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Santa Rosa: Infrastructure and Urban Planning

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#1 ·
Santa Rosa bike bridge could cost $20 million
By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

The projected costs of a pedestrian and bicycle bridge spanning Highway 101 between Santa Rosa Junior College and Coddingtown mall have soared to as much as $20 million, more than double original estimates.

The new projections may be a significant factor in the Santa Rosa City Council’s decision Tuesday night about whether to move forward with the project, long sought by the city’s cycling community.


A model of the proposed bicycle and pedestrian bridge over Highway 101

Councilman Gary Wysocky, an avid cyclist, said the project would be an important way to link the college, a key retail shopping area, and the likely future location of the northern Santa Rosa SMART rail station.

“A pedestrian and bicycle bridge connecting to a light rail station — you show me a greener project in America,” Wysocky said.

In 2009, when the city first held community meetings on the project, initial estimates ranged from $5 million to $9 million. The city then commissioned a just-completed feasibility study that put the numbers between $10 million and $14 million.

But a city staff report before the council Tuesday notes that the “full cost to deliver a complete bridge project could be closer to $20 million.”

That’s due to a number of “unknown costs” that could be associated with getting people to and from the bridge, such as bike and walking paths and signs, and higher potential construction costs if funding challenges delay the project further, according to the report.....
source and full article: http://www.watchsonomacounty.com/2010/11/cities/santa-rosa-bike-bridge-could-cost-20-million/
 
#28 ·
Animo. I'm not sure we need two threads for Santa Rosa.

In search of funds for SR bike bridge

On Thursday, two elected officials and I got into the weeds — literally and figuratively — over the proposed bike bridge spanning Highway 101 in Santa Rosa.

When Santa Rosa City Councilwoman Susan Gorin and Rohnert Park Vice Mayor Jake Mackenzie and I took a walk along Armory Drive to Steele Lane, we had to walk single-file at one point to wade through the waist-high weeds lining the sidewalks.

“Now we get into the weeds of traffic,” said Gorin as she motioned west where Steele Lane passes under Highway 101 near Coddingtown.

Gorin recounted her tale of biking to a meeting on the west side of town one morning and nearly losing her life with trying to maneuver through the area to turn south on Cleveland Avenue. “I will never, ever, do that again,” she vowed.

No question. It’s a hazardous and uninviting area to anyone having to travel by foot or bike. Traveling with kids? Forget about it. But, aside from the Highway 101 crossing at Bicentennial Way, which isn’t much better, it’s the only way to get from one side of the highway to the other in that part of town. Which is why so much political energy is being invested in building a bike bridge connecting the Santa Rosa Junior College neighborhood with the southeast corner of Coddingtown Mall. With a SMART train station to be built up the block on Guerneville Road, it makes all the more sense. But does it make financial sense, given the projected cost of somewhere between $10 million and $20 million?

Gorin and Mackenzie, both avid cyclists, invited me on the field trip because of our editorials raising questions about whether this is the best use of gas tax, redevelopment and other funds. The cost of just doing initial studies has jumped from $200,000 to $500,000.

They argue its still worth the investment, particularly given that transportation projects can take years to move foward. Remember how long it took to widen Highway 101?

Mackenzie, chairman of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority, says it’s possible that Santa Rosa could be reimbursed for some of the study costs through funds from Measure M, the quarter-cent sales tax county voters passed in 2004 for transportation.

After that, they hope to build the bridge through grants, federal transportation funds and possibly through some local fund-raising. But will local residents be willing to contribute to a bike bridge?

If the Measure M funds come through, it may help persuade the majority of City Council members to keep the idea alive for now. But there remain a lot of thorns on this issue.

- Paul Gullixson
http://www.watchsonomacounty.com/2011/05/inside-opinion/in-search-of-funds-for-sr-bike-bridge/
 
#30 ·
Alright. Thanks for clearing that up.

Judge weighs arguments in Sutter hospital project lawsuit

Dan Verel, Business Journal Staff Reporter
Friday, May 20, 2011, 6:06 pm

SANTA ROSA — A Sonoma County judge today heard arguments in a lawsuit [1] filed to stop construction of Sutter Health’s $284 million hospital [2] next to the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts north of Santa Rosa.

Superior Court judge Rene Chouteau heard the arguments from attorneys for Sutter Health and the North Sonoma County Healthcare District, which oversees Healdsburg District Hospital and was the lead party bringing the suit. The suit questions the scope of the project as it relates to licensed beds, greenhouse gas emissions and employment figures [3].

