Attachment 9 - Public Comment Prior to February 12, 2026 — Santa Rosa City Council, October 13, 2026

From: KEN DAVIS
To: Bisla, Sachnoor
Cc: Cisco, Patti
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Del Valle Drive-Thru CUP23-041 (PRJ23-008) PROPOSED Date: Thursday, August 14, 2025 3:18:38 PM
TO: Sachnoor Bisla, City Planner
FROM: Kenneth E. Davis,
Retired civil engineering technician
DATE: August 14, 2025
SUBJECT: Del Valle Drive Thru -- PROPOSED
CUP23-041 (PRJ23-008)
2000 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa, CA
Dear Ms. Bisla,
Our Kenmore Lane community of families has just now learned that the Del Valle Restaurant owners are once again pursuing their disrespectful "drive-thru" project on our peaceful, totally-residential, "country lane."
After a large group of us came to your office and explained its serious problems with you 18 months ago: WHY WERE'NT WE NEIGHBORS NOTIFIED of your decision to approve the Del Valle "drive-thru" project?
People are outraged that Del Valle persists with this project -- to our detriment -- while they profit!
Many of us have lived here for decades! A "drive-thru" clearly violates our rights to quiet, peaceful enjoyment of our homes!
Del Valle's "drive-thru" will disturb the peace! It violates our right to be free from unreasonable noise: excessive idling cars, intercom ordering, honking, blaring visitor music -- all-day, every-day!
And... That it funnels a multitude of strangers onto our quiet, tiny, secluded, Kenmore Lane dead-end "dog leg" portion is a gross intrusion upon residents. This is something that we residents have never before been forced to suffer with! None would have anticipated such an egregious development when we purchased our homes here.

Attachment 9
Southbound traffic on Kenmore Lane will (once again) increase to (previously studied) unacceptable levels, as frustrated customers are unable to enter busy Sebastopol Road after visiting the ill-conceived "drive-thru!" -- a traffic calming problem we had confronted once before...

Del Valle's "drive-thru" will violate our right to safe living conditions and our right to freedom from obstructions/interruptions as we exercise our lawful access to, and use of, our homes.

To allow Del Valle's profit-driven "drive-thru" access onto Kenmore Lane will be an extreme, detrimental, change in use on our little (yes, tiny!), dead-end dog leg that has been peaceful for over 40 years! Ingress and egress to our homes will become difficult! Del Valle's frequent drive-thru visitors will obstruct emergency access by fire, police, and medical responders. Three trash pickups on "garbage day" will be impeded.

Street parking for residents and our guests will vanish: as Del Valle restricts our limited street parking to dine-in customers only at the "dead-end!" Numerous customers backing out of Del Valle's perpendicular parking spaces will risk hitting parked cars or other cars entering the "drive-thru." It will be very close-quarters and congested at the dead-end. Nearby resident families will suffer greatly!
We had loved and enjoyed the highly successful Pepe's Mexican Restaurant (a wonderful, good neighbor!) when they were located in the same premises (now Del Valle) . Our objections are not frivolous! They are based in fact and our lived experiences here.

1. Ms. Bisla, will you please forward to me the latest, most up-to-date design plans for Del Valle's "drive-thru" project? We are appalled that you recommend APPROVAL of this project by the Planning Commission, and we are aware that this agenda item on August 14, 2025, has been continued.

2. Please share with me the continued-to date.

3. Our neighborhood will be severely impacted by the Del Valle "drive-thru" project (if built).

Importantly: WHY WERE WE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE AUGUST 14TH AGENDA ITEM?

4. And, why is Del Valle's "drive-thru" project EXEMPT from an environmental-impact study and report. This is another outrage! When we neighbors met with you about this project at City Hall last year, we made it very clear to you and your supervisor the very real damages the "drive-thru" will cause our community.

Vehicle traffic is already congested and dangerous at the intersection of Sebastopol Road and Kenmore Lane. Many school children cross here, the pedestrian crossing here is poorly marked with no signalization. Vehicle maneuvers are often quick, unexpected, and very dangerous! This very intersection has a long history of many vehicle collisions! We have witnessed and lived with these very real conditions for decades! Del Valle's added "drivethru" traffic congestion will multiply driver frustrations and related dangers! Your recommendation of approval for Del Valle's proposed "drive-thru" project onto Kenmore Lane represents poor civic planning and design. The City of Santa Rosa "promises" us all: The "honorable goal" of maintaining and improving the quality of life in our city. To approve Del Valle's "drive-thru" project is a breach of that promise! It will create a blight upon our small neighborhood, lower property values, and eliminate the joy of living here. No one wants to live adjacent to a noisy, disruptive "drive-thru!" For over 20 years, Kenmore Lane homeowners and our other residents have fought very hard to achieve calm on our Lane (as the City grew around us). We had worked intensively with County of Sonoma traffic engineer, Dave Wallace. Traffic studies were performed. Several neighborhood meetings were held with County Supervisors, Mike Reilly and Efren Carrillo.

Numerous "traffic calming" designs were studied. Those included: Lawfully closing the dysfunctional, southern gravel entrance on Kenmore Lane into the (now) Del Valle parking lot; Closing Kenmore Lane at Sebastopol Road; Various restrictive traffic island techniques; and more. Ultimately we obtained speed bumps. We are unable to control improper southbound Short-Cutting down our Lane by impatient drivers -- that Short Cutting will increase immensely if Del Valle's "drive-thru" is built. The "drive-thru" as planned creates a hornet's nest of angry drivers on Kenmore Lane at Sebastopol Road -- grid lock! Poor design! We are determined to fight this insane project design, more than ever! Our families' lives are at risk!
NO COMMERCIAL ACCESS ONTO KENMORE LANE !

