From: Virginia Reuter
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Bike infrastructure in Santa Rosa
Date: Thursday, January 4, 2024 8:55:33 AM
Hi!
I decided to move to Santa Rosa because I thought it would be a good place to ride my bike as transportation. But I have sadly found my bike riding limited by unsafe streets. I would like to ride more places; please continue to invest in bike infrastructure. Besides my own transportation needs, this will be important for the city:
It is a necessary step for achieving the city’s zero emissions goal as stated in the 2020 Climate Emergency Resolution.
It will help meet your adopted Vision Zero traffic safety goals.
Car-centered roads are inherently inequitable, disadvantaging all who cannot afford or who are physically or legally unable to drive.
I am really excited about the planned improvements, especially those to Hopper Ave, Montgomery Ave, 4th Street, and Sonoma Ave.
Thank you for your work to make Santa Rosa a more friendly and inclusive place! _____________
Virginia Reuter
From: emwiig
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please include bikeability in city"s budet! Date: Thursday, January 4, 2024 9:11:19 AM
Dear city leaders,
I am writing to request that Santa Rosa increase the share of its transportation budget devoted to bike infrastructure improvements to at least 15%.
As a resident who relies on my bike for many daily needs, it's my dream for this city that one day everyone--even children--can ride our streets without fearing for their safety. At present, Santa Rosa simply hasn't invested in the infrastructure to make that a reality. We're making steps in the right direction, with plans for (limited) protected bike plans and freeway overpasses, but we have so much further to go.
To live up to the city's Climate Emergency Resolution and its Vision Zero traffic safety goals, we need to do more. And I think this very modest 15% allocation will help us move
forward in the right direction.
Thank you,
Evan Wiig
, Santa Rosa, CA 95405
From: mark simpson
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] FY 24/25 Budget Priorities Santa Rosa City Council – January 9, 2024 Date: Thursday, January 4, 2024 10:26:46 AM
Hello Santa Rosa city Council members,
My name is Mark Simpson, and I live at the end of Summerfield Road in Southeast Santa Rosa. I am a long time bicyclist and bike commuter. Particularly when my daughters were in grade school and middle school, we commuted nearly every day, in what was then known locally as “the bike train”: my bicycle, a tagalong, and bike trailer were chained together and we commuted to school and work every day. They are grown now, and I find myself not commuting via bicycle too often to work. It’s feeling more and more dangerous on the roads, even with the nice improvements to some of the bike lanes. There are just too many cars. We need more protection for the bicyclists. We also need rules for the electric bicycles, as they are traveling at speeds close to the speed of the automobiles and trucks. Please ensure that at least 15% of the 2024/25 budget is dedicated to supporting safety for the bicyclists to encourage increased participation.
Thank you and best regards,
Mark Simpson
Santa Rosa
From: Carla Grady
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] More money for bicycle infrastructure improvements Date: Thursday, January 4, 2024 11:47:10 AM
Dear City Council Members,
At your upcoming January 9 meeting, I understand that you will be discussing budget decisions. I am writing to ask that you increase the share of your transportation budget assigned to bicycle infrastructure to at least 15%.
I am a retired SRJC professor, former co-chair of the JC Sustainability Committee. I have been dedicated to bicycle transportation my whole life. I did all of my graduate work at the University of Hawaii and never owned a car during the many years I was a student in Hawaii.
On Oahu, major roads all have wide bicycle lanes, and a large percentage of the non-tourist population depends on bicycles as their means of transportation. The state of Hawaii has the highest gas prices in the country. Like California, many local residents cannot afford to drive cars at all.
As a former professor, I know how many JC students depend on bicycle transportation to get to school and work. Yet riding a bicycle in Santa Rosa is often life-threatening because the infrastructure has long been inadequate to support safe bike transport. You know this. Santa Rosa is way behind the times in terms of diversity of transportation options. It is such a car- centric town, and we have been trying to change the local culture for decades.
Now that the city has established a zero emissions goal in its 2020 Climate Emergency Resolution, improving bicycle infrastructure is a necessary piece of realizing this goal! Additionally, City Council very wisely adopted
Vision Zero in 2022, "to eliminate all traffic
fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all." Without adequate bicycle infrastructure, this goal is clearly UNachievable. It is dangerous for bike riders to try to get across town when there are such a limited number of dedicated bike lanes to protect us while we ride. And it is inequitable to favor drivers of cars over those of us who are committed to zero emissions in our transportation choice.
The steps Santa Rosa has been taking recently to improve conditions for cyclists are AWESOME! Thank you so much for your commitment to the Southeast Greenway! And the Bicycle-Pedestrian crossing over Hwy 101 will be such a valuable addition to this town! The JC Sustainability team has been advocating for the overpass project for a very long time, and we can't wait to see it materialize. And you know all the other bike lane improvement projects in the pipeline, all of which are very much appreciated. Thank you again for the commitment you have already shown to improving bicycle transportation in Santa Rosa!
BUT.
We need more!!
As more and more zero-emission enthusiasts purchase E-bikes in the coming years, your investment NOW in safe lanes for these riders will be in place just in time! Thank you for your consideration and for giving priority to bicycle transport in the future of our great town!
Yours very sincerely,
Dr. Carla Grady
--
"Deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life." — Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson,
dissenting opinion on Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v.
