FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 1
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE:
1) HOUSING ELEMENT AMENDMENT;
2) DUTTON AVENUE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT AND REZONING; AND 3) SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN 2050 FINAL EIR, GENERAL PLAN 2050
AND SPECIFIC PLAN AMENDMENTS
City Council Meeting – June 3, 2025
1 Planning & Economic Development Department
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 2
HOUSING ELEMENT AMENDMENT
2 Jessica Jones, Deputy Director - Planning
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 3 3 Amendment to the 2023-2031 Housing Element to reflect changes to City’s RHNA obligations due to a recent annexation and two clerical edits. • 8/7/2024: LAFCO approved the annexation; recorded on 9/25/2024 • 10/18/2024: Request from County to initiate RHNA transfer • 11/14/2024: Planning Commission approved the Lane Drive project • 3/4/2025: Council authorized Mayor to sign joint transfer agreement letter • 3/13/2025: Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval • 3/20/2025: ABAG Executive Board approved transfer agreement Project Description / History
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 4 • Current 6th Cycle RHNA obligations, and the obligations with transfer (641 total units – 34 Very Low Income and 607 Above Moderate Income):
• Housing Element is required to be updated.
• Proposed amendment includes:
✓ RHNA transfer
✓ Two clerical edits: correct title of Table 5-2 and mathematical error in Table 5-11 Housing Element Amendment
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 5
DUTTON AVENUE GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT
AND REZONING
5 Susie Murray, Supervising Planner - Development Review
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 6 6 Project Description / History
General Plan Amendment and Rezoning for a 5.95-acre vacant, undeveloped parcel. • 3/14/2006: Council approved General Plan amendment from General Industry to Medium Density Residential
• 3/21/2006: Council adopted associate rezoning
• 10/18/2018: Design Review Board approved multi-family housing project • 9/25/2024: Current applications submitted
• 1/8/2025: Neighborhood Meeting held (one attended)
• 3/13/2025: Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 7 General Plan and Zoning
SMART
SMART
PROJECT SITE
General Plan
Existing: Medium Density
Residential
Proposed: General Industry
Zoning
Existing: Multi-Family
Residential (R-3-18)
Proposed: General
Industrial (IG)
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 8 8 No Net Loss
• Government Code Section 65863 (“No Net Loss” law) requires a jurisdiction maintain adequate sites to accommodate its RHNA
• Government Code Section 66300 (Housing Crisis Act) requires concurrent replacement of residential units
✓ Subject proposal would result in an anticipated reduction of 86 potential units ✓ General Plan 2050 includes land use changes, including an increase in density at 615/625 Acacia Lane, that will result in an addition of over 140 residential units FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 9 9 California Environmental Quality Act
• Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) adopted on October 18, 2018 • Pursuant to Senate Bill 18, Tribal Consultation was completed on May 2, 2025 • Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Sections 15162 and 15164, an Addendum to the 2018 MND was prepared
• The Addendum considered all criteria in Appendix G (CEQA Checklist) FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 10 SANTA ROSA GENERAL PLAN 2050 FINAL EIR
GENERAL PLAN 2050 AND
SPECIFIC PLAN AMENDMENT
10 Amy Nicholson, Supervising Planner – Advance Planning Nancy Woltering, Senior Planner – Advance Planning
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 11 General Plan 2050
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 12 General Plan 2050 Process
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 13 Milestone Documents
Community
Involvement
Strategy
August 2020
Full
Report
December
2020
Briefing
Book
February
2021
Vision
Statement
August
2021
Land Use
and
Circulation
Alternatives
Workbook
January
2022
Final
Preferred
Land Use and
Circulation
Plan
October
2022
Existing Conditions
Draft
June 2023
Updated Draft
and Draft EIR
October 2024
General Plan/EIR
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 14 General Plan Process
Final stage of this multi-year effort
Project Timeline
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 15 General Plan 2050
Community Engagement
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 16 Community Engagement
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 17 General Plan
Key Features
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 18 • Community Vision for the
Future
• Project Objectives
• Areas of Change
• Equity Priority Areas
• Equity Priority Populations
