I agree that a HUGE THANKS is owed to those who asked excellent questions and those who provided very detailed and helpful responses and research. This was a very confusing issue, so your inquiry and...

To elaborate on that, the Hospital District went into debt that is backed by the parcel tax, so the parcel tax will continue until the debt is paid off. I've always assumed that we'll be paying the...

I've been reading all the information trying to understand the two options we have. I'm hoping someone can offer an answer to a few questions:

1. If the measure passes, what assurance do we have...

Just for accuracy, the Pellini (CVS) property was, and still is, zoned CD - Downtown Core. Housing is permitted as part of a mixed-use development (retail on lower floor, housing above).

Link to...

Your post contains a few incorrect/inaccurate statements that I would like to address:

You should try the CVS lot. Unlike Rite Aid and Whole Foods, it is public parking and never full.



Pine...

You just made a great argument for building housing in town. Then the elderly, mobility challenged etc.will actually live close to services and won't need to drive and park.

Parking is NOT the key...

A few thoughts on Pine Grove Square:

1. This shouldn't be an "or" proposition (housing or parking). I think there is an "and" solution (housing and parking). If you look around downtown, there are...

I think that is a fantastic idea. I never understood why the City of Santa Rosa never did this as part of the studies leading up to the Courthouse Square reunification project. That is also exactly...

I think you hit the nail on the head regarding finding a way to make the change financially feasible. I'm not sure how to do that, but I do know that a vacation rental can make twice the revenue of a...

If you are planning on creating a short term rental (less than 30 days) AirBnb is a great way to go. We rent a second home using their platform and it is very slick. Short terms rentals are tricky,...

I completely disagree with your low opinion of Concilman Slayter and our elected officials. I think our City government did absolutely the right thing and represented their citizens (us) well in the...

Since parking seems to be your biggest issue, I'm guessing you live outside of town and rely on your car to get here. I live downtown, two blocks from Pine Grove and one block off that "unhealthy"...

You bring up some very good points. These issues are important and should be part of the conversation about this development.

1. Comparison to Pellini - Pellini closed at the beginning of the...

And I mentioned before, I am very much in support of redeveloping this parcel to housing mixed-use, but do understand that downtown needs parking and that some businesses contributed to the purchase...

I think converting the parking lot into a mixed-use development with housing and commercial space is a great idea. Increasing density in our towns and cities is the only way we can accommodate a...

I work in downtown Santa Rosa, two blocks off the square and think it is a HUGE improvement to downtown. The biggest problem with the old divided "square" was the street that split it in half with...

I loved the Parklets! In fact, we celebrated a neighbor's birthday in the one in front of the Cookie Co. It's easily the best sitting experience I've ever had on Main Street. I'd love to see them...

Why is there so much conspiratorial sentiment on this forum? It's so easy to sit back, not participate, then judge in hindsight and try to shame our elected (and volunteer) officials. I know the...

I think the problem is that you are looking to the City government to actually build stuff. They don't do that. They enact policies that allow and/or encourage private developers to build. Private...

Dan,

Thanks for the response and well articulated argument. This is the kind of discussion that makes people like me, who are somewhat on the fence, think a little more and carefully consider...

To get back to Barry's question regarding undecided voters impressions of the forum videos, I watched most of them and have heard the candidates speak on other occasions. While I am not totally...

I think Kitty's point was that both the CVS and lumber yard sites sat vacant for years, even decades, and no one came forward with viable proposals until CVS and the hotel. What you name as...

I haven't eliminated the potential for anything. I would love to see a real example of "true progressive creative solutions". Do you actually know of any?



I am a huge supporter of centrally...

I agree with a lot of the concern about Sonoma County (and most of coastal California) becoming increasing expensive. Increasing property values, rents and gentrification are subjects I've been...

Before proceeding with outrage, have a better look at the drawings. Here's a link:...

