Santa Rosa Planning Commission Meeting April 27, 2023: STR Amendments and Lazzini's Market CUP
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Santa Rosa Planning Commission Meeting - April 27, 2023
The Santa Rosa Planning Commission held a regular meeting on April 27, 2023, from 4:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber. Commissioners present: Chair Karen Weeks, Vice Chair Julian Peterson, Commissioner Vicki Duggan, Commissioner Terrence Sanders, Commissioner Charles Carter, and Commissioner Patti Cisco. Commissioner Jeffrey Holton was absent. The meeting included a public hearing on a conditional use permit for Lazzini's Market and a public hearing on proposed Short-Term Rental (STR) Ordinance amendments. The Commission approved the Lazzini's permit unanimously and recommended the STR amendments to the City Council on a 4-2 vote, with one friendly amendment.
Consent Calendar
- There were no consent items on the agenda.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-agenda public comment: Duane DeWitt (Sonoma County Housing Advocacy Group) spoke in favor of building extended-stay suites for seniors and veterans, arguing that commercial models could bring housing faster than traditional affordable housing.
- Public hearing on Lazzini's Market: No public comments were received.
- Public hearing on Short-Term Rentals: The Commission heard extensive testimony from approximately 45 speakers, with both supporters and opponents of STR regulations. Supporters (including property owners, managers, and hosts) cited economic benefits, flexibility, and income for families; opponents (residents and neighbors) cited noise, parties, safety concerns, loss of housing stock, and lack of enforcement. Several speakers expressed specific positions: Chris Clark, Jennifer Cogliandro, Gary Lentz, and others supported STRs; Marsha Shotwell, Eric Rail, Priscilla Bale, Maureen Lindy, and many others opposed non-hosted STRs in residential neighborhoods. Some requested adjustments to proposed rules, such as one-owner limits, the 1,000-foot rule, and fine schedules.
Discussion Items
- Lazzini's Market Type 21 Off-Sale ABC License (CUP22-074): Project Planner Mike Janusek presented the proposal to change the existing ABC license from Type 20 (beer and wine) to Type 21 (general) to allow the sale of distilled spirits for off-site consumption at the existing market at 3449 Bennett Valley Road. No interior or exterior alterations are proposed. The site is in a low-crime area; police had no concerns. Staff found the project consistent with General Plan policies and eligible for a Class 1 CEQA exemption. The Commission discussed the difference between Type 20 and Type 21 licenses and the legal allowance for off-site consumption.
- Short-Term Rentals Ordinance Amendments (REZ23-001): Senior Planner Shari Meads presented a comprehensive overview of the proposed Zoning Code text amendments to Chapter 20-48. The amendments include technical changes, new definitions, unit type restrictions, a one-per-owner limit for non-hosted permits, outdoor lighting standards, trash/recycling rules, water conservation signage, and expanded code enforcement penalties. Staff highlighted community engagement: two surveys, pop-up events, and meetings. Key statistics cited: 198 cap on non-hosted permits, 168 issued/18 pending (as of two weeks prior), 8 noise complaints out of 281 STR-related complaints since September 2022, 119 administrative citations, $85,000 in assessed penalties, and less than 1% of the city's 69,495 housing units used as STRs. The Commission discussed whether to ban non-hosted STRs (failed), the one-per-owner limit (maintained), fine scheduling (kept as proposed), and fire pit restrictions.
Key Outcomes
- Lazzini's Market: Motion by Commissioner Duggan, seconded by Vice Chair Peterson, to adopt Resolution PC-2023-012 approving Conditional Use Permit CUP22-074. Vote: 6-0 (Commissioner Holton absent). The Commission found the project consistent with all applicable findings.
- Short-Term Rental Ordinance: Motion by Commissioner Cisco, seconded by Commissioner Duggan, to adopt Resolution PC-2023-013 recommending the STR ordinance amendments to the City Council, as amended by a friendly amendment to delete section 20-48.070(B)(5) (outdoor burning, recreational fires, fire pits, barbecue grills, and similar items are not permitted). The Commission discussed but did not adopt changes to the fine schedule, two-night minimum stays, or a ban on non-hosted STRs. Vote: 4-2 (Chair Weeks, Commissioner Duggan, Commissioner Carter, and Commissioner Cisco in favor; Vice Chair Peterson and Commissioner Sanders against). The item will proceed to City Council, anticipated for the first meeting in July 2023.
- Next Steps: City Council consideration of the STR ordinance amendments; Planning Commission meeting scheduled for May 11, 2023, to appoint a Vice Chair.
Meeting Transcript
Chair Weeks, we're good to start on time whenever you're ready. Thank you. So with that, I'd like to call to order the what day is this? No. I'd like to call to order the April 27th, 2023 meeting of the Planning Commission. And if you could please take roll. Commissioner Carter. Your Commissioner Sisko. Here. Commissioner Holton is absent. Um just an FYI. He was supposed to remote in, but he can no longer no longer participate in this meeting. So the information at the top of the agenda is not needed. Um Commissioner Duggan. Here. Commissioner Sanders. Present. Vice Chair Peterson. Here. Chair Weeks. Here. Thank you. Um, and as recording secretary indicated, Commissioner Holton will not be here tonight. Um so with that, uh, we go on to approval of minutes, and we don't have any minutes tonight tonight, so we'll go to a public comment on non-agenda items. This is the time when any person may address the commission on matters that are not listed on this agenda, but which are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the commission. And if you are in person and want to make a public comment, uh please go to one of the podiums at the top. And you will be unmuted. And please state your name for the record. But you know the drill, don't you, Mr. DeWitt? Are you ready? Hello, my name is Dwayne DeWitt. I'm from the Sonoma County Housing Advocacy Group. Earlier this week we put forward a flyer that we sent in to you folks. We hope you've had a chance to read it about seniors and veterans extended stay suites. Hopefully you looked at the idea and the proposal. It's something that's a successful business model throughout the United States. It's been going on for at least a quarter of a century, where they build these extended stay suites, holiday end extended stay suites, uh, extended stay America, things of that nature. Here locally, we've had two housing uh short-term rental type of things, what are known as hotels in the past, that were built very quickly. One is the AC Hotel over here in Railroad Square, and the other is La Quinta down on Santa Rosa Avenue. The reason this was put forward to you is to point out that if you were to build housing on a commercial model, you could get it in much faster than if you tried to do it under your typical approach of affordable housing, sometimes taking up to a decade to a dozen years for the Lantana project in Southwest Santa Rosa and in other areas they've taken that long. So you'll say, well, we don't have a project before us. Well, part of the idea is you have a department that's paid for with taxpayers' money called the advanced planning department. And you folks could give them direction to say, how could we work with the commercial community to get these types of housing projects in quickly here closer to the center of town and have them be multi-story, just down the street. Now you've got Mr. Futrell's project seven stories. You can get these taller projects in with prefabricated modular building techniques, and they can be done within my lifetime. Affordable housing is taking far so long for so many of these people. Seniors and veterans are losing out on the chance. Some of them are actually having to lose their house, and then they end out on the street and maybe going homeless.
openpublica.com