Santa Rosa Planning Commission Special Meeting – Fall 2021 General Plan Amendment Package – November 18, 2021
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Santa Rosa Planning Commission Special Meeting – November 18, 2021
The Santa Rosa Planning Commission held a virtual special meeting on November 18, 2021, convening at 4:45 p.m. and adjourning at 6:10 p.m. The commission considered the Fall 2021 General Plan Amendment Package, which included two public hearing items: the 38 Degrees North Phase 3 Apartment Homes project and the Brush Creek Minor Subdivision. All seven commissioners were present for the first item; Commissioner Jeff Okrepkie left at 5:34 p.m. before the second item.
Consent Calendar
- None.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Public comment period for items not on the agenda: one person initially raised a hand but deferred to speak on an agenda item.
- For the Brush Creek Minor Subdivision public hearing, four residents voiced concerns:
- Gerry Camarata (2345 Brush Creek Rd) requested the commission recommend reducing the speed limit on Brush Creek Road near Lyric Lane and preserving a wildlife corridor to Rincon Creek, citing roadkill and poor visibility.
- Azeneth Gregoire (5933 Lyric Lane) raised concerns about fire evacuation access, safety, and the character of the neighborhood.
- Dan Hoyle (5921 Lyric Lane) expressed concerns about the size and density of the proposed subdivision, lot sizes, and potential impact on property values.
- Edward Gregoire (5933 Lyric Lane) also cited fire danger, density, and neighborhood character concerns.
- No public speakers testified on the 38 Degrees North Phase 3 item.
Discussion Items
38 Degrees North Phase 3 Apartment Homes (PRJ21-011)
- Project Planner Adam Ross presented the proposal to amend the General Plan diagram and text and rezone the 15.82-acre 38 Degrees North site. Phase 3 would add a 30-unit multifamily development (one 20-unit and one 10-unit building) on a 1.29-acre portion, bringing the total on site to 322 units. The General Plan amendment would change land use designations from Medium Density Residential (8.0–18.0 units/acre) and Retail and Business Services to Medium High Density Residential (18.0–30.0 units/acre), eliminate the 'star' symbol designating a Community Shopping Center, and remove references to the center on General Plan pages 2-12, 2-20, 2-22, and 2-30 (the agenda and minutes list slightly different page combinations). The rezoning would change the site from CSC (Community Shopping Center) and PD-96-001C to R-3-30 (Multi-Family Residential).
- Applicant representative Dave Eadie spoke in support, noting that Zonda market research concluded the site could not support a grocery or anchor retail use, citing nearby competition and vacancy rates. He noted the property was acquired from Winco Foods, which no longer saw a demand for a grocery store at that location.
- Staff cited commercial vacancy rates: Sonoma County 7.7% (289,845 sq ft), Santa Rosa 8.4% (672,301 sq ft), and Santa Rosa Marketplace 6.1% (34,294 sq ft). The project would account for 1.17% of the market-rate goal in the Regional Housing Needs Assessment housing action plan.
- The environmental review was an Addendum to the previously adopted 38 Degrees North Phase 2 Mitigated Negative Declaration; staff concluded no new significant impacts would occur.
- All commissioners expressed support, with comments noting the need for housing and the changed retail market.
Brush Creek Minor Subdivision (PRJ20-008)
- Project Planner Kristinae Toomians presented the request to: (1) adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration; (2) amend the General Plan from Very Low Residential to Low Residential; and (3) annex and prezone the property to R-1-6 (Single-Family Residential). The existing dwelling at 2210 Brush Creek Road would remain, and the rear portion would be split into four lots ranging from 9,665 to 16,702 square feet, resulting in approximately three dwelling units per acre. The rear lot adjoins Rincon Creek Reach One; the Waterways Advisory Committee found the setbacks consistent with the Citywide Creek Master Plan.
- A written public comment about traffic and visibility at Brush Creek Road was noted; staff said the traffic division found no level-of-service concern and trips would be below the 110-vehicle-per-day threshold requiring a VMT analysis.
- The applicant was present for questions. Staff read a revised Finding D for the pre-zoning resolution, stating that the R-1-6 district implements the Low Density Residential General Plan designation and new development would comply with zoning standards.
Key Outcomes
- 38 Degrees North Phase 3: The commission voted 7–0 to recommend City Council approval of:
- Resolution No. 12072: Addendum to the previously adopted 38 Degrees North Phase 2 Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (State Clearinghouse No. 2020060247).
- Resolution No. 12073: General Plan Diagram and Text Amendment (GPAM21-001).
- Resolution No. 12074: Rezoning to R-3-30 (REZ21-002).
- Brush Creek Minor Subdivision: The commission voted 6–0 (Commissioner Okrepkie absent) to recommend City Council approval of:
- Resolution No. 12075: Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program.
- Resolution No. 12076: General Plan Amendment from Very Low Residential to Low Residential (GPAM20-003).
- Resolution No. 12077: Pre-zoning to R-1-6, as amended with the revised Finding D (PRJ20-008).
Meeting Transcript
Great, thank you so much. We hear MC Project Planner Ross, would you like to do a video audio check for us, please? Video audio check. Great, thank you so much. Planner Timans, would you like to do a video audio check first, please? Thank you very much. Thank you, Sean. Thank you. Perfect I hear and see you. Thank you so much. Project planner Gustafson, could you do a video audio check for us, please? Audio check, Andy. Great, thank you so much. All right, with that, um Chair Weeks staff is ready when you are. Thank you. They're bright and shining faces up. Okay. Uh Mike, are we ready to go? Yes, thank you for your patience. We are ready to go and you are. Thank you so much. Um good afternoon. I'd like to call to order the November 18th, 2021 special meeting of the Santa Rosa Planning Commission. Um, before we start, I have the following statement to read. Due to the provisions of the governor's executive orders n 25-20 and n-29-20, which suspends certain requirements of the Brown Act and the order of the health officer of the county of Sonoma to shelter in place to minimize the spread of COVID 19. The planning commissioners will be conducting today's meeting in a virtual setting using Zoom webinar. Commissioners and staff are participating from remote locations and are practicing appropriate social distancing. Members of the public may view and listen to the meeting as noted on the city's website and as noted on the agenda. Members of the public wishing to speak during item four, the public comment period or during our public hearing items tonight, will be able to do so by raising their hand and we'll be given the ability to address the commission. I'd like to ask the recording secretary to do roll call, please. Thank you, Chair. We expect the record reflect that all commissioners are present. Thank you very much. Item two, study session. We do not have any today. And item three, approval of minutes. We don't have any of those either. Item four is a public comment period tonight in our meeting. And I will now open the public comment period for any item not included in this meeting's agenda. If you wish to make a comment via Zoom, please select the raised hand button. If you're dialing in via telephone, please dial star nine to raise your hand. Each speaker will have three minutes and a countdown timer will appear appear for the convenience of the speaker and the viewers. Please make sure to unmute yourself when you're invited to do so. And your microphones will be muted at the end of that countdown. Oh, what we do, I'm sorry, we do have a couple of raised hands. So I will go ahead. Um, Mr. Maloney, will you? Sure, I just want to remind the members of the public with their hand raised that um this is for items not on the agenda. With that.
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