Sonoma County’s housing blueprint has been approved by the state. The approval from the California Department of Housing and Community Development allows the county to be eligible for grants and other state funds earmarked for affordable housing. As part of the blueprint or housing element, the county must build over 3,800 new units in its unincorporated areas by 2031. It also means that developers won’t be able to go around local zoning and other regulations for new projects any more. Nine areas have been named where additional housing could be built, including Sonoma Valley, the outskirts of Santa Rosa and Windsor, and the lower Russian River stretching from Guerneville to Forestville.