Presentation — Santa Rosa City Council, May 24, 2022

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 1 LAND USE AND CIRCULATION ALTERNATIVES | MAY 24, 2022

CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING

COMMISSION STUDY SESSION

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 2 The General Plan Update process, known as Santa Rosa
Forward, provides an important opportunity to revisit and rethink community planning policies and programs.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 3 Community is directly engaged to identify opportunities and solutions at regional, citywide, and neighborhood
scales.

TRAILS AND

OPEN SPACE

BUSINESSES/JOBS

DOWNTOWN
STORES
NEW

NEIGHBORHOODS

FREEWAYS

NEIGHBORHOODS
PARKS
ROADS

SHOPPING

CENTERS

SCHOOLS

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 4 Alternatives
Process
We are currently in
the Land Use and
Circulation
Alternatives phase
of the project.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 5 Technical Advisory Committee
TAC includes approximately 75
members of City staff and partner
agencies.

Role is to review draft materials and
reports, provide technical support and
analysis, and support community
outreach.

TAC Member City
Departments Represented
City Attorney
Community Engagement
Finance
Fire
Housing and Community Services
Information Technology
Planning & Economic
Development
Police
Recreation & Parks
Transportation & Public Works
Water
SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 6 Community Advisory Committee
CAC’s key role is to act as
project liaisons to encourage
the wide range of community
members to participate in the
project.

The CAC is not a decision-
making body and will not have
access to information or take
action that differs from the
opportunities made available to
all outreach participants.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 7 Milestone Reports
Community
Involvement
Strategy
August 2020
Existing
Conditions
Report
December 2020
Briefing
Book
February
2021
Vision
Statement
August
2021
Alternatives
Workbook
January
2022

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 8 Alternatives Workbook
SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 9 Alternative 1
Central Corridors
Focuses future
commercial and
residential growth
near Downtown
and along Central
Corridors that are
connected to transit
facilities.

Most community
needs, such as jobs,
retail, and commercial
services, can be met
in or near the central
part of the city.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 10 Alternative 2
Neighborhood
Main Streets
Concentrates housing,
jobs, and community
destinations along key
corridors and at
community centers.

Nearly all residents
would have convenient
access to many daily
needs within walking
or biking distance,
reducing the need for
most daily vehicle or
bus trips around the
city.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 11 Alternative 3
Distributed Housing
Distributes new
duplexes, triplexes,
courtyard, and similar
types of homes
throughout the city on
parcels that can
accommodate new
housing.

Since new housing is
distributed in each
neighborhood,
residents might need
to travel by vehicle or
bus trip to access daily
goods and services.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 12 Alternatives Comparison
Alternative 1
Central Corridors
Alternative 2
Neighborhood Main Streets
Alternative 3
Distributed Housing

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 13 Community Engagement Event Set #2
Pop-Up Events
Pop-up booths at
9 community events and
major gathering areas.

Opportunity to bring
awareness to the project,
present the alternatives,
and encourage people to
attend a workshop or take
the online survey.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 14 Community Engagement Event Set #2
Community Workshops
Five in-person community
workshops held in March
2022 at locations
throughout Santa Rosa.

Workshops were presented
and facilitated in both
English and Spanish.
4 of the 5 workshops were
hosted in Equity Priority
Areas of the City.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 15 Community Engagement Event Set #2
Youth Voice Contest
A Youth Voice Contest
provided an opportunity for
youth to be creative in how
they answered the
questions “what makes
Santa Rosa the special place
it is today?”
Participants submitted
photos and poems.
“This photo was taken atop Taylor Mountain, on Santa
Rosa’s southern edge, and depicts one of our region’s
beautiful native oak trees and the setting sun. Although perhaps nothing beyond the beauty of such a romantic
scene compelled me to take the photo, I noticed it was
taken in December 2019, just months before the outbreak of the, ongoing, COVID-19 pandemic. With so many of us having had to spend this last year on our own, at home, and often indoors- this photo reminds me how fortunate
we are in Santa Rosa to have so many incredible local
examples of natural beauty around us…”
SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 16 Community Engagement Event Set #2
CAC/Staff Meetings and Presentations
Staff and CAC members organized
and participated in more than
15 meetings/presentations with
organizations throughout the City.

