Agenda Item #16.2
For Council Meeting of: May 12, 2026
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: GABE OSBURN, DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUBJECT: 1977 MARSH ROAD PRE-ZONING
AGENDA ACTION: ORDINANCE INTRODUCTION
RECOMMENDATION
The Planning Commission and Planning and Economic Development Department recommend that the Council introduce an ordinance entitled Ordinance of the Council of the City of Santa Rosa pre-zoning the property located at 1977 Marsh Road to the Rural Residential (RR-20) Zoning District, Assessor’s Parcel Number 036-035-011 – File Number PLN25-0580, which is consistent with the Very Low Density Residential General Plan land use designation. This item has no impact on current fiscal year budget.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The applicant proposes to Pre-zone a 1.05-acre parcel for annexation into the City. The annexation would allow connection to City sewer service and support future construction of an accessory dwelling unit (ADU). The property is currently developed with one single-family home accessible via a shared private driveway off Marsh Road. The parcel is proposed to be pre-zoned to the RR-20 (Rural Residential) zoning district, consistent with the General Plan land use designation of Very Low Density Residential. On April 9, 2026, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Council Pre-zone the site.
GOAL
This item relates to Council Goal #2 - Invest in the Development and Maintenance of the City's Infrastructure as the future annexation is intended to connect the existing parcel to the City's sewer system.
BACKGROUND/PRIOR COUNCIL REVIEW
The project involves a Pre-zoning application, which is the initial step toward annexation. Once Pre-zoned, the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) will evaluate the annexation of the parcel, which borders properties within the City limits. The goal of the annexation is to secure City sewer services to support the future development of an ADU.
Surrounding Land Uses
North: Single-Family Residential
South: Rural Residential (County)
East: Single-Family Residential
West: Rural Residential (County)
The subject parcel is located at the end of a shared private driveway off Marsh Road, about 0.08 miles west of Marlow Road. It borders single-family residential uses within the City to the north and east, and County rural residential uses to the south and west.
Existing Land Use – Project Site
The project site is currently developed with a 1,848 square-foot single-family residence.
Project History
October 2025 and December 2025
The Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) mailed a total of 25 surveys to parcels within the surrounding county island. Four property owners expressed interest in annexation; however, they are not situated in a location that would create a logical annexation boundary. As a result, LAFCO determined that a single parcel annexation was appropriate.
December 17, 2025
Pre-Zoning Application Submitted.
March 20, 2026
Notice of Planning Commission Public Hearing Distributed.
April 9, 2025
The Planning Commission unanimously adopted a resolution recommending that the City Council Pre-zone the property to the RR-20 zoning district (Resolution No. PC-RES-2026-015).
ANALYSIS
General Plan
The General Plan addresses issues related to the physical development and growth of Santa Rosa and guides the City's planning and zoning functions. The project site is designated Very Low Density Residential. This designation allows a density range from 0.2 to 2 units per acre and is primarily intended for single-family detached uses.
The project has been found consistent with the General Plan 2050, which was adopted on June 3, 2025. The following General Plan 2050 goals, policies, and actions are applicable to the proposed project:
Land Use and Economic Development
Action 2-17: Allow annexations or City utility connections only if they do not adversely impact the City’s fiscal viability, environmental resources,
infrastructure and services, and
quality of life.
Consistent. The property proposed for Pre-zoning is adjacent to City limits and within the Urban Growth Boundary. Adequate infrastructure and services are available in the area, and the annexation will not have any adverse impacts on the City.
Action 2-18: Work with LAFCO to require all proposed annexations within a county island to prepare a sentiment survey of all property
owners in the island to determine
the feasibility of annexing the full
county island.
Consistent. Sentiment surveys were mailed by LAFCO in October 2025 and December of 2025, from which LAFCO determined the four interested parcels were not situated in a location that would create a logical annexation boundary and determined that a single parcel annexation is appropriate.
Housing Element
Program H-5: Promote ADU construction as a housing mobility opportunity.
Consistent. The proposed Pre-zoning for annexation will enable future connection to city sewer services, to allow the future construction of an ADU.
Zoning
The Zoning Code implements the goals and policies of the General Plan by classifying and regulating the use of land and structure development within the City. The proposed zoning for the site is RR-20 (Rural Residential). The RR zoning district is applied to areas of the City intended to accommodate residential neighborhoods with compatible agricultural uses, but where the primary uses are residential, and compatible accessory uses. The RR zoning district implements and is consistent with the Very Low Density Residential land use designation of the General Plan.
Public Comments
Staff received one inquiry from an adjacent neighbor in the county island asking if the future sewer and water lines would be large enough in size to also allow for connection by the neighbors, and what costs might be associated. The Water Department shared existing sewer and water main sizes, described the process for future sewer connections, and provided connection costs. No further issues or comments were raised.
Public Improvements
No improvements are required with the annexation/Pre-zoning of the subject property.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of this action does not have a fiscal impact on the General Fund.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The recommended action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15183 because the proposed Pre-zoning is consistent with the General Plan. The Very Low Density Residential designation was reviewed as part of the Santa Rosa General Plan 2050 Environmental Impact Report (EIR), certified by City Council Resolution No. 2025-090, dated June 3, 2025, and the proposed Pre-zoning to the RR-20 (Rural Residential) zoning district is consistent with the Very Low Density land use designation. There are no impacts peculiar to the site that were not already analyzed in the EIR or would require additional analysis.
The recommended action is also exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15319(a) & (b) because the project is a prezoning for a future annexation of existing private structures developed to the density allowed under the proposed Pre-zoning classification, and the extension of utility services to the existing facilities would have a capacity to serve the existing facilities. None of the exceptions to the exemption under CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply because the proposed Pre-zoning would not have a cumulative impact with successive projects; there are no unusual circumstances that would cause the project to have a significant environmental effect; the project will not result in damage to scenic or historical resources; and the project site is not a hazardous waste site.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
On April 9, 2026, the Planning Commission unanimously adopted Resolution No. PC-RES-2026-015, recommending that the City Council Pre-zone the property to the RR-20 zoning district.
NOTIFICATION
The project was noticed as a public hearing per the requirements of Chapter 20-66 of the City Code. Notification of this public hearing was provided by posting an on-site sign, publishing notice in a newspaper of general circulation, mailed notice to surrounding property owners and occupants, electronic notice to parties that had expressed interest in projects taking place in this geographic area of Santa Rosa, and bulletin board postings at City Hall and on the City website. Pursuant to Government Code Section 65091, where necessary, the City has incorporated notice procedures to the blind, aged, and disabled communities. These procedures include audio amplifier/assistive listening device support at public meetings, closed captioning, and optical character recognition conversion of electronic notices.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 - Disclosure Form
Attachment 2 - Location Map
Attachment 3 - Neighborhood Context & Zoning Map
Attachment 4 - Annexation Map
Attachment 5 - Assessor's Parcel Map
Attachment 6 - Sonoma LAFCO Communication
Attachment 7 - Public Comment
Attachment 8 - Planning Commission Resolution 4-9-2026
Ordinance
PRESENTER
Hana Michaelson, Senior Planner
(707) 543-4665
[email protected]
1977 MARSH ROAD PRE-ZONING
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