RESTRICT ALL COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY
TO SEBASTOPOL ROAD !
Sincerely,
-- Kenneth E. Davis,
Retired civil engineering technician
CC: Ms. Patti Cisco,
Planning Commissioner, City of Santa Rosa, CA

2/11/26, 12:02 PM IMG_0083.jpeg
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lTEazD5PMRYuU-6UssPiJiJhMMQ6T_Y_/edit 1/1 2/11/26, 12:03 PM IMG_0084.jpeg
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bh4DO1Zy6vEkPnei3ojiAtMJ4z0djmse/edit 1/1 2/11/26, 12:03 PM IMG_0086.jpeg
https://drive.google.com/file/d/107kfHVIOLvHM_CTshtkpoi7zczROp7t5/edit 1/1 From: mturkel
To: PLANCOM - Planning Commission
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Del Valle Drive through plan
Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026 10:00:29 PM
Dear Sir,
I am a forty year resident of Kenmore Lane and live about 2/3 of the way south from Sebastopol Rd. When I moved here in 1985, there was almost no traffic. When the developments to the west of Kenmore started happening, through traffic increased dramatically and continues to increase today. I worked with my neighbors to get speed bumps installed because I had to wait for several cars to pass before one would stop to let me back out of my driveway. Cut through traffic would get up to 60 mph. I had several of my cats ended up as roadkill in front of my house. My home is located between two of the 3 speed bumps, fortunately for me the distance between them is too short for people to much speed between them. But to the north and south of the speed bumps they do still speed. We have a lot of people walking here. There are kids coming and going from school, people out for exercise or walking their dogs. One side of the street has sidewalks in some places while other side has no sidewalks. That leaves no choice but to walk in the street. The increase in cars would be an unnecessary safety hazard for pedestrians and pets.

The intersection of Sebastopol Rd and Kenmore is frequently blocked by people in a hurry and can take a couple of changes of the Stony Point stop lights to make their way from Kenmore to Stony Point. The back up to the west can be as long as two blocks. Turning left from the west bound lane can be challenging. People driving east will get into their left turn lane and proceed through the intersection into the westbound left turn lane. Then they will sit there waiting for me to resolve their problem. I once tried to make the left turn through the partially blocked intersection.

As I edged out into the curb lane, a speeding car driven by an uninsured drive ran into the right front of my truck.

Fortunately, I had insurance that paid for the extensive repairs.

On another occasion my work van that was parked on the street was totaled by a hit and run driver on a weekend morning. After my van, he proceeded to hit my next door neighbor's van. Another neighbor saw him as he deserted his SUV and took off south on foot. The police took a report and since his plates and registration were still with the car they were able to locate him. He was not a Sonoma County resident, he was uninsured and drunk at 8am.

At our meetings with 3 commissioners on Monday and Tuesday, many neighbors had similar stories to tell about traffic issues. After studying the proposed plans for Del Valle project, it is clear that the quality of life on Kenmore Lane would be greatly diminished by dumping all of Del Valle's customer's cars on to Kenmore Lane. We have a wonderful community here that would be lost if this project is approved. While this would be especially destructive to those who live on the dog leg of Kenmore Lane, it would also be damaging for those of us who live on the rest of the street.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and considering our concerns. Please help us keep our neighborhood by rejecting this plan.

Sincerely,
Marni
Marni Turkel
From: Bisla, Sachnoor
To: Brown, Madeline
Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Del Valle Mexican Restaurant CUP23-041(PRJ23-008) Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 3:19:05 PM
Sachnoor Bisla | City Planner
Planning and Economic Development Department |100 Santa Rosa Ave | Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Tel. (707) 543-3223 | Fax (707) 292-0963 | [email protected] Coming soon in 2025, the Planning, Building, and Engineering Divisions of the City of Santa Rosa's Planning and Economic Development Department will fully transition to an online application submittal process through the Accela Citizen Access platform. Learn more about the Online Permitting System here, and more information will be coming soon!
From: Jo Hagstro. <
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 2:56 PM
To: Bisla, Sachnoor <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Del Valle Mexican Restaurant CUP23-041(PRJ23-008) To Santa Rosa City Planner, Ms. Sachnoor Bisla,
As a homeowner on Kenmore Ln.
since 2003, I have witnessed a steady increase in vehicle traffic on my street. It has come to a point where in the morning and afternoon traffic is so heavy making it hard to get onto Sebastopol Rd., turning right and turning left is almost impossible. By adding a drive through on Del Valle Restaurant property, Kenmore Ln. will become a bottleneck for cars using our street.

Kenmore Ln. is a residential street not a commercial thoroughfare! As a homeowner paying $6,500 a year in property taxes to have some peace of mind in my own neighborhood; not to get jammed up with traffic to a point where I can't get out of my own driveway or neighborhood.

Sincerely, Keith Richardson
From: KEN DAVIS
To: Weeks, Karen; Horton, Miles; Duggan, Vicki; Sanders, Terrence; Carter, Charles; Cisco, Patti; Pardo, Aaron Cc: Bisla, Sachnoor; PLANCOM - Planning Commission
Subject: [EXTERNAL] URGENT / IMPORTANT / TIME SENSITIVE -- Feb. 12th -- Del Valle Proposed Project Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 11:21:13 AM
Attachments: VICINITY MAP.png
2026.02.12 -- EXHIBIT.png
2026.02.02 -- AERIAL EXISTING.png
TO: THE CITY OF SANTA ROSA

SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA
Submitted for February 12, 2026
Planning Commission Hearing
REGARDING: THE PROPOSED

DEL VALLE RESTAURANT

DRIVE-THRU PROJECT
2000 Sebastopol Road
CUP23-041 (PRJ23-008)
SENT TO ALL 7 PLANNING COMMISSIONERS
via Email 02/11/2026, at 11:20 AM
Dear Planning Commissioners,
This document was prepared with love for our community.

