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Record of Proceedings

Santa Rosa City Council Study Session: 4th Street Pedestrianization, Parking Rates, & Voting Procedures - September 9, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, September 9, 2025
BodySanta Rosa, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, September 9, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:42:29

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:12

Good afternoon.

0:14

I'd like to ask the interpreter currently on the Spanish channel to commence interpretation of the meeting.

0:21

For those just joining the meeting, live interpretation in Spanish is available.

0:36

It looks like a globe.

0:38

If you are on your cell phone or tablet, locate the three dots, tap them lightly and put a check mark on your preferred language.

2:07

Thank you, Mayor.

2:08

Councilmember Rogers.

2:10

Councilmember O'Krepke.

2:12

Councilmember McDonald.

2:13

Councilmember Fleming.

2:15

Councilmember Ben Wellows.

2:17

Here.

2:17

Vice Mayor Alvarez.

2:19

Mayor Stapp.

2:20

Here.

2:20

Let the record show that all council members are present with the exception of Councilmembers McDonald and Rogers.

2:25

Thank you.

2:26

We have one closed session item to announce today, item 3.1 conference with legal counsel concerning existing litigation.

2:34

Are there any members of the public who would like to comment on this item?

2:39

Seeing none, we will recess in closed session and we expect to be back in 30 minutes.

4:59

Welcome back, everyone.

5:01

The time is two o'clock on the dot, and we will reconvene.

5:04

Madam City Clerk, would you please call the roll?

5:07

Thank you, Mayor.

5:07

Councilmember Rogers.

5:09

Councilmember O'Krepke?

5:11

Here.

5:12

Councilmember McDonald.

5:14

Councilmember Fleming?

5:16

Councilmember Ben Wellos?

5:17

Here.

5:17

Vice Mayor Alvarez.

5:19

President.

5:19

Mayor Stabb.

5:20

Here.

5:20

Let the record show that all council members are present with the exception of Council Members McDonald and Rogers.

5:27

Thank you very much.

5:28

And we will move into our study session portion of the evening.

5:31

We'll start with item 4.1, our study session for the temporary for the temporary closure of 4th Street.

5:38

And I think we have Director Osborne and Deputy Director Adair here to present.

5:42

Welcome, gentlemen.

6:29

Okay.

6:30

Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the Council.

6:32

Gabe Osburn, Director of Planning and Economic Development.

6:35

Joining me here today is Scott Adair, our chief economic development officer.

6:38

As mentioned in the introduction, the purpose of today's study session is to discuss impacts associated with a temporary closure to portions of Four Street.

6:59

So that was moved forward based on that decision.

7:02

And as part of that action, there was a bit of some different language that was used.

7:06

The more formal request was to discuss the impacts associated with temporarily vacating portions of 4th Street.

7:13

So staff has interpreted vacation as closure.

7:16

There are really two different legal means there.

7:18

Vacation is often a formal abandonment of a right-of-way and a permanent closure, where closure by itself gives some options to operate the street or not, depending on schedules.

7:28

So we've made that interpretation.

7:41

So that was typically B to D Street with the areas around the square and the side streets open for circulation through Mendocino and Santa Rosa Avenue.

7:50

So really the areas of focus that we we looked at as part of this exercise focused on B Street, actually all the way up to E, including that as well, to understand some of the business concerns up in that area.

8:01

And also really what we've interpreted as part of this is the benefit of a closure is often reactivation of the space.

8:17

Often referred to as pedestrianization, but really can be looked at as reactivation.

8:22

It can be a way to support adjacent businesses, it can really just be used as creating a canvas and a creative space where we can support activity and really create a driver where it becomes a destination.

8:32

So we use that as part of this process.

8:43

A lot of the conversations will be associated with what came out of that.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████28%
Economic Development██████████████14%
Miscellaneous██████████████14%
Parking Management█████████9%
Planning And Zoning████████8%
Community Engagement██████6%
Youth Programs██████6%
Homelessness████4%
Public Safety███3%
Summary of Proceedings

The city council held a study session on the temporary closure of 4th Street for pedestrianization/activation, reviewed parking rate adjustments, and discussed voting procedures for appointed positions.

Study Session: Temporary Closure of 4th Street

  • Staff Presentation: Planning & Economic Development Director Gabe Osburn and Chief Economic Development Officer Scott Adair presented findings from community outreach, surveys (1,300+ residents, 30 businesses), and peer city reviews. They identified a divide: residents generally supported pedestrianization for vibrancy, while businesses expressed concerns about parking, logistics, deliveries, and access. Alternatives like pilot closures on Ross Street, Montgomery Village, or an entertainment district (SB 969) were suggested.
  • Council Discussion: Council members expressed interest in further study, emphasizing the need for merchant buy-in, infrastructure investment, and programming. Specific direction was given to study 4th Street (E to B Street corridor) for potential summer/permanent closures, analyze costs/impacts, and explore pilot programs on Ross Street and Montgomery Village.
  • Public Comments:
    • Downtown Action Organization (DAO): Outlined four key needs for success: business support, infrastructure improvements, programming, and traffic planning.
    • Business Owner (Bernie): Opposed closure, citing regional destination status, crime concerns, and negative impacts on seniors/mobility-impaired visitors.
    • Santa Rosa YIMBY: Supported pedestrianization, citing survey data from other cities showing increased foot traffic and sales for many businesses.
  • Key Outcomes: Staff directed to proceed with studies on 4th Street closure parameters, costs, and programming, and to work with businesses on Ross Street and Montgomery Village pilots. No formal vote taken.