Meetings with organizations were
an opportunity to present the
alternatives, and encourage people
take the online survey or visit the
virtual studio.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 17 Community Engagement Event Set #2
Listening Sessions/ Focus Groups
To intentionally focus on Santa Rosa Equity
Priority Populations, the project team
started to coordinate listening or focus
group sessions, starting with residents who
have disability and farmworkers.

Exercises provide a safe and comfortable
space for people who usually face barriers to
getting involved in planning exercises, while
informing the project team and Update
process in a more inclusive and equitable
way.

Santa Rosa Equity Priority
Populations

1.Low-income individuals and families

2.Racial or ethnic groups experiencing
disparate health outcomes

3.Seniors, children, youth, and young
adults

4.Individuals with disabilities

5.Immigrants and refugees

6.Outdoor workers and farmworkers

7.Individuals who are limited-English
proficient (LEP)

8.Unhoused people

9.LGBTQQ+ communities

10.Individuals who are incarcerated or
who have been incarcerated
SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 18 Community Engagement Event Set #2
Virtual Open House
Included all materials,
questions and presentations
from the in-person workshops.

Participants able to provide
thoughts and feedback about
Santa Rosa's future, including
the draft Alternatives and a
range of policy choices.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 19 Community Engagement Event Set #2
Online Survey
Same questions from
the Virtual Open
House and the In-
Person Workshops,
but in a simpler
questionnaire format.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 20 Summary of Major Themes and Feedback
Economic and Housing Development
Strongly favored focusing new housing and job growth towards Downtown, along major corridors, and in neighborhood retail centers.

Generally disagreed with focusing new housing and commercial uses across the city proportionally to where they exist today.

Desire to not locate new housing/population growth within the wildland urban interface (WUI).

Desire to increase walkability and transit services and amenities throughout Santa Rosa.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 21 Summary of Major Themes and Feedback
Economic and Housing Development
While there was a preference to focus new housing in Downtown, there were also comments to ensure there is a mix of housing at a range of affordability levels located throughout the city (not just high-end or expensive housing formats).

Generally favored locating new housing within walking or wheeling distance to existing and planned shopping and dining areas, ensuring new shopping and commercial areas have multi-modal access.

Generally favored creating housing and circulation patterns that are more "age friendly" and conducive to seniors and the ability to “age in place.” SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 22 Summary of Major Themes and Feedback
Efficient and Sustainable Development
Strongly favored re-purposing major streets as
multi-modal corridors that include safe and
accessible pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

Strongly favored preserving natural
ecosystems and resources, such as plants,
trees, and wildlife within the city.

Generally favored allocating more resources
to communities that are the most vulnerable
to climate related hazards.

Desire to ensure that new growth is planned
and managed to ensure there is adequate
water supply and availability.

Sustainable
Natural resources are
restored, protected, and
expanded to provide
accessible green space for
everyone in all
neighborhoods, mitigate
drought, and minimize
greenhouse gas emissions.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 23 Summary of Major Themes and Feedback
Efficient and Sustainable Development
Desire to help insulate low-income households from the effects of climate change.

Generally favored improving bus transit services and amenities to allow convenient access to most neighborhoods, including improving multi-modal access to SMART stations and creating a complete network of bicycle facilities connecting neighborhoods to major destinations.

Generally disagreed with building new streets or adding lanes to existing streets, to provide more vehicle capacity.

Strong desire to ensure all neighborhoods have complete and accessible sidewalks, and access to bicycle facilities.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 24 Summary of Major Themes and Feedback
Resilience and Safety
Generally concerned with the ongoing threat of wildfires, earthquakes, and drought in Santa Rosa. There was also a concern about evacuation plans and strategies in the event of another major natural disaster.

