FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Am I in the Downtown Station Area Specific Plan (Specific Plan) area?
- My property/business may be within the Specific Plan area, but which sub-area is my property/business in?
- My property is zoned Industrial/Commercial/etc., why does the Specific Plan or General Plan matter to my property?
- What is the Specific Plan?
- What is the Zoning and Design Guidelines Consistency Amendments project?
- How will my property be impacted?
- Will there be an opportunity for changes/amendments to the Specific Plan or the new General Plan land use designations (Transit Village Medium and Transit Village Mixed Use) with this current project?
- My current business/use does not match the vision of the Specific Plan and/or the Transit Village Medium or the Transit Village Mixed Use land use designation. When will I have to implement the Specific Plan and/or land use designation?
- What can I do with my property now? What type of business can I operate?
- Will existing non-conforming uses be forced to find another location or will businesses be forced to shut down?
- Will there be a waiting period for discontinuation of non-conforming uses in areas with the biggest potential transition from what currently exists, such as the properties within the Railroad Corridor Sub-Area?
- Does vacant land need to be developed pursuant to the Specific Plan?
- What if the SMART train does not come to town, or is put on hold for several years, will these new policies go into effect?
- There is currently a surplus of housing and a water supply shortage. Is the City willing to alter its position on high density housing in the Transit Village Medium and Transit Village Mixed Use General Plan designations?
- What is the definition of Transit Village Medium and Transit Village Mixed Use?
- Will City staff be taking direction from non-profit and neighborhood groups?
- Will individual properties be rezoned with these updates?
- Why are you creating new zoning districts?
- When will the Zoning and Design Guidelines Consistency Amendments be adopted?
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Am I in the Downtown Station Area Specific Plan (Specific Plan) area?
The Specific Plan area encompasses nearly 650 acres of land within approximately 1/2 mile radius of the proposed Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) downtown station site. The following is a map of the Specific PLan area.  back to top
- My property/business may be within the Specific Plan area, but which sub-area is my property/business in?
The following is a list of the seven (7) sub-areas within the Specific Plan, along with a description of the boundaries of each:
Courthouse Square
The commercial core of Santa Rosa
This sub-area extends from Highway 101 east to E Street and from College Avenue south to Sonoma Avenue.
Railroad Corridor
The area historically influenced by commercial railway operations.
The northern section of this sub-area is from 6th Street to College Avenue along the rail tracks and includes the Maxwell Court industrial area west to Dutton Avenue. The southern section is from Santa Rosa Creek to Sebastopol Road, also along the rail. South of Hwy 12 it is bounded by Dutton Avenue to the west.
Railroad Square
The historic transportation center of Santa Rosa
This sub-area is bounded by Santa Rosa Creek to the west and south, Sixth Street/West Sixth Street to the north and Hwy 101 to the east.
Park and Gardens
Currently a commercial strip.
This sub-area consists primarily of commercial parcels along Santa Rosa Avenue, reaching from Hwy 12 in the south to Charles Street at the north end.
Historic Residential
This sub-area consists of five distinct historic neighborhoods distributed around the perimeter of the Specific Plan Area:
West End neighborhood
St. Rose neighborhood
Cherry Street neighborhood
Olive Park neighborhood
Burbank Gardens neighborhood (only a portion of this neighborhood is in the Specific Plan area)
Residential
This sub-area consists of three distinct neighborhoods distributed around the perimeter of the Specific Plan Area:
Davis Street and Ripley Street neighborhoods
The residential neighborhood surrounding West 3rd Street and North Dutton Avenue
Juilliard Park and South A Street neighborhoods
Imwalle Gardens
This sub-area consists of three undeveloped parcels on the north and south sides of West 3rd Street, one block west of Dutton Avenue.
The parcels were once farmed by the Imwalle family. A small retail/distribution store continues to operate on the property.
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My property is zoned Industrial/Commercial/etc., why does the Specific Plan or General Plan matter to my property? There is a specific hierarchy to City policies and regulations. The following is a flow-chart illustrating the hierarchy between policy documents:
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General Plan |
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The "constitution" for the City |
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This document includes City wide land use policies |
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All discretionary projects (Design Review, Conditional Use Permit, etc) must be found consistent with the General Plan |
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Specific Plan |
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Area specific land use policies |
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All discretionary projects (Design Review, Conditional Use Permit, etc.) within the specific plan area must be found consistent with the Specific Plan |
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Zoning Code |
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Development standards |
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This document includes specific development standards such as building setbacks and height limits and lists allowed land uses for each zoning district, and provides permit review directions |
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Design Guidelines |
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Design preferences |
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This document provides guidelines for site design, architecture, and landscape design as well as special considerations such as creekside development, downtown, parking lots, etc. |
The scope of this project is to make amendments to the Zoning Code and Design Guidelines that would implement the policies outlined in the adopted Downtown Station Area Specific Plan, and the newly created General Plan land use designations (Transit Village Medium and Transit Village Mixed Use). back to top
- What is the Specific Plan?