It's long. Please read through to the end. And please forgive any redundancies. Your 10-day public notification period is unrealistic for any knowledgeable person to study a project's documents, then try to communicate the nuances and intricacies of that project to one's entire community. Time is short. Our neighborhood group looks forward to seeing you in Chambers --tomorrow evening. Many thanks to you Commissioners who found the time to meet with us neighbors on-site!
Below, please find my personal statement, which I had hoped to present, at your Planning Commission Hearing on February 12, 2026. But, it's not possible for me to present all the important points within 3 minutes, in my own voice. The following information is comprehensive in nature, and very crucial for our community's wellbeing! I am the only person on Kenmore Lane with a civil engineering background (technician level). It's near-impossible (without assistance) for the lay-person (my neighbors) to comprehend engineering drawings and the many technical reports for the Proposed Del Valle drive-thru project.

Since no EIR (Environmental Impact Report) was required, it's up to us long-time residents to supply that crucial information to you. Please, please, protect our neighborhood, our families.

With intensive instruction, our neighbor group better understands the proposed Del Valle drive-thru project and the devastating impacts its (new) customer vehicle traffic flows would have on our long-established (pre-1960 +/-) residential neighborhood.

I (we all) have the right to petition our Government! I hereby petition the government of the City of Santa Rosa with this entire document and its exhibits.

What follows is my truthful opinion. It is my personal statement. And prepared to the best of my knowledge. With exhibits.

It was very difficult to address our concerns herein, within your very short 10-day public notice period.

I believe that most of the neighbors I've been working intensively with the last 10 days, will concur with my comments. You may ask them yourself at the Planning Commission hearing. By raising of hands? I hope to be present to answer any questions you may have of me.

Good Evening,
I'm Ken Davis, a retired Civil Engineering Technician. I'm a 40-year resident of our Kenmore Lane community -- we all look out for one another here.

I love Santa Rosa! I love my neighbors! We have worked very hard for decades to clean up, improve, and maintain a healthy community. Twenty years ago I participated in a couple of community-wide, Roseland "clean-up days." Importantly, I appreciate all you good people who administer our city! You provide us with clean drinking water, and keep our communities safe, sanitary, healthy. I feel blessed! Santa Rosa is truly "A city made for living" as its motto states. Let's keep it that way!
TONIGHT, I request (along with a great number of my neighbors) that the City of Santa Rosa DENY a Conditional Use Permit for this proposed "Del Valle Restaurant, DriveThru" project -- as it's presently designed.

WHILE WE WISH THE DEL VALLE OWNERS WELL -- Their current project plan is UNCONSCIONABLE! It will severely, and dangerously impact every resident who lives on our entire Kenmore Lane (all 39 homes & families).

DV's (Del Valle's) current plan would literally change the character of our community by "dumping" every single one of their customer's vehicles onto our tiny Kenmore Lane dog-leg portion, like never before! All of Kenmore Lane is, and always has been a public residential road, not private as Del Valle's submitted project documents state repeatedly! It is, and always has been zoned residential.

VICINITY MAP
DV's project would dramatically worsen existing grid-lock conditions that we residents already experience at Sebastopol Road & Kenmore Lane (an uncontrolled intersection).

DV's frustrated, impatient customers would certainly choose to speed south on K.L. (Kenmore Lane) to Gardner Avenue -- proceeding next to Lombardi Lane! (for westbound cars), impacting many students and parents at Chavez Academy/Cook School. Alternatively, some cars will venture east on Gardener, tying-up traffic at recently widened Stony Point Road (another uncontrolled intersection).

So should the City of Santa Rosa!
Please keep all of Del Valle's commercial and customer traffic off of Kenmore Lane.

Please, permanently close Del Valle's existing, southern entryway, now! Protect our public, residential Kenmore Lane! Restrict all commercial activities to the commercially-zoned, arterial road of Sebastopol Road! The City must maintain a clear distinction between commercial and residential uses! After all, we are: "The City made for living."
Kenmore Lane already suffers dangerous, grid-lock traffic congestion many times throughout the day at Sebastopol Road. This intersection has no traffic signal. Heavy traffic frequently blocks our entry. So, we, ourselves, use Lombardi Lane to go west.

To travel east on Sebastopol Road is also difficult! Most drivers do not keep this hectic intersection clear. Drivers often make illegal maneuvers here.

But they ignored, even minimized Kenmore Lane's dangerous intersection at Sebastopol Road. Thus, putting their client's interests above the welfare of our Santa Rosa community!
DV's project documents (esp.: owner's narrative / project description) state that their project will have "Minimal impact on traffic." Not so! We long-term residents know better! It would certainly be bad for our resident families.

The following aerial photo "mark-up" EXHIBIT, graphically summarizes, in RED, the heavy, undue burdens that the PROPOSED Del Valle drive-thru project would impose upon our neighborhood and our families' lives. Any level of added vehicles is unacceptable! Del Valle's project would certainly endanger K.L. residents, children, and pets, and the general public. Please, permit NO ingress, egress, or customer parking access from our Kenmore Lane dog-leg.

