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Thank you.

Councilmember Rogers, present.

Councilmember MacDonald, here Councilmember Fleming.

Councilmember Ben Wellos?

Here.

Councilmember Alvarez.

Vice Mayor O'Krepki?

Here.

Mayor Stopp.

Here.

Let the record show that all council members are present with the exception of Councilmember Alvarez and Councilmember Fleming.

Thank you.

All right, we'll move on to item three, our closed session item.

And this one item 3.1 pertains to public employment.

Thank you, Mayor.

Public employment.

Are they on the agenda who who you're looking at?

I don't see it.

Uh the budget.

The budget coming up.

I think that eight percent last year was too low to cut the salaries.

I'm talking about the top salaries of the city.

The city is overwhelming with people who are heading departments.

And then there's not enough workers.

And everybody's complaining about it.

And the potholes still have not been fixed.

There's been a promise for a long time.

In September or August, I finally heard at the recreation and bicycle uh committee meeting that uh the area from Calistoga Road, which I got an unusual call on Sunday before I ran for city council in the November election.

It was from a woman and her teenage son or her older son, and she called and she wanted to know what I thought about the uh apartment building on the corner of Highway Twelve and Calistoga Road.

And I said, Don't get me started on that.

That's when I was running for city council.

She wouldn't identify herself.

Okay, moving forward.

I just want to make a notice about uh the uh meetings that are supposed to be boards and commissions.

And coming back to the budget, I think there should be a twelve to a fifteen percent cut on the top executives throughout the city.

It would be painful for a while, but it may help.

And I think that there needs to be more uh sovereignty for the people to be able to make efforts and have them come to fruition with the city.

And infrastructure is what I've been talking about all along, and we've not gotten it.

But also Diana's appointment of Terry to the planning commission has now there that we have no Rose Parade and now we have no waterways meeting at all, unless there's an emergency and the waterways are really important.

Terry showed up at the first meeting, and it was the first meeting in three months, and they had three years of minutes that hadn't been approved.

So this is unacceptable government behavior, and I hope you can get it together, put the waterways back together, and not send people like Terry, a new member, to say, Well, come to my house.

I've got beer.

That wasn't very nice.

He's supposed to be a professional official.

Thank you, Janice.

All right, seeing no other members of the public here, we will close public comment and recess in a closed session.

Welcome back, everyone.

The time is three o'clock and we'll reconvene in open session.

Madam City Clerk, would you please call the roll?

Thank you, Mayor.

Councilmember Rogers.

Councilmember McDonald.

Here.

Councilmember Fleming?

Councilmember Ben Wells?

Here.

Councilmember Alvarez?

President.

Vice Mayor Krepke?

Here.

Mayor Stapp.

Here.

Let the record show that all council members are present.

Thank you very much.

We will move on to item four point one, our study session on the South Santa Rosa specific specific planned land use and circulation alternatives.

Welcome back to our planning department.

This is a an oldie but a goodie.

So what type of infrastructure is needed for the specific plan build-out.

And finally public facilities like parks and pathways and libraries and schools and things of that nature as well.

Worth noting is that the mobile home housing type is the second most prevalent housing type in the area, which is a higher percentage for then both the city and the county.

Additionally, there's a lot of overcrowding compared to other areas of the city and the county, and that would be if there's more than one person per bedroom, and then also a lot of overburdened uh populations as well who were paying more than 50% of their income on housing.

Um as a part of the kind of visioning phase of this project.

Um, I think last time I was at the council, I presented the community engagement strategy.

Um, so we are uh fully um enacting that strategy in October of 2024.

We held a series of workshops gathering feedback from folks about their lived experiences in this specific plan and kind of brainstorm some solutions to those problems.

Um we also distribute a visioning survey and attended a variety of events such as the Cinco de Mayo Celebration on Sebastopol Road, the Harvest Festival at Bayer Farm.

Um we actually went to that one twice, the Vince Harper South Park Day and Night Festival at the uh Veterans Building, um, and some uh Andy Lopez Unity Park cleanups with the Sonoma County Regional Parks Group.

Um a lot of us are familiar with the South Santa Rosa area and Moorland area, and we understand some of the issues that folks experience there, but just to kind of summarize them, um, a lot of the neighborhoods in the plan area um are very disparate in terms of the quality and uh availability of infrastructure, such as sidewalks, bike lanes, public transit, um things of that nature.

Um there's also significant east-west connectivity issues, so a lot of folks in Moorland um struggled to go east to the retail space uh on Santa Rosa Avenue.

The Todd Road Overcrossing is unsafe for both cars, but also kind of unthinkable to even consider biking and and walking and feeling um completely safe there.

Uh lots of dead ends that and that butt up to 101 that were historically connected streets that were disconnected as a result of the construction of highway 101.

Um there's also just a lack of medical facilities and grocery facilities, grocery stores, um, very low park space in the plan area, and particularly a lack of services in the Moorland area.

Um this slide shows uh the existing land uses as we're familiar, the commercial corridor of Santa Rosa Avenue is kind of the primary um land use in the area, the Costco shopping center, the REI shopping center.

Um, and then there's some kind of scattered industrial to the south and southwest of the plan area.

And then I'll note here you can see the um prevalence of mobile home parks along Santa Rosa Avenue as well in that kind of pink pink color.

Um, and then also I'll note here this the hashing area that's white is vacant.

Um, and then to kind of I'll get into the the vacant sites a little bit in the in the next uh couple slides.

Um as we all know, the council did adopt the general plan 2050 update in June of last year.

Um the general plan land use designations largely match the um existing land use map that we just saw with the Santa Rosa Avenue serving as a uh uh retail and business service uh corridor.

Um there's also I'll note the low low density and medium density residential kind of in the middle of the plan area and to the east and the west in Moreland.

Okay, so I mentioned the um vacant sites.

We conducted a an analysis to conclude what we were calling underutilized sites, which are where um there's not much development, but there's a high assessed value.

So as a result of the adoption of the specific plan and land use changes, these are sites that are most reasonably uh we can most reasonably conclude that they would be developed or redeveloped as a part of the process.

Okay, so um getting into the alternatives themselves, um the alternatives report presents um different approaches to solutions to the issues that we heard as a result of our community outreach.

Um in each of each alternative is kind of a distinct approach to those issues.

Um and then the feedback that we receive on all these alternatives will eventually inform the creation of a preferred alternative, which will serve as the basis of land use changes associated with the specific plan.

Our first alternative is called mixed use corridor.

Um this alternative reimagines the South Santa Rosa Avenue corridor as a mixed-use walkable um hub with both residential and retail um spaces.

A lot of the the there are a few kind of components of each alternative that are largely similar, if not the same across each alternative.

So uh notably the west side of the specific plan area maintains largely the industrial designation, and the east is maintaining the general plan land use designation included uh with general plan 2050 as low and some medium density residential development.

Um, as I mentioned, this is a mixed use with a commercial center on the southern portion of the mix of the uh of the two mixed use hubs.

The second alternative is city centered growth, so that's kind of looking at the existing retail space in the Costco and the surrounding area and increasing residential density um in those areas, and then also um uh uh it envisions increased residential uh development in the Moreland neighborhood as well, with a with a new commercial center um supported by that residential development.

And finally, we have the centers, which is a little bit of a mix of the one and two.

Um so we have the southern side of the Costco shopping center as increased residential density, and then we have a smaller scale mixed use walkable hub on the south uh on the southern Santa Rosa Avenue corridor area.

Um, and then this notably um takes an underutilized site to the west of Andy Lopez Park.

Not a site, but a kind of a block, a little district, um, and envisions medium density uh residential development there to support a new proposed uh commercial center across the street from Angie Lopez Park.

Um and then notably about the different alternatives uh consider how uh folks on either side of 101 uh cross over Highway 101.

So whether that's a crossing at Bellevue at Robles, and how we can improve the crossing at uh Todd Road as well.

Um so in terms of build out, all the alternatives would add between 9500 and 10,000 new residential units as a result of full build out.

Um the industrial category as you'll note on the right side uh comes from just us maintaining that existing designation of uh industrial in the west side of the specific plan area, as I mentioned.

Um here's a VMT comparison, and I won't really get into this uh, but I did want to take this opportunity to uh remind us that the specific plan, once we have a preferred alternative and we move through that process, we'll begin preparing an environmental impact report that would analyze the full build out of this specific plan process.

Um so speaking of next steps, um we do have a survey open right now that has over a hundred responses, gathering feedback on people's uh thoughts on the different alternatives.

Um we did hold another series of public workshops at Amrose Academy, Taylor Mountain Elementary, and we had one uh virtually held on Zoom.

Um and then after, as I mentioned, we'll take the feedback that we've heard from the council and from the planning commission and from the community and uh draft a preferred alternative, and then after which we will do another series of outreach to make sure that we got it right.

Um, we want to make sure that uh the issues have been addressed, that um we have the we've heard from folks and uh do lots of outreach to that end.

And then um also not on the slide, but we are presenting to the Sonoma County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors this summer as well, um, with the goal of the Board of Supervisors eventually adopting the plan as their own, so the land use uh policies and development patterns would be consistent through the city and the county, regardless of where the city limit um is.

So here's just some helpful links and some contact information.

Um the webpage is the far left QR code.

There's an email distribution sign up with hundreds of folks already signed up.

So if you're in the crowd or uh watching on YouTube or something, I recommend signing up to our email distribution list.

And then our survey, as I mentioned, is the far right QR code, and I encourage you to um fill that out.

Um so that is all I have to present.

I'm happy to take questions or just if you have any thoughts about each of these alternatives, what you like, what you don't like, looking forward to a conversation.

Thank you both.

This is a huge plan and a huge step forward the city.

So thank you for bringing this to us today.

Looking to council for questions.

Let's start with uh Miss Van Wellos.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh thank you for the report.

Thank you.

It's um looks very comprehensive.

Um I wonder if you could tell me um between the three alternatives, what are the real differences?

Yeah, so um each alternative concentrates higher density residential development in different areas, and also um some of the alternatives lean more heavily on the existing retail development, thinking that the retail uses might change over if there's more um dense residential development in that area.

Um and then, as I mentioned, the different locations of crossings into the Moreland area from Santa Rosa Avenue corridor, um, each of them has a different approach to that as well.

And uh parks locations and the scale of the parks themselves.

And I understand that um the county is partnering with the city on this plan, and you're going to the um county planning commission soon.

Okay.

So I'm just wondering um why annexation is not being addressed at all at this point.

I um I feel like Moreland is a low-income underinvested community, therefore it's disadvantaged.

So it in my mind it definitely qualifies for annexation.

Uh it's 53 cent fifth 53 percent if I'm not according to your your figures, uh, Latino.

Um it's it's called out everywhere.

And I think my concern is that it's great that we're partnering with the county, but when it actually comes to implementing whatever alternative, and I think there should be a combination of alternatives, quite frankly, but whatever we decide or we collectively decide, I'm worried about quite frankly, the county not doing their part.

You know, just because many of those areas are already in the county and nothing has happened except for Andy's Park, thank goodness.

Um, but other than that, I I don't see any movement and uh and any way for folks to get across to Santa Rosa Avenue easily.

I drive home Santa Rosa Avenue almost every day from my work, so I'm really familiar with that area.

I'm out there all the time.

The new Hearn Hub, you know, is fantastic, but we need more.

So I'm just gonna say that for now, and then I would so anyway, the question of annexation, if you could address that as well, please.

Yeah, um, so we did have a discussion with the council a couple years ago, a few years ago, kind of exploring different options for annexation, whether that be um all this area, um, just the Moreland area, maybe just the existing county islands.

Um, and we ran some numbers from really kind of back of the napkin math on what that would cost for to bring things up to city standards and provide city utilities and services.

And at that time, um it was determined to be infeasible.

Um I think with the ever-changing financial landscape, I think it I would assume that that has not changed.

And when was that?

Um approximately, it doesn't have to be.

I'm not gonna hold you to the date, but I just mean about how many years ago was that.

I believe it was 2022.

Okay.

Jessica Jones, deputy director.

Okay, thank you.

Good afternoon, council.

Jessica Jones, Deputy Juty Director of Planning.

Sorry, it's been a long week for me.

Um, thank you for the question, Councilmember.

So, yes, the uh council uh beheld a study session in uh January of 2023.

Um and so, yes, as uh senior planner McKay mentioned, um uh uh we brought forward some rough numbers on what that might look like, just to one do the annexation, just the staff work involved in bringing everything forward, all the analysis and getting it to LAFCO, um, the local agency formation commission, um, and then also some potential ideas on what the ultimate cost would be to provide services and uh do the infrastructure needed to bring everything up to city standards.

Um it was uh it was a large cost.

So at that time, council did not direct staff to move forward, um, but instead identified wanting to continue conversation, um, but uh no specific direction to move forward with the actual annexation at that time.

Thank you for that.

I think that's it for now.

I'm gonna hold out the rest of my comments for a little bit later.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Miss McDonald.

Thank you, Mayor.

Along those same lines, my question was is any part of plan one, two, or three, does that include annexation at all on these maps?

Not at all.

No.

Okay, and the reason I think this is an important question and where I'm gonna go along the lines of council member banway list, but dive a little bit deeper into that data because I think it's gonna come up as we talk about these specific plans.

How much do we get from the county each year on the infrastructure for Roseland that was newly annexed?

Do you have that figure?

So I I don't have that figure.

It's certainly something that we can get for council.

Um I see I see assistant city manager net nodding yes.

So somebody has the answer, it feels like.

So sorry.

And why that while they come down, just real quick.

I do want to clarify.

So while we do not have a city initiated annexation that is currently being pursued, um, there is a private development that is um considering annexation in the southeast portion of the project area.

So just wanted to bring that to the council's attention.

Considering they're considering us annexing them.

They're considering but bringing forward an applicant-driven annexation.

Yeah.

Well, these questions would then be relevant with that as well.

So can you tell me how much we get?

$662,000 over 10 years, and next year is the final year of those payments.

So we get $662,000 a year for the infrastructure for our newest acquisition.

Um can you tell me how much money the city has spent in infrastructure over the last nine years, it seems like we have spent a little bit more than four and a half million dollars.

Um we caught up quite a bit last year.

Um, but we are not going to get to every street that we were supposed to with that 6.6 million dollars.

So we've only spent four and a half million dollars in infrastructure.

Yeah, we've received just under six million to date.

I'm not asking what we received.

I'm asking what our coffers have spent.

Of non-county money on those streets.

I have no idea.

I'd have to go back through our CIP in detail.

So as we more than zero.

As we look at this, I'd like to know those figures.

I think that's important for us to know.

It's not um, as I think Carolyn had said eloquently, they're not aunting up enough from the county on neglected areas that then the city is taking on because they deserve to be taken care of.

And so those numbers and that data I think are critical as we have these conversations because it's hard to go and do a specific plan that you know is gonna help uplift an area that in another area could be left out, but we have to know that we can actually financially take that on before we do it.

And I know they're hard questions, but I think it's something I would want to know.

Um, how many staff members have we added to the city since that acquisition from Mosel?

Any public safety or anyone at all?

Yeah, I'm I'm not sure that we have that information right now, but again, certainly something that we can get for the council.

I think that's something I would want to know as well.

Um, for a lot of different reasons.

I feel like we're strung pretty thin on our current infrastructure and what our staff is asked to do.

And so I want to make sure that we're balancing that out when it comes to the economic development of that.

How much does the city or what percentage do we get on property taxes for our budget?

I think there's a misnomer that the city gets property taxes when in fact it goes mostly to the county, if I'm correct, and then we get a little percentage of that.

And I think that's important because as we look at housing, oh good.

Mr.

Wagner just walked in.

Um as we look at housing potentially, I think it's important to note how much we're actually gaining for property tax when they say, well, that should take care of everything when in fact it doesn't come to us, it goes back to the county, who then antees up $662,000 a year.

But they're getting about how much in property taxes for all those beautiful homes that have been built out there.

Mr.

Wagner, do you have an uh answer for me of the percentage that we get on property tax?

Good afternoon, Mayor Stapp, members of the council, Scott Wagner Finance Department, bear with me because I just stepped in.

But uh to your question, Councilmember McDonald, the city receives around 14% of the one percent of property taxes that get levied by the county.

So if you think about it, if there's a dollar worth of property tax sent to the county, we get 14 cents of that.

I will add anecdotally, that is a fairly small percentage when we look at agencies of our size within their counties.

Is that distributed because of state law that way or our own county?

It's a mixture of both, and like all things property taxes, there's a tie back to Prop 13 of when those are when those agreements between the counties and the municipalities happened at the passage of Prop 13 that locked us into that 14%.

That's interesting to me.

Thank you for that answer.

Um what businesses are in the area along the corridor of your specific plans?

Can you do you have an answer for that?

It's the map is so teeny.

I couldn't zoom in well enough, and my eyes are too old, so I couldn't see if we're adopting on any of the alternatives current businesses.

Yeah, so um a lot of like used car lots and small retail spaces that sell not necessarily kind of like neighborhood serving stuff, but more destinations, so repair shops, um, hot tub spa sales, um, car rentals, self-storage, um, those types of things.

I'm I'm thinking Santa Rosa Avenue and going down.

If I'm looking at like, do we get Freedman Brothers?

Do we get any of those on alternative one, two, or three, or there's some other, I think, larger retail um businesses out there or construction companies?

Yeah, construction companies, uh, Freedman's is definitely in the specific plan boundary, yes.

Which one all of them or the boundary is the same across all the alternatives?

It just each alternative um looks at different areas within the overall plan for different development densities and intensities.

Okay.

Um, and because you're asking about housing, I think I'd still like some more information.

So if we're building 600 houses, um, how much money does the city get from that, like our economic impact?

Because I'm told a lot, you know, we get we get impact from that, but I'm still never been able to like drill down and find out how much that is from an economic standpoint.

Because it's if I'm only getting 14 cents of a dollar on property taxes, is it coming from someplace else?

Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the council, Gabe Osburn, Director of Planning and Economic Development.

Um, thank you, council member, for that question.

It is a very challenging question to answer.

Um, there are known revenue streams, so obviously, as we build new housing units, that is generating new property taxes.

Um, then there gets into the whole equation as to whether you're increasing population or not, and how is that population spending dollars on sales tax, essentially?

Um, so a lot of our economic development strategy focuses on leakage and keeping those transactions within our trade market to ensure that we get those sales taxes.

Um but as we know, humans are very dynamic in between online sales and leaving the trade market, it's it's very difficult to figure that out.

Um, obviously, with development, depending on the level of infrastructure that it installs, um, it could have more of a cost burden.

So, for example, if we're sprawling or we're building out with less density, there are more roadways that are that are injected into the into the inventory.

If it's building park space, that goes into the inventory.

Uh so multifamily tends has a tendency to generate a higher return per taxable for property taxes per taxable square footage, um, and it has less of a burden on infrastructure.

So it differs, um, but unfortunately, there is not uh tried and true calculation that determines what that is.

Um, but generally what we've seen with the increase in housing it does generate is just how it offsets um from an expenditure standpoint.

I think that that hits the nail on the head for me, okay.

Was where are we getting money back to infuse into our coffers and what is being expended as far as what we're adding?

So of the three alternatives, can I ask you what would be the least amount that has to go out, or what would be it can't just be straight across net, you know, revenue for us.

It actually has to be a gain, in my opinion, on choices, because if we're adding more space, we should be considering more staff to take care of the space if we're adding other infrastructure and we're adding other um facilities or uses for the community.

My concern is we're not able to maintain it, and that's why I think those I need a little bit more of which is gonna be the best option for a lot of different reasons for the city.

So I I appreciate all the you uh tolerating all the questions on this one.

It to me is this a big choice on how we continue to develop in the city.

Thanks.

Um yeah, so as far as each alternative goes, the first one um is projected to have the fewest residential units as a result of full build out.

Um I will say, as I mentioned, it's not a huge difference.

So the the smallest one is about 9500 new units, and the largest one is a little just over 10,000.

So just a matter of about 500 units being different between all three alternatives.

Thank you so much.

Uh Mr.

Krupke.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Thank you so much for that presentation.

Just uh I'm hoping you can help clarify something for me.

Um this is just a planning document, right?

Much like our general plan to give us a guidance for into the future and not an actual action item to take any action uh in the near future, is that correct?

Correct.

Okay, so any of these zonings that we give ad uh give direction to today, any sort that can always be changed in the future by any council action if we want to change the zoning or any sort of planning documents, is that right?

That is correct.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you for that clarification.

Um, just a couple of questions for me.