The Specific Plan is the result of a community based vision for the downtown area of the City of Santa Rosa. Centered on a proposed Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) station site (located in Railroad Square), the Specific Plan defines the framework for future land use and development in the Plan Area. The purpose of the Specific Plan is to increase residential density and commercial intensity within 1/2 mile walking distance of the downtown rail station.
For more information about the Specific Plan itself, click on the following link:
Downtown Station Area Specific Plan
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- What is the Zoning and Design Guidelines Consistency Amendments project?
Chapter 8, Section B-1, of the Specific Plan stipulates the need for amendments to Zoning Code and Design guidelines as follows:
"Following adoption of the Specific Plan, the City will identify and coordinate changes to existing regulatory documents necessary to implement the vision and policies of the plan. These tasks are anticipated to be conducted by City Staff with consultant assistances as necessary."
The Specific Plan includes seven (7) distinct sub-areas, many new land use Goals and Policies, and new Development Guidelines and Streetscape Standards. Adopted by the City Council in 2007, these policies are not consistent with nor anticipated in the City's Zoning Code and Design Guidelines, which were adopted previously, in 2004 and 2002 respectfully.
In addition, in 2007 the Council also adopted the following new General Plan land use designations: Transit Village Medium and Transit Village Mixed use. Concurrently, most of the land use designations for the properties within the Railroad Corridor sub-area were changed to Transit Village medium, and the land use designation for properties within the Railroad Square sub-area were changed to Transit Village Mixed use.
In May 2009, the Council directed the Community Development Department to begin the process of updating the Zoning Code and Design Guidelines to implement the Specific Plan and the new land use designations. As part of the project, the Council directed that individual properties be rezoned consistent with the Specific Plan and General Plan.
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- How will my property be impacted?
Depending on which sub-area your property is located within, your property may or may not be impacted by the Zoning Code and Design Guidelines amendments or rezonings. The project Open House brochures give a brief outline of the changes in each sub-area, and the project summary gives more detailed information of the changes. Both the brochures and project summary are available on the City Website.
The following are links to the sub-area brochures (brief/general information):
Courthouse Square
Railroad Square
Railroad Corridor
Parks and Gardens
Historic Residential
Residential
Imwalle Gardens
The following are links to the sub-area summaries (more detailed information than the brochure):
Background Information
General Changes to all Sub-Areas
Courthouse Square
Railroad Square
Railroad Corridor
Parks and Gardens
Historic Residential
Residential
Imwalle Gardens
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- Will there be an opportunity for changes/amendments to the Specific Plan or the new General Plan land use designations (Transit Village Medium and Transit Village Mixed Use) with this current project?
No. Amendments to the Specific Plan or General Plan are not within the scope of this project.
City staff will be updating the Zoning Code and Design Guidelines to implement the adopted Specific Plan and the new General Plan land use designations. The Council did not direct staff to make any changes to the Specific Plan or the General Plan.
If a property owner or business owner is interested in requesting changes to the Specific Plan or General Plan, they would need to apply independently for a General Plan Amendment.
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- My current business/use does not match the vision of the Specific Plan and/or the Transit Village Medium or the Transit Village Mixed Use land use designation. When will I have to implement the Specific Plan and/or land use designation?
There are a number of areas within the Specific Plan that are considered "non-conforming" with regard to their existing uses (i.e. the business/uses do not match the vision of the Specific Plan or land use designation). One specific example is the areas around Maxwell Court and Sebastopol Road/Roberts Avenue, in the Railroad Corridor sub-area. These areas are currently zoned Light Industrial (IL), but have a land use designation of Transit Village Medium, which requires residential uses and does not permit industrial.
A "non-conforming use" is an existing land use that was legally established but is now inconsistent with the Specific Plan and/or General Plan land use designation.
The Specific Plan includes the following policy (Policy SP-LU-5.4) related to non-conforming uses:
"Allow continuance of existing non-conforming uses within the Plan Area until properties are ready to convert to uses that are consistent with adopted plans and regulations. Allow for maintenance and re-occupancy of buildings with non-conforming uses and exempt minor alterations and/or expansions of existing buildings from the development guidelines established in the Development Guidelines and Streetscape Standards chapter of this plan."
City staff is currently reviewing the above policy. The language is broad and, as a result, can be interpreted in different ways. Staff is preparing options for how the policy could be applied, including when properties will be required to implement the Specific Plan. These options will be provided to the Council for consideration in December 2009. Staff will be requesting direction from the Council on this issue.