EXHIBIT:

LEGEND:

YELLOW indicates DANGEROUS, EXISTING CONDITIONS.

BLUE or WHITE designates normal, existing neighborhood traffic patterns.

RED -- Represents heavy new customer traffic flows from a PROPOSED Del Valle drive-thru. Poor civic planning!
PINK -- Represents suggested re-designs that are respectful of our neighborhood and its residents.

TO CONTINUE:

Kenmore Lane's dog-leg portion will be the most severely impacted! Large families and their many grandchildren live and play on the K.L. dog leg, a dead-end, public, residential-only road.

Even without a DV drive thru -- Sebastopol Road traffic congestion is increasing exponentially as new housing and business developments are completed to the west.

DV's Queue Management Plan is pure idiocy! It will not work! A busy, two-person drive-thru kitchen cannot afford to send 50% of their team out to the street to direct traffic at their busiest of times! Even in the rain?
TO WIT:
1) The worker is not qualified to direct traffic! They're not traffic cops. It's a "dicey" proposition to have a cook wearing a hair net and apron turning customers away on the street.
2) If he has minimal training, short-order cooks, paid minimum wage, often find better employment elsewhere. An unpredictable, high-turnover occupation! 3) DV may rent the drive-thru out to some other food vendor! It is near-impossible for S.R. City to provide oversight & enforcement of DV's Q-Mgt. Plan. 4) To direct DV's overflow vehicles through the former RiteAid parking lot is highly inappropriate, and inevitable! We know it will happen! That usage was never approved by the Council / Commission (years ago) when City approved construction of the pharmacy building.
5) Moreover, at the busiest of times, to deny customer vehicles entry, will confuse and aggravate every driver nearby on Sebastopol Road. CHAOS! Determined customers will proceed south on Stony Pt., west on Gardner Ave., then speed north on Kenmore Lane (going 'round and 'round the block like a squirrel cage!) For many decades, the entirety of Kenmore Lane has been, and remains, a public road, zoned residential. The County of Sonoma had jurisdiction until 2017. It maintained the entire roadway (including the dog-leg) -- its surface drainage, sewer, and water systems, until all of Roseland was annexed.

Despite this competition, other "brick&mortar" venues are thriving! DV's gravel parking lot has been neglected for 10 years. It's south fence has been hit by cars many times and remains un-repaired, it's often on the ground! The stop sign there has been hit many times, lay on the ground for days, and is now missing! Gravel from their parking lot always remains spread, unabated, on our paved, Kenmore Lane dog-leg -- a pedestrian slipping/tripping hazard (City liability?). Fix this now! Existing Site -- Aerial Photo:

Please, do not reward DV's lack of maintenance by allowing DV to "dump" every one of their customer's vehicles into our now peaceful, residential community of K.L.! DENY this project. We all will suffer greatly from that indignity. DV's current drive-thru plan would be a blight upon our entire community. Our property values will plummet! Our existing speed bumps cannot save us from DV's many customer vehicles.

DV's project as it's presented to you today, absolutely conflicts with Santa Rosa's longstanding principle: To cultivate a livable city. The City of Santa Rosa can do better. -- for everyone's sake!
PLEASE:

Do not allow customer vehicles (or commercial traffic) on Kenmore Lane from DVs land at 2000 Sebastopol Road. Please permanently close the messy, dysfunctional, gravel vehicle driveway on our K.L. dog-leg, located along their southern border. The City prohibits gravel driveways!!! Enforce that law!
As part of TRAFFIC CALMING studies, when we obtained our important K.L. speed bumps (20+ years ago), the Sonoma County traffic engineer addressed the southern gravel driveway situation: He said he could close that driveway for us, because the restaurant needed only one driveway: the existing ingress/egress driveway near the restaurant building on Sebastopol Road. We now ask that the southern driveway opening be closed immediately -- ask my neighbors.

The DV project (as designed) is bad for everyone!
Please, dear Commissioners, RESTRICT ALL commercial activities, and all customer parking, to the COMMERCIALLY ZONED, ARTERIAL ROAD OF SEBASTOPOL ROAD. As you know, arterials and collector streets are where drive-thru's are is located! (if not within a large shopping plaza's parking lot).

PLEASE RESPECT AND PROTECT OUR HEALTHY, ESTABLISHED FAMILY

NEIGHBORHOOD OF KENMORE LANE (AND THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS
SOUTH AND WEST OF US).

Since time IMMEMORIAL: All of K.L. has been a public road, zoned residential.

IMPORTANT: DV's tiny strip of land was annexed, and zoned commercial, many years before all of K.L. was annexed along with Roseland.

ON A POSITIVE NOTE:

A well-constructed, paved parking lot (without a stand-alone drive-thru kitchen), with proper public sidewalks may well be the highest, best, and only use for DV's land.

Adding a second, formal, egress driveway ramp directly on Sebastopol Road, near the west end of their property will certainly avoid vehicle "stacking" problems on Sebastopol Road. All vehicle Queueing would be contained within the fully improved parking lot.

A modern, attractive parking lot (perhaps with dramatic, beautiful landscaping) could help attract customers, making it a true dining destination, unlike today's ugly, illmaintained, unsupervised, gravel lot.

There's even room on DV's parking lot for attractive picnic tables with umbrellas. There is plenty of space, today for a bustling business, like our beloved Pepe's Mexican Restaurant! -- before they relocated. I have an old aerial photo (c. 1997) with 25 vehicles parked in Pepe's well-maintained gravel parking lot. The restaurant was so very popular that the fire department often would enjoy lunch at Pepe's -- parking their very long ladder truck in the gravel lot.