So Roener Park has some interesting development um underway itself with Roener Park and actually the Federated Indians of Great Rancheria with the casino, where you got two fairly sizable urban hubs that are being generated down there around the casino and with the new um city center owner park.

Those obviously are pretty close to the end of Santa Rosa Avenue, and where the city and where Santa Rosa and Runner Park come together.

Um are those developments being considered as we look at South Santa Rosa.

Just in terms of long-term future development in that space for for those communities.

Um I don't believe those large development projects in Runner Park are specifically addressed in this, but I will say there is like a overall circulation analysis that will be performed that would account for regional um traffic and transportation network issues.

Um, but I don't know beyond that how, if at all those have been considered as part of this process.

Okay.

Oh, Jessica, did you want to add to that?

Uh thank you for the question, Mayor.

I would just add that once we get to the portion of environmental review for this specific plan, there will be um a full traffic analysis, which will look at projects that are either pending or have been recently developed.

So it will look at um, you know, at least the transportation impacts of all of those new um people and and uses in northern Brunner Park.

Perfect.

And of course, by Jessica, I meant Amy.

My apologies.

That's okay.

Um back to the annexation discussion for a second, because this is this is an important one for the community to understand.

I'm glad we we at least touched on it tonight.

Um, you've mentioned it or both of you have hit on it with with um in terms of the kinds of traffic studies that we need to do, the kinds of road improvements that we need to make.

Are there if if we were to go ahead with with full-scale annexation, we're talking about new fire stations, new police substations.

And I I understand that we are loath to get to put any kind of dollar figure on this because it would be so um it would be very much an estimate.

But is it possible to list the kinds of infrastructure that that the city will be will have to put into place?

The city in conjunction with development partners long term in order to even think about annexation in the in the South Santa Rosa area, just in terms of again, as I've mentioned, fire stations, substations, road improvements, uh just to give the community a sense of how large the investment is and how careful the city has to be in this space.

Yeah, um, I'll start and might need some assistance or even correction.

Um so the specific plan includes the preparation of infrastructure infrastructure development plan, financing plan, but it doesn't necessarily um measure the costs of a full annexation of the specific plan process of the specific plan area because that's not an involved in the process.

I think if we wanted that, it would be a much more detailed study.

Um, and that that's not uh in the scope of the specific plan.

And uh, mayor, I can actually add to that.

Um Connor mentioned some really good points, but I think what's important to note is really what we're going through is more of a pre-zoning in some situations or a zoning exercise.

So that's really determining how land is used, and then it determines how circulation goes to those land uses and general programming of that land.

And then obviously, as the development occurs, there's more of a better understanding of how it materializes and then the cost of providing that service.

And in this particular case, there's another exercise, which would be annexation.

And that annexation could act as a whole, that annexation could be initiated by the city or the annexation, which we anticipate can be initiated by a property owner.

Obviously, if it's initiated by the property owner, there's more of a discussion through LAFCO on what the ultimate boundary of that annexation is, but there's also an exercise to understand the cost of services to the city as far as taking that over.

So, really where we are right now is we have to understand the general direction from a planning standpoint, and then that allows us to come in through the mathematical calculation to better understand what it looks like in the event that that number one materializes and then the city takes that ever through an annexation process.

So hopefully that helps provide a little more context to that.

Thank you again for that clarity.

And that yes, it is we are only talking about the planning for the the um the parts of that area that are currently within city purview.

However, in the city conversation right now, when people look at that area, they're already it's it's a live topic of conversation, as even our questions on the dais um show.

So while again, being very clear, we are not talking about annexation today, and there are many steps between now and then.

But I do think it's helpful if we have any figures available, and I've seen some from five or prior study sessions, just to give people just to give the community a sense of what the scope is for that future conversation if the city did would were to consider annexation in this area, which this planning is at least a tentative step towards, um, just how large a decision that is and how and how much of an undertaking that is for the city.

I don't want to belabor this point, but if there's a if there are a few sentences that can that can give people a sense of just how significant that kind of investment is, um, that will be helpful for the for the community discussion.

Yeah, and I think absolutely that's something that we can look forward to in the future.

Um, obviously, we do understand that there is a lot of interest in the community about annexation, understanding the complexities of annexation, the cost and the boundary.

Um, but as we look at and we work close with our finance department, we understand from operational standpoint what it takes to serve that.

Um, we will do our best as this progresses to scratch out some preliminary numbers so it helps provide guidance to that decision making.

If I if I may, Mayor, I can do that in a couple sentences without flavoring it.

So when we went through this exercise in 2023, the comment that was you know given by the finance department is that the best information ultimately comes from our departments on what they need outside of planning documents, outside of studies that happen from outside sources, and we went through that exercise in 2023.

And ultimately, again, coming back to your question of do we have an idea of what that was?

We do.

It was the police department asking for a new beat or not needing a new beat, because ultimately when we look at the deployment of city resources, sometimes it's that one little extra need that pushes you over into needing additional.

So we were looking at a substation, we were looking at an additional beat for police down there, um, as well as fire station, of course, along with all the public works needs that then are gonna really be up and above.

When we looked at that strictly on an operating basis, it was underwater quite significantly, only on operating, not to bring it up to city standards on infrastructure.

That is a whole other cost that couldn't get addressed.

As you all know, we are fundamentally behind on how the city is meeting its profit, you know, what we would call profit and loss or conceptualize it.

So really this adding just was would be doubling down on that.

I would expect the numbers to be worse today than they were in 2023.

Thank you for that.

All right, I won't I won't put you on the spot any any further.

Um, but I know I hope that gives the the general public a sense of what a what a large this discussion point that is.

Um, any other questions from council right now?

All right, we'll open this up to the to the public.

Would any members of the public like to uh to comment Fred?

Do you have the floor?

Am I live?

Okay, thank you.

Good afternoon, uh, mayor and members of city council.

Santa Rosa is quite nice, but housing is a serious negative issue here.

City housing costs are contributing to a trend of resegregation.

This goes against affirmatively furthering fair housing.

Santa Rosa is ranked in the bottom half of US cities for affordability and as one of the worst places to rent or buy a first home due to high housing cost compared to income.

The uh NAACP sent a letter to the council re-council goals, and I'll quote ensure that the South Santa Rosa Pacific Plan includes concrete, enforceable anti-gentrification strategies that protects low-income residents, BIPOC communities, and seniors implemented with the same level of specificity, accountability, and measurement as the plan's economic growth actions.

The plan area is majority Latino and majority disadvantaged community.

The plan area has a host of negative socioeconomic indicators in play, many vulnerable mobile home parks.

The northern plan area is a severely disadvantaged community and is also an equity priority area and environmental justice community.

Since the plan will reasonably cause gentrification and displacement, what to do with the vulnerable demographics needs that needs to at least be mentioned in the preferred alternative.

I also submit that outreach can't be a majority vote process.

Plan area disadvantaged communities will likely be underrepresented.

One of the council's jobs is to reduce disparities and promote equitable outcomes.

I suggest to direct staff to focus on keeping plan equity issues front and center.

The council needs to bring to bear the equity values the city says it has.

The underrepresented need your voice.

The plan's anti-displacement strategy calls for focused actions and targeted interventions.

The council needs to emphasize that today.

And so that will always be said.

And if the Todd Creek annexation area on the east side is annexed, but Moreland's not, that would be an example of LAFCO cherry picking because those communities are contiguous, and that's that's um but the contiguity is up for discussion, but I would beware of the cherry picking aspect of taking the gravy but not taking Moreland Avenue too.

Thank you.

Thank you, Fred.

Ken.

Thank you.

Uh good evening, Mayor Stapp, Council members, Ken McNabb came back advising, representing property owners of the vacant land between Santa Rosa Avenue and Petaluma Hill Road.

Um just to start quickly in response to Councilmember McDonald's questions on the uh financial impacts.

Uh I would remind the council, I think most of you were on the council at the time that as part of that 2023 discussion, we did submit an economic analysis that considered some of the fiscal impacts as well as the economic benefits.

Um we looked at the adnexation or the specific plan area in three different pieces, uh, east side of or west side of Highway 101, the Santa Rosa Avenue Corridor, and the east side of 101, the vacant lands between Santa Rosa Avenue and um Petaluma Hill Road.

And what that study showed was the greatest impact, as you would probably expect, would be the area west of 101.

Uh, you have a lot of underimproved infrastructure needs, uh, you have very little development potential to increase property tax, and you have um, and you have a cap on your property tax if you have a largely built-out area that's you know limited in how much you can increase property taxes.

Santa Rosa Avenue Corridor performed about break-even if I'm remembering the study correctly.

Um you do have significant property tax and sales tax, even more significantly generation in that area.

Um, that area broke even.

The properties on the eastern edge of the uh specific plan area performed the best.

Um, you have undeveloped land that will come in with new homes that will be assessed at the highest possible value.

Uh, you will have uh development impact fee revenue, you will have brand new infrastructure largely paid by development that won't burden the city, at least in the initial years.

I I don't remember uh the magnitude of differences other than um West Side was a loss, uh Central was uh breakeven-ish and east was the best performing.

You have that study, and I'd be happy to share it again if there's any interest.

Um with respect to the alternatives, um, these comments relate to the Todd Creek area.

Um, the land use plan, uh, our clients prefer of the three that are out there now.

Uh, alternative two.

It represents the best mix in our opinion of residential densities.

Um, it's not as intense as alternative one, but more intense than alternative three.

Uh for parkland, um, we prefer the concepts that show two smaller parks in the north and southern portion of the Todd Creek area.

These parks, in our opinion, will be more accessible and usable to future residents of the community.

I'm running out of time.

The last comment I'll make is uh we would advocate for uh the road extension to Petaluma Hill Road B Bellevue Avenue and not Robla's Bellevue offers a cross town connection.

Thank you, Ken.

Are there other members of the public that would like to speak on this item?

And if so, let's use both podiums.

We'll start with this podium here, and if you could please alternate back and forth.

Go ahead.

Can I please ask the interpreter not actively interpreting in the Spanish channel to move over and listen to the speaker and then provide interpretation of her comments?

Thank you.

Can the interpreter providing interpretation in Spanish raise their hand?

Thank you, Claudia.

Can you please move to the I'm gonna have Lauren move you to the main channel for restating this comment in English?

Uh yes, excuse the interpreter.

The interpreter would have to do a consecutive interpretation.

She read a whole passage, and uh I would need access to what she read in order to do a site translation or something of that sort.

I was not able to instruct the speaker to stop and let the interpreter interpret as we go along.

How would you like to handle that?

Okay, we'll have the speaker restate her comment in Spanish, and we will ask how um at what increment would you like her to pause so she can make the statement again.

Thank you.

Um for their patience.

We want to make sure that everyone has a chance to speak.

In last alternatives presentadas, Morland sta included como una communidad de interesse.

With uh the three uh alternatives, Morland has been identified as an area of interest.

Gracias por reconocerlo que nuestra communidad has abido desde asetiempo.

Thank you for recognize what our community knows about for a long time.

We know that a Moreland has been evaluated in this process.

We are told that there's not enough data to be considered Moreland as an incorporated community.

So disadvantaged community uh or the weight should not fall on the residents to show with data what we have to live through day by day.

The lack of infrastructure, uh the lack of investment, the inequality uh at large, uh it's real.

Nos preocupa que la falta de datos utilise para justificar la exclusion continua.

Our community uh knows uh first hand that the lack of uh data uh is is real for us and it affects us day by day.

We continue to be left out uh like if we're not part of this plan of a place that we call our home.

The decisions that you take here are more important uh further more than just this uh this area it in here, this place.

It would have an influence as to what will happen in this process, including LAFTO.

We ask for it to uh for you to be influential and uh to take place uh in this process and uh including LAFCO and not to be left out one more time.

Gracias por todo.

Thank you.

Thank you for everything.

Thank you.

Next podium.

And we want to thank you for the uh presentation that you've had um and the outreach to the community.

I my name is Irene Rosario.

I am um a native of Santa Rosa.

I've lived in Moreland area for 40 plus years.

Um everything that we do is related to the city of Santa Rosa.

You know, we are shopping schools interaction.

I also sit on um Bellevue Union School District as the board uh president.

So with that said, I want to start by um again saying thank you for recognizing our um our area as an interest, but I also want to say that um it is important to recognize that we are um an underprivileged community, and that's not reflected in the LAFCO report.

It is reflected in the county report, it's reflected in your report, it's also reflected in the safe roads to school.

So we're just concerned that it not being included uh affects our future possibilities of annexation.

So please consider that when you're studying whatever was presented to you today.

Um I am part of the Moreland um neighborhood action team, and we do a lot of outreach to our community, and there everybody that comes to our meeting is in the same uh idea that they're part of Santa Rosa and we deserve the the services.

Um we're like an island by ourselves, and that carved out, and you're going to the east side instead of the west side is very, very concerning.

So again, please consider our area for future.

Uh, we are very predominantly Latino community.

So I want to thank you for again the presentation and please consider us in future annexation, and the LAFCO report has to be changed.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council members.

My name is Norma Yukage.

I've lived on Moreland Avenue for 43 years.

First, I want to express my appreciation for the recognition that the Moreland community was given in all three alternatives of the South Santa Rosa Specific Plan.

And I'm also appreciative that members of the neighborhood had the opportunity to participate in the process of identifying some of our greatest needs with the South Santa Rosa Specific Plan meetings.

Our neighborhood lies between Highway 101 to the east and an industrial park to the west.

We're isolated from stores, restaurants, and professional services.

And although we now have a neighborhood park and access to the smart pathway, for those of us who live south of West Roblis on Mooreland, walking to these public recreation areas is extremely dangerous.

There are no sidewalks and deep drainage ditches run along both sides of the road.

Cars routinely run the stop signs at Mooreland and West Robelis, and on more than a few occasions, I've had to jump into a ditch to avoid a vehicle that came around the corner without stopping.

I'm getting a little old for that kind of action.

The public transit stops on Moorland south of Robelists are inaccessible to people with disabilities and pretty challenging to non-disabled people as well.

Due to the to the lack of sidewalks and the hazardous ditches, there's no safe place for a person to stand and wait for the bus, much less a place to sit.

There are no crosswalks at all on Moorland Avenue, despite the fact that hundreds of children would need to cross the street to go to Andy's Park.

I'm especially concerned that LAFCO doesn't consider us a disadvantaged unincorporated community.

The issues I've described are unsafe and inequitable conditions that have persisted over decades.

And they've actually worsened because of the greatly increased traffic on Mooreland since the housing developments of the early 90s and early late 90s and early 2000s.

So please keep the needs of the Moreland neighborhood as a priority as this process continues.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good afternoon.

Mayor and council members.

My name is Esther Lamos.

Sometimes they know me as Limas.

I'm a resident of Moreland.

I lived in Moreland for 55 years.

My five daughters were raised there.

Moreland has always been left behind.

When it rained, the water would come up to the last step of my house.

I had to wear boots to carry my kids out to the bus stop.

And after many years, it was resolved.

Moreland was included as a community of interest.

Thanks for recognizing our community and the needs that exist in Moreland.

Moreland has been the forgotten child.

Unfortunately, it took the death of a child, Eddie Lopez, for the county to start to see the needs of our community.

Our community has many needs, such as safe streets, sidewalks, drainage, with road list to taught needs sidewalks instead of ditches that overflow across the road when it rains.

Hopefully, you, the city of Santa Rosa, will consider us in a new future for annexation.

Thank you.

Thank you, Esther.

Next speaker.

Hello, can you hear me?

Good afternoon, Mayor, Council members and staff.

My name is Paige, and I am a member of the Sonoma County Tenants Union.

We are a coalition of renters and manufactured homeowners, including residents of the specific plan area and throughout Sonoma County.

And we organize for dignified affordable housing for all.

I am here today because I'm a renter in the city of Santa Rosa, and I'm currently severely rent-burdened, which means I'm paying more than 50% of my income to my rent.

About one third of the residents in the plan area are also severely rent-burdened.

And it is extremely difficult for folks like us to relocate.

We just don't have a stash of cash to cover deposits, take time off of work, and the other costs of relocating.

Unfortunately, I have experienced two no fault evictions in the last five years.

And in both situations, uh it was for the economic improvement of my landlord, and I had to bear the costs.

Unfortunately, based on my own recent experiences and the experiences of other union members, I can share that current protections in our region are not sufficient for keeping our neighbors and families stably housed here.

The Sonoma County Tenants Union supports policies that prevent the displacement of the vibrant, beautiful existing communities in the plan area.

Thank you.

Thank you, Paige.

Next speaker.

Good evening, Mayor and Council members.

My name is Adriana Rizon, and I'm the executive director of health equity racing, leading the implementation of Sonoma County's Agenda for Action, which focuses on focuses on community communities most disinvested in all of Sonoma County.

This includes our Moreland neighbors.

I want to start by thanking you for the work gone into the South Santa Rosa specific plan update.

Also, thank you for recognizing what our community has long known that Moreland is a community with real needs that deserve attention and investment.

At the same time, there is a parallel process happening through the local agency formation commission where Moreland is being evaluated.

In that process, we're being told there is not enough data to consider Moreland a disadvantaged, unincorporated community.

This raises a serious concern because burden should not fall on residents to prove through data what we live every day.

Lack of infrastructure, lack of investment, and long-standing inequities are realities this committee knows firsthand.

I am worried that gaps in data will be used to justify continued exclusion that we will remain on the margins, treated as if we are not fully part of the place we call home.

Please use the lessons learned in the portrait of Sonoma County when it's stated certain communities were not statistically significant to be included in data that informed policy.

When the reality was that people collecting and conducting their research were not well equipped to engage with the communities and the realities of where they lived.

Does this render these communities that were not listened to or heard invisible?

We don't want to repeat that again.

So please listen and center our Mooreland neighbors in the decisions that will affect their lives.

The decisions made here matter beyond this room.

They will influence what happens in other processes, including LAFCO.

We are asking you to be intentional, to be proactive, and to ensure that Moreland is not left behind again.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council members.

I'm Kate Vibe.

I'm a housing policy analyst at Legal Aid of Sonoma County.

And I want to begin by first acknowledging the tremendous amount of work that has gone into preparing the South Santa Rosa Specific Plan, including critically the community engagement around this.

I want to highlight today the affordable housing and anti-displacement strategy, which is a really critical component of this plan.

The anti-displacement strategy outlines the current affordability conditions in the area.

It identifies vulnerability to displacement in the plan area, and it identifies specific policies and programs that are designed to preserve affordable housing, strengthen housing stability, and reduce the risk of displacement as a result of this plan.

I do want to highlight that this report identifies that there's a high risk of vulnerability to displacement pressures in the plan area.

The plan area, as we've heard, is 53% Latino, and over a quarter of residents are immigrants.

Many residents in this area face significant economic challenges, including lower incomes, higher poverty rates, and higher numbers of rent-burdened households.

Also noting that mobile homes make up a sixth of all housing in the area plan, which is significantly more than the citywide average.

The anti-displacement strategy outlines policies and programs to ensure that the risks of displacement associated with the plan are properly mitigated and that existing communities are able to benefit from the specific plans vision for development and the investments in amenities and services and infrastructure in the plan area that are so long overdue.

I would urge the council to consider the anti-displacement strategy as integral to the goals of the specific plan, not separate from.

And as an organization, Legal Aid of Sonoma County stands ready to partner with the city in any way that's helpful as you work to craft policies and implement programs to make sure that folks in the plan area are able to stay in the plan area.

Thank you.

Thank you, legal aid.

Are there any other members of the public who wish to comment?

Anna, go ahead, remember you're ready.

Mayor, City Council members, hello, good afternoon, everyone who is in the room.

My name is Anna Diaz, and I am from Roseland.

My grandfather, my grandparents lived off of uh Barber Drive for over 17 years.

And I grew up in, I could say I grew up in the Mooreland and in the Roseland neighborhoods.

Uh I wanted to start off by saying it's important to reach to the residents of Moreland.

Many that live in the area often feel invisible, and these policies and these decisions often feel overlooked.

So I just wanted to note that I've been to many of the conversations, I've been to many of the workshops.

And uh I do want to say that there needs to be improvement of translation because the last meet of the workshop that I was present at uh at uh the Moreland meeting, the translation was not so great for those who were present in the room.

So I just wanted to note that for um our council members and for our city staff.

Along with that, uh today is farm workers awareness week, farm workers day, and it's also Ag Day, and many of our Moreland residents are farmworkers, and what I am uh not familiar with or what I'm not really understanding is that many of them have expressed that they do not want more housing on the southwest area of town.