One interesting aspect of this hotel proposal is the inclusion of 6 hostel style rooms over the maker spaces. The developer did add a qualifier that they had not tried this type of thing before, but...

I was responding to the number of people on this forum that were surprised by the development. I attend a lot of public meetings and was on the GPAC, so know that the hotel meetings were relatively...

I am surprised that the proposed hotel is news to so many people. Everyone who has lived in town for more than a few years should be very aware that this property has long been the subject of...

Yes, Weebly has an agreement with Google Apps (Gmail) to provide free email addresses using your domain. It's a little tricky, but not too bad. I used Google to setup both my business and family...

Use any domain service like GoDaddy or Namecheap for your domain. Then use Wordpress or Weebly to build your site. Wordpress is best for blogs and for getting the attention of search engines. ...

As the previous post stated, this item is being appealed to the City Council tomorrow (Tuesday), May 5 at 6:00 pm. I urge you all to show up and let your Council know your thoughts. You know my...

Hi Barry,

I don't think we've met, but I wanted to thank you for providing this community forum. It's really pretty awesome. I credit you and WaccoBB as the vehicle that educated the community...

The Barlow sign came before the DRB this past Wednesday. Three alternative sizes and locations for the large logo were proposed for consideration. After considerable discussion, the Board denied the...

Thank you to all who took the time to respond to this post. I really appreciate all the thoughtful comments I received both on this thread and privately. This issue is coming before the Design Review...

I am a member of the Sebastopol Design Review Board (DRB). We've recently reviewed a signage proposal for The Barlow. The proposed signs are fairly large, so will have a lasting impact the character...

The thought of putting development issues to general vote is unbelievably scary. In addition to the issues mentioned by Howard, many voters don't take time to truly nderstand issues or candidates on...

I am concerned with only one thing, and that is being effective. To do so, I recognize that I have to work within the existing framework of laws, government and elected officials. Calm, polite...

Dian, you need to remember that property owners have certain rights which are regulated by codes and regulations. Government can only restrict citizen's freedoms in ways that are specifically...

No, this is not "government as compromise". It is government working within the limits of it's power. When governments go beyond the power given to them by "we the people", in this case as...

I cannot attend the City Council meeting, but wanted to share my note to our Council members:

Mr. Wilson, Ms. Gurney, Mr. Kyes, Ms. Shaffer, and Mr. Slater:

Thank you for your continued efforts...

In response to photolite's excellent questions and observations:

"...how many of the Barlow businesses front the street?".

Barlow is zoned Industrial, not Downtown Core and is not identified...

Photolite, I agree with your points 1 and 3 but completely disagree with point 2. In my opinion, this developer has done almost nothing to comply with our design review guidelines and general plan...

Hello Peeps

Here we go again ... CVS/Chase is back the same old poorly designed suburban strip project in this month's flavor ... brick! The next meeting is Wednesday, May 30 at 4 pm. at the...

A few thoughts:

1. Our City can only regulate types of businesses to the extend allowed by the City's Municipal Code. Going beyond the powers described in the code amounts to tyranny. That said,...

It's not a baiting comment ... it's an attempt to get someone, anyone, to, in their words, describe why they think this proposal is good. Haven't hear it so far and you can't seem to put it in...

So, the sum of your positive thoughts and the design of the project are. "I don't want to reiterate the positive design considerations which are clearly outlined in the development plans (and, yes, I...

Still have not heard a specific statement of why the proposed SITE DESIGN (not tax revenue, jobs, benches, crosswalks etc., but the actual site design) is good and appropriate for our downtown ......

I'm am disappointed but not surprised that you characterized my comments regarding downtown/suburban differences as condescending and that you don't realize that large corporate businesses...

I think many who are opposed and almost all in favor of this project are missing some important points.

For those who oppose the project because you don't like Chase and CVS, remember that...

This is not over. The appeal of the DRB decision is being heard next Tuesday night at 6. Write or call the City Council members. Here's my letter to the Council:

Dear City Council Members,
...