Public input sought on Roseland Village development

From Sebastopol Road, you can see clear to the Joe Rodota Trail now that the derelict Albertsons supermarket and old Continental Lanes bowling center have been torn down. For a significant portion of the site, only the concrete slabs of another era of urban development remain.

The empty space invites a new vision for the proposed Roseland Village Neighborhood Center. That’s what county officials and community development staff hope to elicit from the public at a crucial hearing this evening in southwest Santa Rosa.

“It’s really a much different view than when you had buildings,” said John Haig, redevelopment manager for the county’s Community Development Commission. “We now have a blank slate. Let’s sketch the community’s vision on the blank slate.”

The public forum is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Roseland Elementary School multipurpose room, 950 Sebastopol Road.

Among the items to be discussed are actions taken by the Board of Supervisors this week.

These include authorizing the use of reinvestment and revitalization funds to pay for interim uses and improvements at the site; and issuing a request for proposals from potential development partners for a mixed-use project contemplated by the Sebastopol Road Urban Vision Plan.

Several proposals for interim uses at the site will be discussed during the forum and input will be sought from local residents on what temporary uses they would most like to see.

Public input at tonight’s meeting related to the proposed mixed-use development will be incorporated in the official request for proposals.

“It’s vital that the county hear directly from the residents, the workforce, the folks most directly invested in Roseland,” said 5th District Supervisor Efren Carrillo.

Carrillo said he was excited about the opportunity to see interim uses at the site while the longer-term Roseland Village center and plaza is executed.

“The intent is to build as soon as we can, but we still have some hurdles,” Carrillo said. “Even fast projects take time. … In an attempt to do it right, we want to make sure enough time is alloted.”

Haig said the county expects to use about $500,000 in reinvestment and revitalization funds for interim projects, which include:

A small “parkette” featuring a sitting area with benches and shade trees, located where an old gas station recently was torn down.

An outdoor recreational area toward the back of the vacant space, near the Joe Rodota Trail. The proposed site would include outdoor gym-style fitness equipment and a playground area that could be either temporary or permanent.

Wi-Fi connectivity, landscaping, locations for public art and murals, and a possible library.

An undeveloped public gathering area for events, located on the slab of concrete where the Albertsons grocery store was situated. A storage space would be used to hold folding chairs and pop-up tents.

An indoor space for public services, activities and restrooms, possibly occupying space currently subleased by the Dollar Tree Store.

The discount store’s ?40-year lease expires around the beginning of May, and the county is currently renegotiating the terms of a new, shorter-term lease that would allow the store to remain on the site during the planning period for the Roseland Village.

Carrillo said he hopes many local residents turn out for the meeting. County staff, he said, have conducted an aggressive campaign to notify people about the meeting.

“We’ve been doing outreach, grass-roots outreach like I’ve never seen outside an electoral campaign,” Carrillo said.

On Wednesday afternoon, a public notice board at the entrance to the parking lot of the Dollar Tree displayed fliers about the meeting. A steady flow of shoppers walked in and out of the store.

Miriam Hernandez, a 40-year-old housewife who lives off Stony Point Road, filled a 5-gallon jug of water in front of the discount store. She would like to see a space where regular Zumba classes could be held, since she is unable to find a regular time and location for the classes in the neighborhood.

“Sometimes it’s at the school, sometimes it’s in the afternoon or in the evening,” she said. “It would be nice to have a place for children, something educational and for sports.”

Juana Osorio, another Dollar Tree customer, said she would miss the eventual disappearance of the Dollar Tree because it’s where she does much of her miscellaneous shopping.

“I prefer the Dollar Tree,” she said when asked if she would like to see a public plaza built somewhere on the site.

“But it would be good to have a park for the kids,” she said.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at ?521-5213 or martin.?espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@renofish.