I'm also a resident of the southwest area of town, and if you are in and out of Moreland every day, you should know that if there is a fire evacuation or something critical that happens or occurs, there's only two exits out of there.

So there's Todd Road and Corby Avenue.

And so if something were to happen, those were it's gonna be completely, completely, completely filled with traffic.

So I do want you guys to note that when you guys talk about housing, and it would be really good for you guys to get into contact with Greyton uh Labor Day uh Center as well.

Okay, and that concludes my comment.

Thank you.

I yield the rest of my time.

Thank you, Anna.

Dwayne, are you making your way to the podium?

Yes, sir.

Welcome.

Thank you kindly, sir.

Hello, my name is Dwayne DeWitt.

I'm from Roseland.

I've been following these types of activities ever since the Southwest Area Plan of 1993-94.

One of the difficulties is to get better authentic community engagement when doing anything like this.

I attended some of the meetings.

I basically have been following the situation for so long that I realized Santa Rosa is already overwhelmed.

It cannot even take care of what it has within its city limits right now.

Many roads, highly damaged, potholes everywhere, terrible traffic, many difficulties, even following up on stuff that was funded decades ago, such as the Roseland Creek Concept Plan from 2004.

So it's really important that everybody here today understand.

This is a really nice wish list that people are putting together to try to get something positive for the folks that live down on Moorland.

Many of them were my friends when I was young and went to Lawrence Cook Junior High with some of them.

One of the dilemmas that we face right now is the economy is going to get worse.

Basically looking at a situation here today that you hope you might be able to achieve.

We want to make sure and not give anyone false hope.

We need to make sure that this is something that can be attainable within our lifetime.

The things that were promised in the Southwest area plan of 93, 94, are just now coming forward in Roseland, where there's intense buildup going on Hearn Avenue.

There is new housing coming in, and there are thousands more people living in an area where the infrastructure can't even take care of it now.

So one of the things I want to make sure is everybody here understands I'm very appreciative of city staff and all the council members, even the city attorney and the interim city manager.

You're all doing a good job, but it's a Sisophean task.

If you folks don't know what that is, that means we're rolling the ball up the hill and it keeps rolling back down, and we never get the stuff done.

So trying to take on Santa Rosa, South Santa Rosa Avenue, and the Moreland District, bring it all into Santa Rosa.

We'll just give you so you'll have so many more responsibilities that you can't take care of.

It's a difficult situation, I understand.

It's not on you, it's just on the nature of life in a sense.

Maybe in my lifetime, we'll get the Roseland Creek concept plan done.

We work so hard on it.

I'm hoping in the next 20 years.

Thank you.

Thank you, Duane.

Are there any other members of the public who wish to speak?

Seeing none, we'll close public comment and bring it back to council for any final comments or direction of staff.

Mr.

Alvarez.

First of all, thank you to the last speaker as well as a couple of them of the speakers prior for the low dose of reality.

Uh when I attended the meetings in Moreland, it was very it was made very clearly that the conversation was not about annexation.

The conversation was about dreaming.

Dreaming what Santa Rosa will look like in the future, and for us to come up with a collective plan between the city of Santa Rosa and the County of Sonoma on how to collectly achieve that dream.

And wanting feedback from council or or interpreting what the community was saying.

With that being said, though, the questions that were asked by my colleagues are very pertinent to the conversation to be had in the near future.

Near, maybe 20 years.

But the reality is we did it when we annexed Roseland.

And specifically, I use the Corby Automall and the Marketplace Center, where we did take away the greatest generation or generator of sales tax away from Mooreland, and then said, Moreland, you don't generate enough taxes.

This is my interpretation.

This is my experience.

Or I believe somebody said take the gravy and leave the potatoes.

Whatever the the example is, I think it's an unjust and and and disservice to the Moreland community who they have given so much to be left again without the gym.

So I think those that I think there's the right way to do it, and it's just not the time for it yet.

And that's the reality.

But when that time comes, Moreland as a whole is a beautiful place with beautiful people and should be respected.

Thank you, Mr.

Alvarez.

Ms.

Ben Willows.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um again, I thank you for the um presentation.

And I think um I just want to make just a couple of points.

I think uh the um what many of the speakers talked about in terms of um displacement.

I think that's a a huge issue for the area of Moreland and all around there, and that I that definitely has to be taken into consideration.

I think somebody uh mentioned the issue of just having equity in mind when we approach the um these alternatives.

I think I when I look at the alternatives, it seems to me that there should be a combination.

Um it's not just alternative one or alternative two, but maybe a combination, because there's good things in all three.

Um, and just by the way, Moreland is is everywhere, and I really appreciate that.

I think that's important.

Um the only thing that I will say lastly about um uh annexation, and I only brought it up because it has been something that I think um the community has wanted for a long, long time.

And I went through the Roseland one, you know, I was I sat on the advisory board and I I was there in 2017, as many of us were.

And I know what that process is, and I know how long it took to get there.

I remember that really clearly.

So it is true what um Councilmember Alvarez says, it may take a while, but whether it comes from perhaps a private developer, um recognizing that Moreland is does qualify for this because it does, and it shouldn't be left out, or it could it's initiated by us.

I am really concerned that none of this may come to fruition if annexation doesn't happen eventually.

That that's my biggest concern.

Uh and I'm also concerned that if it doesn't come either from another area or us, that they never will be annexed.

That's another concern I have, at least in my lifetime.

So um, so those are just concerns that I have because I know that the community needs it.

It's you know, they need the services.

I understand our financial constraints really well.

Um, and so maybe it can't happen today, but I think it's something that we have to keep in the forefront.

And that's what I'll say.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Fleming.

Thank you.

Um, most of my comments have already been said by council members Alvarez and Banuelos.

There I'm maybe this got covered and I missed it earlier, but um, one of the concerns I have about the data is that um an over-reliance on data to define a duck concerns me in terms of when the data was last collected and during COVID being a really difficult time to collect accurate data.

And so to my mind, um if there are if there is data collected in the 2025 and the in between the census, I think that might be useful to look at.

But I think that it's um sort of common sense that if it looks like a duck and it walks like a duck, it probably is a duck, even if we don't have the census data to prove that it's a duck.

So that to my mind is uh I would I'm fully in favor of us figuring out a way to get to annexing um this part of Santa Rosa, but it it has to be with Moreland.

It can't be without without that part from for my support.

Thank you, Vice Mayor Kropke.

Thank you.

I'm not gonna belabor uh the points that have been made.

I I agree with uh a lot of what my colleagues have already said.

Um but to get back to the study session um and and direction, um I was leaning towards alternative two um with uh based on what I've heard from the community of uh no more density um in in the Moreland area, focusing it towards a city center.

Um Councilmember Ben Welo said that she'd uh like to see it intermixing.

I'm very open to that.

Um, but uh I think um for this conversation, uh alternative two is where I lean, and if there's some alterations with that, uh I'm more than happy to hear them.

Ms.

McDonald.

Thank you.

And while I understand what the study session is, after hearing the comments from the community as well as our concerns around annexation annexation, to me, this is like the forecast.

And so I think that's why we're being cautious about what we it looks like we could be promising to a community that's been waiting for us to have the next conversation.

And so uh I also find that sometimes when we're doing planning, we're actually not looking too too far into the future because it's almost a what if scenario, but I think it's critical because it's been happening for so long that these conversations have been going on.

So one of the things I do want to comment on, I'm not really sure why the county gets away with not investing in the current infrastructure of the people that live in the county and still are part of a county.

So while Santa Rosa wants to make sure everybody has made whole, where's the county's responsibility in making sure that there's safe streets, that there's proper grading, that there's infrastructure in that area.

And I think that has to be part of this conversation if we can help advocate for the people because through annexation, through all the things that we're talking about, it takes so long, but they're currently dealing with issues, and in my opinion, that needs to go back to the supervisors because that is their responsibility, and they have been shirking that for a long time for Moreland.

So I feel that to me, if if that's something we're talking about with the county, they're not going to get off on $662,000 a year in investment when they have never invested in this community.

And I don't mean never, we shouldn't say that, but to me it's it's uh it's a clear need for them.

As far as the um displacements of the citizens that are there, I want to make sure that that's taken into consideration.

I couldn't understand it from the presentation which one would have the least amount of displacement, but I think that those comments were uh concerning to hear from legal aid.

So whatever we can do to work with legal aid, if we're looking at mobile home parks and um, you know, people who need that, I would be interested in making sure we we protect that as much as we can.

And um if if if alternative two is the best one to do that, then I'm for alternative two.

When I was looking at it, alternative one made the most sense to me because it focused on economic development in businesses.

And so, and I don't know if I'm reading it wrong, but I would say that there should be also an emphasis on that on the Santa Rosa Avenue corridor and the high density area towards the city that's already sort of in place.

If we can do that, maybe it does need to be a combo of those two different alternatives.

I appreciate the presentation and for you tolerating all of our comments and questions about the what if conversation that could happen in the near future.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Rogers.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um first, thank you for the presentation.

And it is good to hear that our LAFCO representative um hears the needs that the community are saying that they need.

Um, whether we feel like this was the right time to do it or not.

It's always the right time to let your leaders know what it is that your needs are.

Um, I'm with council member um Ben Waylos when we talk about I always use this word cherry picking um about from different different sections.

I think I really like um alternative one for the bike and pedestrian improvements and um the improved uh connectivity for Moreland residents.

I absolutely do not like um increasing residential when the the basic infrastructure is not even there.

That doesn't seem uh it seems counterproductive um to me and what we're trying to accomplish.

And I know that we would be working with the county.

Um but I think that we probably should make that pretty pretty clear that we're trying to improve um what the neighborhoods have, not uh increase the people that are there.

And I do live in that area, and we don't have the infrastructure.

So we really have to look at the existing infrastructure also.

Improve the existing infrastructure, improve the connectivity, improve, make improvements, and then we can come back and look at additional residential would be mine.

But there's uh some things I like about all of them, greenway uh connections and connectivity is always good because it helps us get around the whole city, and people that um don't have vehicles can access different parts of the city.

So really like that, and then concentrating on in fill um downtown.

So that will be my input.

Thank you.

Uh and Gabe, Amy, Amy and Connor, thank you so much for all your work and for your patience with our questions.

Uh, thank you to all the folks who came out for this item for all the residents of Moreland for development interests.

Uh, this shows that this part of town, our last large underdeveloped part of Santa Rosa, this is gonna be a topic of conversation for decades to come.

Uh, and what you can hear, I think on council is agreement that what we can't do is let this sprawl, and we can't let it negatively affect the communities where there, that we've got to do this in a thoughtful way.

Uh and staff and the community uh input to date has given us three really interesting options.

Uh, I wish that I was more of an urban planner to get back to the question of hand.

Um, I'm I'm not comfortable in this space.

What I will say is that we've got good things going on in downtown Santa Rosa, and you can feel the momentum there, and you can see the momentum in Roomart Park as well.

And so for the first time in Sonoma County, you've got these two genuine urban hubs that are kind of starting to develop in tandem.

And then you've got this long stretch of semi-developed space, residential space in between.

And it just seems like the if we can encourage those two urban poles at either end of that and keep keep the sprawl from happening in the middle.

We've heard you've heard talk about um housing that can't be supported by infrastructure, um, commercial space that is only loosely tied to the downtown cores.

Uh I guess my only half-formed thought is that to the extent that we can look at what's happening in in Roanard Park as a way to anchor that southern end of Santa Rosa Avenue, because presumably 30 years from now and 40 years from now, we're gonna be even more tightly entwined with that neighborhood.

And so we might as well take it into into consideration now.

So that's the only uh sort of half-form thought that I can add to the conversation.

Otherwise, the the three options are are all creative and all make uh for a a nice future for the for this area.

Uh and it's gonna be interesting to see over the next few months what other community input we get.

Uh and I think I speak for council when I say that we're looking forward this fall to seeing what comes back with the uh with the next iteration of this plan.

And if there's nothing else, we will move on to our next item.

Oops, Mr.

Alvarez.

Thank you, Mayor.

Correct me for Rompo.

One of the comments made during these workshops was the ability to also describe a hybrid.

Uh and and so I just want to throw it out there that it wasn't just these three options, it's also a combination of these three options as the as a conversation was very free-flowing.

Just want to remind the folks out there who do participate in the conversations that you're not just bound to three, but just dream, uh thank you, Mayor.

I just want to add to tie the conversation up together.

Um, we obviously do realize that bringing three options starts the conversation, and there's the natural tendency to create a hybrid of the three.

Um so thank you for fighting the feedback.

I think we did hear some really solid points on some of the core issues that'll help us move forward.

Um, obviously, density, the intermix of commercial, the connectivity, the green space, those are all really important high-level planning issues to move this this process forward.

Um, as one of the things that I think as our neighbors start growing, understanding the connectivity to our neighbors, understanding how we potentially don't put commercial that competes with our neighbors, how we do that with Ronor Park building out, I think is a really important point.

Um so we will tie all this together at the end of the day.

We do have to work towards a preferred alternative, um, but obviously understanding that's a process that takes in community feedback.

Um it's really difficult.

I've not done planning my entire career, so I lean heavily on these folks here, and it is a very unique environment to try to get to a final determination when it's so important to the community.

So we will understand that.

We'll tie this together and move the project forward.

Thank you all.

Thanks for the great work.

All right, with that, we move on to our next item.

Item six, our report, if any, on our study and closed session.

Madam City Attorney.

Mayor, my apologies, Mayor, we were going to restate the announcement of the interpretation services available online today for the room.

Thank you for reminding me, Madam City Clerk.

Let's do that.

Thank you, Lauren.

I'll turn it over to you.

Thank you, Dina.

Um, could I have the interpreters of both languages currently not interpreting raise their hands?

If I can move you over, thank you so much.

Okay.

I'd like to ask the interpreters currently on the Spanish and Mandarin channels to conse interpretation or continue interpretation of the meeting.

For those just joining the meeting, live interpretation in Spanish and Mandarin is available, and members of the public or staff wishing to listen in Spanish or Mandarin can join those channels by clicking on the interpretation icon in the Zoom toolbar.

It looks like a globe.

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

Click done to activate and begin the interpretation.

Once you join your preferred channel, we recommend that you shut off the main audio so you only hear either the Spanish or the Mandarin interpretation.

Spanish interpreter.

And then Willis will restate in Mandarin.

Thank you so much.

One more comment, Mayor.

Um, for the interpreters, can you please also state that there are language headsets in council chamber for Spanish and Mandarin and assisted hearing, and they are available at the top of the well or at top the top of the chamber with the administrative assistant near the door.

Isidre go ahead.

See, it could have stand ahead presented necessitan interpretation in Spanish.

Thank you, Will.

So Mr.

Susan, we'll mess on the fanny that she know the sign on the Pompian.

So you can see Jira.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Back to you, Mayor.

Thank you, Madam City Clerk, and thank you to our translators this evening.

All right, with that, we'll move on to uh item six, a report, if any on study and closed sessions.

Madam City Attorney.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Um, there is no reportable action taken in closed session today.

Um we just completed a study session um regarding South Santa Rosa specific plan use and circulation alternatives.

And that's the end of my report.

Wonderful.

Thank you very much.

All right, with that, let's move on to item 7.1, our proclamation from women's history month.

Ms.

McDonald.

Thank you, Mayor.

It's my honor to do this proclamation today.

Whereas the theme for Women's History Month, leading the change, women shaping the sustainable future, calls upon us to confront the wide range of overlapping global challenges, including climate change, economic insecurity, health care disparities, and threats to democratic participation.

And whereas the story of women throughout America and in Sonoma County is a story of women of all ages, races, and cultural backgrounds who lead campaigns for equity and civil rights, advanced professional and educational opportunities, founded entirely new enterprises and contributed significantly to the arts, sciences, and humanistic causes.

And whereas Women's History Month provides the opportunity for communities and schools to expand appreciation for the diverse contributions of women who've led and are leading sustainability efforts across environmental, economic, educational, and social justice movements, and empower action towards sustainability.

And whereas women's history month highlights how these challenges are intertwined and how women, particularly from marginalized communities, such as in parts of Sonoma County, often experience their impact most acutely.

Now, therefore, may it be resolved that Mark Stapp, Mayor of the City of Santa Rosa, on behalf of the entire city council in recognition of the significant role played by women in leading the charge towards lasting sustainable solutions to these complex challenges.

Do hereby proclaim the month of March 2026 to be women's history month.

Again, thank you all for being here.

And I believe we have Melanie Melanie Jones Carter of the uh let's see, the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women here.

Miss Jones Carter, are you there?

You are either either podium is fine, Melanie.

Thank you.

Melanie, welcome.

The floor is yours.

Thank you very much for the proclamation.

Acknowledging Women's History Month.

The commission was started by the Board of Supervisors to provide support for women and girls in Sonoma County.

This past year, our commission has presented three panels, one on homelessness, one on immigration and mental health.

And our own council member Rogers was on that last panel panel.

Our next panel is going to be March, I'm sorry, April 9th, and we encourage you all to watch by Zoom or in person.

Again, thank you very much for the support.

Melanie, thank you, and thank you.

Thanks to the other commissioners as well for all for all of your work.

With that, we'll open it up to public comment on this item.

Would anybody like to comment on uh on this proclamation?

Seeing none, we will close public comment.

And Melanie and any other members of the commission or interested community members, look, let's do a photo down front.

Melanie, you want to come up to the front of the thank you again, Melanie.

Uh and with that, we'll move on to item 7.2, our proclamation for American Red Cross Month.

Mr.

O'Kropke.

Thank you.

Whereas in March, we recognize American Red Cross Month by honoring our neighbors who make its humanitarian mission possible in Santa Rosa.

Every day, their acts of kindness change lives, bring relief, comfort, and hope when help cannot wait.

And whereas this compassionate spirit runs deep in our community, just as it has since the inception of the American Red Cross 145 years ago, and whereas today, those that serve with the Northern California coastal region of the American Red Cross here in Sonoma County light the way during emergencies by delivering shelter, food, and comfort after disasters, providing a safe life-saving blood supply for patients facing conditions like cancer treatments, childbirth complications, and traumatic injuries, assisting military members, veterans, and their families with 24-7 global support.

We're empowering individuals with skills like first aid and CPR that save lives.

And whereas these collective efforts are a powerful reminder that the strength of our community lies in our shared commitment to one another.

As we mark Red Cross Month, let us celebrate our local heroes and resolve to continue lifting each other up so no one faces an emergency alone.

Now, therefore, it may be resolved that Mark Stapp, the mayor of the city of Santa Rosa, on behalf of the entire city council, in recognition of our community to hereby proclaim March 2026 to be American Red Cross Month.

And we have a couple of Red Cross members here to accept the proclamation.

Thanks very much.

We've worked with Greg ever since I mean with Jeff ever since the uh Tubbs fire, which is when I got involved with the Red Cross in the first place.

And we appreciate so much his work and the work of all of you in helping uh keep the community safe.

Uh Red Cross works in two different fields.

We work in the blue sky territory and the gray sky.

Gray sky is those areas where we have disasters that we have to respond to.

Uh most recently a month ago, Red Cross was tested by the National Red Cross to see how our local Red Cross is able to respond to a disaster.

There was a practice event at Finley Center in Santa Rosa where our disaster response team gathered.

We were expected to achieve a score minimally of 60%, meeting all the criteria in that test.

We met the criteria with 95%.

So we are ready to respond to disasters in Sonoma County.

Um, but we also do blue sky work, which is making people prepared in many different ways.

Um I do programs in K two education where we teach kids to how to be ready for home fires.

Uh I also install uh lead a program that installs smoke alarms in the homes of moderate to low income folks who cannot otherwise afford them.

We do that as free service.

I want to introduce two other members of the Red Cross team.

We have one of only two high school Red Cross clubs in the North Bay.

And Rosie Amedano is the president of the Santa Rosa High School Red Cross Club.

Good evening, everyone.

I'm a senior at Santa Rosa High School and president of Santa Rosa Red Cross Club.

In short, uh the American Red Cross has done great things.

Uh our club has hosted two blood drives uh during the year of 24 and 26.

So, you know, we're we're representing great things, and we've also hosted um we've installed smoke alarms uh around the Roseland area.

We've hosted fun fundraisers with Dave Hotchicken, and we're hoping to do many more things.

And thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

Also like to introduce uh Denny Sigman, who's uh a volunteer that does a lot of work with our disaster action team and services to armed forces.

Hello, my name is Denny Sigman.

Um I've been doing Red Cross for probably three to four years.

Um I do with deal with that with a disaster action team.

Whenever somebody has a fire, flood or displacement at home, we show up and try to pick them back up and put them back on their feet, and it can be by money or by a whole bunch of different little things um to help them get back on their feet.