President and Fellows of Harvard College,
June 29, 2023
UNTIL
JUSTICE
IS REAL
-- Color of Change
From: Andy
To: City Council Public Comments
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Requesting more priority for bicycling projects in Santa Rosa"s transportation budget Date: Saturday, January 6, 2024 10:41:31 AM
Hi,
I am an avid bicyclist, commuting to work at Keysight on Fountaingrove Parkway by bicycle since 1985. My wife and I also regularly ride our tandem through town. I encourage other people to ride more often instead of driving so much. The biggest issue people have is that they do not feel safe riding with a bunch of high-speed traffic right next to them. Santa Rosa is becoming a better city to ride in, but we could do better at supporting bicycling. I request your support for prioritizing bicycling projects – they are better for the environment that prioritizing driving. Also, more people riding means a healthier community.
We occasionally take our tandem to San Francisco and ride it all around the city. You can see the investments they have made in bicycling infrastructure there and how it has led to very widespread bicycling. I ask myself, “Why can’t Santa Rosa have way more bicycling infrastructure?”
Thanks,
Andy Howard
From: [email protected]
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment Agenda Item 17.1
Date: Saturday, January 6, 2024 2:13:15 PM
I have lived in Sonoma County for over 50 years and use my bicycle for transportation whenever possible. While I live outside the Santa Rosa City limits I frequently ride into Santa Rosa. The roads leading into the city from my home have wide bike lanes. I urge Santa Rosa to increase the share of its transportation budget devoted to bike infrastructure improvements to be able to make the roads in the city safer for cyclists.
I am also a member of the Southeast Greenway Campaign which will have bicycle and pedestrian paths from Franquette Avenue to Spring Lake Park. Safely crossing Yulupa Avenue and Summerfield Road must be priorities in developing this new park.
Investing in protected bike infrastructure will also help meet the city's adopted Vision Zero traffic safety goals.
Vincent Hoagland
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
From: Thea Hensel
To: [email protected]
Cc: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Public Comment Agenda Item 17.1 Date: Saturday, January 6, 2024 2:23:22 PM
This is great, thank you!
I so appreciate your input
Thea
On Sat, Jan 6, 2024 at 2:13 PM <[email protected] > wrote:
I have lived in Sonoma County for over 50 years and use my bicycle for transportation whenever possible. While I live outside the Santa Rosa City limits I frequently ride into Santa Rosa. The roads leading into the city from my home have wide bike lanes. I urge Santa Rosa to increase the share of its transportation budget devoted to bike infrastructure improvements to be able to make the roads in the city safer for cyclists.
I am also a member of the Southeast Greenway Campaign which will have bicycle and pedestrian paths from Franquette Avenue to Spring Lake Park. Safely crossing Yulupa Avenue and Summerfield Road must be priorities in developing this new park.
Investing in protected bike infrastructure will also help meet the city's adopted Vision Zero traffic safety goals.
Vincent Hoagland
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
From: Minona Heaviland
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment Agenda Item 17.1
Date: Saturday, January 6, 2024 4:32:57 PM
Hi- my family rides bikes in Santa Rosa as an alternative mode of transport to work and errands, and would like to see improvements to make more connected safe bike routes to more places, which I think would benefit local businesses and families. It would be especially helpful to make it safer for young people to ride bikes.
I urge the city to increase the share of its transportation budget devoted to bike infrastructure improvements to at least 15%, to begin to bring bicycle infrastructure a viable option to get to more places in Santa Rosa.
Thank you for considering making this a priority,
Minona Heaviland
From: Jenny Mercado
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget priorities comment
Date: Saturday, January 6, 2024 9:49:39 PM
Hello,
My name is Jenny Mercado and I am a mom of three who works at the county health department. I would like to ask that the city increase the share of its budget devoted to bike infrastructure to at least 15% in order to get a connected, low-stress bike network in place a soon as possible. As a mother, I am reluctant to allow my kids to ride their bikes to their various activities because of the lack of safe and protected bike lanes. As a public health employee, I would love to see more people exercising to get to work while reducing our greenhouse gas footprint in the city. I can attest to the fact that biking to work can be a stressful and often dangerous proposition but enjoy this mode of transportation despite the risks. A safe, protected bike infrastructure in Santa Rosa would also help meet the previously adopted Vision Zero traffic safety goals. Last, car-centered roads are inherently inequitable, disadvantaging those who cannot afford or are physically or legally unable to drive.
I would like to applaud the great work on moving forward with the Southeast Greenway. I can't wait to see this project come to fruition and use this resource to get from point A to point B without a car!
Thank you for your time,
Jenny
From: Bill Montgomery
To: [email protected]
Cc: CityCouncilListPublic
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comments for Budget hearing
Date: Sunday, January 7, 2024 10:59:21 AM
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: Bill Montgomery < >
Date: January 7, 2024 at 10:18:47 AM PST
To: [email protected]
Subject: Budget
I would like to reccomend more funding for park and landscape maintenance! To be frank, many of
the city medians, back ins and parks look awful! I constantly hear people complain and unfavorably compare us to other Sonoma County cities! I am ashamed!
In particular, the Prince Memorial Greenway, a $27 million dollar investment would be a disaster without the volunteer group
Now organizing as the Friends if the Prince Greenway! Give that group City support!
Bill Montgomery
Sent from my iPhone
From: [email protected]
To: _050401 - Budget; City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] City budget meeting points
Date: Sunday, January 7, 2024 11:53:33 AM
Hello City Councilmembers,
My name is Colin Thomas, I am father and a business owner here in the community. Here are a few points I would like to make for your upcoming budget meeting.
I ride my bike to commute 3-4 day/week and explore with my daughter( 5), we would like to see more protected bike infrastructure throughout the city and upgrades to our current infrastructure we currently have. Thank you for building the armory road bike lane, and for future plans to make it easier to commute via bike in our city. We are looking forward to seeing improvements to Sonoma Ave. and downtown for our continued exploration. Please budget some funds to minimize homeless traffic on the trail (Joe Rodota) and repave or fix potholes.
