Santa Rosa: Infrastructure and Urban Planning

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Originally Posted by jchernin

i believe they are renovating it and adding 4 floors.

They are adding 5 floors of residential on top unless something changes.

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital revives emergency room expansion

By MARTIN ESPINOZA
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Friday, July 1, 2011 at 12:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, July 1, 2011 at 12:00 p.m.

St. Joseph Health System, which runs Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, on Wednesday approved a $15 million expansion of Memorial's emergency department, a project that had been postponed after the collapse of the economy in 2008.

The work, which is expected to begin in early 2012, will add nearly 50 percent more space to the county's busiest emergency room and the North Coast's only level II trauma center, St. Joseph officials said. It will feature 26 private patient rooms and is expected to be completed in early 2014.

Memorial's emergency department currently treats more than 100 patients a day, officials said.

The upgraded emergency department is intended to provide faster care to people with non-traumatic conditions, including stroke and heart attack patients.

The plan calls for construction of a 4,228 square-foot expansion next to the current 9,280-square-foot space by way of an adjacent single-story, 4,228-square-foot. The project will increase beds from 19 to 26, convert patient bays to private rooms and provide bigger waiting and reception areas.

While St. Joseph has received pledges for donations, the project has yet to receive sufficient pledges to cover the cost of the expansion.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...g-ER-expansion

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Some awesome roller derby action coming to downtown...

HomeWreckers roll into downtown Santa Rosa

By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Friday, July 1, 2011 at 7:27 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, July 1, 2011 at 7:27 p.m.

A group of roller derby queens is making a new home for themselves in downtown Santa Rosa, turning a former furniture store into a skating rink where they hope to host bruising bouts for up to 700 people.

For the past two weeks, members of the Wine Country HomeWreckers roller derby team have been ripping up rugs, hauling away debris and polishing floors — often while wearing their skates — as they transform the former Furniture 2000 store on Mendocino Avenue into an entirely new type of venue for the downtown.

“When we look at this space, it has endless possibilities,” said Mari-Dantia Almeida, who skates under the name D. Enforcer.

After-school skating programs, roller derby bouts for up to 700 spectators, live music and a variety of other special events are envisioned for the 13,000-square-foot space, which Almeida and two other veteran skaters are investing in and plan to lease back to the league.

The HomeWreckers, the main team in the Sonoma County Roller Derby league founded in 2007, needed to find a new home after a faction loyal to the Cal Skate roller rink in Rohnert Park formed their own league, the Resurrection Roller Girls, and elbowed them out.....

full article: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...own-Santa-Rosa

[ddxv]

Yay, I love roller derby!

18 inches of solid concrete, crazy!

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Originally Posted by ddxv

Yay, I love roller derby!

18 inches of solid concrete, crazy!

Yeah. It was built more than 40 years ago during the height of the cold war. It used to house very sensitive material and was built to withstand a nuclear blast. (obviously distance applies)

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Santa Rosa seeks funding for Railroad Square project


Artist's rendering of the New Railroad Square project.

By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 6:29 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 6:55 p.m.

Santa Rosa is hoping to kick-start a transit-oriented development in Railroad Square by going after $7.1 million in federal grants and loans for a key portion of the project.

The City Council next week will consider whether to seek federal financing to help San Francisco developer John Stewart build a $48 million portion of a mixed-use project west of a future rail station.

This first phase of the New Railroad Square Project calls for construction of a two-story health club topped by 82 rental units. It would be located on the 2.1-acre site of a former cannery on Third Street, whose brick walls have been propped up for years awaiting construction.

The mixed-use development is part of a $200 million project, covering 7.4 acres, that would create a food and wine center and additional offices, shops and housing on the neighboring property owned by the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit station.

“It’s a transformative project for our city,” said Frank Kasimov, economic development specialist for the city.

The city wants to apply to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for two types of financing. A $1.5 million grant would help cover the cost of additional clean-up of contaminated soil on the site, which contained an underground fuel tank and massive crude oil bunker. The other is a $5.6 million low-interest loan aimed at helping redevelop the site.