I also do um the staff.

I'm not military, never been in the service, but we still help out with the military.

Um if you if your son or uh family goes off into the military, and I forget to tell the folks where I'm going or they don't know where they're going.

Red Cross is on every single base and except in Russia, and we can find that person most likely.

Um letter to them.

Uh we can get that out there for our veterans or current people, the VA, we can help them get through the services and help them get the help they need.

Um, and then also I do um SAFTAT and um emergency shelter, which is what Andy was talking about for Thunderbolt, where we'll get a shelter up and running uh very quickly um to help out people.

And with me, it's pretty much me, my wife, um Andy, my stepdad, my mom, and my aunt all are doing Red Cross.

So it's all it's a family affair, pretty much.

And that's about it.

Excellent.

All right, Andy, Rosie, and Danny, thank you for joining us.

We want to do a photo with you in an in a moment, but before that, we're gonna go to public comment.

Are there any members of the public that would like to say nice things about the Red Cross, which has helped out our community so many times in recent years?

Yay, Red Cross.

There we go.

That's that that settles it.

All right, we'll close public comments.

Um again, Andy, Rosie, and Danny.

If you could if you could come down front, we'll do a photo.

Thank you again to our Red Cross team.

And with that, we'll move on to item 8.1, an update on our new community engagement tool.

And I believe Misty, who was just uh volunteering as our photographer is is back on stage.

Thank you, Misty.

Thank you, Mayor.

It's good to be here.

Good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council members.

Misty Wood, Communications, and Intergovernmental Relations Officer.

Today I'm pleased to announce a new community engagement campaign called Let's Talk Santa Rosa.

This is our citywide effort to better understand our community's priorities as we begin planning for the 2026 city budget.

Yeah, that mic doesn't pick up very well.

Is this okay?

That's a little better.

You can pull it closer, yeah.

Whatever's whatever's easiest.

Not a problem.

All right.

The city's committed to doing a better job protecting and maintaining our quality of life and community and communicating more effectively with the people that we serve to ensure Santa Rosa can continue to grow as a safe, clean, and beautiful place to live and to work.

Earlier this year, the city conducted a resident survey to better understand what matters most to our community members.

Some of the key priorities identified include maintaining 911 emergency medical and fire response services, preventing streets from deteriorating, fixing streets and repairing potholes, maintaining 911 police response times and police response to violent crimes, keeping public places, including recreation centers and infrastructure such as sidewalks, medians, and landscaping safe, maintained, and clean for everyone.

And finally, maintaining fire protection services and wildfire prevention and preparedness programs.

As we continue this important conversation, we invite every resident and business owner to participate in our online community survey, which will be available tomorrow evening at srcity.org/slash talk.

That's srcity.org slash T A L K.

Their survey is bilingual in English and in Spanish.

And community members were will also be able to find the initial resident survey on that web page.

City staff are also available to speak at community groups such as neighborhood associations, business groups, or service clubs about this initiative, the budget planning process, and to collect feedback as well.

Interested groups can contact us at feedback at srcity.org or by phone at 707-543-4701.

We truly welcome every opportunity to listen and to engage, and we encourage everyone to participate in the survey and share their priorities.

This is an important one, Misty.

Thank you.

Let's talk Santa Rosa.

Questions from the from the Daisy.

All right, you've j you just stated it.

I'll ask a few questions.

You've just stated it.

How long is that survey going to be available?

It is open-ended at the moment while we continue to collect feedback.

Yeah.

Okay.

Am I correct in thinking that we want that that feedback sooner rather than later?

You are correct, Mr.

Mayor.

We hope that everybody jumps on it uh tomorrow evening is when it opens, and we'd like to hear from as many people as possible as quickly as possible.

Sometimes, you know, we get busy and we forget.

And so I would recommend for anybody who's interested to keep their eyes on social media and the website tomorrow evening so they can participate.

And and tell me again, we want that feedback because we are trying to identify the top priorities for our civ city residents.

Where's where we should be spending our time and our money?

Is that right?

That's exactly right.

So as we go through the budget planning process, those top five priorities that I listed were already identified, but we want to make sure that we branch out to the entire community and give everybody a chance to weigh in and share their priorities as we go through the budget planning process and kind of start that process here pretty quickly.

All right.

And Misty's kind of burying the lead there.

All right, folks.

Pay attention to this.

You're gonna read about this in the press democrat.

You're gonna be hearing more about this for months because we are starting our budget our budget conversations this year.

Uh well, they've they've been started, but you're gonna actually you're gonna start hearing more about them.

And let's talk Santa Rosa is gonna play into those budget discussions.

Uh so pay attention, you'll read about it more in the PD, and if you can go online and take the survey.

You're welcome.

Thank you for your time.

Uh actually sit there because I forgot to do public comment.

Uh I would love to have public comment on this item.

Would any members of the public like to talk about Let's Talk Santa Rosa?

Oh, I've I I expect it as much.

All right, Dwayne.

Thank you, Duane.

Thank you.

The floor is yours.

Hello, my name is Dwayne DeWitt, and I wanted to thank you for this effort.

I especially want to thank Ms.

Woods for reaching out and doing this new survey, Let's Talk Santa Rosa.

This can be a good thing.

Especially if you are the ones that are going to welcome every person and as get as many comments as possible, and then actually try to solicit the information that'll be the most helpful to get the goals done that the community decides.

Often what happens is a select group, perhaps business people or well connected people are able to influence the public policy decision making process better.

And it comes down to what you folks down there decide is best for us rather than us, the community, giving you the ideas of what are best for us.

So I know from the experiences over in Rosalind.

We don't really get good authentic community engagement yet.

We're hoping though that this could be the stuff that brings it forward.

And I say that because we had some employees that worked on the Santa Rosa General Plan that came over and met with us in Roseland one time and told us, oh, yeah, we're gonna get those ideas in there.

And then we didn't see them.

And those employees also left.

One went to Court of Madeira, one went to Richmond, and our ideas are just somewhere else.

But I know because we got a city council member that represents Roseland.

We got one that represents the city.

Those two folks could bring the voices forward of the community.

And I know Ms.

Rogers did when she was the mayor, man.

She got the West Side in there.

So thank you so much for doing this.

Woods, please don't forget us.

Did you know that she actually, when she was at Sonoma State University, worked on a project about Roseland?

How many folks would know that?

I know that because I've been around the block a couple of times.

Thank you, kindly.

Let's make sure the block is really nice for the entire city by now.

Thank you for the Sonoma State Plug, Mr.

DeWitt.

Are there any other members of the public who'd like to speak?

The floor is yours.

Uh thank you.

How do I exactly?

How do we exactly uh participate in this Let's Talk Santa Rosa?

You have a uh web address here.

Well, how do we contact Let's Talk Santa Rosa?

Uh as was discussed, it is online, the city website.

Or Ms.

Ms.

Wood, would you prefer to handle that?

If I may, it'll be available tomorrow online at SRCity.org/slash talk.

There we go.

Thank you.

All right, thank you very much.

Are there any other members of the public who'd like to comment on this item?

All right, we'll close public comment and we'll move on to item number nine.

Our city manager and city attorney's reports.

Madam City Manager, anything from you this evening?

Thank you, Misty.

In the interest of time, I will defer back to you.

Thank you very much.

Madam City Attorney.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Council members.

Um, I do have my litigation report uh for the month.

Um there it was one settlement previously approved by council in closed session that was finalized in the month of February.

Uh Vinuchi versus County of Sonoma et al.

In this case, a complaint for declaratory relief and injunctive relief was filed in federal court by homeless action and several unhoused individuals.

Uh this the case was brought against the city of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County related to the county's 2018 clearance of a homeless encampment within city limits.

Plaintiffs alleged uh multiple causes of action.

Um, one cruel and unusual punishment under the U.S.

and California constitutions, two, unreasonable seizure under the U.S.

and California constitutions.

Three, state created danger under the U.S.

and California constitutions, four disability discrimination under various federal and state statutes, and five, denial of reasonable accommodation under a federal statute.

Several of the plaintiffs dismissed their claims once they received housing.

Last month, the two remaining plaintiffs settled with the city.

The settlement includes no monetary payment by the city.

Plaintiffs released all claims against the city and waived any right to seek their attorney's fees and costs from the city.

In exchange, the city agreed to make written administrative policy updates related to how it handles removal of personal property of unhoused individuals.

Otherwise, our litigation load remains constant with 32 current current litigation matters.

There are trial dates assigned to approximately 30% of the trial court level matters.

We currently have four cases on appeal following rulings in favor of the city at the trial court level.

We continue to try as always to resolve smaller cases at little or no cost to the city.

And with that, that's the end of my report.

Thank you, Madam City Attorney.

Before we go to public comment, I know we're gonna have a full house tonight, and welcome to all of our friends from Skyhawk and elsewhere.

If you can take a seat, please do.

If you're gonna stand, you need to be against the wall, and you can't be blocking the walkways.

We did turn on the speakers outside.

So if you prefer to stand outside, you'll still be able to listen to what's taking place in here.

But if you're in chamber, please either be either take a seat or be back against the wall, not blocking the aisles.

Uh and sound does carry here.

So if you could if you could stay as quiet as possible, uh it does echo down to the front.

All right, with that, are there any members of the public that would like to make comment on the city attorney's report?

Oh, Mr.

Firon, good for you.

Go ahead.

Mayor, is this on?

Hello?

One, two, three.

Okay.

Mayor Stappen, members of the council.

I want to indicate that what the city attorney just mentioned is no little thing.

For eight years, the city of Santa Rosa and the County of Sonoma and Venuti now, butterfly and homeless action have been trying to figure out a better way of serving homeless.

Um it's been exhausting.

You've spent a lot of money on attorneys, and so is the county.

And so the settlement announcement that she just made is a big deal to the community.

We now have a settlement that indicates what each of us should be doing in the next year to three years.

Homeless Action and HEPA, which I had are have placed the settlement terms and a PowerPoint on HEPA.org.

So if anybody wants to see exactly what we're all supposed to do, HEAPA.org is the place to go.

It'll also be on homeless actions website next week.

Now, why am I saying this?

Well, we would like to invite you, now that this is over, to be full partners in trying to figure out a better way for helping homeless.

That includes, we hope, your reversal of a long-standing policy that would not let us put port a potties or sanitary uh um support to those encampments that require it.

We also would like to deal with you in a lot of other ways in a proactive positive way and not be hindered by a lawsuit which just ended.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Gregory.

Are there any other any members of the public, other members of the public who'd like to speak?

Mr.

DeWitt.

Thank you kindly.

I'll wait for the clock because that's most important.

Hello, my name is Dwayne DeWitt.

I'm from Roseland.

I'm a volunteer along Roseland Creek.

And unfortunately, some of the uh less well-off residents of our city actually live next to the creek on the creek banks.

When the rain comes, they get washed away.

Some things get washed away.

What was just said by the previous speaker would be really helpful.

Some porta potties near these kinds of encampments.

Right now, the defecation and uh other human waste goes right into the creek and right out to Laguna de Santa Rosa.

These are the types of things that we don't think about sometimes.

But when you're a volunteer, you see it.

I see it two or three times a week.

And it's heartbreaking.

I don't really want to tell somebody, hey, you shouldn't be down there when there's nowhere else to go when they're living under a bridge.

This is just really something that we could all work together.

Everybody that's here tonight could figure out a way to be better helpful to these who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Apparently, there was a guy, a French guy decades, oh, centuries ago.

His name was Voltaire.

He said even the rich could live under the bridge, but nobody should have to live under the bridge.

And if they are, at least let's give them some sort of facilities.

At Bayer Farm, we have a Bayer Farm port-a-potty.

We could do a port-a potty over by uh it's called Rosen Accelerated Middle School and Rosen Creek Elementary School.

We've got to get something going on because this is not the way people should be living.

Thank you kindly for your time.

Thank you, Mr.

DeWitt.

Are there any other members of the public who'd like to speak on this item?

Seeing none, we'll close public comment.

Uh, and thank you again for all the work on Banucci, Madam City Attorney.

That was an important settlement indeed.

I just want to give thanks to the city attorney's office.

Uh, this has been a long lift over many years.

It is correct that this was pending for eight years, and we have had staff that are no longer with our office working on this.

Um, this was a big lift, and I just want to congratulate the whole team.

Thank you.

Indeed, thank you.

All right, with that, we'll move on to item 10 statements of abstention or recusal by council.

Ms.

McDonald.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, I'll read I will be recusing from item 13.1 due to a personal relationship, and from item 16.1, based on the advice from the city attorney, I'm recusing on item 16.1 to comply with the fair process requirements that apply under state law when, as in this case here, the council is considering an appeal from the planning commission's decision on a project and is acting as a judge rather than a policymaker.

I've met with the folks that filed an appeal in the past and of late regarding this project, and because of the nature of those conversations, I'll be following the advice of the city attorney.

Thank you, Ms.

McDonald.

Vice Mayor.

I'll be recusing from item 13.5 because of a business relationship.

Thank you.

Seeing no other uh statements of abstention or recusal, we will move on then to mayor and council members' reports.

Are there any reports this evening?

Miss Rogers, you can kick it off.

Sorry.

Um, I'll take up the city manager's time.

Okay.

So uh March 14th, I was able to participate in uh She Ready event as a panelist and attended the Eritrean Women's Day March 21st.

I was a panelist for the screening of balance, which is a perimenopause journey.

Um, so thank you to Darcy and Zoe and the wonderful sponsors that put on the event.

Um I was incredibly honored to have joined a panel with the creators of the docuseries balance and three wonderful, very knowledgeable healthcare providers this past Saturday for the screening of balance.

The panel was to start the conversation about perimenopause and move it from a silent struggle that a hundred percent of women face when they reach uh that age um uh to a priority for our our community because a lot of women uh face perimenopause in in silence.

Um Saturday was powerful, and although um I was a panelist, I left more informed about how to show up for not only myself but other women in the community and their families.

And on March 23rd, which was yesterday, I was able to tour our materials lab.

Um the lab's goal is to ensure the city's infrastructure is built to last while remaining as cost effective as possible.

Um the lab provides quality control for the city's infrastructure focusing on asphalt, aggregate, soil, and concrete testing this year alone to date.

Although construction season has not even fully started, the lab has already performed 211 tests, building on the 1,739 tests completed in 2025, and 7,711 tests over the past three years by maintaining an in-house lab, the city avoids high cost of outsourcing, which typically exceeds 200 per hour with a two-hour minimum per test.

So the lab um has the ability to provide same-day services which prevent construction delays, and we have a lot of construction going on in the city mayor.

And most importantly, the lab um testing extends the life of the city pavement by about uh 25%, effectively saving 25% of the pavement budget.

Um, I would like to thank the small but mighty team at our um lab that works um to preserve the materials and make sure that we have the right materials uh being placed in our city.

Your passion and dedication to our city and the safety of our residents is very much appreciated.

So thank you for your time in hosting me yesterday, and that concludes my report, Mayor.

Thank you, Ms.

Rogers.

Ms.

McDonald.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, just a couple of things.

I'd like to congratulate the employees who got the service awards um for their service to the city for anywhere from five years, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years.

I was able to attend that event.

And I just want to say thank you for your service to the community, to all of our employees.

It is not just them that serves the communities, but their families as well.

They're 24-7.

And so congratulations to all that received that.

And I I want to um let Caroline Benueles be able to report out on another event we went to, but come back for just a small comment after that.

Thanks.

Ms.

Ben Willows.

Thank you, Mayor, and thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember McDonald.

Just really quickly, um, wanted to mention that uh I I took um Councilmember Rogers' advice and attended Arbor Day on March 14th at the Finlay Center.

And uh just to say I it was way out of my comfort zone.

I kill everything.

So I was I was really hesitant, but I went anyway and uh really enjoyed it.

And I just want to give a shout out to our staff.

Um the park staff and uh actually Director Hennessy helped me plant.

Actually, he did most of the work, but helped me plant a tree.

And um it uh was wonderful, and it was really great to see um all the young people that came out to also uh plant trees over at Finley, and just wanted to thank staff uh for all their work and all their expertise.

Really, really appreciate it.

Also went to the um service awards for um our employees and uh that's uh we don't get too many opportunities to thank our employees for the work that they do or the time that they stay um with the city.

And I just wanted to give a shout out to all those employees as well.

Thank you, Miss Ben Wellos, Vice Mayor.

Thank you.

Uh just one quick update uh from me on the 12th while on a business trip uh for work in Tampa.

I had the opportunity to meet up with the United Soccer League in the in Tampa in their headquarters, see their operations, meet with their staff.

Uh it's quite the impressive operation.

Uh they um oversee all levels of uh of their own league uh and all the teams in those levels, and it is uh quite the thing to see and uh also found out while I was there that they are planning on expanding and moving.

So um congratulations to them and their continued success.

And I look forward to bringing them to Santa Rosa.

Thank you.

Uh and I'll I'll go through a few items as quickly as I can.

Um last week I was actually in Washington, DC on behalf of the city.

Uh and among other items there, I was up there for three days.

Uh, I had the chance to be in a in a meeting with a group of other other mayors with Tom Homan, the border czar that you see on TV.

Uh and so, along with other mayors, including uh four from the state of Minnesota, we went back and forth with Mr.

Holman about immigration policy and immigration response.

And suffice it to say that it there was there were very direct statements made on both sides.

Um I won't go into detail here, but suffice it to say that Mr.

Holman got an earful uh and came back in kind, and it was interesting to be part of that face to face.

And that obviously has relevance for an item on our agenda later this evening as we consider an ordinance pertaining to immigration enforcement.

Um, as well when I was out there, uh, we did some lobbying for a $10 million grant that the Department of Transportation is allocated for the city, but not yet paid.

We need it to buy new buses so we can improve our bus lines.

Uh so again, some blunt conversations with the Department of Transportation, and hopefully that yields uh funds for the city eventually.

Uh and then there was a there will have been a litany of committee meetings this last week.

I will mention them very briefly.

Uh for mayors and council members association.

This is the association of all nine Sonoma County cities.

Uh we had a legislative update from Sacramento.

Uh it gave us a list of the bills that uh that will be affecting Santa Rosa and all the cities, well, Santa Rosa and Sonoma County.

Um, and then as well, we had a board meeting where we met with the Secure Families Collaborative, which is, of course, is a local nonprofit that's doing great work to support immigrant communities.

Um, again, some blunt discussion uh regarding uh the effect of policy, the effect of immigration enforcement policy on Santa Rosa and on Sonoma County.

Uh and then also for those of you who live in the unincorporated areas, we had a discussion about animal control policies, which you've been reading about in the Press Democrat.

Uh the Santa Rosa Playing Ground Honor Sustainability Agency and the Zero Waste Board both had budget discussions this week.

Uh I will I will leave it there.

Uh the employee service awards have been mentioned.

I will just add my thanks to all of our staff.

We have great staff here in the city of Santa Rosa.

Uh so again, when you read the articles in the Press Democrat about how about about how we are addressing our budget challenges and you hear about the work that the city is doing, know that we are unanimous here on upfront for how much we respect the work that our staff our our staff do.

Um we've got we've got superstars here.

Um finally, I will I will end with this um a very important item.

This weekend, we had the California Artisan Cheese Festival at the fairgrounds.

I mentioned this because I'm a native Wisconsinite.

We drew more than a thousand people to the fairgrounds.

We packed out that main that main building with people here to taste the California artisanal cheese.

Now Wisconsin should have a seat at the table as well.

I've got family listening in from Wisconsin tonight.

I want to make that clear, but nevertheless, it was a robust day at the fair, and it was great to have cheese as well as wine celebrated in county.

So thank you very much for the California Artisan Cheese Guild for organizing that.

Uh and with that, I'll conclude my report.

Are there members of the public that would like to make comment on any of the mayor and council members' reports you've heard this evening?

I will I will take that as a no.

So we will close public comment on that item, and when we will actually seem that the time is five o'clock.

We're gonna rearrange the order of our agenda a little bit.

We are gonna first go to our our public comment on non-agenda matters.

So this is the time for the pub for members of the public who wish to comment on items not listed on the agenda.

We're not talking pure vita or any of the other items.

We will do that public comment, and then we will go to our public hearing for the evening, which I know that many of you are here to are here to participate in.

So right now we're gonna do public comment on non-agenda matters.

Gregory, you have the floor.

15 seconds.

I think the council should watch today's Board of Supervisors meeting, and particularly item number 49 or 47, the measure o committee.

The report of the annual report of the measure O committee was delivered to the board, and the conversation at the board level about what to do next was extremely instructive, and all of you should listen to it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Gregory.