A ruling is expected within the next few months.

Attorneys with Shute, Mihlay & Weinberger, representing the health care district, argued that the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors erred in certifying the environmental impact report on Sutter’s forthcoming hospital. The report fails to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, they assert.

“The EIR is filled with inconsistent and conflicting data about the project’s basic attributes,” according to the brief by district’s legal brief for the hearing today. The attorneys previously called the report “flawed and fragmented.”

The groups bringing the lawsuit argue in filings that Sutter’s bed count at the proposed new hospital — 82 beds with a possible expansion of 27-bed expansion — falls short of requirements in the 1996 county Health Care Access Agreement. That document permitted Sutter to take over operations from the county at the Chanate facility, a much larger hospital.

Sutter’s attorneys from Cox, Castle & Nicholson countered that the bed count is not the most relevant factor. Rather, square footage and staffing ratios are what should determine the appropriate level of care provided. The scope of the project, which has changed over the years, fits within CEQA’s guidelines and that the county was correct in its approval of the project, the team argued.

“Hospitals often have fluctuating numbers of beds that can be used by patients,” Sutter’s attorneys wrote in a court filing. “Indeed, due to strict hospital staffing ratios, the actual number of beds in use is dependent on the available staff.”

Joining the health care district in the suit are Palm Drive Healthcare District, California Nurses Association and San Rafael-based Transportation Solutions Defense Fund.

The Sonoma County Department of Health Services had to approve Sutter’s planned new hospital before the Board of Supervisors could do so. The department did so last July.
http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/34349/judge-weighs-arguments-in-sutter-hospital-project-lawsuit/
 
#31 ·
Plans moving forward to connect Santa Rosa's Sixth Street

By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 7:27 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 7:27 p.m.

Long-delayed plans to reconnect 6th Street in Santa Rosa under Highway 101 may get a jumpstart this summer thanks to cost savings from widening work along the highway.

The California Transportation Commission last week approved nearly $700,000 for the project, which is expected to cost about $1.5 million.

“We think it's a good project to better connect Railroad Square and the other side of downtown,” said city public works director Rick Moshier.

Sixth Street was one of the many city streets severed by the construction of the freeway in the early 1960s. CalTrans was expected to reconnect it as part of the two-year, $111 million widening project that began downtown in 2006.

It built the overpass, but because the work came in over budget, it didn't have the money to complete the work at that time, Moshier explained.

Now the recession has caused the pendulum to swing in the other direction, with construction bids often coming in below estimates, Moshier said.

“The public is getting really good prices when we put projects out to bid,” he said.

That has created some extra money for other transportation projects, explained Suzanne Smith, executive director of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority, which advocated for the funding.

This allowed $200,000 in state transportation funds to be dedicated to the project, Smith said.

“It's a long-overdue project and we're delighted to see Santa Rosa be able to go out to bid on it this summer,” she said.

The city also worked to win $492,000 in federal transportation dollars, for a total of $692,000, Smith said.

“Santa Rosa and (City Councilman) Gary Wysocky in particular have been very dogged in pursuit of this project,” Smith said.

Currently, the underpass is a fenced off patch of dirt, with weeds growing along the edges and graffiti adorning the overpass walls.

When completed, the 300-foot stretch will have bike lanes, sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, storm drains, and signals and crosswalks at both intersections, said Colleen Ferguson, deputy director of public works.

Reconnecting the street should improve traffic flow through the area, said supervising engineer Dave Montague.

Traffic on the east side of the highway heading west on Sixth Street now must turn south on Morgan Street and cross beneath the freeway at 5th Street.

“It's kind of a little detour,” Montague said.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110522/ARTICLES/110529852/1350?Title=Plans-moving-forward-to-connect-Santa-Rosa-s-Sixth-Street
 
#32 ·
Study reviews new, bigger Sonoma County criminal courthouse

By MARTIN ESPINOZA
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 8:03 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 8:03 p.m.

The state has released a draft environmental review of the proposed new Sonoma County criminal courthouse — a $179 million, six-story building located next to the old jail facility in the county administration complex in Santa Rosa.

The new courthouse would be located next to the existing, two-story Superior Court building and would be almost three times larger. The Judicial Council of California, which governs the California's more than 500 courthouses, has deemed it one of 41 courthouses in “immediate and critical need.”