Personally I spend time volunteering and helping to keep our trails safe and clean. The friends of the greenway has done a tremendous amount of work cleaning, removing trash and graffiti from the trail and the creek. Robert Ashe, Mike Montague and Chris Williams have played an enormous role in the keeping the trail both clean and safe. Please consider increasing your proposed budget measures to continue your work towards zero vision traffic safety goals.
Please consider these points when determining how you spend our tax dollars for the upcoming years.
Sincerely,
Colin Thomas
From: Melanie Charter
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment Agenda Item 17.1
Date: Sunday, January 7, 2024 5:15:05 PM
Hello,
My name is Melanie Charter. I am a resident of Santa Rosa, a mom of a 12, 10, and 5 year old, a teacher, and an advocate for sustainability in all areas. I would love to ride my bike more to places in the community with and without my family, but I feel uneasy due to lack of safe infrastructure.
I urge the city to increase the share of its transportation budget devoted to bike infrastructure improvements to at least 15%.
Investing in protected bike infrastructure is a necessary step for achieving the city’s zero emissions goal as stated in the 2020 Climate Emergency Resolution.
Also,
investing in protected bike infrastructure will help meet adopted Vision Zero traffic safety goals.
I am most excited about the improvements to Montgomery Drive, as this is my home.
I would be thrilled to feel safe riding out my driveway, onto the street, to get to work, my kids’s schools, or any other number of places I would like to go.
Thank you for the work you do, and I am looking forward to a safer way for our community to bike!
Sincerely,
Melanie Charter
From: Samantha Feld
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment - Jan 9th Budget Prioritization for FY 24/25 Date: Sunday, January 7, 2024 7:41:23 PM
To the Santa Rosa City Council Members:
My name is Samantha Feld and I live in downtown Santa Rosa and work as an Analyst for the County of Sonoma. As a resident of downtown who cares deeply about our community and our environment, I wish to ride my bike more in and around town. Sadly, I don't always feel safe on Santa Rosa roads due to the lack of biking infrastructure. I urge the City Council to adequately fund a completed, protected bike network in the city, and increase the share of the transportation budget devoted to bike infrastructure improvements to at least 15%.
Improved bike infrastructure
will help the Council meet its Vision Zero traffic safety goals adopted by the city, and is a critical component to achieving the city's zero emissions goal, articulated in the 2020 climate emergency resolution. Robust bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure will help Santa Rosa become a more equitable, healthy, and safe place to live, work and play.
I am excited to see some of the current bike projects underway, including the Southeast Greenway and the highway 101 overcrossing projects. I am also so thrilled to be able to use the new protected bikeway on Armory Drive! I hope to see us build upon these efforts, for a safer Santa Rosa for all!
With appreciation,
Samantha Feld
- Santa Rosa
From: Victor Delpanno
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment Agenda Item 17.1
Date: Sunday, January 7, 2024 7:41:56 PM
Hi,
My name is Victor Delpanno, and I've been living in Santa Rosa for over a decade. I'm writing to you to ask that you allocate a substantial portion of the city's transportation budget into bike and pedestrian infrastructure.
My first attempt to use a bike to get around the city was around 2018, when I started to commute to work with a bike. I remember it being a big mental shift from thinking that anything beyond a 5-minute walk was the sole domain of cars. I was very lucky to live relatively close to work, and to be able to use the SMART trail for 70% of the way.
It was really empowering to see how those "car-only" distances dissolved into an easy bike ride. Suddenly, going downtown became an easy bike ride too. Unfortunately, for every 20 respectful drivers there was one that would get irrationally upset for sharing a low-speed residential street with a cyclist for more than 5 seconds. "It only takes one bad driver to take me out", I thought at the time, and went back to driving.
Bike infrastructure has improved a lot since then (thank you for that!), and drivers are slowly accepting that cyclists are a normal part of the city, not just a few daredevils. I'd say the ratio of good-to-bad drivers is closer to 50-to-1. The bike infrastructure itself, and the new riders that it brings, are what's changing the culture.
We have to fund the future we want to have. Show me someone's budget and I'll tell you what their priorities are. If we're serious about building a livable and sustainable city, where people can say hi to each other on the street and where there's not a $12k/year admission cost to participate in society, then we need to seriously fund bike and pedestrian infrastructure. We need to reduce the amount of public space and money we devote to the movement and storage of private vehicles.
And neighborhoods of detached single-family housing don't produce enough taxes to fund the car-centric infrastructure some people want. So dense, walkable and bikeable districts are not just more pleasant to live in, but have a much greater return on investment built into them.
After years of less-than-ideal investment levels, devoting half our transportation budget to this would give us enough of a jolt to catch up to the sustainability goals we've made, but even a quarter would be transformational. If we want to meet climate goals, reduce VMTs, clean up the air (EVs still emit brake and tire particulate pollution, after all), and build community, we need to fund that future.
From: Genevieve Navar Franklin
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment Agenda Item 17.1
Date: Sunday, January 7, 2024 8:15:00 PM
Hello,
I'm a long-time resident of Santa Rosa who avidly commuted to work for many years, has participated in many cycling-centered planning meetings and work-groups, and who continues to support and participate in "bicyling life", especially as it relates to strengthening our community's connections and health, and caring for our environment.
