Santa Rosa receives nearly $26 million in grant money for housing, transit projects

Nearly $26 million in state grant money was approved Thursday to fund several projects in Sonoma County, including new affordable housing in Roseland and an extension to the SMART system.

The $25.8 million grant package was awarded to the city of Santa Rosa, SMART and Bay Area affordable housing developer MidPen Housing by the California Strategic Growth Council, a state agency focused on affordable housing and transportation.

The state grant includes $15 million, which will fund the construction of 75 units of affordable housing at MidPen’s Roseland Village development on county-owned land on Sebastopol Road. The total estimated cost of the project is $65 million. The project will also include some market-rate housing.

“For over a decade, Roseland neighbors have been talking about this vision and it’s incredible to see this vision now becoming a reality,” said state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg. “We couldn’t be more thrilled.”

About $5 million will also go toward the 3-mile extension of the SMART system north from Santa Rosa to Windsor. The project will cost about $65 million in total.

The grant also includes $4.1 million for Santa Rosa city projects that will upgrade bus stops and transit hubs.

You can reach Staff Writer Chantelle Lee at 707-521-5337 or chantelle.lee@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ChantelleHLee.