The new courthouse would consolidate all criminal court operations into a single facility. The Family Court Services, which until last year was located in leased space at 475 Aviation Way, would also be located in the new building.

The new criminal courthouse would relieve issues of overcrowding, accessibility and security, state officials said.

“It keeps the judicial facilities close to one another but also close to the jail,” said Teresa Ruano, a spokeswoman for Administrative Office of the Courts, the council's staff arm.

“We've been working a long time to make the new criminal courthouse part of the county administration center,” she said.

While the proposed location, at 600 Administration Drive, is the preferred site, a second location — 7.6 acres in Santa Rosa's Northpoint Corporate Center — has been approved as an alternate site by the state Public Works Board, Ruano said.

A downtown site on Third Street where the post office is located was dismissed because it would involve protracted negotiations, according to city officials. In early February, Santa Rosa's City Council voted 4-3 not to encourage the state to build its criminal courthouse downtown.

The administrative office has determined that the project will not have significant impact on the environment and is considering adopting a “mitigated negative declaration” in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act.

A public comment period will extend to June 24.

According to the draft environmental study released Wednesday:

The project will provide three parking lots for courthouse users — an adjacent surface parking on the east side of the site, a lot to the north on Russell Avenue, and a lot across Ventura Avenue, where the city fleet services building is located.

The offices of the district attorney, county public defender and the probation department will remain in the existing courthouse building.

The new building will centralize criminal, traffic, and juvenile dependency proceedings, family court mediation, probate investigation, and drug court support services.

Other features include jury assembly and deliberation rooms, in-custody holding, attorney interview/witness waiting rooms, a children's waiting room, and security screening for all court users.

The deadline for written comment is June 24.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110525/ARTICLES/110529659/1350?Title=Favorable-review-of-new-bigger-Sonoma-County-criminal-courthouse
 
#33 ·
SR

Hopefully they will have some interesting ideas.

Architects to unveil ideas for vacant Caltrans land in Santa Rosa

By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 12:26 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 12:26 p.m.
A group of architects in town to help residents envision a future use for a long strip of vacant land in southeast Santa Rosa will present their findings tonight.

A team from American Institute of Architects has been in Santa Rosa since Monday holding meetings aimed at helping the community come up with a vision for a sustainable use for the property.

The 300-foot-wide, two-mile swath of land stretches from Farmers Lane to Summerfield Road. It is owned by Caltrans, which once proposed to use it to extend Highway 12 over Spring Lake.

The Southeast Greenway Committee has been working for several years to preserve the property.

The AIA's Sustainable Design Assessment Team will present their findings tonight at 7 p.m. at the Friedman Event Center, 4676 Mayette Avenue.
 
#34 ·
redtape news.

SMART to confer with land owners on rail crossings
By BOB NORBERG
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 5:22 p.m.

Architect's image of the SMART commute trained planned to begin operation from Santa Rosa to San Rafael in 2014.
With commute trains still scheduled to run three years from now between Santa Rosa and San Rafael, Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit officials plan to meet with the users of 28 private track crossings on safety issues.

“We all share the concern of the safety of our citizens with trains going by at 70 miles per hour,” said Farhad Mansourian, executive director. “The goal is so nobody gets hurt and to make sure their business and livelihood is not hurt.”

SMART has sent letters to the 300 owners of private crossings on the track from Cloverdale to Larkspur, where SMART plans to someday run trains, and from Novato to Napa, which is SMART-owned track that the Northwestern Pacific Railroad will use for freight trains.

The commute rail district wants to eliminate and consolidate as many crossings as possible for it’s own safety concerns and also to comply with state Public Utilities Commission and Federal Railroad Administration policy.

The 28 crossings in the initial segments range from farmland to the crossing at the Redwood Landfill and Recycling Center in Novato, said SMART Chief Engineer Bill Gamlen.

SMART’s operating committee on Wednesday approved Mansourian’s proposal to meet first with the owners of the crossings from Santa Rosa to San Rafael, the segment SMART is building first because of budget restraints.

The lessons learned in those meetings can be used to deal with the remaining hundreds of crossings elsewhere on the line that will be built later, Mansourian said.

“It is going to be a challenge to find solutions that will satisfy everybody,” Mansourian said. “I don’t believe one size fits all will work in such a diverse area.”

