RESOLUTION NO. RES-2026-019
RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ROSA ADOPTING AN ADDENDUM TO THE GENERAL PLAN 2050 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (EIR) FOR THE FIRST 2026 GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT PACKAGE - FILE NUMBER PLN25-0650 WHEREAS, on June 3, 2025, the City Council certified the General Plan 2050 Environmental Impact Report (EIR), and approved the General Plan 2050 in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq), the State CEQA Guidelines (Cal. Code Regs., Title 14 Section 15000 et seq.) and the City’s local CEQA Guidelines (collectively, “CEQA”); and WHEREAS, the EIR addresses the environmental effects associated with adoption and implementation of the General Plan 2050 at a programmatic level, and includes mitigating policies and actions as means to mitigate environmental impacts under CEQA; and WHEREAS, the First 2026 General Plan Amendment Package (“Project”) includes multiple amendments to the City’s General Plan, consisting of: (1) revisions to the Land Use Diagram to address discrepancies between current land use designations and existing or surrounding land uses on 30 properties throughout the City, including seven parcels within the Downtown Station Area Plan boundary, which would also require corresponding amendments to the Downtown Station Area Specific Plan Land Use Figure Map LU-3; and (2) the addition of bicycle and pedestrian network improvement figures to the Circulation Element to reflect the City’s Active Transportation Plan, adopted after the General Plan 2050; and WHEREAS, the Project also includes the rezoning of 10 properties to ensure zoning consistency with the revised land use designations; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21067 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15367, the City is the Lead Agency for the Project; and WHEREAS, CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 provides that when a project was previously analyzed and approved pursuant to a certified EIR, an Addendum to the EIR may be appropriate to analyze proposed modifications to the project; and WHEREAS, City staff has evaluated the Project in light of the standards for subsequent environmental review outlined in CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 and determined that none of the conditions requiring preparation of a subsequent or supplemental environmental document have occurred; and WHEREAS, CEQA Guidelines Section 15164 provides that an addendum to a certified EIR is appropriate when minor technical changes or additions are necessary or none of the conditions described in Section 15162 calling for the preparation of a subsequent negative declaration or EIR have occurred; and WHEREAS, an Addendum to the EIR, dated December 2025, was prepared by the City of Santa Rosa for the Project; and WHEREAS, the Addendum concluded that the Project would not cause new significant environmental impacts or substantial increases in the severity of significant effects beyond those previously identified in the EIR and none of the circumstances under CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 were triggered, therefore, no additional analysis is required; and WHEREAS, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15164(c), the Addendum is not required to be circulated for public review but can be attached to the certified General Plan 2050 EIR; and WHEREAS, as required under CEQA, the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) prepared for the EIR identifies the timing of, and the agency or agencies responsible for enforcement and monitoring of each mitigation measure to be implemented to reduce the potentially significant impacts to less than significant levels; and WHEREAS, on January 22, 2026, the Planning Commission (Commission) of the City of Santa Rosa held a duly noticed public hearing and considered the Addendum together with the previously certified General Plan 2050 EIR and the Project, at which time the Commission considered the Project materials, public comments received, if any, staff reports, written and oral, and the testimony and other evidence of all those wishing to be heard; and WHEREAS, having reviewed and considered the information contained in the Addendum together with the previously certified EIR, all comments made at the public hearing, and all other information in the administrative record, the Commission determined that all potentially significant environmental effects of the Project were fully examined and mitigated in the previously certified EIR and adopted Resolution No. PC-RES-2026-002, recommending approval of the Addendum to the City Council; and WHEREAS, on February 24, 2026, the Council of the City of Santa Rosa held a duly noticed public hearing and considered the Addendum together with the previously certified General Plan 2050 EIR and the Project, at which time the Council considered the Project materials, public comments received, if any, staff reports, written and oral, and the testimony and other evidence of all those wishing to be heard; and WHEREAS, the Project Addendum was prepared pursuant to CEQA and all other legal prerequisites to the adoption of this Resolution have occurred; and WHEREAS, the Council has before it all of the necessary environmental information required by CEQA to properly analyze and evaluate any and all of the potential environmental impacts of the Project.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Santa Rosa, based upon the findings and the records and files herein, and the findings above made, hereby determines as follows:
SECTION 1. Recitals. The above recitals are true and correct and incorporated herein by reference.
