city.

One project of interest is the Station Avenue development, a transit-oriented development approved unanimously by the City Council. The development includes 460 apartments, a five-story luxury hotel and 270,000 square feet of space for restaurants, boutique shops and business offices.

Many believe this development will transform Rohnert Park.

“It is very encouraging to see a city make housing a priority,” said Alex Khalfin, CAA’s Vice President of Public Affairs for the North Bay. “Rohnert Park is doing its part to address the housing shortage.”

Cities like Rohnert Park can be forgotten in housing policy debates. For example, the CASA Compact, a recently released regional housing proposal recommends draconian policies such as rent control and “just cause” eviction, while giving little credit to cities making a real effort to close the housing gap. Read more about the CASA Compact here.