I've proudly seen how the cooperation between advocacy organizations, citizens, and government entities has manifested as safety improvements and awareness of multiple modes of transportation in our streets and communities , especially for bicyclists.
I urge the city to continue such work, and to increase the share of its transportation budget devoted to bike infrastructure improvements.
Sincerely,
Genevieve N. Franklin
From: Nathan Spindel
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment on FY 24/25 Budget Priorities Date: Sunday, January 7, 2024 9:05:59 PM
Dear Santa Rosa City Council Members,
I am a resident of West Petaluma where I have a young family. We love biking wherever we can; to school, work, and downtown. I own a small business in Santa Rosa, near downtown.
My experience of biking from the Santa Rosa Downtown SMART Station to my business is fraught with safety concerns due to inadequate bike infrastructure. I am writing to request the City increase the share of its transportation budget devoted to bike infrastructure improvements to at least 15%. Enhancing bike infrastructure aligns with Santa Rosa’s policies, like the 2020 Climate Emergency Resolution and the Vision Zero traffic safety goal. A comprehensive, low-stress bike network connecting all of Santa Rosa would encourage more residents to choose cycling, improving our community’s sustainability and connectivity.
I am particularly excited about the new upgrades on Santa Rosa Ave, the Southeast greenway, and the planned improvements on Sonoma Ave, where my business is located. These projects are key opportunities to make Santa Rosa more bike-friendly, benefiting local businesses and residents. Improved bike infrastructure in these areas would greatly enhance accessibility and improve safety for everyone in the city.
Investing in a connected, physically protected bike network is not just about promoting a healthy lifestyle; it's also about addressing climate change, improving transportation affordability/equity, and ensuring road safety for people of all ages and income levels (including drivers and pedestrians). I strongly believe that increasing the budget for bike infrastructure is essential for making Santa Rosa a model city that values the well-being of its residents. Thank you for considering this significant step towards a safer, healthier, and more connected community.
Thanks,
Nathan Spindel
Petaluma, CA
From: Keizen Li Qian
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] FY 24/25 Budget Priorities: bike infrastructure Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 8:05:12 AM
Dear SR City Council,
I am writing to urge you to increase the share of the transportation budget devoted to bike infrastructure improvements to at least 15%. I am a bicycle commuter and for most of my adult life, enjoyed the excellent infrastructure in the East Bay and San Francisco. Having moved to Santa Rosa, I had to give up this lifestyle option because many routes are unsafe. I would love to have your support to make it easier and safer for people to use this zero- emissions, low-cost, heart healthy transportation choice.
I am especially excited about improvements to Armory Drive giving access to SRJC where I teach. I look forward to similar improvements on Santa Rosa Ave.
Please put our money where our mouth is for our climate, safety, and equity goals.
Regards,
Keizen Li Qian (pronunciation
)
they/them
Santa Rosa 95404
From: andrew rich
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment - Jan 9th Budget Prioritization for FY 24/25 Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 10:01:29 AM
Hi - I live in downtown Santa Rosa.
I want to encourage the City to prioritize bike infrastructure in its budget. Such infrastructure is a great use of our money, and should receive more than 15% of the city's transportation budget. We have seen other cities quickly transform into safe, walkable and bikeable cities. Santa Rosa must do the same, and the way to do that is by spending money on bike and pedestrian projects. Such projects have greater bang for their buck than other infrastructure projects.
Andy Rich
From: Carla Wiking
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] FY 24/25 Budget Priorities - Public Comment Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 11:10:36 AM
Hello. My name is Carla Wiking and I am a life long resident of Santa Rosa and mother of three. My family prefers to cycle over using our car but the city needs to do more to make that a safe option. Please consider allocating at least 15% of the transportation budget to improving bike infrastructure. With safer bike lanes and protected places to ride such as the much anticipated Southeast Greenway, you will see a reduction in cars and happier, healthier residents. Thank you.
From: Tom Bahning
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Budget Priority- Bike and Pedestrian Infrastructure Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 11:43:35 AM
City Council of Santa Rosa,
My name is Tom Bahning and I am a long time resident of the Junior College neighborhood. I urge you to prioritize safe and connected bike and pedestrian infrastructure in the transportation portion of the FY 24-25 budget. The current ask of at least 15% of this budget section is entirely appropriate. I do not see a way forward with this city’s climate goals or Vision Zero goals without a large expansion of safe bike and pedestrian infrastructure.
I am an experienced cyclist and routinely use my bike for errands in the JC, Downtown, West End, Burbank, and Proctor Terrace neighborhoods. I do not always feel safe in traffic, particularly when crossing busy high speed roads.
It is important that this new infrastructure be safe for everyone, including children. The protected bike lanes on Armory Dr is a good first step but future protected bike lanes should feature some type of concrete curb barrier, as has been done in many cities across this county.
Lastly, I urge the council to have staff study successful projects in other nearby jurisdictions in California (Berkeley, Davis). There will be pushbacks over parking and access. But streets are public property, and safe, environmentally friendly travel is the best priority.
