Santa Rosa Planning Commission Regular Meeting - July 24, 2025
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Santa Rosa Planning Commission Regular Meeting – July 24, 2025
The Santa Rosa Planning Commission held a regular meeting on July 24, 2025 at 4:30 PM in the City Council Chamber. The meeting included approval of prior minutes, a consent item correcting a clerical error in a resolution for a cannabis dispensary, and a public hearing on the Meadow Creek Townhomes tentative map for a 62-unit subdivision at 533 Bellevue Avenue. All items were approved unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 5:19 PM.
Consent Calendar
- The Hook Dispensary, 817 Russell Avenue – Clerical Edit to Resolution: The Commission adopted a revised resolution to correct a clerical error in condition of approval 14(B), changing the permitted hours of operation for cannabis retail sales and delivery service to between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily, with any proposed change to be considered by the Zoning Administrator. The motion carried 7-0.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Janice Karrman (non-agenda matter): Expressed frustration with a property across the street that was clear-cut illegally and with a city violation on her property related to a damaged curb and road collapse. She stated she felt harassed and victimized.
- Erin Gomez (opposition to Meadow Creek Townhomes): Opposed the project due to lack of transparency from the developer Ryder Homes, stating she was assured the land would be for single-family homes and that two-story townhomes would be placed directly behind her fence, compromising privacy and property values. She also expressed concerns about increased crime and vandalism.
- Ross Hawes (concerns about Meadow Creek Townhomes): Raised concerns about parking and traffic congestion, particularly near Elsie Allen High School. He suggested reducing the number of units and ensuring proper traffic and environmental mitigation, including protection of Great Horned Owls.
- Janice Karrman (additional comment on Meadow Creek Townhomes): Referenced her earlier complaints, urging thorough environmental review to avoid future problems.
Discussion Items
- Meadow Creek Townhomes – Tentative Map Major (MAJ23-002): The Commission considered a proposal for a 62-unit townhome subdivision on a 4.78-acre parcel at 533 Bellevue Avenue. Staff presented details: 12 buildings (10 five-plexes, 2 six-plexes), 3-bedroom units from 1,500-1,800 sq ft, density of 12.79 units per acre (midpoint of allowed range), and 6 moderate-income below-market-rate units. The project includes common open space, bioretention area, and improvements to Bridges Drive. Parking exceeds code requirements (124 garage spaces, 50 uncovered spaces). The project is CEQA exempt per Government Code Section 65457.
- Applicant Presentation: Jay Ryder of Ryder Homes presented, noting the family-owned company's history in Santa Rosa. He addressed concerns about weed maintenance (limited due to permits), explained redesign per Waterways Advisory Committee recommendations, and clarified that a ranch-style fence (not steel) is proposed along the creek.
- Commissioner Questions and Deliberation: Inquiries covered emergency access (single driveway from Burgess with emergency gate to Common Way), traffic impact study (446 trips per day, 30-35 peak hour trips), parking and HOA rules (likely 2 cars per unit), setbacks, and stormwater design. Staff confirmed the traffic study was current and found no need for a traffic signal. Commissioners praised the project's redesign to make the creek a focal point.
Key Outcomes
- Approval of Meadow Creek Townhomes Tentative Map: The Commission voted unanimously (7-0) to adopt Resolution No. PC-RES-2025-012, approving the tentative map for the 62-lot subdivision. Commissioners stated they could make all required findings. The decision is final unless appealed within 10 calendar days.
Meeting Transcript
Commissioner Carter. Your Commissioner Sisko. Here. Commissioner Horton. Here. Commissioner Porto? Here. Commissioner Sanders. Here. Vice Chair Duggan. Here. And Chair Weeks. Here. Let the record reflect that all commissioners are present. Thank you. We have no remote participation under AB 2449. We have two sets of minutes, May 8th and June 12th. Are there any changes, corrections, etc.? Okay. So those will stand as approved. If we have any public comments on the minutes, please make your way to the podium. Seeing no one go to the podium on the minutes. This is on the minutes. Then we will go now to public comments. We are now taking public comments on non-agenda matters. This is the time when any person may address the commission on matters not listed on this agenda, but which are within our subject matter jurisdiction. And you will have three minutes and the timer starts now. Good evening, council staff. Janice Carman here. And I'm coming today on a current and existing and continuous land issue that has obstructed my life in a great way. That said, the property across the street from me was clear-cut a year ago, about the 2nd of August. I was trying to find out about it and uh couldn't get any information about it. It took six months for the city to get back to me and tell me it was totally illegal. Now they slapped a uh violation on me when the curb is damaged because the road has caved in. And the last time there was a sinkhole down the street from where the same people did a property uh arrangement, and they've had two other things turned down, one by the supervisors and one on Montclair Road, and they caused a landslide there. And I'm getting no respect, no acceptance, no turnaround of this violation, nothing. And I don't even know. I've spoken with 12 of the members of the city in zoning, planning. I go to all the meetings, everything, and nobody can tell me how much this would even cost, let alone resolve it. And it's frightening, it's really frightening, and I'm seeing this as complete harassment at this point, and that's all I'm gonna say. But thank you. Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak. It's made my life appear hell. Thank you. Anybody else speaking on items not on the agenda? Okay, with that, I will go ahead and close the public comment on this and bring it to item five, commission business. We are charged as a planning commission 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, uh we have commissioners report, item 5.2. Are there any commissioners' reports?
openpublica.com