“Not only does it transform a vacant parcel in Railroad Square into something that’s vital and active, but it also generates economic activity,” Kasimov said...

full article: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...Square-project
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[ElDudarinodotcom]

$1.5 million donation for west Santa Rosa senior center

By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 1:43 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 1:43 p.m.

The seniors' wing of the Santa Rosa Finley Community Center got a big boost Wednesday with the announcement of a $1.5 million donation toward completion of the project.

The gift from the Ernest L. and Ruth W. Finley Foundation will allow construction of much of the interior of the $7 million building to proceed, including the auditorium, kitchen, café and art gallery.

Construction of the shell, an extension of the community center on West College Avenue, began last year. City Hall and the non-profit group Seniors Inc. have been actively seeking money to complete it...

full article: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...10719806?tc=ar

[ElDudarinodotcom]

As long as the market at the new SMART station development pans out this isn't too big of a disappointment.

Developer abandons public market project at Sonoma County Fairgrounds

By ROBERT DIGITALE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Monday, July 18, 2011 at 12:33 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, July 18, 2011 at 12:33 p.m.

A developer has abandoned plans for a $10 million public market at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.

Boise developer Mark Rivers acknowledged Monday what fair officials had concluded two months ago: his Sonoma County MarketHall project is dead.

In a brief statement, Rivers said Monday that “the financing environment and political climate just weren't conducive” to developing the project. He added that “the folks at the Fair and many in the community were terrific to work with.”

Fair manager Tawny Tesconi said earlier this month that Rivers had not responded for months to her requests to speak about the project.

Tesconi released a May 5 letter to Rivers, which said she had tried without success to reach him on several occasions since January.

“If I do not hear from you by May 1, 2011, I will assume you are abandoning the project,” Tesconi wrote. She said she never received a response.

Rivers created a stir in March 2010 when he proposed the project, which was to feature local produce and prepared foods. He outlined an ambitious timeline to open by April 2011.

Rivers proposed building nearly 70,000 square feet of space in an existing fairgrounds parking lot near the southeast corner of Brookwood Avenue and Bennett Valley Road. Plans called for about 140 vendors and creating more than 100 permanent jobs.

Rivers told the public he didn't need outside financing for the MarketHall because he had a group of investors who were willing to back the project.

But despite Rivers' pronouncements, the project stalled before it could go through a formal planning review process.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...roject-is-dead

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Rob Schneider eats here to help make a memorial from a piece of the WTC

Monday, July 18th, 2011 | Posted by Chris Smith | no responses

By Chris Smith
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Firefighters in Santa Rosa have taken possession of a steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center. They and some partners intend to make it part of a 9/11 memorial to be constructed at a fire training center on West College Avenue.

Plans call for granite towers and a beam from the World Trade Center to stand on a slab the shape of the Petagon.

To cover the estimated $9,000 cost of building the Fallen Public Safety Officer Memorial, involved firefighters and police officers are putting on a couple of dinners Wednesday evening, July 20, at Franco’s Ristorante on Mendocino Avenue.

An artist’s rendering of the memorial will be on display at the restaurant and there will be a celebrity guest in the house. Actor-comedian Rob Schneider is an old friend of Franco’s owner Franco Fabiani and he’ll take a break from a movie shoot in Napa to mingle with the diners at Wednesday’s four-course benefit meal...

Plans call for granite towers and a beam from the World Trade Center to stand on a slab the shape of the Petagon.

full article: http://santarosa.towns.pressdemocrat...ce-of-the-wtc/
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[ddxv]

Nothing too big.

Santa Rosa closes A Steet block, gives land to developer
By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 3:00 a.m.


The Santa Rosa City Council Tuesday gave a portion of South A Street to the developer of a Kia dealership over the objections of residents and businesses concerned the move would restrict access to their neighborhood.

Council members said they were sensitive to the feelings of residents, but believed the economic benefit outweighed the access issues.