HISTORICAL:

We wish Del Valle owners well.

And, please STOP Del Valle's horrible, disrespectful, drive-thru project. It's a tragedy in the making.

Thank you!
Respectfully submitted via email,
-- Ken Davis.

Building The Beloved Community, Together!
==================================
( End )
From: KEN DAVIS
To: Weeks, Karen; Horton, Miles; Duggan, Vicki; Sanders, Terrence; Carter, Charles; Cisco, Patti; Pardo, Aaron Cc: Bisla, Sachnoor; PLANCOM - Planning Commission
Subject: [EXTERNAL] ADDENDUM -- Re: URGENT / IMPORTANT / TIME SENSITIVE -- Feb. 12th -- Del Valle Proposed Project Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 12:29:23 PM
Attachments: 2026.02.02 -- AERIAL PHOTO -- MARKUP .png
VICINITY MAP.png
2026.02.12 -- EXHIBIT.png
2026.02.02 -- AERIAL EXISTING.png
Dear Planning Commissioners and Ms Bisla:

If it might be useful,
I provide, here, a large (scaleable) version of my EXHIBIT (an Aerial Photo markup), that I included in my Personal Statement for the February 12, 2026, Planning Commission hearing on the Proposed Del Valle Restaurant Drive-Thru project -- Ken Davis
On Feb 11, 2026, at 11:20 AM, KEN DAVIS <ken davis@att net> wrote:

TO: THE CITY OF SANTA ROSA

SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA
Submitted for February 12, 2026
Planning Commission Hearing
REGARDING: THE PROPOSED

DEL VALLE RESTAURANT

It's long. Please read through to the end. And please forgive any redundancies. Your 10-day public notification period is unrealistic for any knowledgeable person to study a project's documents, then try to communicate the nuances and intricacies of that project to one's entire community. Time is short. Our neighborhood group looks forward to seeing you in Chambers --tomorrow evening. Many thanks to you Commissioners who found the time to meet with us neighbors on-site! Below, please find my personal statement, which I had hoped to present, at your Planning Commission Hearing on February 12, 2026. But, it's not possible for me to present all the important points within 3 minutes, in my own voice. The following information is comprehensive in nature, and very crucial for our community's well-being! I am the only person on Kenmore Lane with a civil engineering background (technician level). It's near-impossible (without assistance) for the lay-person (my neighbors) to comprehend engineering drawings and the many technical reports for the Proposed Del Valle drive-thru project.

Since no EIR (Environmental Impact Report) was required, it's up to us long-time residents to supply that crucial information to you. Please, please, protect our neighborhood, our families.

I (we all) have the right to petition our Government! I hereby petition the government of the City of Santa Rosa with this entire document and its exhibits.

What follows is my truthful opinion. It is my personal statement. And prepared to the best of my knowledge. With exhibits.

It was very difficult to address our concerns herein, within your very short 10-day public notice period.

Good Evening,
I'm Ken Davis, a retired Civil Engineering Technician. I'm a 40-year resident of our Kenmore Lane community -- we all look out for one another here.

I love Santa Rosa! I love my neighbors! We have worked very hard for decades to clean up, improve, and maintain a healthy community. Twenty years ago I participated in a couple of community-wide, Roseland "clean-up days." Importantly, I appreciate all you good people who administer our city! You provide us with clean drinking water, and keep our communities safe, sanitary, healthy. I feel blessed! Santa Rosa is truly "A city made for living" as its motto states. Let's keep it that way! TONIGHT, I request (along with a great number of my neighbors) that the City of Santa Rosa DENY a Conditional Use Permit for this proposed "Del Valle Restaurant, Drive-Thru" project -- as it's presently designed.

VICINITY MAP
DV's project would dramatically worsen existing grid-lock conditions that we residents already experience at Sebastopol Road & Kenmore Lane (an uncontrolled intersection). DV's frustrated, impatient customers would certainly choose to speed south on K.L. (Kenmore Lane) to Gardner Avenue -- proceeding next to Lombardi Lane! (for westbound cars), impacting many students and parents at Chavez Academy/Cook School. Alternatively, some cars will venture east on Gardener, tying-up traffic at recently widened Stony Point Road (another uncontrolled intersection).

The broader community, south and west of Kenmore embodies hundreds of resident families. They will be outraged when DV's highly inappropriate cut-through traffic suddenly appears speeding through their neighborhoods! Traffic Engineers make great efforts to discourage such inappropriate cut-thru traffic. So should the City of Santa Rosa! Please keep all of Del Valle's commercial and customer traffic off of Kenmore Lane. Please, permanently close Del Valle's existing, southern entryway, now! Protect our public, residential Kenmore Lane! Restrict all commercial activities to the commercially-zoned, arterial road of Sebastopol Road! The City must maintain a clear distinction between commercial and residential uses! After all, we are: "The City made for living." Kenmore Lane already suffers dangerous, grid-lock traffic congestion many times throughout the day at Sebastopol Road. This intersection has no traffic signal. Heavy traffic frequently blocks our entry. So, we, ourselves, use Lombardi Lane to go west. To travel east on Sebastopol Road is also difficult! Most drivers do not keep this hectic intersection clear. Drivers often make illegal maneuvers here.

Making a left-hand turn from westbound Sebastopol Road onto southbound K.L. (as we are coming home) is quite dangerous and requires extreme caution. Very many car accidents have occurred here! Seriously! DV's traffic engineers studied Stony Point Road intersection intensively for this project. But they ignored, even minimized Kenmore Lane's dangerous intersection at Sebastopol Road. Thus, putting their client's interests above the welfare of our Santa Rosa community! DV's project documents (esp.: owner's narrative / project description) state that their project will have "Minimal impact on traffic." Not so! We long-term residents know better! It would certainly be bad for our resident families.