Are there other members of the public who would like to comment on items not listed on the agenda?

Mr.

DeWitt?

Yes, sir.

I submitted a card.

My name is Dwayne DeWitt.

I'm from Roseland.

I hope that everybody here today will get a chance to look at the press Democrat newspaper, where on the front page there's a story about an 85-year-old army veteran who faces homelessness.

The reason why his home may that he's had for 54 years, he and his disabled son living there may be evicted due to some financial misunderstandings is the best way to put it.

If you've heard of reverse mortgages, when his wife had a stroke, he thought he'd do a reverse mortgage, get some funding to be able to keep his wife there at home with him and live out her life, which she did in the home they'd had for 54 years.

So I bring this up because homelessness is not just some young folks that aren't getting things together.

This could happen to any of us.

There's a saying there, but for the grace of God, go I we need to keep that in mind.

So please go read the article and then think about the veterans, the people that are facing some difficulties, and then also look at the news that shows right now the United States of America is in two undeclared wars.

One in Latin America, Venezuela, one in the Middle East, Iran, which could spread to many other nations.

And they're talking of starting a third one over in Cuba, where we've been before.

So veterans, they don't get a choice.

They basically go and do what they're ordered to do, and then when they come home, they hope they'll be uh given some recognition beyond thanks, that they'll get the benefits they're promised, and that they'll be able to have a place to live, a place to be, an American for the rest of their lives, safe and sound because they defend the democracy that you have.

All these people here today because they want to participate in our government.

And the only way that can keep working is if we make sure that we have a democratic nation, and we make sure that we follow up on what we promised those veterans who are willing to die for our country.

I'll leave you with this.

There are currently homeless veterans right here in Santa Rosa that I know.

One in a barn, one in a shed.

They serve during Vietnam.

So think about perhaps helping them also.

It's the kind of thing where you don't really expect it until somebody you know is in that situation that's so desperate, and it can happen real easy to any of us here today in this room.

I thank you for the blessing of having free speech in my country.

And remember what makes it that way and why we have it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

DeWitt.

Are there oops?

Let's hold our applause, folks.

Uh yeah, there are other members of the public who wish to speak.

Please, sir, go ahead.

Let me just turn my phone off here.

Hello, good evening.

Can you hear me?

We can.

So my name is Jason Sweeney.

I live here in Santa Rosa, and I just kind of felt the need to uh remind everyone that we are uh obviously uh you know I heard some comments earlier about reminding us that we are in at war, and uh there's still a genocide happening in Gaza with our public tax dollars.

I just wanted to share an item with you that kind of floored me this morning.

This is a news item from this morning.

I'm just gonna read it to you.

In Gaza, local and international media outlets report Israeli forces tortured a Palestinian toddler to coerce a confession from his father.

According to reports from Palestine TV, Al Jazeera and others, the child's father was detained near the Al Magazi refugee camp on Saturday after he came under fire from Israeli soldiers.

He was forced to approach an Israeli checkpoint where he was separated from his 18-month-old son, stripped naked, and forced to watch as soldiers use a cigarette to burn one of the toddlers' legs while using a nail to puncture the other.

This comes as a new report published by a UN expert on Palestine warns Israel is systematically torturing Palestinians on a scale that suggests collective vengeance and destructive intent.

This is uh anyway, I'm not gonna read any more, but uh this is happening, this is from this morning.

So I just want to remind everyone like how does how does this happen?

Um how does it happen with our funding?

It happens because we stay silent, it happens because our governing bodies are merely administrators for the status quo, and we met with this city council for over a year asking them to pass a ceasefire resolution to to lend their voice.

I'll go ahead and point out that in November 2021 they passed a resolution about racism being a public health crisis.

And if I don't have time to go through the recitals, but there are many recitals in that resolution that this can this this body passed that they're just letting slide, and they let it slide for well over a year.

We all know it's happening, and that's happening with our tax dollars.

And once again, we we've we've we fanned out um we meaning the federal government can't find enough people to attack or drop bombs on.

Uh and yeah, I just wanted to bring us back to reality a little bit.

We can do better than this, and we need leaders that are not just gonna follow and pander to funders and the greed that are promoting it.

Thank you, Jason.

Next speaker.

Oops, oops, hold your applause, folks.

Hold your applause.

Next speaker, please.

Mayor, council, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, greetings.

To follow up on that, hundreds of U.S.

servicemen have died in the service of Israel.

Hundreds of them, including Marines.

I served in the Marine Corps.

See if I can read my notes.

Gas prices.

Gas prices need not have increased here because the U.S.

is not dependent on Persian Gulf Oil.

And because the U.S.

is the world's largest producer of oil.

I didn't know that until recently.

If the oil found on federal lands of our lands, our oil was sold only in the U.S., gas prices could be far, far lower.

The oil companies sell our oil where they get the most money.

They are capitalist.

This is capitalism.

How do you like it?

The government could require the oil companies to sell our oil only in the U.S., but it does not require it because the government is practically a wholly owned subsidiary of Wall Street.

A large oil deposit was found on federal lands in Alaska.

Oil companies sought congressional approval to extract this oil, our oil.

When the oil companies got the oil, they had Congress remove the provision requiring only sailing in the U.S.

Our oil went to Asia for greater profits.

It's what capitalists do.

Capitalists profit from this capitalism.

How do you how do you like that?

Uh Congress is practically a wholly owned subsidiary.

And the fact that the Great Straits of Hamoose is blocked, their profits have increased.

Every penny increase has been nothing but profit because it don't cost our oil companies a penny more to deliver that oil.

And the previous speaker was right.

Israel has been jerking our country around.

We've send troops over there.

We've now sent some thugs over there to help the uh IDF force.

That's a misnomer.

Uh terrorize and genocide the uh Palestinians.

When you're paying for it, and you won't do a resolution, shame on you.

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Are you that afraid of APAC?

Really?

If you're gonna be in those chairs, have some courage.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Are there any other members of the public that would like to speak?

All right, sir, you have the floor.

Hi there.

My name is Michael Datone.

Um, I am a member of uh I'm a member of I live in Santa Rosa here, and um I just want to echo everything that the previous two speakers said.

Um it's really unfortunate that this council didn't pass a ceasefire resolution.

Um at the time we were told by many many council members, um, including council member stapp that this was not a local issue, even though um it was an issue for many people in this community who are members of the communities that are um dying or at war or being uh genocided.

Uh many people in our community are part of those communities.

Um it is a local issue.

It's also a local issue because of the investments that the city has that it continues to have that continue to profit from uh from the genocide and from the wars that are happening.

So I just want the public here to be really cognizant when people claim that things aren't a local issue because um very often they are for many of us, it's very real.

Um it obstructs democracy when we're not allowed to to voice our opinion without getting shut down as being told that this is somehow not at your level of power when there's a reasonable demand being asked.

Um I also just want to uh I also just want to remind folks um when budgeting comes up, um just the importance of remembering that there are solutions in this community other than policing.

Um very recently a member of the community, Eric Brown was shot by a deputy Taylor McDonough during a wellness check.

He was sleeping under a church and um was harassed by a deputy and um someone from the press and got agitated.

Um, police are not always necessarily the best solution for cases like this, and it's really important that we look for other solutions in our community than escalatory ones that create more violence and potentially cause death, even though um even though Eric Brown was not killed, he very well could have been killed.

And so um I have the same level of outrage as I would if he had been killed.

So thank you, everybody.

All right, thank you, Michael.

Are there other members of the public who wish to speak?

Janice, go ahead.

Ms.

Carmen.

Um, I just want to say that I hope everyone is listening to what all of these people have to say.

There's a young boy who died in part in Spain, Gracie, the son of the Gracie family.

When I took a trip to Greece in the 80s, and if you said you were American, you got some blowback from that.

And the people who were affectionate toward us and cared, they said, don't say you're American.

Say you're Canadian.

And it gave me the chills.

I've always been proud of being American.

I moved to South America before I was 20.

I've traveled quite a lot, as you all know, but right now things have escalated beyond anything we've ever predicted in our worst minds, thoughts.

And I want to thank Caroline, especially.

I've been trying to think of how to communicate with you, whether to call you, write you, send you something.

I don't do email, you know, well.

But I want to thank Carolyn for opening up the conversation about the immigrants and the citizens being killed.

And it's been maybe six weeks ago.

I don't know.

I've kind of lost track of time.

I've been busy myself.

But I just want to say that things are beyond anything.

And people have to unite.

We have to collaborate.

We have to get together and be one and go against the evil that is being caused in our country.

But it's not just in our country.

It's globally.

It's reflected all over the world what America is doing.

And this hormouth, I don't even want to talk about it because I don't want to give any spies or thieves ideas.

But it's a very frightening situation.

And right now, China is making its own waterway out of China so that it won't have to depend on that.

But they're friends with most of the world.

So there's a lot to think about.

Children are being raised in this environment right now.

And just try to be kind to your neighbors and help each other and stand up for what you can and still have a life.

Thank you.

Thank you, Janice.

Are there other members of the public that wish to speak?

Seeing none, we will close this public comment on non-agenda matters, and we will go to the item that most of you have been waiting for, item 16.1, our public hearing on the peer reviewed recovery services appeal.

Now, while we're getting while we're getting, oh thank you, Miss McDonald will be has recused herself.

And I will look to, as we are getting set up for the presentation here in front, uh we I will look to our our city clerk to talk about how we're going to handle uh public comment this evening or public engagement this evening during the public hearing.

Madam City Clerk.

Thank you, Mayor.

I do want to remind people participating today in the meeting that the courtyard speakers are on as seats are now limited in council chamber.

At the time public comment is called for item 16.1, uh, the vida item.

Uh the mayor will allow for additional time for public commenters to make their way into the council chamber to provide public comment at that time.

So if you're listening from the courtyard, please know that we will allow additional time for you to come into the council chamber.

I'm gonna also turn it over to Lauren to provide instructions on the interpretation services, and then the uh Spanish and Mandarin interpreters will restate those instructions in those languages.

Lauren.

Thank you, Dina.

Um, if I could get the interpreters currently not interpreting to raise their hands so I can move you back over.

Thank you very much.

Claudia or Isidra, which one of you is available?

Thank you, Claudia.

Okay.

All right.

So we are continuing interpretation of the meeting.

For those just joining the meeting, live interpretation in Spanish and Mandarin is available, and members of the public or staff wishing to listen in Spanish or Mandarin can join the Spanish or Mandarin channels by clicking on the interpretation icon in the Zoom toolbar.

It looks like a globe.

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

Click done to activate and begin the interpretation.

Once you join your preferred language channel, we recommend you shut off the main audio so you only hear that language.

We also have headsets available for those in chamber who would like to listen in either Spanish or Mandarin.

They're available at the desk, the admin desk with share.

Claudia and Willis, if you would restate in Spanish and Mandarin, please.

Yes, thank you.

Uh personal que design escuchar in Español Mandarin pueden unirse al canal click in el icono de interpretación in la barra.

Se ve como un globo terraqueo.

Thank you very much.

Back to you.

We can see the tingle.

Thank you so much.

All right.

Well, thanks to everyone for their patience as we uh as we took some time to get to this item.

And thank you as we have said and thank you for your patience as we've set it up with the with the translations.

We are going to be repeating some of this when we actually get to the public comment section.

For those of you who are who are thinking about making a public comment, and I know that there are many because many of you, if you could a couple dozen have already signed up.

For the back of your mind, know that we're gonna have we're gonna limit public comment to one minute to make sure that everyone has a chance to speak.

We have a lot of public commenters tonight.

So as you're thinking through your remarks, just plan for uh you know, plan for having a minute to speak.

Um and I will thank him again, but to Dr.

Chen for helping to organize this evening, organize the public response.

Uh this is going to lead to a very engaged and interesting conversation.

So thank you.

Thank you, Dr.

Chen.

All right, with that, let's let's kick off our our uh show here.

We're gonna start with ex parte disclosures and we'll go right down the line, starting with Ms.

Rogers.

Thank you, Mayor.

I met with the applicant and the appellate.

I visited a site, but I have not met with either side of the applicant or appellate.

I met one time with the applicant and one time with the appellant over the phone.

I met with the applicant and the appellant and visited the site and have nothing further to disclose.

I've met with the applicant and the appellant and visited the site and don't have any further disclosures.

I met with the applicant and the appellant and I visited the site, and I watched a little bit of the planning commission.

All right, thank you very much.

We will then we'll now go right to our staff presentation.

Thank you both for being here.

Thank you, Mayor Stapp and members of the city council.

Uh my name is Sachin Rubisla, and the project before you today is the Pure Vita Recovery Services appeal.

City staff received an appeal of the planning commission's approval of a minor conditional use permit for a 24-bed community care facility located in an existing mixed-use building.

The proposed facility would replace the existing six-bed facility that is currently in operation at that site.

The use consists of non-medical residential addiction treatment with services including but not limited to monitoring and observing clients during the detoxification process, providing addiction education, and relapse prevention services.

In December of 2022, the planning commission held a public hearing at which the motion to adopt the resolution failed.

January of 2023, the minor conditional use permit was then withdrawn by the applicant.

And in May of 2025, we received a new minor conditional use permit application for a for the same project.

November of 2025, Planning Commission approved this project by a vote of four yeses, two no's and one absent.

And then in November, November 24th, 2025, we received two appeal forms.

The first is that the Planning Commission failed to adequately address or analyze environmental impacts pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act, including impacts to traffic, noise, and the general plan consistency and zoning.

The project was reviewed in compliance with CEQA and was found to be uh was found to qualify for three CEQA exemptions.

The first is uh section 15332 for an in fill project, and the project aligns with all of the criteria listed uh in the subsections of section 15332.

Uh, subsection A, the project is consistent with the general plan uh 2035, which was in effect at the time that the project was deemed complete, as well as the general plan 2050, which was adopted by the city council in June of 2025.

The project is also consistent with the City of Santa Rosa zoning code.

The general plan land use designation is uh mix of retail and business services and medium density residential.

The project is consistent with the allowed density for medium density residential, and community care facilities are permitted in all general plan land use designations.

The project is also consistent with goals and policies set forth within the general plan 2050 by providing housing and non-medical treatment for people dealing with addiction and supporting the existing business through expansion as well as the health of the community by uh expanding access to treatment and services.

The project's also consistent with the zoning code.

Uh the site is zoned CNSR or neighborhood commercial scenic road.

Table 26 of the zoning code identifies the specific land uses that are allowed within the city's commercial zoning districts and states that community care facilities of seven or more clients are uh allowed with an approved minor conditional use permit.

The project has also been found to be in compliance with the zoning code's regulations specifically for community care facilities.

Subsection B of CEQA guidelines section 15332.

Uh the project is located within the City of Santa Rosa's jurisdiction and is on a project site of no more than five acres, and is also located within an existing shopping center surrounded by urban residential development.

Subsection C, the project site is currently developed with a mixed-use commercial building, and it does not have any habitat value for endangered rare or threatened species.

Subsection D, the project will not result in any significant effects related to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality.

Did conclude that the project would result in a less than significant transportation impact on vehicle miles traveled, and the city's traffic engineering division has reviewed the traffic memo and the proposal and agrees with the findings.

And again, there are no requests to expand the existing building.

And lastly, the project is exempt from CECRA pursuant to CECO guidelines section 15183 because it is consistent with the General Plan 2050 for which there is a certified environmental impact report.

And it was also found to be consistent with General Plan 2035, which was in effect at the time of the application submittal.

And this section of CQL also mandates that projects which are consistent with zoning, community plan, or general plan policies for which an EIR was certified, shall not require additional environmental review unless there are project significant effects peculiar to the project, which there are not, therefore, there is no additional environmental analysis required.

The second grounds for appeal is that the proposed project is incompatible with the low density residential character of the neighborhood.

The use is proposed to occupy an seven existing residential apartment units within the multi-tenant commercial mixed use building.

The building is comprised of various commercial uses, both retail and services.

Furthermore, this Skyhawk Village building is located at the southwest corner of Highway 12 and Mountain Hawk, just at the southern edge of the Skyhawk neighborhood.

It's not within the low density residential neighborhood.

And it's on a commercial center, it's it's within a commercial center on a site that's zoned for commercial and residential uses and is physically separated from the nearest single-family residential properties by both Skyhawk Creek and Park.

The third ground for appeal is that the applicant misrepresented the nature of the business operations, including the number of staff and the quality of care provided on site.

Staff is not aware of any misrepresentation of the proposed operations.

The applicant did in the project description provide details regarding the future operation of a 24-bed facility, including the number of staff services provided and the structure of their program.

This uh sets forth how they would operate if approved and is not a reflection of their current operation.

Furthermore, the attached draft draft resolution does contain several binding conditions regarding the number of staff hours and new clients that may be admitted, as well as client supervision.

And the applicant does understand that if future operation of the facility is found to be inconsistent with the project description or other provisions of city code or with the conditions of approval that the operator may be subject to code enforcement action and potentially revocation of the use permit.

Oh, sorry.

The project has been reviewed in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, uh, those three exemptions that I had discussed earlier.

And I would also like to add that staff has received several public comments, both prior to the planning commission meeting and since the planning commission meeting, uh, they are both in favor of the project and also uh many expressing concerns about the project.

These comments are addressed in both the city council staff report as well as the planning commission staff report that are attached to the agenda.

Um but if there are any further questions about the comments that we received, um, I'm happy to elaborate.

The planning commission and the planning and economic development department recommend that the council by resolution deny the two appeals and uphold the decision of the planning commission to approve the minor conditional use permit to allow a 24-bed community care facility at 5761 Mountain Hawk Drive in Suites 201 through 207.

We are available for any questions, and we also have uh staff from fire, police, and traffic available if there are any questions, as well as uh Chair Weeks if there are any questions about the Planning Commission's decision.

Thank you.

Thank you, Nora Jessica.

All right, bringing it back to council for questions.

Mr.

Alvarez.

Thank you, Mayor.

A couple weeks ago, we were presented with an appeal of uh Yulupa apartments where state mandates gave us direction on how to operate.

My question on this project here are there any state is there state policy that whether we uphold the appeal or not forces or guides us to accept this application because it coincides with state law.

No, not that we are aware of.

Thank you.

Vice Mayor Gruppy.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Uh, a couple questions from me.

Um I believe you touched on it already, but can you expand on uh if complaints arise out of noise or smoking um under the expanded 24-bed operation?

What enforcement tools does the city have to address those?

Yes.

So if the city receives code enforcement compla uh code uh violation complaints, then our code enforcement team does go out and conduct an investigation.

And if they are found to be noncompliant, um then there are steps such as citations.

Uh first is usually learning experience warning.

Uh, I can move into citations and if it can persist, then uh possibly revocation of the use permit.

Okay, thank you.

I saw Lou in here somewhere.

I know his mantra is pretty much preach compliance before punishment.

So um but we have both uh uh available to us.

So um another question is some of the comments we've already received via email.

One of uh the um I'm curious who determines if this is a clinical operation or a residential operation and um how is that determination made?

Yes, so the their state licensing is what determines that.

So they're the state license that they have, and I can let the applicant touch on this later as well.

Their state licensing does not permit them to be considered a medical clinic or medical facility.

Um they are deemed a non-medical treatment facility, but they are allowed to do certain ancillary medical services as a part of that.

But they cannot be deemed a medical facility for offering those services.

All right, so it's a state licensing determination.

Okay.

Um and then um my last question.

Um, you know, we we've gotten a lot of feedback, not only on this, but other items uh that have come before about uh highway 12 and evacuations.

So through the city manager, if we can have either the fire chief or fire marshal address um fire evacuations and how things have changed since GLASA and Kincaid.

Do we have our fire chief here?

Uh Paul Loenthal is uh is on Zoom.

So he'll just policy would you like to promote it?

Address the issue.

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

Uh thank you for the question regarding uh evacuation specific to this facility.

Uh we did get a number of uh uh questions and concerns related to this particular project.

Um and you are correct.

Uh since 2017, a number of improvements have been made uh specific to the issues that we experienced in East Santa Rosa.

Uh most notably during the 2020 glass fire.

Uh even though we were aware of the amount of time that we would have to evacuate the east uh part of Santa Rosa uh again for the glass fire.

Uh we saw a number of people, uh, regardless of the type of education outreach that we have provided to the city all naturally go towards the west on Highway 12.

Um, with that, we have uh uh worked with our transportation and public works department as well as our police department and have implemented what we refer to as a flush plan that will help with evacuations uh in the east uh part of Santa Rosa and allow for a much more uh expeditious uh process.