“Change is hard. It’s frightening,” Councilman John Sawyer said. “But I have to be optimistic that it will ultimately benefit those businesses and property owners on South A Street.”

The decision means the city will give up public ownership of the southern end of the street between Barham Avenue and Santa Rosa Avenue, giving the property at no cost to the adjacent property owners.

The property to the west is owned by the developers of the Nissan of Santa Rosa dealership, who now want to build a 12,000-square foot Kia dealership and other automotive related businesses on what council members called a blighted property.

The project is expected to create 20 new jobs and generate up $25 million in revenue and significant sales tax annually. The developers, Jim Bone and Lawrence Amaturo, have said they need the street to create the frontage on Santa Rosa Avenue required by Kia for a new dealership.

Critics of the plan raised a host of issues, mainly traffic related. Most worried about their access being restricted, making it harder for customers to reach several small long-time area businesses.

Jim Strong, owner of Strong’s Golf, said the notion that the city would give away part of the public street where his business is located had never occurred to him.

“In 35 years of living in Santa Rosa, I’ve never heard of it,” Strong said.

He also said it was ironic that the developers say they needed the street to increase the visibility of Kia dealership when doing so will result in exactly the opposite happening to his and other businesses.

Other neighbors said they worried about increased traffic on Barham if South A Street, which serves an average of 900 cars per day, is ended there. Others urged delay, citing the poor notification of residents. Still others condemned the council and threatened legal action.

“This is wrong and this is not the end of it,” said Rosa Koire, who unsuccessfully sued the city to block the Gateways redevelopment area.

Councilman Scott Bartley said the council has to look out for the entire city, not just a handful of businesses. He said there clearly is a financial benefit to the city of having a successful business locate here. It is also in line with the council’s focus on economic development, he said.

“We’re trying to set a new tone here, and for that reason, I think this is a really good project,” Bartley said.

Ken Blackman, former Santa Rosa City manager who now represents the developers, said they already have applied for permits and intend to begin construction by the fall and be open next year.

Councilman Gary Wysocky, who visited the area and spoke to several businessman concerned about the impacts, said didn’t agree with claims that properties in the area would be devalued by the access issue. If anything, a successful business on their doorstep should help, he said.

“This project I believe will be an overall net benefit for the neighborhood,” Wysocky said.

Sawyer said he understood the anxiety of small business people, and even knew some of those affected personally.

“But I have to believe that there is a silver lining to this kind of change,” he said.

The measure passed 6-1, with Marsha Vas Dupre voting no.

[ElDudarinodotcom]

BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse to Coddingtown
Author: biteclub | posted 08/9/11 |

Word has just come in that Coddingtown Mall will be adding a BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse near the mall’s renovated North Entrance. The restaurant is slated to open in 2012 when renovations on the 49-year-old Santa Rosa mall are complete.

According to representatives of Coddingtown, “The new BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse, planned for the North exterior side of the mall near the main entrance, will be approximately 9,500 square feet. It will have a capacity for approximately 280 guests, and will feature BJ’s extensive menu including BJ’s signature deep-dish pizza, award-winning handcrafted beer and famous Pizookie(R) dessert. BJ’s highly detailed, contemporary decor and unique video statement, including BJ’s 103″ plasma display as well as several high-definition flat panel televisions, will create a high energy, fun and family-friendly dining environment for everyone to enjoy.”

A sketch of the new restaurant space shows it located east of the new north entrance, which faces Guerneville Road. Coddingtown publicist Julia Rachlin said no current tenants are vacating to make room for the restaurant. “As far as BJ’s, the restaurant will mostly be new build and then the mall is shifting some space inside to accommodate part of the restaurant, but no current tenants will be leaving, including Sweet River Grill.”

Ernesto Olivares, the mayor of Santa Rosa said, “This is great news for Santa Rosa and the Coddingtown area. It not only stresses our commitment to redevelopment investment in public infrastructure to expedite the re-tenanting of vacant space, it also reinforces that our community remains a desired destination for key restaurant and retail uses.”