EXHIBIT:

LEGEND:

YELLOW indicates DANGEROUS, EXISTING CONDITIONS.

BLUE or WHITE designates normal, existing neighborhood traffic patterns.

RED -- Represents heavy new customer traffic flows from a PROPOSED Del Valle drive-thru. Poor civic planning! PINK -- Represents suggested re-designs that are respectful of our neighborhood and its residents.

TO CONTINUE:

Kenmore Lane's dog-leg portion will be the most severely impacted! Large families and their many grandchildren live and play on the K.L. dog leg, a dead-end, public, residential-only road.

Even without a DV drive thru -- Sebastopol Road traffic congestion is increasing exponentially as new housing and business developments are completed to the west.

DV's Queue Management Plan is pure idiocy! It will not work! A busy, two-person drive-thru kitchen cannot afford to send 50% of their team out to the street to direct traffic at their busiest of times! Even in the rain? TO WIT:
1) The worker is not qualified to direct traffic! They're not traffic cops. It's a "dicey" proposition to have a cook wearing a hair net and apron turning customers away on the street. 2) If he has minimal training, short-order cooks, paid minimum wage, often find better employment elsewhere. An unpredictable, high-turnover occupation! 3) DV may rent the drive-thru out to some other food vendor! It is near-impossible for S.R. City to provide oversight & enforcement of DV's Q-Mgt. Plan. 4) To direct DV's overflow vehicles through the former RiteAid parking lot is highly inappropriate, and inevitable! We know it will happen! That usage was never approved by the Council / Commission (years ago) when City approved construction of the pharmacy building.
5) Moreover, at the busiest of times, to deny customer vehicles entry, will confuse and aggravate every driver nearby on Sebastopol Road. CHAOS! Determined customers will proceed south on Stony Pt., west on Gardner Ave., then speed north on Kenmore Lane (going 'round and 'round the block like a squirrel cage!)
For many decades, the entirety of Kenmore Lane has been, and remains, a public road, zoned residential. The County of Sonoma had jurisdiction until 2017. It maintained the entire roadway (including the dog-leg) -- its surface drainage, sewer, and water systems, until all of Roseland was annexed.

DV, in their project narrative, admits that their restaurant business has struggled with a lack of patronage for many years. There is something seriously wrong, when they have not developed their own loyal customer-base after 10 years of operation! Mexican food outlets are popping-up all over town. Most of them have developed loyal customers. Despite this competition, other "brick&mortar" venues are thriving! DV's gravel parking lot has been neglected for 10 years. It's south fence has been hit by cars many times and remains un-repaired, it's often on the ground! The stop sign there has been hit many times, lay on the ground for days, and is now missing! Gravel from their parking lot always remains spread, unabated, on our paved, Kenmore Lane dog-leg -- a pedestrian slipping/tripping hazard (City liability?). Fix this now! Existing Site -- Aerial Photo:

DV's project as it's presented to you today, absolutely conflicts with Santa Rosa's long-standing principle: To cultivate a livable city. The City of Santa Rosa can do better. -- for everyone's sake! PLEASE:

PLEASE RESPECT AND PROTECT OUR HEALTHY, ESTABLISHED FAMILY NEIGHBORHOOD OF KENMORE LANE (AND THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS SOUTH AND WEST OF US).

Since time IMMEMORIAL All of K.L. has been a public road, zoned residential.

IMPORTANT: DV's tiny strip of land was annexed, and zoned commercial, many years before all of K.L. was annexed along with Roseland.

ON A POSITIVE NOTE:

A well-constructed, paved parking lot (without a stand-alone drive-thru kitchen), with proper public sidewalks may well be the highest, best, and only use for DV's land. Adding a second, formal, egress driveway ramp directly on Sebastopol Road, near the west end of their property will certainly avoid vehicle "stacking" problems on Sebastopol Road. All vehicle Queueing would be contained within the fully improved parking lot.

A modern, attractive parking lot (perhaps with dramatic, beautiful landscaping) could help attract customers, making it a true dining destination, unlike today's ugly, ill-maintained, unsupervised, gravel lot.

HISTORICAL:

We wish Del Valle owners well.

And, please STOP Del Valle's horrible, disrespectful, drive-thru project. It's a tragedy in the making.

Thank you!
Respectfully submitted via email,
-- Ken Davis.

Building The Beloved Community, Together!
==================================
( End )
From: kathleen Pooler
To: Bisla, Sachnoor
Subject: [EXTERNAL] For Feb. 12 hearing on PROPOSED DEL VALLE DRIVE-THRU -- CUP23-041 (PRJ23-008) Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 4:00:32 PM
achnoor Bisla | City Planner
Planning and Economic Development Department |100 Santa Rosa Ave | Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Tel. (707) 543-3223 | Fax (707) 292-0963 | [email protected] DEAR PLANNING COMMISSIONERS:

My name is Kathy Pooler. I have owned my property on Kenmore Lane since 1979, and have lived here continually for the last 40 years.

Current Del Valle Proposal
I am strongly opposed to the proposed drive-through restaurant at Del Valle property at 2000 Sebastopol Road. File Number CUP23-041 (PRJ23-008)
The plans as currently written would have the cars exiting the drive-thru onto the dog-leg of Kenmore Lane, then turning right to go out onto Sebastopol Road or left to go down Kenmore Lane, a small one block street that was part of the County until 2017.