SECTION 2. Compliance with CEQA. CEQA Guidelines Section 15164 requires lead agencies to prepare an addendum to a previously certified EIR if only minor technical changes or additions are necessary or none of the conditions described in Section 15162 calling for the preparation of a subsequent negative declaration or EIR have occurred. The Council has reviewed and considered the Addendum for the Project and the certified EIR and finds that those documents taken together contain a complete and accurate reporting of all of the environmental impacts associated with the Project. The Council further finds that the Addendum and administrative record have been completed in compliance with CEQA and the Addendum reflects the City’s independent judgment as the Lead Agency under CEQA.
SECTION 3. Findings Regarding Environmental Impacts. Based on the substantial evidence set forth in the record, including but not limited to the Addendum, the Council finds that an addendum is the appropriate document for disclosing the minor changes and additions that are necessary to account for the Project. The Council finds that based on the whole record before it, including but not limited to the Addendum, the EIR, all related and supporting technical reports, and the staff report, none of the conditions identified in CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 requiring the need for further subsequent environmental review has occurred because:
The Project does not constitute a substantial change that would require major revisions of the previously certified EIR due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects, in that the Project consists of General Plan land use and Zoning Map amendments on 30 parcels located within the City’s Urban Growth Boundary that predominantly reflect existing development and infill conditions. The affected parcels are already developed or comprise infill sites within a fully urbanized setting, served by existing infrastructure and public services, and do not entail expansion into undeveloped areas. As such, the amendments align land use designations with current ontheground conditions, and do not introduce new environmental effects or exacerbate previously identified impacts beyond those analyzed in the certified EIR; and There have been no substantial changes with respect to the circumstances under which the Project will be constructed that would require major revisions of the previously certified EIR due to the involvement of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of the previously identified significant effects in that the Addendum evaluates potential environmental impacts across the environmental issue areas addressed in the certified EIR and applies the standards set forth in CEQA Guidelines Section 15162 to determine whether any new or more severe significant impacts would result.. Based on those criteria, the Addendum found no new significant environmental effects and no substantial increase in the severity of the previously identified environmental effects. Therefore, there is no change to the determination impacts that were reached in the EIR; and There has been no new information of substantial importance that was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time the EIR was certified that has come to light, and that shows any of the following: (i) that the Project or the approved General Plan 2050 project would have one or more significant effects not discussed in the certified EIR; (ii) that significant effects previously examined would be substantially more severe than shown in the certified EIR; (iii) that mitigation measures or alternatives previously found not to be feasible would in fact be feasible and would substantially reduce one or more significant effects, but the applicant declined to adopt such measures; or (iv) that mitigation measures or alternatives considerably different from those analyzed previously would substantially reduce one or more significant effects on the environment, but which the applicant declined to adopt; and The monitoring and reporting of CEQA mitigation measures in connection with the Project will be conducted in accordance with the MMRP prepared for the EIR and compliance with the adopted MMRP is required for any development that occurs which is subject to CEQA; and Any future development that implements the Project will be required to comply with applicable mitigation measures identified in the certified EIR, as enforced through the adopted Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Santa Rosa hereby adopts the Addendum to the General Plan 2050 Environmental Impact Report for the First 2026 General Plan Amendment.
IN COUNCIL DULY PASSED this 24th day of February, 2026.
AYES: (7) Mayor Stapp, Vice Mayor Okrepkie, Council Members Alvarez, Bañuelos, Fleming, MacDonald, Rogers NOES: (0)
ABSENT: (0)
ABSTAIN: (0)
RECUSE: (0)
ATTEST: _________________________ APPROVED: ______________________________ City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM: ________________________
City Attorney
Exhibit A – First 2026 General Plan Amendment Addendum to General Plan 2050 Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR), dated December 2025 Reso. No. RES-2026-019