“We are very excited about BJ’s Restaurant and what it means for Coddingtown Mall,” said John Phipps, senior vice president of development at Simon. “The mall’s agreement with the City will facilitate utility upgrades that are necessary to support both a signature restaurant like BJs and other key tenants interested in Coddingtown Mall. We greatly appreciate the City’s support of our efforts to attract new business to the Santa Rosa community.”

“The opening of a quality restaurant like BJ’s is important in many ways for Sonoma County, including the creation of approximately 200 jobs during construction and then another 220 positions when the restaurant opens. As the tenant mix at Coddingtown continues to strengthen, we are thrilled to see new interest from other high quality retail and restaurants for the mall,” said Lois Codding of Codding Enterprises.

In April, Simon Property Group and Codding Enterprises announced the planned renovation of the 841,000 square foot regional mall, anchored by JCPenney and Macy’s.

http://www.biteclubeats.com/2011/08/...ddingtown.html

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Target eyes Gottschalks space at Coddingtown

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Friday, August 12, 2011 at 2:58 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, August 12, 2011 at 3:10 p.m.

The long-vacant former Gottschalks space in Coddingtown Mall could become home to a new Target store, mall employees said on Friday.

Managers are in talks with Target to open a new store in the empty building that anchors the south side of the mall, which has been vacant since Gottschalks filed bankruptcy and closed in 2009.

“We've been in discussions with a few different tenants,” said Lois Codding, vice president of leasing for Codding Enterprises. “Target has expressed interest, but nothing is concrete about that yet ... From my understanding, Windsor is talking with Target as well.”

A different mall employee said survey crews from Target would be checking out the property next week, and would begin construction next year. In the interim, a Halloween costume store will open in the space.

Representatives from Simon Property Group, which co-owns the mall with Codding Enterprises, did not confirm or deny the talks with Target.

“Right now we're just not at liberty to say anything,” Kim Hall, area marketing director for Simon, said in a phone message.

A spokeswoman from Minneapolis-based Target Corp. also said she did not have any information about a new store in Santa Rosa.

“I can't say yes or no either way, I just really don't have any details about what's happening in 2012,” said Sarah Van Nevel, Target spokeswoman.

The company, which has run a store on Santa Rosa Avenue since 1995, also held talks with Coddingtown in 2009 about taking over the Gottschalks space.

Check back later for more details on this story.

You can reach Staff Writer Cathy Bussewitz at 521-5276 or cathy.bussewitz@pressdemocrat.com.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...at-Coddingtown

[ddxv]

I love the Halloween costume stores, always there help to fill the gaps.

[Mike155294]

Hey everyone. Just a quick bit on BJ's and the Pizookie (R). My 2 y/o niece has Cystic Fibrosis. A genetic disease affecting about 35,000 Americans of European decent. While not technically considered terminal, their life expectancy is only 35 and much of those years are spent in and out of hospitals. The proceeds from all Pizookie (R) purchases goes to the CF Foundation to help find a cure. Thanks to everyone who's bought one.

[ddxv]

Santa Rosa Courthouse Square reunification back on track

By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Monday, September 12, 2011 at 6:09 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, September 12, 2011 at 6:09 p.m.

Santa Rosa continues to lay the groundwork for the reunification of Courthouse Square despite having neither wide public support for the project nor the $14 million to build it.

Plans calls for closing off the one-block section of Mendocino Avenue that bisects the 1.5-acre park, rerouting that traffic along B and E streets, and giving the park a complete make-over.

The idea has been around since the mid-1990s, but gained momentum in 2008 when the city selected an architect to design it.

Since then, the city's budget woes have slowed the project, but the City Council remains committed to seeing it through, said Councilman Scott Bartley.

“It is one of the council's top priorities,” Bartley said. “The dream would have been that we could have moved a lot faster, but it took us a little to get the money scared up.”

B Street has been reconfigured to handle the additional traffic, and the sewer and water upgrades underway on Third Street are aimed at supporting reunification.