Regards,
Tom Bahning
Sent from my iPad
From: Michael Lipelt
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Transportation Budget
Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 12:03:27 PM
Hello,
My name is Mike Lipelt and I’m a life long cyclist who uses his bike as a major form of transportation. I’m a semi- retired family doctor who sees the value in investing in meaningful projects in Santa Rosa to enhance the quality of life for folks who reside and visit here. I know you have many hard decisions to make with regard to priorities in transportation. There is none more important than allocating at least 15% of the transportation budget for safe, protected bike/ped infrastructure. Every week I have a near miss while riding in a bike lane competing with cars, blocked bike lanes or parked cars with drivers opening their door without looking for cyclists passing by. There are countless benefits for investing in safe, protected bike lanes: 1) More equitable for folks who can’t afford a vehicle/insurance 2) helps meet Santa Rosa’s Climate Emergency Resolution goals set in 2020 3) helps the city’s Vision Zero goals 3) Good for health and well-being 4) Creates community and Joy 5) Reduces vehicle infrastructure costs by getting more folks out of their cars thereby reducing road maintaince and expansion of road miles 6) Reduces vehicle congestion especially with more urban housing being built 7) With investment in protected bike lane networks that connect people to where they need to go in Santa Rosa it benefits vehicle drivers because they don’t have to worry about a cyclist swerving out into traffic. Also pedestrians and residents don’t have to worry about folks riding bikes on sidewalks because they don’t feel safe on the roads 8) It creates a more vibrant business community as folks walking or riding bikes slow down to notice new businesses they’d like to support.
Let’s make meaningful change to create a vibrant, livable city for its people not a city designed for cars as the default.
With gratitude,
Mike Lipelt
Santa Rosa
From: Benjamin L. Clark
To: City Council Public Comments; _050401 - Budget
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please support bike infrastructure
Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 1:04:11 PM
Dear City Council,
My family lives in Rincon Valley, and I work near Coddingtown Mall. My 3rd grader attends a Santa Rosa public elementary school. When we first moved to Santa Rosa six years ago, I was excited about the chance to have bikable weather year-round. In those first years, I made biking part of my morning commute, at least until August 2019, when I was hit by a car at 4th and Brookwood.
The "Share The Road" sign was apparently ignored.
I broke my left hand and shattered my right humoral head (shoulder). I was lucky that was all. For the car, it was a low-speed impact. The diver never stopped. It's possible they were distracted and never even noticed they hit me. Lucky (again) for me, other drivers noticed, helped me get out of the road, and called for help. I've not done much biking in Satna Rosa since. Now, when my family wants to go for a ride, we pack up and go elsewhere, like Angel Island.
I'm excited for the improvements in safety for cyclists and those of us who just want to ride bikes in Santa Rosa. These are very good FIRST STEPS.
Santa Rosa could be a model town for the health of our friends and neighbors but also for the environmental health of our area. Reducing our reliance on cars will help nearly every aspect of life in Santa Rosa. Safety is our number one worry when we go biking. Please continue to make it a smaller worry for each of us by funding a complete, protected bike network.
Thank you,
Benjamin L. Clark
From: Adrian Covert
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comments re item 17 (fiscal year priorities) Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 2:02:50 PM
Greetings Councilmembers,
My name is Adrian Covert, I live in the West End, and I am a volunteer with Santa Rosa YIMBY. I respectfully ask that these below priorities be considered for the coming year:
Wave development impact fees for 3 years or until the city is compliant with AB 602.
The city's current schedule of impact fees fall disproportionately on smaller apartments, which have less of an impact than single family homes or larger multi-family units, and negatively impact the city's ability to build adequate housing. AB 602 requires all California cities to reconfigure their impact fees to be proportional to unit size.
Merge the Design Review Board into the Planning Commission. The Design Review Board has chronic quorum issues that delay housing approvals and should simply be folded into the Planning Commission.
Pedestrianize 4th Street: Santa Rosa should increase downtown vitality by taking advantage of its huge downtown parking surplus to pedestrianize all or a portion of 4th Street between Railroad Square and D Street.
More protected bike lanes: Between one third and one half of all car trips are less than three miles. Many people forced to make these trips by car would gladly mode shift to a bicycle if there were safe and convenient lanes. Increased cycling is critical for achieving the city's 2020 Climate Emergency Resolution
and Vision Zero traffic safety
goals.
Sincerely,
Adrian Covert
From: jeffrey preston
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] safe streets
Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 2:24:08 PM
Hello:
I am writing to thank the city for paying attention to bicycle infrastructure and reduction of speed limits recently and to encourage increased levels of attention in the future. I retired to Santa Rosa 2.5 years ago and it did not take long to realize that Santa Rosa has a driving problem. It is simply very dangerous to walk or cycle around here! The driving culture encourages fast driving, running stop signs and lights, and generally to treat pedestrians and cyclists in an adversarial manner. However, I have also been encouraged many times by the kindness of drivers and can only hope that a shift can occur over time. The city doing everything possible to "encourage" this shift will go a long way toward improving the quality of life here.
;thank you, Jeffrey Preston
From: Alexandria F
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please Prioritize Bike and Pedestrian Safety in the Budget Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 2:29:17 PM
Hello!
Thank you for providing an opportunity to comment on city priorities in the year ahead! My name is Alexandria, and I live in Burbank Gardens. I have a car, but I commute by bike + SMART train, and like to do errands on foot or by bike whenever possible. Improving bike and pedestrian infrastructure is important to me because reducing pollution makes the world a bit better for everyone. Unfortunately, our current car-centric infrastructure means there are few safe options for people on bikes. I often drive not because a destination is too far to bike, but because I just don't feel safe biking certain places on our streets.
Just recently, someone opened their car door into me while I was riding from the dry cleaners to the grocery store. I was lucky not to be seriously injured, but dooring can lead to death, as highlighted in Sunday's paper. The severity of these kinds of collisions could be minimized by adding quick build street improvements like parking-protected bike lanes.
Bike infrastructure benefits all Santa Rosans (and visitors!), even if they never use it themselves--the more people feel safe biking around Santa Rosa, the less traffic there will be for folks who are driving, carpooling, and riding the bus! I'd like to submit the following comments for the 2024-2025 budget cycle.