With direction from Council, staff will prepare specific language to be added to the Zoning Code. Examples of the options will be provided at the Open Houses that staff will be holding at the end of October and beginning of November, and will be provided in the project summary, which can be found at the following link:
General Changes to all Sub-Areas
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- What can I do with my property now? What type of business can I operate?
The Community Development staff is currently working with the City Attorney's Office to develop an interim solution to this issue. Specific information will be posted as soon as possible.
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- Will existing non-conforming uses be forced to find another location or will businesses be forced to shut down?
No. Existing non-conforming uses that were legally established may continue in perpetuity.
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- Will there be a waiting period for discontinuation of non-conforming uses in areas with the biggest potential transition from what currently exists, such as the properties within the Railroad Corridor Sub-Area?
We are not sure at this time. However, this may be one of the options that staff will seek council direction on.
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- Does vacant land need to be developed pursuant to the Specific Plan?
Yes. New development would require Design Review and/or use permits, and must be found consistent with the Specific Plan.
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- What if the SMART train does not come to town, or is put on hold for several years, will these new policies go into effect?
Yes. The Specific Plan states that "while this Specific Plan supports future development surrounding the proposed SMART station, it is not dependent on the expansion of rail service to the downtown area. The Specific Plan is intended to be flexible enough to provide guidance for private development and public investment over the next twenty years."
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- There is currently a surplus of housing and a water supply shortage. Is the City willing to alter its position on high density housing in the Transit Village Medium and Transit Village Mixed Use General Plan designations?
No. The Council adopted this direction in 2007 and is committed to its implementation.
A water supply assessment was completed for the General Plan update that is currently underway. The assessment identified sources for future water supply through 2035.
The Specific Plan does not require implementation immediately. However, it does require that new development projects meet the goals of the Specific Plan, which includes higher density housing within 1/2 mile radius of the proposed SMART station. Implementation will be completed over time.
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- What is the definition of Transit Village Medium and Transit Village Mixed Use?
The Transit Village Medium and Transit Village Mixed Use designations are defined in the Santa Rosa 2020 General Plan as follows:
Transit Village Medium
This classification is intended to accommodate mixed use development within approximately 1/2 mile of a transit facility. Development should transition from less intense uses at the outlying edges to higher intensity uses near the transit facility. Residential uses are required, and ground floor neighborhood serving retail and live-work uses are encouraged. Housing densities range from 25.0 to 40.0 units per gross acre.
Transit Village Mixed Use
This classification is intended to accommodate a well integrated mix of higher intensity residential, office and commercial uses within 1/4 mile of a transit facility. Development is designed and oriented to create a central node of activity at or near the transit facility. Housing densities range from 40.0 to 60.0 units per gross acre.
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- Will City staff be taking direction from non-profit and neighborhood groups?
No. The City accepts and considers all public comments, including comments from non-profits and neighborhood groups, property owners, business tenants, etc., but does not take direction from them. City staff takes direction from the City Council and adopted policies.
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- Will individual properties be rezoned with these updates?
Yes. A number of individual properties will be rezoned by the City as part of this update. Specifically, the majority of the properties within the Railroad Corridor and all of the properties within the Railroad Square sub-areas will be rezoned to new zoning districts that will be created as part of this process.
Existing Planned Development (PD) districts may also be rezoned to straight zoning districts to be consistent with existing General Plan designations and to simplify and clarify zoning requirements. For instance, the majority of the West End neighborhood is currently zoned PD-H (Planned Development - Historic) and may be rezoned to R-1-6-H (Single-Family Residential - Historic), consistent with the Low Density Residential land use designation and existing designation as a local preservation district.
Other individual properties within other sub-areas may also be rezoned if the current zoning district is inconsistent with the Station Area Plan and/or General Plan land use designation for the site. To find out if your property will be rezoned, please contact the following staff members:
For general questions, or questions specifically related to the Courthouse Square, Railroad Corridor, Imwalle Gardens, Residential sub-areas, Railroad Square, Historic Residential or Parks and Gardens sub areas contact:
Jessica Jones, City Planner (707) 543-3410, jjones@srcity.org
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- Why are you creating new zoning districts?
None of the existing zoning districts meet the specific requirements of the new Transit Village Medium or Transit Village Mixed Use General Plan land use designations. As a result, new zoning districts are needed to provide specific land use requirements that will implement, and be consistent with, the new land use designations.
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- When will the Zoning and Design Guidelines Consistency Amendments be adopted?
City Staff will be providing a progress report to the Cultural Heritage Board, Design Review Board, and Planning Commission in November 2009, and the City Council in December 2009. Final Zoning Code and Design Guidelines amendments, and individual property rezonings are expected to be considered by the City Council by the summer of 2010.
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