An environmental review for the project is next at a cost of about $150,000. After that's done in about nine months, construction drawings will be commissioned, which will cost about $350,000. That should leave the project ready to break ground in spring of 2013, said David Gouin, the city director of economic development and housing.

Gouin will give the city council an update on the project at its meeting tonight.

Because the city doesn't have the funds to build it all at once, the work will be done in phases. The first will entail the closure of Mendocino through the park, and the construction of two one-lane streets connecting Third Street and Fourth Street along the eastern and western edges of the park, streets once called Hinton and Exchange.

This will restore the square to a layout similar to what existed prior to 1966, when the courthouse that occupied the site was deemed vulnerable to earthquakes and torn down.

“It won't be everything we want, but it's going to a presentable solution,” Bartley said.

The first phase of the project is estimated to cost between $3.2 and $3.8 million, Gouin said. Some potential funding sources for the first phase have been identified by staff, but the council has yet to sign off on them. These include money set aside for upgrades to the water and sewer lines under the park, redevelopment funds and park development fees, among others, Gouin said.

Even if those sources, “there's still a gap,” Gouin said, meaning the council will have to find other additional revenue.

Money has yet to be identified for subsequent phases of the park. They include construction of a glass water wall, an overhead light arbor, several areas to stage musical and cultural events, a cafe, restrooms and new landscaping.

Polls have shown the public is skeptical of the value of the project, and Bartley said he was once, too. But now he's convinced it will provide a crucial economic and psychological boost for the downtown.

“I know this is the right thing to do for the city” Bartley said. “If I based my support on what the polls said, we wouldn't touch it. But I don't care what the polls say. I know what the city needs.”

If the project moves forward on a track similar to that of the nearby Museum on the Square commercial and residential project on the site of the former AT&T building, people would see the city is serious about revitalizing the downtown, he said.

“That would be a huge shot in the arm for the impression of what our downtown is,” Bartley said.

Bartley predicted that once people see the unified space, they'll understand the change and support it.

[ElDudarinodotcom]

City Council is full of brain dead morons

Santa Rosa may build one parking garage, tear down another

By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 7:18 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 at 7:18 p.m.

After a decade of failed attempts to build something on the site of the former White House department store downtown, the Santa Rosa City Council is shifting its development strategy for the property.

Instead of teaming up with a private developer to construct a tower combining retail, a public parking garage and residential units, the council thinks separating the projects might give each a greater chance of success.

The idea now is for the city to build a 700-space public parking garage on the 1.3-acre White House site, now a vacant lot, between Second and Third streets. The project would cost about $17.5 million and include ground floor retail spaces, said Cheryl Woodward, the city deputy director of economic development and housing.

That would allow the city to demolish the nearby 204-space parking garage at Third and D Streets, known as Garage 5. The 1960s-era structure needs $1.8 million in upgrades in the next few years, an expense the city would like to avoid.

Removing it would leave a vacant site in the heart of downtown that would be “shovel ready” for a private developer to build whatever the market will bear, such as a small hotel.

The strategy, outlined by the majority of the council Tuesday, reflects a belief that previous efforts to develop the White House site have failed in part because the city put too many burdens on its private development partners.

“The city has been meddling too heavily in the project,” said Vice Mayor Jake Ours. “We just have to get out of the way and let the market tell us what works.”

Councilman Scott Bartley agreed that the city should be more open minded about what types of projects it would accept for the Garage 5 site.

“Let private industry tell us what is marketable or financeable at this point, rather than trying to micro-manage it,” he suggested.

The city has failed three times in the past decade to get something built on the site of the department store that closed in 1985, was razed in 1991 and now is a city parking lot.

City Hall has long dreamed of building a mixed-use tower incorporating retail, parking and housing on the site, hoping it would turn a stagnant commercial district into an active, 24-hour area.

In 2007, the council killed a development deal with Monahan Pacific Corp. of San Rafael to build 183 condominiums atop a 545-space city-owned parking garage after costs soared and demand for housing softened.