Key Components
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 19 General Plan Chapters
1. Introduction
2. Land Use and Economic Development
3. Circulation, Open Space, Conservation and GHG Reduction
4. Urban Design, Cultural and Tribal Cultural Resources, Historic Preservation, and Art and Culture
5. Safety, Climate Resilience, Noise, Public Services and Facilities
6. Health, Equity, Environmental Justice and Parks
7. Housing (adopted in February 2023)
8. Glossary (the 8 required elements are underlined) FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 20 Areas of Change
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 21 Equity Priority Areas
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 22 General Plan 2050 Land Use Diagram
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 23 Planned Transportation Network Improvements
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 24 Revisions Made in Response to
Comments
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 25 Response to Planning Commission
Comments
• Simplified chapter introductions to remove repetition of the key attributes of the Community Vision addressed by each element • Refined references to Areas of Change, Equity Priority Areas, and Equity Priority Populations
– Clarified language to ensure reference further prioritizing these areas/populations, as appropriate
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 26 Response to Agency Comments
• Revised Regional Fault Map to be consistent with map released February 2024
• Refined language in Mitigating Policies and Actions pertaining to the protection of Biological Resources
• Clarified that site specific Biological Resource Assessments would be prepared for specific projects, as applicable, to protect biological resources
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 27 Response to Public Comments
• Citywide significance level for residential Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) can be addressed at the project level
• Clarified some of the road widenings address Evacuation needs • Urban Agriculture Ordinance –Revised “consider” to “develop”, to explicitly direct preparation of the ordinance
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 28 Response to Tribal Comments
• Refined the Tribal Acknowledgement
• Emphasized the Tribes' role of protecting resources within their ancestral tribal areas
• Refined Mitigating Actions addressing Tribal Cultural Resources • Confirmed City will work with the Tribes to develop internal policy to protect tribal cultural resources in the city.
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 29 Response to CAL FIRE Comments
• Added language to assure long-term maintenance of community fire breaks and public and private road clearance
• Added definition for Evacuation Constrained Parcels
• Replaced Cal FIRE map in the General Plan, showing moderate, high and very high fire hazard severity zones
• Board of Forestry and Fire Protection acceptance April 8th, 2025 FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 30 General Plan Consistency
Specific Plan Amendments
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 31 Specific Plan Amendments
• Updated the North Station Area Specific
Plan and Roseland Area/Sebastopol Road
Specific Plan, eliminating references to local
streets, to be consistent with the General
Plan 2050
Community-wide Greenhouse Gas
(GHG) Reduction Strategy
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 33 GHG Reduction Strategy - Path to
Carbon Neutrality
• Meets the State’s goals for 2030 and 2045 GHG levels:
– 40% below 1990 levels by 2030
– 85% below 1990 levels by 2045
– Carbon neutrality by 2045
• Integrated with the General Plan to ensure a cross-sector approach to reducing GHGs.
• “CEQA Qualified Plan.”
• Reviewed as part of the EIR.
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 34 GHG Reduction Strategy Objectives
1. Decrease community-wide vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and increase the use of zero-emission vehicles and
equipment.
2. Reduce community-wide energy use and transition to
carbon-free energy sources.
3. Achieve a zero-waste future for Santa Rosa.
4. Use water efficiently and enhance drought resilience.
5. Enhance sustainable and carbon-free practices community- wide.
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 35 Environmental
Impact Report
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 36 Program-Level EIR
Program-level EIR is appropriate when a “project” consists of a series of actions related to the issuance of rules, regulations, and other planning criteria
• Does not evaluate impacts of future construction-level projects that are consistent with the General Plan;
• Does allow the subsequent project-level environmental review for future development to tier off the Program EIR; and
• Streamlines future environmental review procedures.
