Extension Request and Project History:
This is a tentative map extension request for the project known as Tierra de Rosas (formerly known as the Roseland Village Neighborhood Center), due to various circumstances, including litigation and extended plan check review of the public improvement drawings, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sonoma County Community Development Commission (CDC) and MidPen Housing originally submitted an application for a tentative map and density bonus in December 2017. On February 28, 2019, the City of Santa Rosa Planning Commission approved the project. A neighboring owner, John Paulsen, appealed the Planning Commission’s approval to the Santa Rosa City Council and in April 2019 filed a lawsuit asserting the Project violated an easement used by Paulsen. On June 25, 2019, the Santa Rosa City Council denied the neighbor’s appeal and affirmed the Santa Rosa Planning Commission’s approval of the Project and environmental analysis. The Sonoma County Superior Court issued a final judgement in favor of the CDC, confirming the project does not violate neighboring easements. Both the appeal to the tentative map and the lawsuit have caused delays beyond the applicant’s control. The Tierra de Rosas public improvement plans were first submitted to the City in September 2019. Since then, the City of Santa Rosa has been reviewing and commenting on the public improvements plans in multiple rounds of written comments. MidPen and the CDC are working to resolve the remaining outstanding items from the latest round of comments in order for the public improvements to be approved so that the Subdivision Improvement Agreement and final map can be recorded, and they can then pull building permits.
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roject Description:
Tierra de Rosas is a 7.41-acre mixed-use development formally known as Roseland Village Neighborhood Center. When completed, the Tierra de Rosas project will include 75 units of affordable housing for families known as Casa Roseland, 100 units of market rate rental housing, a civic building for community uses, a commercial parcel envisioned as a mercado food hall, and a one-acre public plaza/park. The vision for Casa Roseland and Tierra de Rosas has been in the making for over a decade. The site, once part of unincorporated Sonoma County, was annexed into the City of Santa Rosa in 2017, furthering the need for collaboration between the City and CDC to realize the outcome of permanently affordable housing in this location.
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idPen Housing Corporation, a nonprofit affordable housing developer, is the master developer for the Tierra de Rosas project. The entire 7.41-acre site is currently owned by the Sonoma County Community Development Commission (CDC), and MidPen is working in collaboration with the CDC to finance and develop the infrastructure improvements required for the site. The infrastructure work associated with the master planned development include s the removal of existing utility lines from the former retail uses of the shopping center, and new gas, electric, water, sewer and storm for the new uses , including a stormwater catchment cistern for the entire development that will reclaim stormwater and be used for irrigation on the Public Plaza. New Attachment 4
public streets, sidewalks, curb, gutters, street trees and street lighting are also included in the infrastructure portion of the Tierra de Rosas. The completion of the infrastructure is the key component of moving the redevelopment of this underutilized land forward and completing much needed housing and community benefits at this location.
Automatic Time Extensions:
Additionally, we would like the City to confirm if the Tierra de Rosas tentative map is eligible for an automatic extension to June 25, 2023, under any the following bills: SB 1185, AB 333, AB 208, AB116, and/or AB 1303, which grant automatic extensions of tentative maps under certain circumstances. The possible new expiration date of to June 25, 2023 under an automatic extension is based on the time calculator provided by California Land Development found here:
https://californialanddevelopment.com/resources/. This is based upon the initial approval date of June 25, 2019 and the original expiration date of June 25, 2021.