In 2009, a plan for MetroPacific Properties of Tiburon to build a 545-space city parking garage next door to its proposed six-story, 151-room boutique hotel fell apart after new council members questioned the need for so many parking spaces.

Woodward said the complexity of integrating the city's needs with those of a private developer responding to market forces created challenges for the projects. Separating them into two sites should give each a better chance to succeed, she said.

Not all council members agreed.

Councilwoman Susan Gorin said she saw little indication that developers can get the financing they need to build significant projects anytime soon. Financing is lacking for the projects in Railroad Square and even Hugh Futrell's highly anticipated Museum on the Square project in the former AT&T building is not guaranteed to succeed, she said.

“It is really dicey as to whether he will get his financing,” Gorin said.

She requested additional study of the lending climate before the city wastes energy on a project that's not ready.

“I just want to make sure that we're not expending our limited staff resources on something that doesn't have a viable chance of moving forward,” she said.

Councilman Gary Wysocky said he likes the idea of opening up the Garage 5 site for development because of its great location. But he's not eager to see the city spend millions on a new parking garage until a need for those spaces is clear.

“The best deal is sometimes the one you don't make,” he said.

The majority of council members, however, supported moving forward now. The city needs to prepare for the eventual rebound in the economy, as other cities in the state are doing, Councilman John Sawyer said.

“In this economy people are gearing up for the return,” Sawyer said. “There are investors all over this state who are putting big money into really unique and visionary large projects in different parts of the Bay Area.”

Woodward said there is reason for optimism. MetroPacific Properties is still interested in building a hotel in Santa Rosa, and has demonstrated it can pull it off even in this economic climate, she said. It recently broke ground on a new hotel project in Riverside, she said.

The council also directed staff to analyze what it would cost to get a tenant into the former WestAmerica Bank offices across from City Hall, which the city purchased in 2009 $4.1 million. The 14,500-square-foot building needs accessibility work and remains vacant.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...r-down-another

[ddxv]

it doesn't sound obvious, but I guess it's movement. Avoiding the upgrades and getting rid of a parking garage by moving it farther away from downtown doesn't seem so bad.

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Originally Posted by ddxv

it doesn't sound obvious, but I guess it's movement. Avoiding the upgrades and getting rid of a parking garage by moving it farther away from downtown doesn't seem so bad.

It's across the street, so it's not moving away from downtown. This is actually the most prime piece of real estate downtown, and they want to cover it with a parking garage. There is currently no need for more parking downtown. There are tons of open spaces. This is just a huge waste of money and land.

If these idiots really do move forward with this garage at least build up and don't cover the whole lot with a garage. Better yet, if they really want to get development moving downtown remove all the stupid restrictions on the developers. Forget the garage aspect of the project at the white house site and let the developer build whatever they want. No developer wants or has the resources to have half of their mixed use highrise filled with public parking.

City hall has this clouded idea of building an absurd amount of parking downtown in preparation for 'the huge swarm of people that are going to flock downtown after all these improvements are made', and that is just not the way things work. Let developers build their projects, and in time more people will come downtown. When parking begins to become a problem that is when they should think about building a new garage. There will be land still available, and we are talking years if not more than a decade down the road.

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Protesters want pedestrian bridge and the jobs it will bring

By MARTIN ESPINOZA
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 3:46 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 3:46 p.m.

Chanting “Build it Now,” a group of North Bay activists rallied Tuesday morning at the site of the proposed bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Highway 101 in Santa Rosa.

Members of the North Bay Organizing Project, which includes labor, immigration, conservation and bicycle advocates, said the proposed bridge has the potential to create jobs and bring together the east and west ends of the city.

Advocates also framed the construction of the bridge as a vital link between the two communities once the SMART train is up and running. The west end of the bridge would be located just south of Coddingtown Mall, near an envisioned SMART station.

“We see the bridge as an important part of the SMART project,” said Dennis Rosatti, executive director of Sonoma County Conservative Action.

Rosatti said the bridge would bring jobs to Santa Rosa “during a down economy.”