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 37 Addressing Environmental Impacts
• Where significant environmental impacts are identified, CEQA requires mitigation by:
– avoiding
– minimizing
• CEQA allows incorporation of mitigation measures as policies and actions to protect, preserve, and/or enhance environmental resources. • Where impacts are significant and unavoidable, the EIR includes a discussion why the impact cannot be reduced to less-than significant. – reducing
– eliminating
– rectifying
– compensating
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 38 • Aesthetics
• Agricultural Resources *
• Air Quality *
• Biological Resources
• Cultural Resources
• Energy
• Geology and Soils
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Hazards and Hazardous Materials
• Hydrology and Water Quality
• Land Use and Planning
• Noise *
• Population and Housing
• Public Services, Parks, and Recreation
• Transportation *
• Tribal Cultural Resources
• Utilities and Service Systems
• Wildfire *
Environmental Topics Evaluated in EIR
*Topics found to have a significant-
and-unavoidable impact.
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 39 • Agricultural Resources
– Convert CEQA Important Farmland
to non-agricultural uses.
– Lose Williamson Act lands.
• Air Quality
– Exceed Bay Area Air District's
regional significance thresholds and
expose sensitive receptors to air
pollution during operation.
• Noise
– Expose sensitive receptors to
excessive noise from construction
and vehicles.
• Transportation
– Exceed standards for residential
vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per
capita and VMT from new arterial
lanes.
• Wildfire
– Exacerbate risk of wildfire.
Significant and Unavoidable Impacts
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 40 Alternative A: No Project
• General Plan 2035 remains in effect, is not
replaced by General Plan 2050.
• No amendments to Specific Plans and
Santa Rosa City Code associated with the
General Plan 2050.
• Proposed GHG Reduction Strategy would
not be adopted.
Alternative B: Increased Density
• Same households, residential units,
population, and jobs.
• Medium Low density residential parcels in
Areas of Change and in or adjacent to
Priority Development Areas would be
redesignated to Medium High density
residential.
Alternatives to the Proposed Project
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 41 Statement of Overriding Considerations
• Significant and unavoidable impacts at program level do not preclude a finding of less-than-significant at the project level for future development • The City may approve a project with significant and unavoidable impacts by issuing a “Statement of Overriding Considerations” that identifies how the benefits of the project outweigh the potential adverse environmental effects.
• The “Statement of Overriding Considerations” must be included in the record of project approval.
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 42 Public Comments
• 45-day public comment period from 10/7/2024 through 11/20/2024 • Comments received from:
– California Geologic Survey
– California Department of Fish and Wildlife
– California Department of Transportation
• Concerns:
– Mitigation measures and mitigating General Plan policies and actions – Vehicle Miles Traveled
– South Santa Rosa Specific Plan
– Sonoma County
– Bikeable Santa Rosa
– Members of the public
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 43 Final EIR
• Final EIR published April 2025
• Final EIR includes:
– Comments received during the public review period for Draft EIR – Responses to comments
– Changes and corrections to text of Draft EIR
• EIR consists of the Draft EIR and the Final EIR
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 44 Next Steps
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 45 Municipal Code and Zoning Map Amendments
o Public Hearings Summer 2025
Development Review
o Project alignment with General Plan 2050
Policy Direction
o Future ordinance and policy workplan
Implementation
FIRST 2025 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE 46 Recommendation
46 It is recommended by the Planning Commission and the Planning and Economic Development Department that the Council:
1. By resolution, amend the 2023-2031 Housing Element to reflect a transfer of Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) units related to the annexation of 34.93 acres, and two clerical edits to correct the title of Table 5-2 and correct a mathematical error in Table 5-11;
2. By resolution, adopt an Addendum to the previously approved Dutton Avenue Residences Mitigated Negative Declaration;
3. By resolution, adopt a General Plan Amendment to change the land use designation for 3150 Dutton Avenue from Medium Density Residential to General Industry;
4. Introduce an ordinance rezoning 3150 Dutton Avenue from R-3-18 (Multi-Family Residential) to General Industrial (IG), consistent with the General Plan land use designation;
5. By resolution, certify the General Plan 2050 Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) and approve the Statement of Overriding Considerations, Findings of Fact, and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program; and
6. By resolution, adopt the General Plan 2050 and associated Specific Plan amendments.