Residential vs. Commercial
First off, I do not believe that any commercial enterprise should have it's access or exit onto a residential street. Kenmore Lane is a public road (mistakenly referred to as a private lane in the report) which is categorized as a local road.

Vehicle Traffic on Kenmore Lane
Kenmore Lane has an extraordinary amount of vehicle traffic for such a small street. My guests often comment on how busy it is when they come to my house. Because Keagan Drive behind us does not have an outlet, those residents and residents of other neighborhoods to our West and South use Kenmore to come and go East and North, especially since their other option is Garner, where it is almost impossible most of the time to make a left from there onto Stony Point.

Pedestrian Traffic on Kenmore Lane
My neighbors have addressed the serious vehicle traffic on Kenmore Lane and the entrance/exit onto Sebastopol Road. I want to also stress the pedestrian traffic. Since there are limited sidewalks much of the length of our street, many people walk IN the street. This includes the dog-leg, where children often play at the dead end. The foot traffic includes people walking their dogs, kids walking to and from school, parents pushing baby carriages, children buying from the ice cream truck, people going and coming from Food Maxx, (crossing Sebastopol Road at a spot where there is no light or crosswalk) etc. as well as people, including children, riding bicycles. This is of particular concern when there are people walking in the street at night, which some people do regularly to walk their dogs or go to Food Maxx. There are also a number of neighborhood cats (at last 7) and a frequent escapee small dog that call our street their home and they would be at increased risk of being hit with additional traffic. People who live on, or utilize this street on a regular basis, are on the lookout for these surprise encounters, especially after dark, but people not familiar with the neighborhood would not know to do so. Even with speed bumps, we regularly have drivers speeding down our street. Adding sidewalks at the north end of Kenmore would be of little help, as it would not solve the pedestrian and animal problem. The sidewalk in the proposal along the dog-leg is private. There should already be a sidewalk ON Sebastopol Road in front of Del Valle, however, which should have been addressed by the City years ago.

Gaining access to the restaurant is currently, and would continue to be, off of Sebastopol Road, as it should be. For customers coming from west of there on Stony Point, that is no problem. I would venture a guess, though, that customers coming from South of Sebastopol Road, and perhaps from elsewhere, would avoid that bad intersection of Stony Point and Sebastopol Road, by going onto Garner to Kenmore Lane to reach, and reversing that to leave, the restaurant, adding more traffic to the length of Kenmore Lane, and those other residential neighborhoods.

Traffic Impact on Sebastopol Road
I strongly disagree with the statement by the W-Tran transportation consultant that adding the drive-thru restaurant would have minimal impact on traffic on Stony Point or Sebastopol Road! It most certainly would add to the congestion on Sebastopol Road and perhaps Stony Point as well. Most egregious is the fact that there was no mention of impact to Kenmore Lane in that report, where the plan is to have all customers from the drive-thru and the current restaurant exit (customers currently can use the shared driveway with the former Rite Aid to enter and exit). Many neighbors have voiced their current frustrations with the gridlock that happens where Kenmore Lane connects with Sebastopol Road, focusing on the afternoon traffic when Caesar Chavez Language Academy gets out, and at the end of the work day, as people are leaving businesses west of us or returning to their homes in that neighborhood.

However, In my normal comings and goings during week days, I have also experienced this gridlock at lunch hour and to a lesser degree, at the start of the school and work day.

It is unsafe to turn left onto Sebastopol Lane much of the time and even turning right (East) can be tricky. Traffic is already horrendous and would become even more so. I've been told by residents at Casa Del Sol that it is almost impossible for them to exit their gated community going East at the start and end of the school day.

Please see article of February 2 in the Sonoma County Gazettte by Duane De Witt titled Roseland roads are narrowing - here's why, discussing traffic issues in Roseland.

Entering Kenmore Lane from Sebastopol Road
It is very unsafe and risky to turn left from Sebastopol Road onto Kenmore Lane at those busy times of day, as Eastbound traffic on Sebastopol Road take over the lefthand turn lane to Kenmore (going the wrong direction!) and even when that left-hand lane is available to us, we have to cross two lanes of traffic to get in. Usually when traffic is backed up on Sebastopol Road, drivers seeing someone trying to turn will leave a clearing (no markings currently for that area to be left clear) for people to turn left (South) and will wave us to go ahead and make the turn. But often there are other cars in the lane next to the curb coming East that can't see the driver trying to turn and the left-turning driver can't see them, making the turn treacherous.

There have been many near misses and some accidents at that spot. If this project comes to fruition, this traffic hazard would become a much bigger issue than it already is. This violates the City's "Vision Zero" policy to reduce pedestrian and cyclist fatalities.! Impact on people living on the dog-leg:

The people living on the dog-leg of Kenmore Lane would be impacted the most. These families all have more than one car, frequently have members of their large extended families visiting, including young children, and driveways that can only accommodate one vehicle.

Therefore, they have to park any additional vehicles on the North side of the road, where the private proposed parking for the existing restaurant would be. Under the current proposal, the residents would lose access to that area to park! That is outrageous!I It is difficult as it is to turn around at the dead end. The proposed parking spaces reduces the turning distance for all vehicles, especially larger vehicles, such as trucks. Residents getting out of their driveways and that section of the street with traffic coming out of the Del Valle's drive-thru driveway would be very challenging, and a nightmare for emergency vehicles, garbage trucks, delivery trucks, etc.

