Santa Rosa Planning Commission Regular Meeting - March 23, 2023
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Santa Rosa Planning Commission Regular Meeting - March 23, 2023
The Santa Rosa Planning Commission met on March 23, 2023 at 4:30 PM in the City Hall Council Chamber. The commission considered a one-year time extension for the Tierra de Rosas tentative map and reviewed the 2022 General Plan Annual Report. Both items were approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- John Poulson (adjacent property owner) spoke during the Tierra de Rosas hearing, stating he holds a recorded easement for 272 parking spaces and a historic truck easement across the project site. He argued the project would violate these easements and harm 15 Hispanic businesses, and requested the commission deny the tentative map extension. Staff noted the easement dispute is under litigation (lower court ruled for the county, appeal pending) with no injunctions filed.
- Chris Gunther (co-leader of Bikeable Santa Rosa) commented during the General Plan study session, expressing that progress on the bike and pedestrian network is too slow. He noted many listed achievements are studies rather than funded projects and urged the commission to increase ambition in the upcoming General Plan update and Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan.
Discussion Items
- Item 8.1: Tierra de Rosas (formerly Roseland Village Neighborhood Center) – Tentative Map Extension (EXT22-0019) – Project Planner Christian Candelaria presented the request for a one-year extension of the approved tentative map (MAJ17-006) to December 25, 2023. The project involves subdividing a 7.41-acre site at 665 & 883 Sebastopol Road into five lots for a mixed-use development with 175 multi-family units (75 affordable), a 25,000 sf civic building, a 5,000 sf marketplace, and a 1-acre public plaza. The property owner is the Sonoma County Community Development Commission (not Dave Kiff as originally listed). The project is CEQA exempt per prior approvals. Commissioner Cisco confirmed the correct expiration date and asked about the pending lawsuit over parking easements; the applicant’s counsel stated the lower court ruled favorably for the county but the decision has been appealed, with briefing due in April 2023. After public comment, the commission voted 5-0 to approve the extension.
- Item 8.2: Study Session – 2022 General Plan Annual Report – Supervising Planner Amy Lyle introduced the report, which covers calendar year 2022 progress on General Plan goals, policies, and implementation measures. Planner Sheila Wolski presented highlights including: 1,171 residential building permits issued (906 multifamily, 152 single-family, 113 ADUs); 413 affordable housing units permitted; transportation ridership recovery (1,028,440 fixed-route trips in FY 2021-22, UR Free youth program exceeding 150% of pre-pandemic ridership); parks improvements; public safety (203,547 police calls); water conservation (44% per capita reduction since 1990); watershed volunteer efforts (over 1,100 cubic yards of debris removed); and climate action updates. Commissioners discussed the need for more detailed reporting on roadway network improvements (e.g., Hearn Avenue interchange, Fulton Road widening), bike/ped staffing (active transportation planner hired, Nancy Adams’ position under recruitment), and clarifications on child care facility funding and the guaranteed basic income program. The commission accepted the report by unanimous vote.
Key Outcomes
- Approved Resolution PC-2023-007 granting a one-year extension for the Tierra de Rosas tentative map, extending the expiration date to December 25, 2023. Vote: 5-0 (Commissioners Peterson and Sanders absent). The decision is final unless appealed within 10 calendar days.
- Accepted the 2022 General Plan Inclusionary Housing and Growth Management Annual Review Report by motion (Commissioner Cisco moved, Commissioner Holton seconded). Vote: 5-0. The report will go to the City Council on consent (as the joint-meeting requirement has been waived during the General Plan update) and then be submitted to the state.
- Staff announced that the short-term rental ordinance update is tentatively scheduled for the April 27, 2023 Planning Commission meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. I'd like to call to order the March 23rd, 2023 meeting of the Santa Rosa Planning Commission. Can we have roll call, please? Commissioner Carter. Commissioner Sisko. Here. Commissioner Duggan. Here. Commissioner Holton. Here. Commissioner Sanders is absent. Vice Chair Peterson is absent. Chair Weeks? Here. Let the record reflect that all commissioners are present with the exception of Commissioner Sanders and Vice Chair Peterson. Thank you. So now we'll move on to item two, approval of minutes. We have no minutes today, so we'll go on to item three, public comments. We are now taking public comments on item three, which are non-agenda matters. This is a time when any person may address the commission on matters not listed on this agenda, but which are within the subject matter jurisdiction of this committee. Or commission. If there are any in-person attendees who wish to make a public comment, please step to the podium at the top of the stairs and state your name for the record, and you you will be given a total of three minutes. And if you wish to make a comment via Zoom, please please raise your hand. If you're dialing in via telephone, please dial star nine and then star six to unmute once called upon. So I don't see anybody going to the podium. Are there any hands raised in Zoom? Chair Weeks, there are no hands raised in Zoom and just an FYI. We have a couple members of the public in attendance, and then we have about four people who are staff in attendance. So with that, uh not seeing anybody, I will go ahead and close uh the public comment portion and we'll move on to planning commissioners' report. I wanted to start by reading our statement of purpose. The planning commission is charged with carrying out the California planning and zoning laws in the City of Santa Rosa. Duties include implementing of plans, ordinances, and policies relating to land use matters, assisting in writing and implementing the general plan and area plans, holding public hearings and acting on proposed changes to the zoning code, zoning map, general plan, tentative subdivision maps, and undertaking special planning studies as needed. So with that, we'll go to subdivision and waterways committee reports. Do you have any? Okay. And there are no committee reports. And so then on to Commissioner's report. Does any of my fellow commissioners have anything to report? Okay, seeing nothing. Uh we will go then to department reports. Uh yes, good afternoon, Chair Weeks, members of the Commission. Jessica Jones, uh, Deputy Director for Planning. Um, just wanted to give you guys a quick update that um the short-term rental ordinance, which I know uh you guys are all aware of. Um, we have been doing community outreach for that as requested by the council. Um that outreach has concluded, and we are working on um uh recommended updates to the ordinance to address some technical changes um that need to be completed. Um and that item is tentatively scheduled for review by the commission uh for your April 27th planning commission meeting. So at this point it's still a tentative date, um, but we do anticipate it will likely come to you on that date. So just wanted to give everybody a heads up, and that's all I have. Thank you. So uh item six abstentions, are there any abstentions?
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