From: Lauren Fuhry
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] 1650 W Steele Lane
Date: Monday, August 7, 2023 7:26:05 PM
Hi there,
My name is Lauren Fuhry and I live at 779 Summerfield Rd, Santa Rosa. I'm writing in support of the development at 1650 W Steel Lane, and hope City Council will uphold the Zoning Administrator's approval of this project in its current design. Increasing the number of parking spaces will reduce the number of badly needed new homes in our community. I hope the City will take this opportunity to be progressive, forward thinking and visionary in its decision-making, and approve this development which is designed more around people than around cars.
Thank you,
Lauren Fuhry
From: Andy Rich
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] 1650 W Steele Lane
Date: Monday, August 7, 2023 9:16:50 PM
Dear City Council,
Do the right thing and do not bow to the political pressure. Please approve this project as-is. Do not delay approval of this project. Delaying the project will send bad signals to future developers.
I'm writing to request you uphold the Zoning Administrator's approval of the 1650 W Steele Lane Apartments.
Generation Housing has endorsed this project which aligns with many of the Santa Rosa City Council's stated goals, such as:Housing located near key job centers.Transit-oriented development.Access to healthy amenities.Infill development that drives more city-centric growth and reduces sprawl.Inclusionary housingReduction of Vehicle Miles Traveled which is in alignment with regional climate goals.
Sincerely,Andrew Rich
From: Victor Delpanno
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] 1650 W Steele Lane
Date: Monday, August 7, 2023 9:55:07 PM
We need more dense housing built around transit nodes to reduce urban sprawl and car- dependency. I urge you to deny the appeal and approve the permit for this project. -Victor Delpanno
From: City Council Public Comments
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Deny appeal re 1650 West Steele Lane Date: Tuesday, August 8, 2023 7:40:12 AM
From: Barbara Moulton < >
Sent: Monday, August 7, 2023 6:06 PM
To: _CityCouncilListPublic <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Deny appeal re 1650 West Steele Lane
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
I hope you will deny the appeal of the approval of the 1650 West Steele Lane housing development.
The project as described in today’s Press Democrat sounds great! Discouraging unnecessary car ownership is an important step toward livable cities. One of the outstanding innovations is leasing the parking spots separately from the apartments, so those who don’t have or need their own vehicle can save that expense. I applaud the city and the planning department for approving this project. The density of this infill will contribute to the viability of public transit in the neighborhood.
There are multiple bus routes serving the area, and the SMART station is a 10 minute walk away.
I understand there is consideration of a bike-sharing program for the location, which is good. A car- share system, such as the one I observed in Montreal, is another great way for people to have access to a car when needed but not need to own and park their own vehicle.
It works well in dense areas.
Please, Santa Rosa City Council, don’t back. down on this project. Deny the appeal.
Many thanks for your service.
Barbara Moulton
Santa Rosa, CA 95409
From: Bolla, Rhonda
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Item 16.3 -- Let 1650 W Steele Lane move forward as is Date: Tuesday, August 8, 2023 9:15:39 AM
From: Alexa Forrester < >
Sent: Tuesday, August 8, 2023 8:58 AM
To: _CityCouncilListPublic <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Item 16.3 -- Let 1650 W Steele Lane move forward as is
Dear Councilmembers,
I am writing ahead of your public hearing to urge you to follow the recommendation of the Zoning Administrator and the Planning and Economic Development Department and deny the appeal to the West Steele Lane apartments and allow the project to move ahead as designed.
This is a great project that will help support all of Santa Rosa's goals. It should not be delayed.
Although my family and I are big supporters and regular visitors to the Shultz museum and ice arena, we are saddened that they've adopted this wrong-headed stance in opposition to a much needed development.
If the Shultz museum doesn't feel there is adequate parking for their facilities, they should build that parking on their own properties, rather than forcing that burden and expense on another property owner, and slowing down the construction of much needed housing.
If they are concerned with increased traffic congestion, they should support the city's ongoing efforts to help people live car-free and car-light in Santa Rosa, such as by supporting transit-oriented projects like this very development, and multi-modal transportation options more generally.
Thanks for reading,
Alexa Forrester
Santa Rosa Resident
From: Gary Wysocky
To: _CityCouncilListPublic
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: item 16.3 appeal of 1650 W Steele Date: Tuesday, August 8, 2023 10:07:16 AM
Madame Mayor and Councilmembers,
Please reject the baseless appeal of the proposed multi family housing development at 1650 W Steele. This project conforms to city regulations and assists in attaining numerous civic goals. Infill also helps our surrounding neighbors by limiting sprawl. The county tradition of urban separators benefits with less pressure to expand outwards. This also is an example of Think Globally, Act Locally. This is a project within walkable distance of a regional shopping center and a regional transit line. Our area votes with an environmental conscious, this project is compatible with that.
Also please consider what approval of the appeal might bring:
Loss/delay of additional housing
Possible legal exposure for the city as the project conforms to mandated state regulations, and
Loss of co-operation from state government for future development grants.
This because of 6 (?) parking spaces? We have a developer waiting/ready to go. There are jobs there as well.
