Proposal for large new housing project in northwest Santa Rosa lands in front of city board Thursday

One of Santa Rosa’s largest housing projects in decades would add nearly 800 homes on 35 acres in the city’s northwest corner, where a developer has proposed a mix of market-rate and affordable apartments and for-sale single-family homes plus a nearly 5,000-square-foot retail center.

The project off Guerneville Road and Lance Drive envisions nearly as many units as proposed at the former county hospital complex across Highway 101. It is planned on one of the last remaining vacant parcels of its size in the city’s northwest.

The proposal is by Alameda-based Pacific Development, the company behind several large apartment projects in the Bay Area and redevelopment efforts at the Alameda marina.

The project will get its first public look before the Design Review Board at a special meeting 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Santa Rosa City Hall, 100 Santa Rosa Ave. Residents can provide comments on the proposal in person, but no comments will be taken online.

The meeting will provide the board an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the overall concept, layout and design but no formal action will be taken. The project will be reviewed by city staff and is eligible for a streamlined approval process outlined in city development code once the developer submits a formal planning application.

Backers say the project will add needed housing in the city’s northwest, touting the site’s proximity to the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit line, retail and dining at Coddington Shopping Center, and government and medical services.

“We are excited to finally be developing this vacant property, which is within walking distance to the (Santa Rosa) North Station and adjacent to Hilliard Comstock Middle School,” said Sean Murphy, partner at Pacific Development. “This project will include family-focused market-rate and affordable apartments and for-sale homes, which are needed in Santa Rosa.”

Santa Rosa has about 70,000 existing homes, including apartments, granny units and mobile homes, and long-term plans call for adding as many as 24,000 new homes by 2050.

A previous version of the plan, which was proposed by a different developer and presented to residents during a 2022 neighborhood meeting, was largely opposed by neighbors who are again raising questions about the scope of the development and its impact on traffic, public safety, water resources and noise.

Councilmember Chris Rogers, who represents the area in District 5, acknowledged residents’ concerns and said the city must meet future growth with continued investments in roads and other infrastructure to serve residents.

Still, he said there is great pressure on officials to prioritize housing development.

The city was experiencing a housing shortage before the 2017 Tubbs Fire destroyed thousands of homes — 5% of the city’s housing stock at the time — and the state has placed greater emphasis on housing construction in recent years, strengthening laws that penalize cities for not planning for sufficient housing to meet future needs.

“We need to continue to advance these projects, and that doesn’t mean we ignore the impacts on the community. We have to be thoughtful about our approach,” he said.

Murphy said the team has listened to residents’ feedback and incorporated it into the new plans.

The team anticipates starting construction in early 2025, and the project will be built in three phases.

The property remains unincorporated county land and is not within city limits, but developers plan to pursue annexation as the project goes through the development process, he said.

What’s planned

The property, once home to a dairy farm, is nestled between Northwest Community Park, Hilliard Comstock Middle School and neighborhoods dotted with single-family homes and condominiums.

The project calls for 672 one- to three-bedroom apartments spread across 25, three-story buildings that are connected by pedestrian walkways and green space.

One-hundred single-family homes in the center of the property would be built for sale, ranging in size from 1,600 square feet to 2,000 square feet.

A clubhouse with a fitness center, pool and outdoor seating is planned on the southeast portion of the property. Other amenities include a small co-working space, community kitchen, bike storage and pet washing station.

A second clubhouse with a fitness center and pool would be located in the northwest area of the property and playgrounds and grill areas are envisioned around the property. Residents will be able to access Comstock Middle School and the park through a new pedestrian crossing.

A 4,800-square-foot commercial building is planned on the eastern corner of the property at Guerneville Road and Lance Drive.

Neighbors worry project will impact quality of life

In its updated 20-year general plan, the city has sought to prioritize infill development around neighborhood shopping centers, along key corridors and near transit.

The project first came to residents’ attention a few years ago.

The proposal, then being developed by Wood Partners, called for 792 units, 20 fewer units than under the current plan. Wood Partners is no longer involved in the project.

Residents, in letters sent to city planners ahead of the virtual August 2022 meeting and in comments made following the presentation, said the project would harm their quality of life.

Several residents said too many new apartments already were going up in the area and overcrowding would worsen existing traffic woes along Guerneville Road, a busy thoroughfare, and some of the surrounding arterial streets.

They worried the project would snarl traffic on Lance Drive, a narrow neighborhood road and one of the only streets connecting residents in the existing homes and apartments to Guerneville Road and further exacerbate congestion during peak hours.

That could be particularly dangerous during an emergency evacuation such as during the Tubbs Fire, residents said.

Others raised issues with the number of parking spaces being provided and said parking would spill out onto surrounding residential streets or parking lots without sufficient on-site parking. More than 1,500 parking spaces are planned, according to project plans.

The Westberry Condominium Owners’ Association, in a July 2022 letter sent to city planners, raised issues with the proposed density and layout of the project, likening it to a military base or public housing project that would be a blight on the neighborhood.

They questioned whether the existing street infrastructure was capable of handling increased traffic and worried overflow parking for new tenants would impact parking on their property.

One of the association’s board members suggested developers add new access points to the property to limit impact on Lance Drive and other neighborhood streets and make other adjustments to the layout.

Similar concerns were lodged against a 36-unit apartment project planned about a mile away on Steele Lane across from the Charles M. Schulz Museum, which along with the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County and Snoopy’s Home Ice unsuccessfully sought to appeal the project’s approval last August.

Murphy, the developer, said his team has incorporated residents’ feedback into the revised project plans.

Developers plan to add a new entrance to the property off Guerneville Road to help alleviate traffic on Lance Drive.

The project will add needed market-rate and affordable housing and prioritizes housing near the rail line and transit center at Coddingtown Mall, he said.

Rogers noted the project could qualify for significantly reduced parking under state law because it’s within a quarter-mile of major transit service, but the developer has acknowledged that’s unrealistic for a project of its size.

Rogers said concerns about density, congestion, safety and the impact on natural resources are often raised around infill projects, but the city has sought to plan for future growth through its general plan and specific plans.

Some of the projects going up across the city were approved years ago but are just getting off the ground after developers were able to secure financing. Developers may not break ground on some projects in the pipeline or planned for years if they weren’t able to secure financing when interest rates were low.

But the city needs to continue planning for future needs, said Rogers, who encouraged residents to be more involved in the land-use planning process to ensure issues are addressed before a project lands before city boards and commissions.

After Thursday’s Design Review Board meeting, the development team will make any necessary changes to the plan before submitting an application to the city, which will be analyzed by city departments and the county for compliance with various development standards, including state environmental laws, said Santa Rosa Senior Planner Conor McKay.

The project, within the North Santa Rosa Station development area, can be approved through a streamlined process by the city’s zoning administrator, though city code allows the planning chief to require a more thorough review.

Plans for the single-family home lots require a minor conditional use permit and a subdivision map and those entitlements are reviewed by the Planning Commission.

You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @paulinapineda22.