Um it's also important to note uh that we have been working to refine our wild anburner interface.

Um this uh project uh does not fall in it, but it does fall within an evacuation zone uh that is uh uh in our wild end or urban interface.

Uh regardless, um, from an evacuation standpoint, this project would go through uh that analysis and that process, which we have done and we have uh reviewed uh several of the comments uh and our uh stance as far as how we would evacuate this particular area uh has not changed.

Thank you.

Uh follow-up question, would you uh in your professional opinion consider this um use any riskier than if these were residential units in the in this residential occupancy in the same units?

Uh so thank you for the question.

Uh so from a use standpoint, uh no.

Uh we uh look at uh occupants primarily within our wild end of interface that have what we refer to as bedridden or non-ambulatory uh clients as a higher risk.

Uh that's a conversation that we've uh uh had within our general plan discussion.

Uh however, even though this facility is not uh uh have any bedridden or non-ambulatory patients, um it's also not within our wildland urban interface.

Uh so from a risk standpoint, uh it would not be treated any different.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Any further questions from council at this moment.

All right, thank you both.

We'll move on then to uh let's see, uh Chair Weeks.

Our planning commission chair.

Thank you for being here tonight.

Thank you for your work on this.

Okay.

Uh good afternoon, Mayor Stapp.

Is that not too close?

And here I'm always telling everybody to get it really close, and I don't do it.

Sorry.

Um, good afternoon, Mayor Staff, Vice Mayor O'Krepke, and members of the city council.

As mentioned, my name is Karen Weeks, and I'm the chair of the planning commission.

And as I do when I come before you, I would like to give some context as to the commission's actions last year.

As you know, our responsibility is to implement plans, ordinances, and policies relating to land use matters.

On November 13th, 2025, the planning commission reviewed the request for a minor conditional use permit for this project.

Six of us were present.

Four members supported the project, two were opposed, and one member was absent.

At the meeting, we reviewed the proposal consistent with the general plan, land use designations, and zoning codes.

These are described in more detail in the staff report as well as in the staff presentation.

At that meeting, 43 spoke during the public hearing, 24 in opposition and 19 in support.

As part of our role, we are required to make certain findings consistent with the regulations.

Those findings are detailed in the attachment and the attached resolution that you have in your packet, both the resolution that the commission passed as well as the one being proposed by staff for you today.

As mentioned, two commissioners were not in support and could not make the required findings.

One commissioner was unable to make finding C, and that the proposed activity would be compatible with existing and future land uses in the vicinity.

He felt that converting all the residential units on a neighborhood commercial site to one type of residential use could change the nature of the residential units.

He also stated concern about the intensity of the use, and that there is no evidence that the intensity would not cause a change in the land use activity or affect existing and future land use.

He was also unable to make finding D that the site is physically suitable for the type, density, and intensity of use being proposed.

He mentioned that the parking lot is not easy to access, and though the intensity and thought the intensity is well beyond what is common on that site.

The other commissioner in opposition was unable to make finding B that the proposed use is consistent with the general plan and any applicable special or specific plan.

He cited several specific goals and policies of the general plan related to ensuring that growth and change will serve the community needs, fostering complete neighborhoods, the need for this type of service, and encouraging the development of housing.

He also stated that there's not a documented need for the specific expanded use at this site.

He also felt that the current six-bed facility is meeting the general plan goals and policies, and therefore he could not make a finding for the general plan consistency to expand.

And as I previously mentioned, the re the remaining four were able to make all the required findings that's detailed in the resolution.

So with that, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you, Chair Weeks.

Looking to council questions.

Please, Mr.

Lowenthal, welcome back.

Thank you, Mayor Mayor, and I apologize, need to uh clarify something.

Uh losing my voice following last night's community meeting.

Um the current project does fall within our existing wild interval interface uh fire area.

However, uh with the community meetings that we've been taking place in an item that will be brought up for you with council, our recommendation is actually to move this specific area out of our wild end of interface.

This area was mapped back in 2009.

Um with the changes both in the built environment, the changes to our local conditions as well as our fire history and the recommendations from the state fire marshal's office.

Uh this specific area uh is recommended to be brought out of our wildland urban interface and will uh be brought before council on April 21st.

Thank you for that update, Mr.

Lowenthal.

Uh all right, that that adds uh good information to our our um fire egress discussion.

Um Miss Weeks, well or well, we have you, or we have all of you together actually.

I wanted to I wanted to know if you could give us a sense as to whether this location for a site of this general use is unusual in the city.

So I my wife and I, for example, we live over on Summerfield Road, just up the street from the from what was what was the SAY Dream Center, now is a Redwood Gospel Mission.

That was again in a in a mixed-use commercial center with residential all around it.

That was conceived originally as a hundred bed facility.

Um it's still you it's the it's still being used uh with a sizable number of units.

Um so that's one example I know from the city.

Are you able to speak from your expertise as to as to how many sites like this Santa Rosa has currently?

Uh thank you for that question, Mayor.

Um so I don't have the exact number of how many we have here in Santa Rosa.

Um we certainly can find that information um for the council.

Um I can say there's a a project that I actually worked on when I first started here at the city as a city planner, um, that was over off of Corby, um, that was a large community care facility um for similar type of of use um that was uh directly within a residential neighborhood.

Um there was a lot of concern at that time with that particular project, um, but they ended up being a very good neighbor um and very well received by the neighborhood.

Thank you.

Uh and I guess the I I wasn't looking for a specific number so much as a sense that this is this is in fact a kind of project that the city has undertaken in the past with some success, as I would certainly say the the SAY Dream Center and the current Redwood Gospel mission have been for our neighborhood.

Again, very comp very very controversial back in 2011 as it was being considered.

Uh, but it's been a uh it's been a good thing for the city to have those beds there.

We we need them in our community.

Ms.

Weeks, anything to anything to add from your from your perspective?

No.

Well, thank you.

All right, that's it.

Oh, Miss Fleming.

Yeah, thank you, Mayor.

Your question um had me come up with a question, which is I'm not familiar with the site on Corby.

Um, I'm familiar with Warwick Hospital.

It's a hospital site.

So just to clarify, there's other strip ball locations in the city of Santa Rosa where there's residential facilities.

So we would need to clarify uh that the one that I was speaking of is not actually in a uh retail location, it's actually uh within the neighborhood.

So are there any other facilities that are within retail locations in the city?

I am not aware, but I can get that information.

Okay, that would be helpful if possible.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Any other questions, Mr.

Alvarez?

Your question sparked your question, was sparked my question.

And my question is if this is or we cannot come up with another example of a facility within a commercial plaza or district.

And since we don't have anything that I've heard in our uh conversations about future general or general plans, would this actually be sending a precedence of what we can and can do throughout the city of Santa Rosa and other shopping centers?

Or would it be site specific?

Um I'd like to actually if I could.

Um we don't have that many residential units above a strip mall.

Um, and that's I think unique about this site.

Um I correct or not, kind of.

Um that was unique when it was built back 20 some odd years ago.

Um, is that there was residential above the strip mall down below, or the businesses and that is unique in Santa Rosa.

Yeah.

So that combination is unique.

Yeah.

To that point, I know that that a lot of conversations that happen throughout future developers throughout the city of Santa Rosa, uh, does involve the mixed use.

And I'm wondering how that could be influenced.

And when I think about Sebastian Road uh in Councilmember Rogers district, there is a two sides of the corridor towards the end of Sebastian Road, which does have the mixed use of the commercial on the bottom and the residential on top.

Uh community care facilities of seven or more clients are permitted in every residential and commercial zoning district, with the exception of uh oh uh vehicle, the vehicle sales district.

So this project alone would not set a precedent.

The zoning code already uh regulates where this would be allowed in the future, including other mixed use sites in the future.

You mentioned vehicle something.

Uh the it's the vehicle sales um commercial zoning district is the only district that does not, well, with the exception of we've got two open space districts where community care facilities are not allowed.

Otherwise, community care facilities that are the small up to six beds are permitted by right in all of our commercial, residential, and industrial zoning districts.

Um and they are um allowed with a minor conditional use permit in all of those same districts.

So a large community care facility anywhere in the city with the exception of the auto vehicle sales and the open space districts would need a minor conditional use permit, and we would be reviewed on its own merits.

Appreciate that.

Other questions at the moment?

All right.

Well, I will thank all of you for the information, and we will officially open the public hearing.

Uh, we're gonna start with the appellant presentations, and I believe we have Skyhawk United here to kick off the appellant presentations.

Who is uh Dr.

Chen?

Is that is that you making the presentation?

Wonderful.

Make your make your way back to the podium.

Thank you again for being here and for helping to organize the uh the community engagement.

So could you please bring up uh my slide?

Please speak loudly.

My slides.

One moment, they're getting them loaded.

Thanks for your patience, everyone.

We're getting the slides loaded.

I thought I was making some mistakes.

Are we up and going?

Again, thanks.

Thanks for your patience, everyone.

Minor technical difficulty.

Our city clerk has been working overtime at this meeting today.

So let me know if you there we go.

Are we are we close?

One moment, David.

We're almost there.

Thank you, Mayor.

We should be good to go.

Nora's going to advance the slides for Mr.

Chen, and we have a 10-minute timer started.

Wonderful.

And if somebody does have their microphone in the back because they're streaming the meeting, if you could turn down the sound, just because we're getting we can hear it all the way up here.

All right, Dr.

Chen, you have the floor.

Thank you.

Good evening.

Mayor staff and council members.

My name is David Chen.

I am here today representing Skyhawk United and the Bata Santa Rosa Coalition.

We are formally requesting that you overturn the Planning Commission's 421 approval and deny the minor conditional use permit for 5761 Mountain Hawk Drive.

We are not just a neighborhood group.

We are a citywide coalition.

Next slide, please.

I have served our city as a member of the community advisory board and as a leader in several cultural and face-based organizations.

My background in real estate gives me a professional lens on how land use decisions impact neighborhood stability.

I am here as a resident who deeply cares about the integrity of our general plan.

Next slide, please.

To be clear, we support recovery services.

However, support for service does not mean every location is appropriate.

This specific proposal is incompatible and unsuitable for its side.

Because it fails to meet the legal requirements for fundings C and D, and because it eliminates critical affordable housing units.

The permit cannot be legally upheld.

Next slide, please.

Dignity in recovery requires space and therapeutic peace and therapeutic space.

This proposal ignores those needs by cramming 24 high need patients into seven counter units.

There is no private outdoor area for the patients, no sustainable solution for smoking, and a massive fire evacuation liability for those individuals on the second story.

This warehouse model of care is a disservice to the patients themselves.

Next slide, please.

Look at this institutional island.

The site is surrounded by roughly 1,000 homes within a half mile radius and is directly on a primary student walking route to Austin Creek Elementary, which is less than 1,500 feet away, and it is sits about 400 feet away from an existing community care facility.

Most critically, it is located between two major wildfire evacuation exits, creating a dangerous bottleneck in a high risk zone.

Next slide, please.

Council cannot make funding C.

This project represents a fundamental shift from a neighborhood serving center to a regional institutional hub.

There has been no data provided to demonstrate the specific need for this scale at this location, making it entirely inconsistent with our general plan.

Next slide, please.

Furthermore, finding D cannot be made.

Next slide, please.

The applicant's other side at Rony Drive has left neighbors unhappy about noise and parking.

Patients there are seeing smoking on porches and in yards.

We have also seen neighboring house struggle to sell after multiple price reductions due to these operational impacts.

Next slide, please.

We are already seeing the one in suns at the 5761 Mountain Hawk Drive.

And parking is already at a breaking point.

Look at these pictures.

If the applicant cannot manage these impacts at a small scale, the Susanna cannot manage them when intensity is quadrupled to 24 beds.

Next slide, please.

The Planning Commission was misled by claims of broad business support.

The truth is that the applicant is the landlord for any time fitness, massage envy, and Adward Jones.

Their letters of support are a financial byproduct of a landlord tendant relationship, not a reflection of community consensus.

Next slide, please.

And 600 electronic signatures from residents across all seven districts in the city of Santa Rosa.

This is a citywide mandate to protect our neighborhood, especially the CN zoning, and to protect our residents.

Next slide.

In conclusion, the patient's needs are have been ignored, and the site is unsuitable and incompatible.

And the impacts on the neighborhood are already evident.

Mayor Staff and Council.

You have the discretion and the duty to say no on behalf of everyone who have been here and those who are listening on Zoom.

We urge you to uphold the appeal and deny the permit for the safety and integrity of Santa Rosa.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Dr.

Chen.

We'll move on to the let's let's hold our let's hold our applause.

Folks folks, I should have I should have explained a little bit more.

So we've got we have a lot of presenters tonight, and what we don't want to do is uh you know create an atmosphere where it's we're we're not uh cordial, we're not efficient.

So by all means, show your show your appreciation, but do it quietly.

You can do the do the traditional jazz fingers.

Uh and this especially holds true when you go on to public comment because obviously people will be saying things that will generate a lot of support, but we don't want to be applauding in between each and every comment.

We want to be moving efficiently between speakers.

So that's the reason to hold your applause.

With that, we're gonna go on to our second appellant uh presentation for the evening, Kelsey Maynard.

Are you here?

Kelsey, hello, thank you, Erin.

Business owner.

I actually live in District 4, but care deeply about this issue, and I really hope you listen with an open mind.

Because you have the power to listen to your citizens and to make decisions, not just because they go by the book, but because they're gonna impact your city and its future.

So I just ask that you listen with an open mind tonight and make a decision that supports your citizens because we have a petition of over 600 signatures, and there's not a petition from the City of Santa Rosa residents for this project, only against it.

And with that, I'll let our attorney Aaron take it from here.

Thank you.

Thanks, Kelsey.

Good evening, Mayor Stapp and Council.

I'm cognizant of our time.

Thanks for getting our slides up there.

Um my name is Erin Carlstrom.

I'm speaking on Kelsey's behalf as she attends to bomb duties.

Um this appeal tonight is not about the value of recovery services generally.

It's about whether this particular project at this particular location was lawfully approved based on the evidence in the record.

As you know, your role tonight is a quasi-judicial one.

The question before you is whether the planning commission's findings are supported by substantial evidence and whether the city proceeded in the manner required by law.

Would you please click to the next slide?

Thanks.

This is your standard of review under the code of civil procedure, section 1094.5.

Your task tonight is narrow.

You're not being asked tonight to substitute your policy judgment.

You're being asked to determine whether the findings are legally adequate and supported by substantial evidence in the administrative record.

If the findings are unsupported, incomplete, or fail to address key issues, the approval cannot stand.

Next slide, please.

The central issue in this appeal is zoning incompatibility and incompatibility with the general plan.

The project site, as you know, is located in the neighborhood commercial zoning district.

That district is intended and described by code to serve the daily needs of the surrounding neighborhood.

The approved project is a 24-bed residential recovery facility that serves clients from outside the neighborhood and operates at a scale far greater than existing uses on Mountain Hawk Drive.

The planning commission's findings conclude that the project is permissible in the zone, but they never explain how a regional residential facility serves the daily needs of the Skyhawk neighborhood.

That analytical bridge is missing from the record.

Again, this appeal is not asking whether the use is allowed somewhere in the city.

It asks whether the findings demonstrate compatibility with this zoning district at this scale in this location.

Next slide, please.

The record also reflects, whoop, we've skipped, that's okay.

I can talk about this one.

Um the project site is located in a high fire hazard severity zone.

The approval allows a significant increase in residential occupancy, but the record contains no project specific evacuation analysis that accounts for that increase.

CQO requires analysis of site-specific risks, particularly where a project may exacerbate evacuation constraints during a wildfile emergency wildfire emergency.

Again, this appeal does not argue that the project necessarily creates an unavoidable risk.

It argues that the required analysis is absent from the record, and therefore the city lacks substantial evidence to support its conclusions.

Next slide, please.

We also have before you unresolved concerns about whether the approval is supported by substantial evidence.

The planning commission's decision was split, as you heard from Chair Weeks.

Several commissioners raised concerns about intensity, neighborhood fit, and safety.

At the same time, the record contains extensive opposition from nearby residents, hundreds of households from across the city, not just the affected district.

The findings do not reconcile that opposition or explain why it was outweighed.

For purposes of judicial review, that omission matters.

Next slide, please.

We have as well unique to this decision tonight that we asked the council to be mindful of.

As you know, the council member representing the affected district has properly recused herself due to prior consultations with her constituents.

As a result, the neighborhood most directly affected by this project has no elected representative participating in the decision.

No fault is assigned for that circumstance, but it underscores the importance of careful and heightened scrutiny of the administrative record to ensure a fair hearing for affected residents.

Next slide, please.

For purposes of preserving the record and to build a clear one, we respectfully ask the following questions.

What substantial evidence in the record demonstrates that this facility serves the daily needs of the Skyhawk neighborhood as required by the neighborhood commercial zoning?

Where do the findings analyze whether quadrupling the intensity of the use is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood?

Is there any project-specific evacuation analysis in the record?

Where do the findings reconcile the scale of neighborhood opposition reflected in the record?

And finally, given the council members' recusal, how has the city ensured heightened scrutiny of this record?

Next slide, please.

We have presented for the council's consideration a variety of alternative conditions and mitigations.

While the appellant's position is that the project remains legally indefensible if the council is inclined to move forward with approval this evening, uh, these are a variety of conditions that uh would ensure compatibility and mitigate the impact to the neighborhood.

Next slide, please.

Finally, uh, the formal appeal, or excuse me, the formal request, of course, is that we ask the council to uphold the appeal and deny the CUP.

Uh, in the alternative, if the council is inclined to allow this project to continue under consideration, we ask that you remand it to the planning commission for an evaluation of these specific environmental impacts.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Miss Carlstrom and uh Miss Ms.

Maynard.

Uh, are there any questions from council?

No, I've seen no questions right now.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you both for that presentation.

Uh, we will turn then to the applicant's presentation.

Alex, are you here?

Good evening, members of the council.

Is that working?

It is.

Lean in that that mic doesn't pick up sound very well.

But thank thank you for being here tonight.

Okay.

I maxed out the height on this thing, unfortunately.

Um, my name is Alex Wignall.

Uh, I'm one of the owners and operators of Pura Vita Recovery Services.

Um, I wanted to start out by thanking uh our neighbors at the project location.

Uh Joe Zabluski, the owner of Massage MV, Patrick Cam, the owner of Anytime Fitness, Bob Duffield, the owner of the Edward Jones office, uh, Colleen Falconer, the owner of Colleen's coffee shop, uh, Ken Lafrankie, the owner of the entire building next door.

Uh, these neighbors all have a vested financial interest in the operation of their respective businesses at the site, with whom we share common space and parking.

Given the level of opposition our project has faced, it's no small gesture for them to publicly support us.

It's a testament to the good faith in which we have worked together to foster true neighborly relationships and an affirmation that the good work that we strive to do every day is making an impact and achieving its desired goal to provide quality, affordable addiction treatment to as many people as possible.

Uh, and I would also like to thank everyone at the city planning department who's helped us along the way and approved our project as well as the planning commission for seeing the value and appropriateness of our project.

It's been a long road, and we wouldn't be here without all of you.

Uh over the past months, we have held four public meetings, which were hosted by members of the leadership team at Pura Vita.

Um, Dr.

Chen graciously notified his sizable community email list of these opportunities to learn about Pura Vita and our work.

We also posted public signs next to the notice of public hearing signs, as well as flyers at Colleen's coffee shop.

Uh these two meetings, two of the meetings were held in person at Colleen's, which she generously offered for that purpose, and two were held via video conference.

While the turnout was disappointing, only two people showed up between all four meetings.

Um, despite many in the community being aware of their their happening.

Um we were glad to have the opportunity to educate those that showed up.

Um I want to take a couple minutes to address some of the misconceptions about the project that we have heard or that you may hear tonight.

Um, neighborhood effects.

Um there have been no complaints reported to the city, Pura Vita, or neighboring businesses or landlords.

Further, we have there have been no law enforcement calls for service relative to our residents, and many members of the surrounding community have not even noticed our operation.

Our other locations have likewise generated no complaints or calls for service that we are aware of.

The police department and fire department have both reviewed our application for safety and approved it.

New complaints about trash and smoking and or drinking in the adjacent park, including the pictures you saw in the appellant slide, uh, are not the result of our clients.

Our residents do not smoke in the public park or leave trash there.

They're supervised at all times, and the exits to our facility are monitored 24-7 by camera.

In fact, the trash in the park has been an ongoing issue that we've been dealing with with the neighboring landlord, and we've removed it at our expense from the city park.