Chris Snyder, district representative of the Operating Engineers union, called the bridge a “pathway to good middle class jobs” and emphasized the need to go forward with the SMART train project.

“Let’s get the SMART train built, because that’s going to be the backbone of the local economy,” Snyder said.

The event was one of many held throughout the country to showcase the results of a national study of how states rank in on-the-job-training and apprenticeship programs that boost job access for minorities and women in the federal highway construction field.

The study, which was conducted by the Transportation Equity Network, an advocacy group based in St. Louis with affiliates around the country, found that California ranked third highest in the country in the use of training and apprenticeship programs.

California Assemblyman Michael Allen, D-Santa, also attended the rally and said there “is no better way to create jobs” than the bridge and train project because of the impact it will have on the 101 corridor.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...-it-will-bring

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Railroad Square project boosted by grant
Developer looking for tenants after health club pulls out

By Eric Gneckow, Business Journal Staff Reporter

SANTA ROSA — A large mixed-use city-centered development planned at the site of the historic Santa Rosa Cannery has received a $1.5 million federal grant and the possibility of an additional $5.6 million loan, a major boost to the project even though it has lost a health club as a potential lead tenant.

The grant, from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, will go towards the commercial side of the new Railroad Square development. Awarded to six cities, the Brownfield Economic Development Initiative grant also paves the way for a city backed, low-interest federal “Section 108” loan that could fund another $5.6 million.

The Santa Rosa City Council is expected to vote on the loan application on Nov. 1, which will use community development block grant funds as collateral.

The developer, San Francisco-based John Stewart Co., learned of the awarded funding around the time that the Club One plan dissolved, according to company Chairman John Stewart. The company was expected to build a two-story health club spanning the entire 40,000 square feet of commercial space and employ more than 200 people.

Club One co-founder and managing director of Clubsource Development Partners, Jill Stevens Kinney, said the company chose to change its plans after considering the uncertain economy and potential competition from a proposed wellness center near Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. The center is still in development, and no date has been set for construction, said Katy Hillenmeyer, spokeswoman for St. Joesph Health System–Sonoma County, which operates Memorial.

“We are looking today at a situation where there is enough uncertainty that it’s caused us to take a step back,” said Ms. Kinney, who has been involved in the proposal for two years, said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with Santa Rosa or Railroad Square — we love John Stewart, and we love the Railroad Square location.”

With the exit, the John Stewart Co. is now looking for commercial tenants. The proposed space can accommodate companies of several sizes, with an objective of creating the same net total of jobs — more than 200 — envisioned in the Club One proposal.

The developer said that the exit won’t affect long-term plans for the site, expected to begin construction in 2013. The three-phase development involves areas surrounding the future SMART rail station.

The initial five-story building planned for the cannery location represents the first phase. With two floors of retail, the upper floors will feature 82 units of housing, 68 of them designated affordable housing.

With the $11.4 million in Proposition 1C bond funding the developer already received from the state in 2009, the total of $18 million in “inexpensive money” should help support what are expected to be competitive lease rates for commercial tenants, said Mr. Stewart. The commercial portion is expected to cost $19.9 million to build, though it will be built along with the residential component.

The entire first phase is expected to cost $48 million, funded through tax credits for the commercial and residential portions, private equity, the city of Santa Rosa, Burbank Housing, state Proposition 1C funding and federal funding, according to the company.

A timeline has not been set for two additional phases. The second phase, south of the future station, could feature three buildings including office space, retail, a “market hall” and a garage. The third, north of the station, would include additional housing.

The John Stewart Company has owned the cannery property since 1999 and has spent $650,000 to date on environmental remediation and historic preservation there, Mr. Stewart said. The walls of the former cannery, along with the water tower, will be preserved in the development.

Club One still has its sights set on Santa Rosa, said Ms. Kinney. The company opened a location in Petaluma in 2009 and operates 68 locations in 10 states.

“We’re hoping that we’ll be back in the market at some point in time,” she said, “We love Santa Rosa, and we want to be in Santa Rosa.”

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