Please dedicate at least 15% of the transportation budget to bike infrastructure-- and in particular, fund protected bike lanes. Increased cycling is critical for achieving the city's 2020 Climate Emergency Resolution
and Vision Zero traffic safety
goals.
Please support the Southeast Greenway Campaign's requests for funding. This will be an important improvement for pedestrian and bike network connectivity in Santa Rosa--and a world-class park!
Please support the Friends of the Prince Memorial Greenway requests for funding.
This is a critical path of bike and pedestrian travel in Santa Rosa and this should be supported in the budget.
Please wave development impact fees for 3 years or until the city is compliant with AB 602.
Please merge the Design Review Board into the Planning Commission. The Design Review Board has chronic quorum issues that delay housing approvals and should be folded into the Planning Commission.
Thank you for your consideration!
Alexandria
From: Jorge DaCosta
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] bike infrastructure proposal
Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 2:45:56 PM
Hello
My name is Jorge DaCosta and I am a central Santa Rosa resident and an employee of SRJC. I believe prioritizing bicycle infrastructure would contribute greatly to our community's mitigation of climate change challenges and to our overall health. As we move forward in building more central affordable housing we have an opportunity to create and improve transportation options.
Our city is mostly flat and allows us to easily
create alternative transportation systems. I would like to ride more places on my bike and improvements to make routes safer on city streets. There is currently a lack of safe infrastructure but we have an opportunity to improve that now. Please support funding a complete and protected bike network.
You will be voting on this issue soon. Investing in protected bike infrastructure is a necessary step for achieving the city’s zero emissions goal as stated in the 2020 Climate Emergency Resolution and will help us meet the adopted Vision Zero traffic safety goals.
Car-centered roads are inherently inequitable, disadvantaging all who cannot afford or who are physically or legally unable to drive.
Some of the projects that I am excited about include:
a. the Southeast Greenway
New upgrades to Santa Rosa Ave
New protected bike lane on Armory
Planned improvements to Hopper Ave, Montgomery Ave, 4th Street, and Sonoma Ave
The Bike-Ped 101 overcrossing
Hearn Avenue freeway crossing
These will create a reliable and safe network of routes that will go on to encourage more people to use them.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Jorge DaCosta
Santa Rosa, CA
From: Bo Shred
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] City Budget comment
Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 3:00:13 PM
Hi,
I live in Downtown santa rosa and want to see more bike lanes throughout the city. Also, please waive development impact fees for 3 years.
Also, let's get rid of some unnecessary bureaucracy and combine the Design Review Board into the Planning commission.
Finally, 4th st should be turned into a walkable space, closed to cars. This is a no brainer! The local businesses are not the only voice in this debate. This is public property and for too long you have listened to downtown business owners at the expense of everyone else.
From: Joe Stein
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Annual budget comment: bike infrastructure funding Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 3:03:58 PM
Hi, my name is Joe Stein. I live near the Junior College. My partner and I have been talking about getting rid of one of our cars for a long time. We know it would be better for our health, traffic, and the planet.
The one thing that's been holding us back is safety. We can't get to the places we frequent most in Santa Rosa without riding right next to cars going 35 and 40+ mph. We were in a bad collision with a car going slower than that a few years back, so we know what could too easily happen without safe infrastructure.
As a city, we've already committed to addressing the climate change crisis (resolution 2020- 002). We've already committed to zero traffic deaths (Vision Zero Action Plan). Supporting safe non-fossil-fuel transit – like bikes – is a critical move towards both of those goals.
I'm excited to see what the city already has planned to achieve this, including and especially the ped/bike crossing that would connect Edwards and Elliot over the 101. And I'm hoping to see us commit even more to a complete and safe bike network. These city-level decisions are how we effect real physical and cultural change, and there's no time to waste.
Thank you for your time.
Joe Stein
From: Rachel Moore
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Santa Rosa Priorities!
Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 3:57:19 PM
Hello,
My name is Rachel Moore and I live here in Santa Rosa. I am a mother of a four year old and an
avid bicyclist. Thank you for letting me send you my comments for this year's priorities! I believe people want to be in their cars less and want safe bike lanes throughout our City. Let's get back to a pedestrian friendly way of life!
Here are things I would love to see happen:
Wave development impact fees for 3 years or until the city is compliant with AB 602.
The city's current schedule of impact fees fall disproportionately on smaller apartments, which have less of an impact than single family homes or larger multi-family units, and negatively impact the city's ability to build adequate housing. AB 602 requires all California cities reconfigure their impact fees to be proportional to unit size.
>> Merge the Design Review Board into the Planning Commission. The Design Review Board has chronic quorum issues that delay housing approvals and should simply be folded into the Planning Commission.
>> Pedestrianize 4th Street: Santa Rosa should increase downtown vitality by taking advantage of its huge downtown
parking surplus to pedestrianize all or a portion of 4th Street between Railroad Square and D Street.
>> More protected bike lanes: Between one third and one half of all car trips are less than three miles. Many people forced to make these trips by car would gladly mode shift to a bicycle if there were safe and convenient lanes. Increased cycling is critical for achieving the city's 2020
Climate Emergency Resolution and Vision Zero traffic safety goals.
Best,
Rachel
--
Rachel Moore
From: Jen Klose
To: City Council Public Comments; _CityCouncilListPublic; Smith, Maraskeshia Cc: Calum Weeks
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment on 1/9/24 Agenda Item 17.1 Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 4:15:52 PM
Attachments: 2024_0108 Gen H_Letter to SRCC re Budget Priorities.pdf Please accept the attached letter regarding January 9, 2024 City Council Agenda Item
17.1. Respectfully,
Jen Klose, J.D. [she/her] | Executive Director
Schedule a meeting with me
Click here to join Generation Housing as a member or renew your membership.