Study Session: Downtown Parking Rate Adjustments

  • Staff Presentation: Parking Division Manager Chad Hedge and TY Lin's David Roachford presented data from a two-year MTC-funded study. Proposed changes included increasing meter rates in premium zones (e.g., from $1.50 to $2.50/hour in Railroad Square), standardizing garage rates at $1/hour, introducing new permit options (part-time, low-wage, residential), and adjusting citation fines. Goals were to manage occupancy, reduce circling, and increase revenue for safety/improvements.
  • Council Discussion: Council generally supported the proposals, asking about ADA enforcement, validation programs, and staffing impacts. Concerns were raised about removing the first-hour-free garage promotion.
  • Public Comments:
    • DAO: Supported recommendations, emphasized need for ongoing validation incentives.
    • Historic Railroad Square Association: Supported changes, appreciated staff collaboration.
  • Key Outcomes: Direction given to staff to bring back final proposals for approval in fall, with implementation targeted for January 1, 2026. No formal vote taken.

Study Session: Council Voting Procedures for Appointed Positions

  • Staff Presentation: City Attorney Teresa Stricker reviewed current processes for filling council vacancies, board/commission appointments, and selecting mayor/vice mayor. Highlighted areas where rules lack tie-breaking procedures (e.g., 3-2-2 votes). Recommended standardizing processes and options like ranked-choice voting, process of elimination, or motion-by-ballot, with random selection (e.g., drawing from a hat) for stubborn ties.
  • Council Discussion: Council leaned toward process of elimination for board/commission appointments and council vacancies, and a one-vote-per-council-member process for mayor/vice mayor elections, with runoff votes for ties. Supported using random selection for deadlocks. Ms. Fleming proposed a rule preventing self-nomination and limiting nominations to one per council member for mayor/vice mayor.
  • Key Outcomes: Direction given to City Attorney to draft revised rules incorporating: 1) Process of elimination for board/commission appointments and council vacancies; 2) One-vote-per-council-member for mayor/vice mayor with tie-breakers; 3) Random selection for deadlocked votes. To be brought back in October.

Other Business

  • Creek Week Proclamation: Proclaimed September 20-26, 2025, as Creek Week, highlighting volunteer events and stewardship.
  • Violence Prevention Update: The Street Outreach and Crisis Response Team (New Hope for Youth) reported serving 78 youth and 60 families in its first six months, with anecdotally reduced youth violence.
  • Community Engagement Update: Announced upcoming district community meetings, FEMA flood map session, and events.
  • Consent Calendar: Approved items including a construction contract for Calistoga Road and a resolution for assessment district closeout.
  • Closed Session: No reportable action.

Public Comments (Non-Agenda)

  • Speakers addressed homelessness, poverty criminalization, government corruption, and opposition to wars/foreign aid.```json {

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. I'd like to ask the interpreter currently on the Spanish channel to commence interpretation of the meeting. For those just joining the meeting, live interpretation in Spanish is available. It looks like a globe. If you are on your cell phone or tablet, locate the three dots, tap them lightly and put a check mark on your preferred language. Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Rogers. Councilmember O'Krepke. Councilmember McDonald. Councilmember Fleming. Councilmember Ben Wellows. Here. Vice Mayor Alvarez. Mayor Stapp. Here. Let the record show that all council members are present with the exception of Councilmembers McDonald and Rogers. Thank you. We have one closed session item to announce today, item 3.1 conference with legal counsel concerning existing litigation. Are there any members of the public who would like to comment on this item? Seeing none, we will recess in closed session and we expect to be back in 30 minutes. Welcome back, everyone. The time is two o'clock on the dot, and we will reconvene. Madam City Clerk, would you please call the roll? Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Rogers. Councilmember O'Krepke? Here. Councilmember McDonald. Councilmember Fleming? Councilmember Ben Wellos? Here. Vice Mayor Alvarez. President. Mayor Stabb. Here. Let the record show that all council members are present with the exception of Council Members McDonald and Rogers. Thank you very much. And we will move into our study session portion of the evening. We'll start with item 4.1, our study session for the temporary for the temporary closure of 4th Street. And I think we have Director Osborne and Deputy Director Adair here to present. Welcome, gentlemen. Okay. Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the Council. Gabe Osburn, Director of Planning and Economic Development. Joining me here today is Scott Adair, our chief economic development officer. As mentioned in the introduction, the purpose of today's study session is to discuss impacts associated with a temporary closure to portions of Four Street. So that was moved forward based on that decision. And as part of that action, there was a bit of some different language that was used. The more formal request was to discuss the impacts associated with temporarily vacating portions of 4th Street. So staff has interpreted vacation as closure.

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