Desire to address the effects of the current pandemic or the potential effects of future pandemics in the General Plan.

Strongly agreed with limiting the amount of housing in wildfire prone areas of Santa Rosa and ensuring that all neighborhoods have safe and efficient emergency evacuation routes.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 25 Summary of Major Themes and Feedback
Resilience and Safety
Respondents thought it would be good to consider limiting the amount of housing in flood prone areas and near earthquake faults.

Desire to balance the need for more housing (and denser housing) with safety considerations.

Desire to consider the needs of people with disabilities in the safety and evacuation approaches.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 26 Summary of Major Themes and Feedback
Equity in Santa Rosa
 Most respondents felt that pollution
exposure and poor air quality are issues
in Santa Rosa.
 Many respondents felt that
opportunities to be involved in
community decision making, access to
public facilities and services, access to
public spaces supporting physical
activity, access to healthy and affordable
foods, and access to safe and sanitary
housing are not major issues in Santa
Rosa.

Equitable
Everyone has what they need
to enjoy long, fulfilling,
healthy lives, including
affordable access to meet
their daily needs—including
healthy food, recreation,
education, childcare,
employment opportunities,
reliable internet, and physical
and mental health services.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 27 Summary of Major Themes and Feedback
Equity in Santa Rosa
 Participants strongly felt the following activities should be funded and prioritized to ensure each neighborhood receives equitable public investments in the coming years:
 Develop a prioritized list of improvements or services for each neighborhood.  Ensure environmental justice, safety, and equity related projects are funded and prioritized for identified Equity Priority Communities.  Ensure every neighborhood has access to parks and community spaces.  Prioritize development that addresses social and economic needs of the economically vulnerable populations.
 Address and reverse the underlying socioeconomic factors and residential social segregation in the community that contribute to crime and violence in the city.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 28 Summary of Major Themes and Feedback
Equity in Santa Rosa
Desire to streamline City review
and approval processes for new
projects to reduce cost and
expedite good projects.

Participants felt that the largest
sources of air quality issues for
them and their families include
vehicle emissions and wildfire
smoke.

Just
Social and environmental
justice are achieved for
everyone—all abilities, ages,
ethnicities, gender
identities, immigration
status, income levels,
language speakers, races,
religions, sexual orientations
and identities, EVERYONE.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 29 Summary of Major Themes and Feedback
Alternatives Comparison
 Strong majority of respondents favored Alternatives 1 and 2 (with Alternative 2 being slightly more favored).

Alternative 1
Central Corridors
Alternative 2
Neighborhood Main Streets
Alternative 3
Distributed Housing
SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 30 Summary of Major Themes and Feedback
Alternatives Comparison
 Major reoccurring refinements to the alternatives included:
 Focusing new housing growth near transit (current and planned) and near Downtown.
 Reducing the amount of new growth within the wildland urban interface (WUI) area to improve community safety and reduce the threat of future wildfire hazards.
 Creating more mixed-use neighborhoods along major corridors and within Downtown.
 Ensuring new growth areas can have adequate access to multi- modal transportation and future mobility options (e.g., drones, autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, etc.).
 Ensuring there is a range of housing types and affordability levels throughout the city to improve equity.

SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN UPDATE www.SantaRosaForward.com 31 How Are
Community
Comments
Being Used?
Wealth of comments
and ideas (400+)
during engagement
efforts, organized into
five broad categories
Reactions and refinements to the
three Draft Alternatives.Alternatives
Rankings and additional ideas
related to a range of policy choices
under consideration.

Policy Choices
Feedback and insights on
community health and equity
challenges and opportunities.

Health and
Equity
Feedback and insights on
additional challenges and
opportunities (not directly included
in the Alternatives Workbook)
Additional
Challenges and
Opportunities
General comments or questions
about the Santa Rosa Forward
process.

Santa Rosa City CouncilMay 24, 2022

Santa Rosa City Council
May 24, 2022