Um I would also like to mention that something else you saw in the appellant slide.

Oh, he mentioned that um our neighbor at another facility of ours at 1506 Ronnie Drive was opposing this project and had reported that we were a nuisance and that our presence was affecting the value of her home.

Um, you all received an email from her this morning supporting the project and wishing us luck in our endeavors.

Uh neighboring businesses.

The proposed use will not affect the existing businesses at the center.

The facility will only use the existing seven residential units upstairs.

Supervision.

Our residents are supervised by between four and six staff members 24 hours a day.

Traffic and emergency evacuation.

A professional trip generation memo found that our use will have no increase on traffic and may reduce traffic from the project location.

There's no evidence that this project poses any greater risk during an emergency evacuation scenario, and we already have evacuation plans approved by Santa Rosa Fire Department, the Department of Health Care Services, and the Joint Commission.

How does Pura Vita manage security?

Pure Vita maintains an active and unblemished license from the California Department of Health Care Services, as well as an active and unblemished accreditation from the joint commission.

These regulatory bodies have sole authority to govern the operation of facilities of our type.

They require strict guidelines for client safety.

By operating a non-medical adult residential addiction treatment facility, Pura Vita is obligated to operate under these guidelines, and we hold ourselves to the highest standard in order to maintain a safe and effective treatment environment for our clients and neighbors.

These include policies and procedures of the highest standard for client intake, admission, privacy, and discharge.

In addition, the facility has a 24-7 video monitor.

The operation of our program does not fit the definition of CN zoning.

The neighborhood commercial district explicitly states that it encourages residential portions of developments in the zone.

Our use is residential in nature and a clear fit.

City staff, the planning commission, and the city attorney's office have reviewed our application.

None of them have raised objections to the suitability of our use given the zoning.

Pure Vita Recovery Services has no intention of changing any portion of the commercial use of the building located at the site.

The businesses there will continue to serve the day-to-day needs of the local neighborhood and workplaces.

Logically, apartments cannot, in any interpretation, provide for the day-to-day needs of local neighborhoods and workplaces.

Their uses as residential apartments, however, will remain the same.

As a non-medical residential facility, Pure Vita Recovery Services will continue to provide residential accommodation for up to 24 members of the community, including any immediate neighbors who may need our service.

To date, we have had multiple residential admissions from members of the Skyhawk community.

Housing loss.

Demonstrated need.

The idea that an applicant for a minor use permit must conduct a study to prove that services are needed at a precise location is baseless and not found anywhere in the minor use permit application requirements or the city code.

Frankly, if there's no need, the business will fail.

As Commissioner Horton noted in his public comment, it is the city's job to foster an environment where businesses can succeed independently in serving their customers.

With that said, a recent Santa Rosa Department of Health and Human Services internal study showed that drug and alcohol abuse are key contributing factors to some of the top causes of premature death in Santa Rosa.

No such study exists or could be created to measure the need for such services within a single neighborhood, but the need for services within Santa Rosa is well documented by DHHS.

Character and function of the shopping center.

As previously stated, the residential portion of the building will continue to be used for a residential use compatible with the city code and general plan.

Many additional concerns sent to the city via email center around vagrants, vandalism, criminal activities, and property values, and dangers to school children.

These have been left unaddressed until now because I think we can all agree that they are baseless and according to our nearly three years of operational success false.

Unfortunately, they are also discriminatory.

Our clients find themselves in the position of being members of a protected class.

There's vast legal precedent stating that these types of claims cannot be the basis to deny them housing or services.

The proposed project will continue to have no negative impact on the residential neighborhoods near our program.

Our community is not immune to the effects of our country's broader addiction crisis.

In fact, Sonoma County just lost one of its longest standing and largest residential addiction treatment facilities when Azure Acres closed its doors, eliminating over 50 available residential beds.

We hope to fill that gap and allow our neighbors a place to land when they need it most.

Pura Vita has been a pillar in the treatment community in Santa Rosa for 10 years.

Our reputation is one of quality addiction treatment and neighborly conduct.

Our only goal is to continue to quietly and effectively treat struggling members of our community.

In fact, Pura Vita was just voted best treatment facility in the North Bay by the Bohemian.

What we do is very hard.

Providing the services we provide comes with many responsibilities and duties, none of which we take lightly.

It is our hope that the city council sees the value in our work, the quality of our proposal, and recognizes the years of quality service we have provided and votes to approve this life saving project.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the support we have received and for everyone taking the time to show up today.

It's really important to us and it validates all the hard work that we've put in over the years.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Wegnall.

We'll hold our applause, but glad to see you have we have mixed mixed for both the appellate and the applicant.

Uh bringing it back to council for questions, Mr.

Rogers.

I have a whole list for you.

Um how close is your location to any other services, and will the residents need to access services while being at your facility?

Uh what types of services are you referring to?

Uh any any will, I don't know.

Will they need to access additional services or is everything kind of in in house?

Most everything is done in house, excuse me.

Um most everything is done in-house.

Um, anything that anything for which we require treatment outside of our facility, the client is referred out.

Um so you know, our clients do out go out for activities as part of their treatment.

Um, but we don't we do almost everything in-house.

Okay.

Um, and then also it's great to hear that you have uh robust amount of staff.

Um is there a smoking location on site?

And this has nothing to do with the picture with the one cigarette, but trust me.

Um, but it did come up, so I do want to ask is there a smoking uh location?

There is not a designated smoking area at the site.

There are two places on the site that we've identified with planning staff that might work.

Um it was a long conversation, and it was our understanding that we didn't we weren't required to have one for this application.

And so any smoking that takes place on the site will um comply with the the city zoning ordinance, um, up until including adding a zoning uh smoking area with the planning department during the permitting process.

Okay.

Um bear with me, I'm going in the weeds.

You ready?

Yeah.

All right.

Uh when we talk about our children and we talk about schools.

Um do you house or check for people that are registered or possible sex offenders?

We do, and then they don't receive service at our treatment facility.

Thank you.

Um, and then are there problems?

Uh this is, I guess, for our public safety.

So Chief, get ready.

Um, but I'll skip that one and go.

How many clients do you currently have in the location that we're talking about?

And do you have other locations uh throughout the city?

We do.

There are six that live full-time at the Mountain Hawk location, and we have two other locations, two other residential locations in Santa Rosa that also have six clients at each facility.

And what is the average uh occupancy?

Like a length of stay.

Uh number of people.

So if you have six, are the beds typically all full?

Um, and let's just talk about this.

Our average census.

Uh huh.

Yeah, um, we actually were just going over the numbers.

Um, we spend most of our time at or above 80%, including about 20% of the year were completely full and turning people away with a waiting list.

Okay, so there is a need.

Um, in are you planning to run a day programming for your other locations in this location?

No.

The other locations, the plan right now is to consolidate our operation into one location and have 24 beds at this single single facility.

We will maintain the license at one of our properties so that it can be used during the day for activities because it's about I don't know, two miles away, a mile and a half away, um, on a about I think it's about an acre.

Um, with we have our goats and our chickens and our garden and the pool um in a big group room there.

So a lot of daily activities for the the clients sleeping at the mountain hawk location will happen at that facility.

Very appropriate.

Um chief is is it yes?

There you go.

Um are there problems with uh the residents there or PD uh being called?

Because I heard you say that there were not, but that you knew of.

Not that I'm aware of.

So I would like to go to the person that would definitely know.

Yes, and I'll bring uh Captain Dan Morensic oversees our field services division.

He's been working very closely with our beat lieutenant uh Brenda Harrington, and he's been go pouring through the data, and he's prepared to go through that tonight.

Thank you.

Uh good evening, Dan Morensic, Santa Rosa Police Department.

So, what we did looking at it from a public safety aspect is we examined the historical or past calls for service we've had at the location.

And since 2022, there's been minimal calls for service.

We've had five calls for service, but none of them have actually been associated with that location.

It was with other locations within the complex.

So the impact to law enforcement has been minimal since 2022.

Thank you very much, Mayor.

That concludes my questions for now.

Thank you, Ms.

Fleming.

I um I wanted to follow up with some questions.

I don't know if this is appropriate for the applicant or for staff about the smoking area.

Um, actually, I think this question is for staff, which is where on site would be um would meet our zoning code that the facility could use to cite a smoking location.

So uh the initial proposal included a uh uh designated smoking area that is consistent with the city's smoking ordinance, but it was visible from highway 12.

Um that was not preferred by the planning commission.

Uh and therefore it was uh difficult to find a location that would be supported by the planning commission.

Um so the applicant ultimately chose to not include a designated smoking area because they are not required to.

So where on site would we take out just for a moment with all due respect to the planning commission, taking out their discretion, where on site would be um appropriate places, and I don't mean appropriate in terms of discretion, I just mean appropriate in terms of the zoning code um to cite as a smoking location.

Um thank you for the question, council member.

So um in looking at the the setback requirements um for just kind of the the traditional setback requirements for the CN zoning district as well as the additional setbacks for the scenic road from highway 12 um and uh looking at our smoking ordinance regulations as well.

Um there's uh it's it's very limited where an area could go.

Um it is within the parking area, but the uh the applicant has more parking spaces than is required for the use.

So taking up a few parking spaces for a designated smoking area would likely be in that that parking area um and not affecting the required parking for the site.

Right.

I I just wonder though, if um if that that code envision, like anybody I I've worked around mental health and substance abuse treatment facilities.

When you have these kind of facilities, people are smoking frequently, like all the time.

And so I just wonder if that would interfere with the other uses of you know, ingress, egress in the parking lot or for the other businesses in the facility.

Uh in the review that staff did, we did not find that it would have an impact on the other uses within the site and again and not on the required parking for the site.

Okay, thank you for the information.

Other questions?

All right.

Well, now is the moment that everyone's been waiting for.

We're gonna go on to our public comment.

So we have many, we have many people signed up already.

Uh our city clerk is gonna facilitate this, but I will remind everyone about a couple of things.

First of all, everyone will have up to one minute.

We want to use both of the podiums.

Obviously, we have a lot, we have a lot of speakers, and we want to make sure that everyone's heard.

So we want to go as quickly back and forth between the two podiums as we can.

And then a reminder again, no applause, please, or no cheering as we go from from speaker to speaker.

Show your support quietly, but we want to go back and forth as efficiently as possible.

And thank you again to everyone who came out tonight to make public comment.

With that, Madam City Clerk, can I turn it over to you?

Thank you, Mayor.

Briefly, I'd like to ask for a show of hands for those in the room who are speaking Spanish during public comment who would like to uh use interpreter services.

If you can please raise your hands if you will need interpreter services for Spanish.

We will pull as we go through the meeting.

I just wanted to get a sense.

And also for those needing Spanish or Mandarin interpretation services for public comment.

Can I please see a show of hands?

Okay, I'm seeing no hands be raised, but please know that interpreters will be available if oh, one hand.

Thank you very much.

Acknowledged.

We will have interpreters ready when you come up to the podium.

Uh Lauren, just so you know, in interpreters, we had one show of hands for Mandarin, and at this time, no hands identified for Spanish public commenters.

So I'm going to move through the list as people signed up, but you will have one minute for public comment.

We're going to start with Julia Stewart, followed by Lynn D and Joe Burroughs.

So if you can make your way to the podium.

And at the time of public comment, um, I'm going to turn it over to Lauren to provide interpreter services instructions.

Lauren, do you want to make that statement one more time?

Thank you.

All right.

And if we could um interpreters, if um you would let me know which one of you is able to be pulled over by raising your hand.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

For those just joining the meeting, live interpretation in Spanish and Mandarin is available, and members of the public or staff wishing to listen in either language, can join those channels by clicking on the interpretation icon in the Zoom toolbar.

It looks like a globe.

You're on your cell phone or tablet, locate the three dots, top them lightly, and put a check mark on your preferred language.

Click done to activate and begin the interpretation.

Once you join either the Spanish or Mandarin channel, we recommend you shut off the main audio so you only hear your preferred language.

Interpreters, would you mind restating in Spanish and in Mandarin, please?

La reunion de hoy tiene servicios de interpretación simultanea in Español y andarin.

Vamos a tener también services disponibles de interpretación consecutiva.

Gracias.

Thank you.

Back to you.

Yeah, you and Chalia Chingina Joshua needs to need a shit that you and the pinto bat to pinta.

Thank you.

Okay, we're going to move into speakers in the room.

We're gonna start with Julia, followed by Lynn, then Joe.

Julia, please make your way to the podium if you're not there already.

Excuse me, sorry to interrupt the CCCra the interpreter.

Can you put me back in the Spanish channel, please?

Thank you.

Yes, moving you right over.

All right, Julia, here you go.

Julia Stewart, and I'm here tonight as a mother from Rinkin Valley and as a woman in long-term recovery.

A few years ago, my son became addicted to synthetic marijuana.

In my desperation, I reached out to Pierre Vita and they responded immediately.

My son was sick and he needed a safe place to recover.

Tonight I'm asking you not to become a community that says if your family is struggling with substance abuse, don't come here.

Go somewhere else.

Because I don't believe that's who we are.

We can do better than that.

We know who we can be in a crisis.

When fires devastated our community, we showed up for one another.

Addiction is a fire burning through our families right now, and the answer isn't fewer resources, it's more.

The next generation is watching us.

What do we want to teach them?

That we turn our backs on people who are trying to get well, or that we show up with compassion and courage.

Addiction does not discriminate, recovery shouldn't either.

This expansion doesn't threaten our community, it strengthens it.

So tonight I'm asking you to be the kind of city that chooses connection over fear and compassion over stigma.

Our community and our kids' lives depend on it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Julia.

Next we'll go to Lynn, then Joe, followed by Caitlin and Ben.

Good evening.

My name is Lynn Dalpogetto.

Recently, my grandson Robert began vaping marijuana oil.

Fellow students that are called plugs, sell the oil to other students.

Some are in the sixth grade.

Soon he was in the ER with cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome.

We desperately need more recovery beds in Santa Rosa, the caliber of Pura Vita, where patients can continue rebuilding their lives and regain the trust of their loved ones.

The counselors at Pura Vita showed my grandson kindness, compassion, and respect.

Dysfunction and addiction does not discriminate.

That requires the best health care.

As a mother and grandmother, I'm appealing to your sense of humanity.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Joe, followed by Caitlin, then Ben.

Hello, my name is Joe Burroughs.

I live on Mountain Hawk Drive in the Skyhawk neighborhood.

I've recently retired as uh working over 25 years in community development for a local city as a plans examiner.

So I wanted to point out some things about uh building code issues.

First of all, under California Health and Safety Code Section 13131, non-ambulatory persons means a person unable to leave a building unassisted under emergency conditions.

It includes any person who is unable or likely to be unable to physically and mentally respond to sensory signals approved by the state fire marshal or oral instructions related to fire danger.

Then also the location of this facility is in a uh well-and urban interface based on California Wildland Urban Interface Code uh 1.13, which specifies the scope, and which includes this type of a project.

Um then, of course, this is a residential care um, which also includes under definition under the California Code, which is a drug and alcohol rehab facility under California Code Regulations Title 14 Division 1.5.

So the uh thank you.

The next speaker will be Caitlin, followed by Ben, then Mary Ellen.

Good evening.

My name is Caitlin Parker, and I'm a registered nurse.

I want to start by thanking the community for voicing your concerns for taking the time to hear me tonight.

Um, I've worked with Pure Vita Recovery Services for over a year, and I recently moved from Houston, Texas, to Santa Rosa to serve this community and help make it safer.

I'd like to address one of the main concerns, safety, especially with the school nearby.

One of our um facilities is also located about half a mile from another school, and in over a year, we have never had any incidents involving students or their surrounding community.

Our program is voluntary, structured, and closely supervised.

If a safety concern ever arises, we follow strict protocols.

Addiction does not dis uh discriminate.

It already exists in every community, including Skyhawk.

This project is not bringing a problem in.

This project is compatible.

For this who feels uncertain or nervous, I want to be clear.

We are part of the solution.

By providing safe, structured and regulated care, we are actively reducing harm and helping individuals in the in your own community heal and recover.

This project is not a threat to Skyhawk and is an investment in the safety and health of the community as a whole.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Ben, followed by Mary Ellen, then Matt and David.

Ben, are you in the room?

Ben, are you making your way to the podium?

Can you give me a wave so I know you're approaching?

Okay, thank you very much.

So we're gonna move on to Mary Ellen, followed by Matt, then David.

Mary Ellen, are you at the podium?

I am.

Okay, thank you very much.

Now I can see you.

Oh, right.

There you go.

All right.

Uh my name is Mary Alan Whitten.

I'm uh the co-founder of a nonprofit called Recovery Transportation Systems.

And what we do is uh partner with recovery centers like Pura Vita.

We've been together about five years now, um, to make sure that uh their participants that have often lost their cars, their license, you know, they probably shouldn't be driving, um, to make sure they have reliable and safe transportation to get to any appointment that they might need that's outside of recovery, you know, the DMV, the doctor, anything like that.

Um, and I'm co-founder of this nonprofit because my daughter is addicted to fentanyl.

Um, and she didn't set out to become an addict.

She was in a car accident when she was 18, given a giant bottle of oxies, and then it was all downhill from there.

So uh some of the other speakers talked about treating these folks with a lot of dignity and respect because there are people in here that are addicted to something, and we just don't know it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Matt, followed by David, then Jose and Christina.

Matt, thank you.

Hi, yes.

Uh, my name is Matt.

I'm here to support this project.

Uh I wanted to address one thing in particular.

Uh, this idea that this is uh this facility is not compatible with this neighborhood.

Uh a lot of you have come out here to say uh this this sentiment.

And um, you know, I I come from working for 12 years at the destination treatment model that I think a lot of you are championing here, saying that people should go away for treatment.

They should go somewhere that's remote and open and and retreat like, and I'm sorry that just serves the narrative that's keeping so many people in their addiction, which is that you should be ostracized and you should be isolated, and that's just not healthy.

Our model works because it's rooted in community.

People need to to shrug off that stigma uh that this community puts on them, many of whom are quite literally wearing it on their sleeves tonight.

This is this is a model that has done good for this community and will continue to do so for years to come.

So just wanted to say that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be David, followed by Jose, Christina, then Derek.

David, are you at the podium?

Right.

Thank you.

Please go ahead.

Good evening.

Uh, my name is Dave Paul.

I I live about 400 feet from the proposed site and right next door to a recovery uh treatment home.

I want to be clear that the six-bed facility is just right.

It's just right.

Our concern is with the proposed expansion to 24 beds.

And frankly, I need the city council to protect the city's general plan, and I need the city council to protect the neighborhood commercial zoning framework and keep the neighborhood system in place.

This 24-bed regional institutional hub just doesn't do that, and it places every other small um strip mall that you call it uh at risk for being converted into something commercially um viable.

So approving this project um would put those other places at risk, and we want you to uphold this appeal.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Jose, followed by Christina, Derek, then Burton.

Pure Vita Recovery Services gave me a true second chance at life when I needed it the most.

When I first arrived, I felt lost, overwhelmed, and trapped in the cycle of alcohol use that I could not see a way out.

What I found there was something I hadn't felt in a long time, safety, not just physical safety, but emotional safety too.

It was a place where I could finally be honest about my struggles without fear or judgment.

And that made all the difference.

From the very beginning, the staff created an environment built on trust, structural structure, and genuine care.

They met me where I was and helped me to take small steps forward.

In that same place, I was able to slow down, reflect, and begin to understand the root of my challenges for the first time in a long time.

I felt like I could breathe.

To those who have concerns about Pure Vita in our community, I would simply ask that you take a moment to understand the lives being changed inside of the walls.

Places like this don't take away from the community.

They straighten it by helping people heal, grow, and we return as healthier, more responsible individuals.

Everybody deserves a second chance, and Pure Vita is a place where those second chances become real.

Thank you.

The next commenter will be Christina, followed by Derek, then Burton.

Christina.

Hi, uh, my name is Christina Esfer, and I'm the program director for uh Pure Vita.

Um, I stand here today in full support of our expansion.

Every day I get to witness firsthand the impact that the quality of treatment and structured support can have on individuals struggling with addiction.

This work is not just important, it's life-saving.

Expanding our services means increasing access to care for those who desperately need it.

It means reaching individuals who may otherwise fall through the cracks.

It means giving more people the opportunity to find recovery, building their lives, and reconnecting with their families and communities.

Addiction does not discriminate, and uh the need for treatment continues to grow.

With this expansion, we're not just adding beds or programs, we are creating hope, restoring dignity, and saving lives.

I am proud to be part of an organization that is committed to the mission.