GenerationHousing.org
427 Mendocino Ave, Suite 100 | Santa Rosa, CA 95404
707-900-GENH [4364] v | 310-663-6037 m | 707-570-8768 f Did you read our open letter to the elected leaders of Sonoma County? Your voice has never been more important - sign the petition today! 8 January 2024
Dear Mayor Rogers, City Councilmembers, and City Manager Smith:
During the upcoming Budget prioritization sessions, the City will establish in concrete terms where its core values and commitments lie. Residents can compare dollar for dollar how the council has aligned its budget with its goals.
For FY 2024-2025, we urge the council to close the gap on the financing and prioritization of its housing goals. We are calling for the City to: 1 (1) Enact an emergency ordinance eliminating impact fees for a three to five year period for all multi-family housing serving residents 120%AMI and below; and
(2) Implement AB602 as soon as possible, ensuring that housing fees are imposed fairly and ending the regressive, per-unit fees structure.
Impact fee relief is a tested strategy to affordable housing finance that makes effective use of city funds while closing the gap on financing in an efficient manner. Implementing AB602 must be done eventually. We ask today that Council give direction to staff at its January 9, 2024 meeting to expand the February 13 study session to include emergency fee relief and expedited AB602 implementation with an eye towards agendizing these items for action before the close of Q1.
These are small investments with broad, generational dividends, that advance the City’s number one and two priorities of 2023-2024—1. Deliver housing for all &
2. Reduce homelessness and its impacts—both of which will undoubtedly remain high on the City’s priority list for years to come.
The Gap to Affordable Housing:
Santa Rosa’s stated priorities for the last five years has been the allocation of resources to incentivize affordable housing. Yet due to high material costs, labor shortages, and extraordinarily high interest rates in housing construction, the 1 Refer to our Policy Brief Incentivize Affordability for additional information and references.
Generationhousing.org
707-900-GENH [4364] phone
707-570-8768 fax
Generation Housing
427 Mendocino Ave, Suite 100
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
affordable housing pipeline remains sluggish. The vast majority of permitted new builds were fire rebuild permits. Countywide in the last eight years, for every 100 homes permitted nearly 70 were designated for households earning above 120% of the Area Median Income. Deed-restricted units formed only 11 percent of all 2 rental housing inventory throughout the county as of 2021. 3 The Primary Challenge & Solution: Funding
3 Generation Housing (2023). State of Housing in Sonoma County. Fig. 30, p. 50. For Sonoma County, this is a one-person household earning $107,600 or more, a 2-person household earning $122,950 or more, and a 4-person household earning $153,700 or more. 2 California Department of Housing and Community Development. Housing Element Implementation and APR Dashboard . Permits by Affordability, 5th Cycle, Sonoma County. Of 13,095 units permitted during the 5th cycle, 8,859 were above moderate income.
Generationhousing.org
707-900-GENH [4364] phone
707-570-8768 fax
Generation Housing
427 Mendocino Ave, Suite 100
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
The most common factor cited in slow affordable housing completion is financing. Affordable housing projects typically require a dozen financial sources.
Cities have limited control over financing. But they do retain control over one area of costs: impact fees. Impact fees are levied upon new development and help fund new infrastructure, such as parks, roads, and community facilities. But they also add costs to new construction—costs which, in a constrained housing market, are absorbed mostly by future residents. According to the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley, this “considerably lower[s]” the chances of Affordable housing being built without requiring higher rents; even an 4 additional cost of up to $20,000 per unit can make the difference in whether a project can be built. In Santa Rosa, fees total nearly $1,000,000 per multifamily 5 project. While impact fee policy might not have the same discriminatory intent of past redlining practices, it is yet another land use policy that weighs most heavily on working class and marginalized communities.
Until interest rates come down and materials costs level, there is a significant risk of new projects completely drying up. We are already hearing anecdotal reports of this and seeing fewer new projects being submitted. Our recent history with the Great Recession tells us that halts to construction extend much longer than the underlying economic crisis. Note from the historical permitting chart above that the Recession-induced construction plummet lasted three times as long as the actual recession.
We cannot afford another decade-long lull because of a few years of high interest rates, which is why we are depending on you, imploring you, to take action.
A Path Towards Greater Affordable Housing: Sacramento
Cities like Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland, Fresno, and San Mateo have successfully used fee relief to bolster affordable housing, demonstrating the viability and effectiveness of this approach. The most promising example of fee relief as a powerfully effective and efficient investment into Affordable housing construction comes from the city of Sacramento.
5 Ibid.
4 Raetz, Hayley, David Garcia, and Nathaniel Decker (2019). Residential Impact Fees in California . p. 22. UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation.
Generationhousing.org
707-900-GENH [4364] phone
707-570-8768 fax
Generation Housing
427 Mendocino Ave, Suite 100
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Sacramento was far underperforming its low-income housing goals prior to 2019.
Between 2013 and 2019 the city permitted 486 Low Income units (212 deed-restricted) and 255 Very Low income units (151 deed-restricted), in total making up just 14 percent and 5 percent of their 5th cycle RHNA goals, respectively, six years into the eight-year cycle. In response, the city passed a 6 “Zero-Dollar Rate” Affordable housing fee waiver: this program charges a $0 rate for City-controlled impact fees for any regulated/deed-restricted Affordable housing unit.
