Santa Rosa City Council
April 26, 2022

Summary Vacation of Public Service
Easement – Caritas Village
1 City Council Meeting
April 26, 2022
Kristinae Toomians
Senior Planner
Planning and Economic Development
Project Description
• The applicant seeks a summary vacation of a public
service easement (PSE) that has been partially
abandoned and relocated.
• The easement was reserved for public utilities within a now vacated alley right of way. All public and private
facilities that were located within the easement have
been removed and have been either abandoned or
relocated.
• Vacating the PSE is necessary for the orderly
development of the approved Caritas Village project.
2 Project Location/Neighborhood Context
3 Background
• Caritas Village is an
approved project that
includes the redevelopment
of a city block into a
comprehensive family and
homeless support services
facility/emergency shelter,
and a 126-unit affordable
housing development.
4 Background
• On March 3, 2020, the City Council
approved entitlements for the Caritas
Village project.
• On October 13, 2020, the City Council
adopted the Downtown Station Area
Specific Plan (DSASP). The DSASP amended
the General Plan designation for the
approved project site to Core Mixed Use
(CMU).
5 Vacation Exhibit B
6 Analysis
• Pursuant to California Streets and Highways Code
Section 8333(c) of the Code, the City may summarily
vacate public service easements if the easement has
been superseded by relocation, or determined to be
excess by the easement holder, and there are no other
public facilities located within the easement.
• In the case of the subject PSE, the easement has been superseded and any utilities within the easement have
been relocated. This public service easement meets
each of these requirements.
7 8
Environmental Review
• On March 3, 2020, the City Council certified an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and adopted Findings of Fact and Statement of Overriding Considerations for the Caritas Village project which necessitates this summary vacation. Pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines § 15162, no additional environmental review is required, as there have been no major revisions to the project and there is no new information showing the project will result in new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects.
• This action is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15305, minor alterations in land use limitations. 9 Recommendation
• It is recommended by the Planning and Economic
Development Department that Council, by
resolution, approve a summary vacation of a
341-foot by 12-foot (approximately 4,210-
square-foot), public service easement that has
been partially abandoned and relocated for the
Caritas Village project, which is located on a
downtown City block, bordered by 7th Street to
the north, A Street to the east, 6th Street to the
south, and Morgan Street to the west.
10 Questions
Kristinae Toomians
Senior Planner
Planning and Economic Development Department
[email protected]
(707) 543-4692