Um, and I strongly support any effort that allows us to extend and reach that impact.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Derek, followed by Burton, Peter, and Brooke.

Hi, my name is Derek.

It's really amazing to see how a community can organize and come together for something that they're passionate about.

I really just wish that it was directed towards uh supporting this treatment facility and the health and well-being of people that struggle with substance abuse.

Um, as the clinical director of Pure Vita Recovery Services, I'm uh a part of a team that that vets and assesses whether uh a potential client is suitable for our level of care.

So if the fear around that um is prevalent for you, just uh be mindful that uh that there are many people that put eyes on these clients before they come to our treatment center.

Um it was rather disheartening to see uh on the screen that we support uh treatment and support for people seeking recovery and then showing pictures of a cigarette butt and a beer bottle, assigning that to those people.

Um I really wish that we can bring this community together and support.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Burton, followed by Peter, Brooke, and Richard.

My name is Burton Edwards.

I'm here to express my support for Pura Vita and their mission.

I am a father of four and a grandfather to nine.

Two of my children and one of my grandchildren have developed substance dependencies.

I do not believe any of them would be alive today without the wise and caring treatment provided by facilities such as Pura Vita.

My 18-year-old grandson came to Pura Vita about a year and a half ago.

He was in trouble.

Today he thrives, has become a successful college student, and has a future.

Thank you to Ben and Matt and all at Pura Vita.

I ask that the city council deny the appeals and uphold the decision of your planning commission and recommendations of your staff.

Please vote to support the lives of those like my grandson.

Thank you.

Thank you, Burton.

The next speaker will be Peter, followed by Brooke, Richard, and Emily.

Peter, go ahead.

And I live just about the Skyhawk community.

We, the residential community, appreciate the existing six-bit uh drug recovery facility, but we're strongly concerned about the proposed 24-bit facility.

It's a 300% expansion, and it's the wrong project at the wrong place.

A 300% expansion is a major increase that changes the major function and character of the commercial center and its environment.

Because of the scale of this, the zoning conflict and the impact it's going to have on the surrounding neighborhood.

I don't believe this project should be allowed to continue.

For this reason, I kindly ask the council to upheld the appeal.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Brooke, followed by Richard, Emily, and Greg.

Brooke Nichols, and I am the director of Pierre Vita's Detox.

Um something I want to address immediately, and that is the questionable.

Is there a need?

You'd have you could read the press democrat and see the need.

People are dying from fentanyl overdoses.

They are dying in drunk driving accidents.

There is there is very much a need in this county.

Um I want to um call out something that I keep hearing from the Skyhawk people referencing their neighborhood, their businesses, their community.

It's not your community, it's our community.

Everyone in Santa Rosa is impacted by addiction.

Where you live, how much you paid for your house, where your kids go to school, none of that makes you or anyone else immune from this disease.

I guarantee you all know someone, whether you're aware of it yet or not, who struggles with substance abuse.

To keep acting like you're opposing this to keep addiction away from your neighborhood and your families is just silly.

It's already here, it's everywhere.

We're not bringing it here, we're fighting it.

We're trying our best to stop it from spreading.

If you care about your community, if you care about the health and safety of your loved ones, you should.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Richard, followed by Emily, Greg, and Kathy.

Hi, my name is Richard.

We cannot ignore the lessons of copy park and other wildfire disasters.

This site sits in a high fire hazard severity zone with limited evacuation routes.

The council must be able to say this project is not detrimental to public welfare.

This is a 24-bed, not six now, but 24 residents with one way out of a narrow parking lot now, living in dormitory style uh living on a second-story suite with no verified evacuation plan.

I do not see how that finding can be made.

And the operation also requires transporting residents off-site for smoking, day activities, and that transportation is part of the project's real intensity.

A bus or multiple vans would add loading, unloading, parking, and circulation demands to a site that is already constrained.

This is not just a traffic trap traffic question.

This is a physical suitability question.

For these reasons, I respectfully ask the council to uphold the appeal.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Emily, followed by Greg, Kathy, and DJ.

My name is Emily Rodke, and I am a drug addict in recovery.

So nice to see so many of my neighbors here tonight.

I recognize many of your faces.

I have been a resident of Skyhawk for the past 26 years, and I attended Austin Creek Elementary School the very first year it was open.

So if anybody is to speak on this topic, I do believe I have that right.

So the safety of these children that you're speaking about is my child.

This is what a drug addict is.

And I am a contributing member of the Society of Skyhawk.

I cannot leave my own home without being told that I don't belong in the neighborhood I was raised in.

Remember that the next time you talk about this.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Greg, followed by Kathy, DJ.

One moment.

Great.

Three minutes.

Awesome.

Oh sorry.

Oh.

My name is Greg Cornelius, and I'm in favor of the Fair Vita expansion.

I believe they're a great service to our community in Santa Rosa as a whole.

I just I hope that you vote to approve the expansion and so they can carry on and help many more people in our community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Kathy, followed by DJ, then Sing Chu.

Hello, my name is Kathy Ramazati.

First, I support recovery programs.

This is not an opposition to rehab.

This is an opposition.

Start again.

No, to speak into the microphone.

This is an up this is opposition to specific, poorly designed, highly high density models in a neighborhood setting that was designed for community use.

High stress, low privacy, and directly conflicts with accepted recovery housing principles and increases the risk of relapse.

This proposal places 24 individuals in recovery into six apartments with 12 shared bedrooms, two per room, and only two small, I'm sorry, common spaces.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be DJ, followed by Sing Chu, Ryan.

And as you're approaching the podiums, please be sure that you are close to the microphones, so we can hear you down in the bottom of the well as well as across the room.

If you're not uncomfortably close to the microphone, you're too far away.

DJ My name is DJ Femester, and I am not anti-rehab.

What I am against are all the issues that are being overlooked or ignored in order to move this project forward.

One primary issue is that this project changes the character and function of the shopping center.

Skyhawk Village was built to support local small businesses and everyday services.

If a neighborhood plaza like this can become a regional institutional hub, then no neighborhood serving center in Santa Rosa is really protected.

That is why it's not just a district three issue.

It is a citywide precedent issue.

Every neighborhood deserves equal protection under the same zoning framework.

For these reasons, I respectfully ask the council to uphold the appeal.

And uh the mayor earlier made a comment about uh SAY and that center.

Um that it was a business center uh for medical complex, and it was run by a nonprofit, not a for-profit business.

So I think there are differences there.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Sing Chu, followed by Ryan, then Young and Mary Ann.

Sorry, I'll Shing Wu Chang, right?

It's not my name, sorry.

Hi Niao.

Uh you Shangu Chen, why do you want to suit a shamu too quihua se dunda in shiang?

We dai to these guys, but shean but so yi why new the go supu ping hunt the whom shoe you doing hung could see the could see the guihua uh Su So Chi.

Thank you.

I'd like to have Lauren ask the interpreter to move over to the uh main channel.

Lauren.

Uh Willis, Hune, uh, could one of you raise your hand so I can move you over to the main channel, please.

Okay, go ahead.

You know what?

This is a mandaring interpreter.

So he gave a whole long speech, right?

So I need like when you speak a few sentences.

And there's a consecutive, and uh I can translate in the process.

My throat really hurts right now.

Okay, thank you.

Sing Chu, can you please make your way back to the microphone?

And the can you please uh make your request?

Yeah, we we have the uh translated uh into English here if you want to take a reader first.

Thank you.

One moment, I'll come up and grab it.

Yeah.

Council members, my name is Sing Chu.

I am from Wing Rincon Valley, and am I am concerned about the broader planning implications?

This project converts a neighborhood serving commercial space into a regional institutional use.

Once allowed, this type of conversion could spread across the city.

This is not just one project, it sets a precedent for future land use decisions.

At the same time, the facility serves as a regional population, serves a regional population while concentrating impacts on a local neighborhood.

That imbalance is concerning.

We need balanced planning, not concentrated impacts.

Thank you.

I'm not sure how to oh, Young, and then Mary Ann and David.

Ryan China Pira Vita, and um I am alive today thanks only to the treatment and support that I received from Peruvita.

Um I mentioned that only to give context for my support of the expansion.

Um I've been listening carefully tonight to the opposition voice here, and it's clear to me that it all stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of Pura Vita, um, their services, and their patients.

Uh as a former uh resident of Puruvita Skyhawk location, I can tell you with experience that the assertions that uh Peruvita neglects their patients' needs, uh, or that the site is unsuitable for expansion are categorically false.

And um, I just want to say that uh an expansion will have a negligible impact on the neighborhood, and I would personally invite Peruvita into my own neighborhood, the neighborhoods of my friends, and the neighborhoods of my family.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Young, followed by Mary Ann, David, and Jocelyn.

Young, are you coming to the microphone?

And if you need interpreter services, can you please raise your hand?

Okay, I'm gonna move on to Mary Ann, David, and Jocelyn.

Mary Ann, go ahead.

Hi, my name is Miriam Pone, I'm a retired sergeant for the San Francisco Sheriff's Department.

I want to talk about our children in our neighborhood.

I walk through the neighborhood twice a day, and when I walk, I see young girls and boys walking to Collains from which the caf the cafe that's underneath the proposed drug and alcohol facility with their sweet drinks and their treats.

These children are just beginning their lives, but the people up on the second floor have made their choice.

Yes, I understand that drug and alcohol is a disease.

However, to help them, we shouldn't impose on our children in our neighborhood.

Therefore, I vote for the drug and alcohol facilities, a vote against our children in our neighborhood, a vote against those young people's freedom.

Again, if you vote for drug uh per vita facility, you are voting against our children, their pleasure, their happiness.

So think about that when you cast your vote.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be David Jocelyn.

And if Young has entered the room or the chamber, please come make your way to the microphone.

David.

And two things that have not been discussed in two hearings.

Within a hundred feet of the proposed site is a restaurant with a full bar.

Within a half mile are two marijuana dispensaries, and numerous opportunities to buy alcohol at convenience stores.

Up and down Highway 12 and median strips are panhandlers begging for money and selling flowers.

And it appears the city is nothing not doing anything about it.

In front of the frontage road of Skyhawk, where this is proposed, cars are stacked up every day with for sale signs.

So the blight of the area is the issue.

It's not the issue of a need.

So I say no, please.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Jocelyn, followed by Wendy and Anastasia.

Yeah, just to make a uh Yan is here.

Okay, wonderful.

You we do have a need for interpretation.

Are you available to provide interpretation services for you?

Um are either of my mandarin interpreters available for interpretation.

You could raise your hand, please.

Okay, go ahead.

Uh uh tiny jung I like.

Oh, you might see uh.

Uh hello, uh every uh council member.

Well, that means this is a good as a priest.

So I'm I as a priest, so I do the same thing as those people need it every day.

Well, it's an each kung fu.

I sincerely support rehab service.

Yeah, DJ Kungzu the I.

Uh Shang Kunso the I.

Also understand the meaning of this work.

But care must be keep the same space as uh and uh so care and the fair must be working along.

Well, then put on time.

We cannot loosen up some policy in certain areas.

And then be more strict in some other areas.

Otherwise, it's not only unfair to the community.

Also reduce the fairness of the system.

The real high the real help is not just providing the body.

But also, you know, more important to provide the environment for the recovery.

Yeah.

So if the location itself is not suitable, so this kind of help is not real help.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Jocelyn, followed by Yen Ling, Wendy, and Anastasia.

Can you put a interpreter back to the channel?

Yes, we will move you.

We do have a number of other interpreter needs for Mandarin and the upcoming commenters.

Is Willis on the line to be of assistance also?

Okay.

Jocelyn, please go ahead.

Good evening, honorable counsel.

My name is Jocelyn Wang.

Historically, Santa Rosa is currently considered a high-risk fire hazard zone.

And California leads the country with an average of over 8,000 wildfires per year, with the largest single fire directly causing 85 deaths.

95% of these fires are caused by people.

And smoking is one of the largest contributors to this statistic.

In addition, smoking prevalence in California's residential treatment programs is at a high of 68.9%.

Although supervised by a worker, patients are adults with free will and accidents will inevitably happen.

The pure vita expansion poses a threat to our community because inpatients do not have a safe smoking space in this high-risk area.

The numbers don't lie.

The death risk outweighs the expansion of a single facility.

For this reason, I respectively ask the council to uphold the appeal.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Yen Ling, followed by Wendy and Anastasia.

Good evening.

My name is Yen Ling Hao.

I am a registration in Memorial Hospital.

A planning commissioner asked whether any study demonstrated the need for a 24-bed facility at the location.

So far, none was shown.

At the same time, statements during the last showing showed that uh last hearing show that most clients come from the broader, broader Bay Area, including Sunoma and Marine counties.

That means this is not really a neighborhood serving use.

It is a name regional use placed into a local neighborhood center.

If the city is going to approve a four-fold expansion of this kind, the applicant should at least prove why this side and the skill are justified.

For these reasons, I respectfully ask the council to uphold the appeal.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Wendy, followed by Anastasia, Mike, and Shalom.

Wendy, go ahead.

Hi, good evening, uh City Council members.

My name is Wandichin, a Skyhawk resident.

I'm here to um express my concern about the proposed expansion of Peroveda and its impact on the quality of life in the neighborhood.

At the prior hearing, it was stated that there have been no police report related to the related to the facility.

However, the absence of police reports does not mean there's no issues.

Many neighbors do not call the police for everyday concerns, such as smoking, uh littering or disturbances.

Expanding uh from six-bed to 24-bed will increase this impact and place additional strains on the neighborhood.

We should not rely on police intervention as the primary solution.

Instead, uh instead, uh city planning should consider a more suitable location where uh Pro Vida can better service its client without negatively affecting the nearby residents.

I respectfully ask the city council to uphold the appeal.

We are counting on your careful consideration.

Thank you.

The next commenter will be Anastasia, followed by Mike Shalom, and Ann.

My name is uh Anastasia Majash.

I'm a family medicine doctor.

I have worked on and off with patients with addiction and dependence.

Um the taxing can be very challenging, complicated, and dangerous.

Um withdrawals can be like threatening, and as much as we need centers that help people with addiction, I honestly do not believe that Sky Had Village is the appropriate place for it.

Skyhog Village is not located anywhere close to any large medical facility, and transporting patients in an emergency might be very dangerous to the patient and to the neighborhood.

I also believe that in addition to the there is a restaurant with a bar and an outside patio, and this is not a great environment for addicts or whoever wants to be sober to be there.

Plus, what Puravira is doing, they're not really expending anything.

They're consolidating three facilities into one.

So I do not see how it's actually adding that many bets to the to the problem of solving lack of rehab centers.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next public commenter will be Mike, followed by Shalom, Ann, and Dave.

Mike, go ahead.

Hi.

My name is Mike Rockford.

I live in Skyhawk.

I'd like to point out this is a business decision.

This is consolidating existing facilities into one with a negligible gain in beds.

This is a regional center with the applicant stating at the last meeting that they're bringing people from Marin County, Sacramento, San Jose.

Our neighborhood doesn't have this need.

We might have the need for a couple people, which is totally fine, but we don't need 24 beds.

Mr.

Mayor, he said the city needs these beds, but this is a commercial uh neighborhood shopping center.

Uh our neighborhood does not need these beds.

Uh six beds is great.

Um there was uh I feel the city officials have misled us.

Uh there was an attack at one of the other facilities where a client would not stop attacking one of the employees.

Um the fire department is just changing the designation very suddenly.

Um great detail about the over concentration of facilities, which I think is probably the strongest argument, and I urge you to uphold the appeal.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Shalom, followed by Ann, then Dave.

Hi everyone, my name is Shalom Sun, and I'm a fourth grader at Austin Creek Elementary School.

Okay.

Please be sure you're close to the microphone.

Thank you.

Hi everyone, my name is Shalom Sun, and I'm a fourth grader at Austin Creek Elementary School.

I walked to school with my friends, and I want to tell you why I'm scared about the big drug center going bigger near our home.

This isn't a lockdown place where people have to stay.

Okay.

This isn't a lockdown place where people have to stay inside.

The owner said grown-ups in the program can just walk out whenever they want, even if doctors say no.

That means strangers could be walking around our neighborhood all alone with no one washing them.

What if they come near our houses or to the path of school?

Me and my friends might not feel safe walking outside or walking to class.

Please don't let the center get 18 more beds.

Think about us kids.

Keep us keep our neighborhood safe so we can walk to school happily.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Anne, followed by Dave, Pamela, and Owen.

How awesome is that to hear from young people that have an opinion in civic matters.

I think that's super cool.

My name is Ann Brown, and I live in the Skyhawk um neighborhood.

We moved here three years ago, and I have um kids at Austin Creek and at Marie Creo.

Um we chose to live in Skyhawk United or Skyhawk neighborhood specifically because it was a complete neighborhood, meaning it had housing, parks, walkable school, and commercial space that serves the community.

Our little kids walk to school, our big kids uh walk to the gym, and we frequent the coffee shop and the restaurant together as a family.

We're utilizing the community resources as it was originally planned by the city and as is intended to be used.

The welcoming sense of the community and the safety, I think would suffer if this institution was allowed to expand because they are consolidating, not because they're actually adding more beds to the services they provide.

Recovery services are super important, and I applaud Puerto Vita for all the good that they're doing.

They had so many supporters here.

Obviously, what they're doing is really, really important to our community.

But this isn't about providing or not providing services.

This is about consolidation for them, and it's just not the right use of space.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Dave, followed by Pamela, Owen, and Nathan.

Dave, go ahead.

Hello, my name's Dave Williamson, and I fully support the need for drug addicts.

I've been supporting them for 15 years in every way possible, taking them to drug rehab centers and and providing all that their needs.

But this proposal is severely flawed because it doesn't take consideration of the venue.

This venue is completely wrong.

These people are under temptation when they when they come down the stairs and they see uh and they see the the bar right there.

And that's not fair for these people to do that to them.

Here is the answer that everybody needs to be aware of.

Support the people, but not in the public.

These people need to have a place where it's private for them and a place that costs less.

I provided three opportunities for Pure Vida to get uh three times less expensive uh proposal, and they didn't even listen to what I had to say.

Please go to Tani Dacisi.

Uh um, thank you.

The next public commenter will be Pamela, followed by Owen, Nathan, and Desiree.

Pamela, please make your way to the podium.

Okay, I'm not seeing Pamela make any moves.

How about Owen, Nathan, and Desiree?

Hi, my name is Owen Brown.

I'm 17 year old high school junior.

I want to focus on the quality of life impact on families and children in the area.

This is not a lockdown facility.

It is near a school, near a park, and neighbors several establishments.

This proposal changes traffic, neighborhood character, safety, and the overall quality of life for nearby residents.

I personally walk or ride my bike to Anytime Fitness in Skyhawk Village weekly.

I'm concerned for the impacts and safety posed by having such a facility in Skyhawk Village, both in my own day-to-day life at the location and for all other members of our neighborhood community who like me enjoy easy and safe accessibility of the establishments within.

I do not believe that the proposal's level of impact is compatible with this location.

For these reasons, I respectfully ask the council to uphold our appeal.

Thank you, Owen.

The next speaker will be Pamela, followed by Nathan Desiree and Bebe.

Pamela.

All right, we'll circle back.

Nathan.

Desiree, if you are on your way, please make your way to the podium.

Nathan, please go ahead.

I am Nathan.

Okay.

Um I'm a school bus driver for uh West County Transportation, and I've seen um some bus stops just not work out around the similar um circumstance.

So if uh the transit stop in front of Colleens or across the street is um currently used for a bus stop to please change that location.

I know that has to be okay with the superintendent, but it would I've personally experienced uh a passenger who didn't want to interact with a parent who was going through um the same situation through drug rehab, and it was just his or her desire to uh to be separated from his parent.

And I know it's hard for children to see their parents go through this.

So please consider um the children who go to school in the area, who walk, who ride the bus, and um get that stop changed.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker will be Desiree, followed by Bebe and Guoa Ben Okay.

There is a quote from Game of Thrones said by John Snow that everything said before the word but is a load of horse poo-poo, and I think that is a common theme for tonight.

We're okay with recovery, but not here.

That being said, I had to get out of my system.

Good evening, Senator City Council, and thank you for taking the time to hear public comment tonight.

Um, thank you to the clerks and staff.

I am one of you.

I am a city employee as well, and I know that you've probably been working since early this morning and will be here late tonight.

I am also a person that eight years ago you would not have wanted in your community.

I am somebody um that is in recovery, and I attended residential treatment in a big beautiful house in the middle of a beautiful neighborhood, and it was life-changing.

And I just wanted to come here to say that um recovery belongs in community.

Thank you.

Thank you.