They framed their relief policy as a restoration of funds towards housing, and not merely as a diversion of funds away from “financ[ing] the design, construction, installation, and acquisition of public infrastructure.” What they did not 7 anticipate was the success of the program: in comparison to the 363 deed-restricted units built in the first six years of the 5th cycle, the city permitted 1,061 deed-restricted units in the last two years of the cycle. The city built three 7 City of Sacramento, Evaluation of Reduced Residential Development Impact Fees for Affordable Dwelling Units , 2022.
6 Generation Housing analysis of Sacramento Housing Element Annual Progress Report.
Generationhousing.org
707-900-GENH [4364] phone
707-570-8768 fax
Generation Housing
427 Mendocino Ave, Suite 100
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
times the number of Affordable units in one-third of the time after passage of fee relief, far exceeding their initial expectations of just 100 units.
More impressive than the production numbers was the cost to the city. For the price of $7 million in unrealized revenues, the city had helped realize an additional 2,000 Affordable units —a cost-efficient outlay of just $3,000-$4,000 per unit.
We Can Afford Fee Relief:
Though it may seem unexpected,
Sonoma County jurisdictions have the
money available to fund a similar fee
waiver program, thanks to large
balances and steady surpluses in their
impact fee funds. Santa Rosa's fee
reserves have doubled to $60M from
fiscal years 2016-2022, emphasizing the
city's capacity to support affordable
housing initiatives without straining its
budget. Because fees function as
non-fungible revenue sources that can
only be allocated to non-maintenance
infrastructure spending, fee revenue
cannot be redistributed to serve other
types of needs as they arise—ensuring
long periods of time when revenues
outpace spending. 8
But fee collection and usage is not set in stone. Petaluma, with a surplus of nearly $809,000 per 1,000 residents, found a way to support affordable housing by strategically reducing fees. This serves as a successful model for Santa Rosa to consider. San Mateo, another city that has implemented fee reform, chose to target affordable housing. As San Mateo Mayor Amourence Lee noted, 8 California Special Districts Association (2018). Impact Fees: Breaking New Ground Doesn’t Need to Break the Bank . CSDA notes further limitations on the use of impact fee revenue on the “reconstruction of existing infrastructure currently serving existing development”.
Generationhousing.org
707-900-GENH [4364] phone
707-570-8768 fax
Generation Housing
427 Mendocino Ave, Suite 100
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
“[Affordable housing] is where we will get the most bang for the buck. There is merit to treating these projects in a very particular way because they come to us so infrequently. They are so special.”
We urge the council to prioritize affordable housing production in line with its stated vision. It can do so—efficiently, and with immediate impact—through a targeted $0 rate imposition of fees on all new affordable housing projects serving residents up to 120 percent of AMI.
In partnership,
Jen Klose
Generationhousing.org
707-900-GENH [4364] phone
707-570-8768 fax
Generation Housing
427 Mendocino Ave, Suite 100
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
From: Alicia Gaylord
To: _CityCouncilListPublic
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment Item 17.1 City Council Meeting January 9, 2024 Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget Priorities
Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 4:47:44 PM
Attachments: image001.png
Dear Mayor Rogers, City Councilmembers, and City Manager Smith:
MidPen Housing is one of the nation’s leading non-profit developers, owners and managers of high-quality affordable housing and onsite resident services. Since MidPen was founded in 1970, we have developed over 132 communities and 9,300 homes for low-income families, seniors and those with supportive housing needs throughout Northern California. MidPen has developed 100 homes in Sonoma County, with hundreds more in the pipeline.
As you know, construction and materials costs have increased sharply, which puts additional strain on the feasibility of producing affordable housing. Affordable Housing funding stacks are often made up of between four and six sources of financing through federal, state and local funding. Because rents at deed-restricted affordable housing developments are limited, the amount of debt that a property can support is constrained. This means that any additional cost must be covered by another source of funding, usually awarded on a competitive basis.
According to a March 2020 report by the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley, each additional source of funding for a project adds approximately $6,400 of cost per unit, as well as timing delays.
In recognition of this dynamic, the City of Petaluma has exempted Affordable Housing developments from City Impact Fees as a way to support the development of this needed housing, and to increase project feasibility. In MidPen's 42- unit development in Petaluma, the project was able to save approximately $900,000 through the waiver of impact fees and avoid seeking an additional funding source to cover those costs.
We are facing a housing affordability crisis and as we approach the 2/13 study session, I strongly advocate for the expansion of the agenda to include not just deferral, but an emergency waiver of impact fees for deed restricted affordable housing, and expedited adoption of AB602. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Ali Gaylord | Director of Housing Development- North Bay MidPen Housing
350 College Ave Suite 250, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
c. 415-370-5824
From: A. L.
To: City Council Public Comments
Subject: [EXTERNAL] SRCC Budget priority recmnd"n: non-congregate shelters, not hmls housing Date: Monday, January 8, 2024 4:56:58 PM
Santa Rosa City Council,
In your budget:
for any funds that can be used for homeless shelters vs. very low-income housing, please always prioritize funding creating more safe parking spaces and non- congregate shelter beds, not very low-income housing for homeless people.
Why? Because it is inhumane to devote even one penny toward housing anyone homeless while others are still left living on the streets.
People on the street are at risk of harm or death due to violence or the elements.
Please prioritize sheltering all homeless people before spending a penny on homeless housing.
Thank you.
Alice Linn
Santa Rosa
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May we each live as if the fragile web of life and future generations depend upon us.
The future depends on what you do today. - Mahatma Gandhi Live simply, that others may simply live.