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Santa Rosa planning officials are proposing to rezone nearly 2,000 properties around downtown to allow for the construction of duplexes, townhomes and smaller garden-style apartments.
City Hall hopes to help spur the creation of smaller, sometimes more affordable housing, to meet the needs of working-class residents and young families looking to get into the housing market or retirees wanting to downsize.
But the change already has generated pushback from residents in the areas the city is targeting, including several of the city’s historic preservation districts, who worry it could alter the fabric of their largely single-family home neighborhoods.
The City Council will consider the proposal on Tuesday following a public hearing expected to start at or after 5 p.m. at City Hall.
The new zoning designation, known as missing middle housing, is among several zoning text and map amendments going before the council that will codify land-use and other changes established in the General Plan 2050. The updated plan, approved in June, will help guide growth and construction in Santa Rosa over the next 20-plus years.
Staffers also propose rezoning another 2,000 properties to bring them into compliance with the updated land-use designation in the general plan. About two dozen parcels are being rezoned at the request of property owners or to reflect city efforts to drive more development around commercial centers and transit corridors.
The new missing middle housing zoning designation would allow for greater density in areas close to public transportation and existing services such as the Junior College and Burbank Gardens neighborhoods, along Sebastopol Road and Farmers Lane, and around commercial centers in Bennett Valley and near Coddingtown Mall.
Types of developments include side-by-side or stacked duplexes, fourplexes, smaller apartments with up to 20 units, larger townhomes and live-work units.
The new zoning code would establish development standards including minimum setbacks, maximum heights, parking requirements and frontage requirements such as street-facing entrances with a stoop or courtyard. Projects on sites 4 acres or larger must provide shared community spaces such as pocket parks or greenways.
Developments that meet all development guidelines would be allowed by right and exempt from design review and use permit requirements, though projects in historic districts would require a landmark alteration permit.
Community members can attend the public hearing in person at 100 Santa Rosa Ave. or watch online on the city’s YouTube channel or on Zoom. Only in-person public comments will be allowed.
You can reach Staff Writer Paulina Pineda at 707-521-5268 or paulina.pineda@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @paulinapineda22.