Thank you for your time and service to our city.
Gary Wysocky
From: Alexandria F
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] 1650 W Steele Lane
Date: Tuesday, August 8, 2023 12:11:47 PM
Hi there,
I'm writing in support of this development. We desperately need more housing in Santa Rosa, and this is a great location for families, and anyone commuting by bus, car, or SMART.
I'm a Santa Rosa resident who drives, bikes, and takes public transit.
Thank you for your time,
Alex
From: Grecia Mannah-Ayon
To: City Council Public Comments
Cc: Zack Deutsch-Gross
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Letter of Support for 1650 West Steele Lane Date: Tuesday, August 8, 2023 3:21:21 PM
Attachments: CORRECTED 1650 West Steele Lane Letter of Support.pdf Good afternoon,
We found a small error in the report referred to in the letter. Please find the updated letter attached with the correct link.
Best,
Grecia
On Mon, Aug 7, 2023 at 10:59 AM Grecia Mannah-Ayon < >
wrote:
Good morning,
It is with great pleasure that I submit the attached letter of support for the 1650 West Steele Lane development.
TransForm is a regional non-profit focused on creating connected and healthy communities that can meet climate goals, reduce traffic, and include housing affordable for everyone.
Over the past decade, we have worked with dozens of developers to evaluate the climate, community and affordability benefits of "right size" parking through the use of our GreenTRIP Connect tool.
We applaud the construction of additional housing with affordable units near transit in Santa Rosa.
Best,
Grecia Mannah-Ayon
Housing Policy Manager
TransForm
August 7, 2023
CityCouncilCityof SantaRosa100SantaRosaAvenueSantaRosa, CA94945 Re: 1650West SteeleLane
Dear Membersof theSantaRosaCityCouncil,
TransFormisaregional non-profit focusedoncreatingconnectedandhealthycommunitiesthatcanmeet climategoals, reducetraffic, andincludehousingaffordablefor everyone. Over thepast decade, wehaveworkedwithdozensof developerstoevaluatetheclimate, communityandaffordabilitybenefitsof "right size" parkingthroughtheuseof our GreenTRIPConnect tool.GreenTripConnect isafree-to-usetool for developers, plannersandthepublictoshapefuturehousingandlandusedecisionsintheBayArea.
Whenresidentshaveaccesstoaffordablehomesclosetoservices, jobsandtransit, anddevelopmentsaredesignedwithtrafficreductionandinnovativeparking, therearebenefitsforall: ● Increasedhouseholdtransportationsavings.● Economicsupport for locallyservingbusinesses.● Lessfreewaytrafficandfewer vehiclecollisions.● Improvedpublichealththroughincreasedwalkingandbetter air quality.● Greater demandandsupport of transit services.● Reducedgreenhousegasemissions, supportingcompliancewithSB375andAB32.
Weapplaudtheconstructionof additional housingwithaffordableunitsnear transit inSantaRosa. Anevaluationof the1650West SteeleLanedevelopment usingGreenTripdemonstratesthisproject wouldaccomplishthefollowing:
1. 689fewer milesdriveneverydaycomparedtotheSonomaCountyaverage.2. 50%fewer GHGimpactseverydaycomparedtotheSonomaCountyaverage.3. 22%lessparkinguseeverydaycomparedtotheSonomaCountyaverage. 56014THSTREET, SUITE400, OAKLAND, CA94612| T: 510.740.3150| WWW.TRANSFORMCA.ORG 1
AndwhencomparedtoMunicipal requirements:
4. Saving$2,160,000inparkingconstructioncost if built with1.00insteadof atypicalmunicipal requirement of 2.2spaces/unit.5. Saving2,916sq.ft. inparkingspaceswhichcouldbeallocatedto3housingunitsof839sq.ft.
Youmayviewtheentirereport here.
Basedontheexcellent locationandavailabilityof nearbytransit, particularlytheSonoma-MarinAreaRail Transit (SMART) GuernevilleRoadrail stopwithin0.5milesof thisdevelopment, ourGreenTripmodel showstheproject wouldresult in50%lessdrivingthantheaveragedevelopment inSantaRosa.
Byloweringthecost of parkingconstructionandmaintenance, homescanalsobeofferedatmoreaffordableprices, reducingthenumber of communitymembersthat faceextremehousingcost burdens, gettingpricedout of their community, andbecomingunsheltered. Residentswillalsogreatlybenefit fromthereductioninvehicletrafficandassociatedair pollutionsupportedbyright-sizedparking.
Thisdevelopment isarguablyanoverparkedproject under AB2097, whichprohibitsparkingminimumsfor developmentswithin0.5milesof amajor transit stop. WeurgetheCityCouncil tostrikedownthisappeal asthisproject wouldcontributetocriticallyneededhomesinSantaRosaandwouldprovidemoreparkingspacesthanrequiredor needed.
Pleaselet meknowif youhaveanyquestionsandthankyoufor your consideration.
Sincerely,
GreciaMannah-Ayon, [email protected] 256014THSTREET, SUITE400, OAKLAND, CA94612| T: 510.740.3150| WWW.TRANSFORMCA.ORG