South Santa Rosa planning blueprint underway - The Santa Rosa Press Democrat

What will the southern edge of Santa Rosa look like in 20 years?

How much will stay rural? How many people will move there? Will undeveloped properties remain sandwiched between retail centers and industrial warehouses?

How development will occur and what it will look like will soon be outlined in a new blueprint being crafted at City Hall.

The planning document, known as a specific plan, will help create a cohesive vision for an area encompassing approximately 1,900 acres south of Highway 12 to the city’s urban growth boundary — near Friedman’s Home Improvement — and between Juniper Avenue and Petaluma Hill Road.

The area includes the Moorland Avenue neighborhood and the growing commercial and residential district along Santa Rosa Avenue where hundreds of new apartments are going up. It also includes a largely underdeveloped area south of Todd Road.

Residents, business owners and other stakeholders within the plan area will have a chance to participate in the process through upcoming community meetings and surveys.

Annexation of about 1,400 acres of county land within the plan area is not being considered as part of the process though the Santa Rosa City Council has previously indicated an interest in extending the city’s southern border.

However the input received in the planning process could be the first step toward annexing unincorporated county land, including Moorland and an area east of Santa Rosa Avenue where developers are planning housing.

Santa Rosa received a $1.2 million grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission last June to prepare the plan, and the council in January approved hiring consultant 4Leaf to assist planning staffers with the work.

The project is anticipated to take approximately two years with a draft specific plan expected to return to the City Council for consideration in January 2026.

Specific plans are intended to provide a framework for private development and public investment in a particular geographic area.

The specific plan will outline where new housing, commercial and industrial development will occur. It also will dictate how that development will look, setting standards for construction.

The plan will look at transportation circulation throughout the area and assess how to enhance connectivity between residential and commercial districts and improve road, transit, pedestrian and bicycle access.

Planning staffers and consultants also will analyze existing infrastructure and public facilities and needed improvements to support future growth.

City planners believe the plan will help the area grow more cohesively and address planning gaps throughout the boundary.

Sonoma County adopted a South Santa Rosa Specific Plan in 1982, which included parts of the area now being studied, but the plan hasn’t been updated in about 16 years, Deputy Planning Director Jessica Jones previously told The Press Democrat.

City staff has identified adopting a specific plan for the south Santa Rosa area as a key component of annexation. An environmental impact report also will be prepared as part of the process.

Santa Rosa has long eyed taking in parts of the county land within the plan area, but the council has yet to take formal action as it seeks to balance competing priorities amid an expected operational budget deficit in the coming years.

In a presentation last January, city planners said pushing the city’s borders to the voter-approved urban growth boundary could take about 3½ years and cost upward of $2 million.

There also would be ongoing costs to provide services going forward as infrastructure would need to be brought up to city standards and services would have to be expanded to meet additional needs.

The area is about twice the size of the Roseland area, which the city annexed in 2017 and is home to an estimated 6,500 residents, according to city data.

Residents in new incorporated areas would benefit from city police and fire services, broader water and sewer connections and improved public transit.

The City Council expressed support for the idea then, with one council member saying it was “a moral imperative” the city seriously consider annexing Moorland, in particular, as the neighborhood has suffered from decades of disinvestment, but officials have been wary of the financial and time commitment.

Preparing a specific plan and environmental impact report could help speed up annexation if the city pursues the option in the future.

Santa Rosa will seek input from affected residents, businesses, schools, faith congregations and community organizations that work within the area to help craft the plan.

The city will soon begin recruiting for a staff-appointed advisory committee of about 10 to 15 people from the area that will help lead outreach efforts and provide feedback to staff and the consultant throughout the process.

Senior Planner Conor McKay said city staffers handed out flyers to residents at St. Rose Church during the Ash Wednesday service in February and joined county employees at Andy’s Unity Park for a volunteer day to let attendees know about the plan kicking off.

Additional outreach will include community walks through the plan area, neighborhood canvassing, pop-up events at neighborhood gathering spots, surveys and online campaigns. Information will be available in Spanish.

McKay, in an update to the council last Tuesday, said the robust effort will help the city gain input from people who may not typically engage with city government and partner with stakeholders to ensure the community’s vision for the area is reflected in the plan.

Feedback will be used to create several land use and circulation alternatives to guide future development in the area — and will include projected future growth under each alternative — and elements from each proposal will be taken to craft a preferred alternative.

The draft specific plan and environmental analysis will be presented to the Santa Rosa Planning Commission and the City Council for consideration.

City staff members anticipate the plan will be adopted in early 2026.

You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @paulinapineda22.

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