Residents of the dog-leg have been told that mail will not be delivered and garbage cans would have to be put out onto the main section of Kenmore if there are any obstacles to those vehicles being able to turn around to get out. This is very problematic and an unreasonable burden to those families.

Rational given by owners of Del Valle for adding the drive-thru The owners of Del Valle are asking for the approval of their project as they state that part of the reason that they are unable to make a profit is due to lack of seating to accommodate enough customers. They believe they can increase their profit by expanding their customer base with a drive-thru restaurant. I do not believe that limited seating is the issue! I drive by their parking lot several times daily and the most number of cars I have ever seen there is 5, and it is usually less. They state that they can only use their covered and enclosed outside seating area in the summer, but neighbors have observed it being used year-round, with the help of heat lamps, like many other local restaurants. I have been told by neighbors that there are certain times of the week that the restaurant is busy, and customers and staff of the restaurant park at the now vacant Rite Aid parking lot. This might become a problem if whomever takes over that site prohibits them from parking there if there are more cars than the 16 parking spaces in the proposal.

I think the main issue of not being able to make enough of a profit is too much competition in a concentrated area, which the owners also cite as a limiting factor. A search online shows that there are 10 other Mexican Restaurants and food trucks on Sebastopol Road alone, PLUS Mitote Food Park with another 8-10 food trucks, and Lola's Market, on the corner of Sebastopol Road and Dutton Ave, which also serves Mexican food. There are also numerous other Mexican restaurants and food trucks near by. It is hard to see how they can all make a profit. The restaurant business is very competitive and only 51% make it to 5 years. Some of the restaurants on Sebastopol Road have been long established, with loyal customers. One of those, Taqueria El Favorito, has both an inside dining and a drive-thru restaurant. Therefore, adding a drive-thru at Del Valle would not be unique and would not necessarily tap into a different customer base for them. They need to have a feature that makes them stand out, which they apparently do not have currently, after almost 10 years in business. I do not believe it is in their best interest, or worth the financial risk, of adding a drive-thru restaurant with the hope of increasing profits.

I wish the owners of Del Valle the best. I do not believe that it is up to the neighborhood however, to sacrifice and suffer for them to take this gamble. Please vote NO on their proposal!
Thank you.

Respectfully,
Kathy Pooler
From: colleen oneal
To: PLANCOM - Planning Commission; Bisla, Sachnoor; Pardo, Aaron; Cisco, Patti; Carter, Charles; Weeks, Karen; Duggan, Vicki; Sanders, Terrence; Horton, Miles; Ken Davis Subject: [EXTERNAL] Del Valle Proposal - Evidence in Opposition Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 8:37:38 PM
Attachments: SKETCH 1.pdf
Dear Planning Commissioners .... I am a 44 year resident at 988 Kenmore Lane. I'm attaching a link to a google drive folder named "Del Valle Proposal Opposition" . The videos in the folder depict traffic on Sebastopol Road/Kenmore Lane. All were filmed yesterday, February 10th, between 4:44 pm and 5:00 pm. One video (the longest) is 8 minutes 40 seconds long and was started at 4:44 p.m. The other 4 videos were all filmed between 4:52 and 5:00 pm. I'm also attaching a rough sketch of the area so you can get some idea of the actual traffic pattern at that intersection. Additionally, a short narrative of the longer video is provided below to help provide some context with regard to what you are seeing. I, and my neighbors, would very much appreciate you taking the time to review the videos.
[I've attempted to give everyone access to the google drive doc but I am definitely not a tech person (and as I was sharing the doc it said several email addresses did not have a google account). Please let me know if you are not able to access the videos. The person that appears to have access for sure is Karen Weeks.] THE 8 minute VIDEO (narrative):

The red stop sign is at the north end of Kenmore Ln. (BTW - Kenmore Lane - I'll call it "KL" - is one continuous block long) The white pickup is prepared to turn right onto Sebastopol Rd. (There is NO possibility of turning left onto Sebastopol Rd. during any of the rush hour traffic - morning, noon or 3-6 pm).

Cars are backed up to KL (and farther west) and block the left turn lane from Seb.

Rd. To KL. Also, cars wanting to exit the Food Max shopping center are qued up for a left turn onto Seb. Rd. Eventually, a Fed Ex truck is east bound on Seb. Rd. travelling in the inside lane. To the left of the Fed Ex truck are east bound cars IN THE KL LEFT TURN LANE (initially a black jeep and then another car - and then more vehicles use the turn lane after traffic starts moving). Even when east bound cars aren't in the KL left turn lane - east bound traffic blocks the KL intersection so it's impossible - and then dangerous (because it's difficult to see if another car is coming in the curb lane) to make the turn. So then traffic moves some and then the curb lane is again backed up to KL and farther west. Then you see a gray car in the KL left turn lane, blocked from turning - traffic still backed up in both east bound lanes - Food Max traffic backed up 3 or 4 cars deep. The same thing happens repeatedly, blocking the left turn lane (if not driving in it east bound), both lanes backed up to KL and farther west. The video ends after the tow truck makes the turn to KL.

The shorter videos all depict the same basic problem. The point is that the problem is continuous - and these videos were all taken in a 14 minute window BEFORE 5:00 pm. (I would also like to point out that the 'fix' for the anticipated queing problem for the drive-thru is, for want of a better word, goofy. Unless, of course, Del Valle is agreeing to have an employee assigned to that task exclusively, and agrees to accept liability for any and all accidents/injuries/property damage caused by their plan, including damage to the residential properties on Kenmore Lane that abut the Del Valle property.)

Santa Rosa City CouncilOctober 13, 2026

Santa Rosa City Council
October 13, 2026