He estimated the cost of holding 14 separate meetings to deal with clusters of crossing users will be $50,000.

SMART had proposed charging crossing owners $1,500 to apply to have the crossing studied to remain open and another $2,600 a year for inspection services, but Gamlen said those fees have not been adopted.

Mansourian is serving as SMART executive director while taking time off from his position as Marin County public works director.
 
#35 ·
Fixing up FoodMaxx with more strip mall stores.

New life for vacant Roseland shopping center
By CATHY BUSSEWITZ
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Friday, June 24, 2011 at 5:05 p.m.




JOHN BURGESS/Press Democrat
Construction workers build the facade for stores, including a new Ross store, at Stony Point Plaza in southwest Santa Rosa.
A Roseland shopping center that has long suffered from vacancies will soon be home to four new stores, and locals are hoping the additions will breathe new life into the economically challenged area of southwest Santa Rosa.

Ross, Anna’s Linens, Goodwill Industries and Fallas Paredes, a discount clothing chain, are slated to open outlets in Stony Point Plaza, a shopping center on Sebastopol Road anchored by Food Maxx.

Construction work on the center is scheduled to be completed near the end of August. Goodwill plans to open its store by the end of 2011. Representatives from the other companies did not provide opening dates.

“This whole section was so vacant for so long, so it will be nice to have more businesses coming in,” said Carl Weber, sales manager for the Rent-A-Center store in Stony Point Plaza.

The new stores are moving into a site targeted by Wal-Mart before the retail giant abandoned the controversial project two years ago, citing delays and unfavorable economic conditions.

Meanwhile, a strip of stores and restaurants across the parking lot have struggled to remain profitable in a center where nearly half of the retail spaces have been empty.

“The past few years it has been really tough,” said Salvador Sahagun, owner of Taqueria Santa Rosa. “That part of the shopping center was a ghost town, because there was really little traffic on that side.”

But having dozens of hungry construction workers around is already helping his business.

“It has come alive again,” Sahagun said. “Having a store like this will be good for the area. It will create a lot more traffic and a lot more jobs.”

About 45 local construction workers are currently employed on the project, said Kile Martin, project supervisor for HBI Construction. The crews have built a new facade with raised buttress columns that are more than 30 feet tall.

Representatives for Ross did not return phone calls. The Pleasanton discount clothing chain, which also operates a store in Montgomery Village, has been steadily expanding, according to an equipment salesman who handles dock installations for Ross.

“Things are still slow in new construction,” said Ricardo Bustillos of Hayward-based Arbon Equipment Corp. “So to see this on a local basis is encouraging. We need it.”

Anna’s Linens, a Costa Mesa retail chain that sells bedroom, bathroom and window furnishings, plans to hire about 20 new employees, said Travis Essary, district manager.

“We’re looking at some huge growth here in the Bay Area,” Essary said. “We have two new stores just this year, and I see a lot more to come.”

Goodwill Industries is moving from a smaller store on Sebastopol Road, enabling it to expand its used books collection and provide more employment training opportunities to the public, said Anne Martin, vice president of retail and operations. Goodwill also opened a store on Fourth Street last week.

Supervisor Efren Carrillo, who grew up in the area and now represents it, said the new stores will enable residents to shop where they live.

“It’s still a tough economy, but I think it’s a sign that things may be stabilizing, and we will begin to see opportunities for improved economic development and the jobs that come with it,” Carrillo said.

“I hope it brings some business, because we really do need it,” said Joanne Kanu, store manager at Payless. “It’s pretty dead out here.”
 
#36 ·

The proposed 'Museum on the Square' project in downtown Santa Rosa.
PD FILE

'Museum on Square' developer strikes parking deal with City Hall
By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 3:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 9:21 p.m.

The developer of the proposed Museum on the Square project in downtown Santa Rosa has worked a deal with City Hall that would allow tenants to drive through the city's bus-only transit mall.

The city will grant an easement through the mall for tenants to park in or beside the 10-story, glass-clad mixed-use tower planned on the site of the long-vacant former AT&T building...

The arrangement retains the seven spaces of bus parking within the mall. It also requires that the parking gate to the building lot be set back 18-feet from the sidewalk so cars don't block the sidewalk as they wait to enter. Flashing lights and an alarm will go off when a car is leaving the lot to warn pedestrians, Frank Kasimov, program specialist in the city economic development department, told the council.

Hugh Futrell has said allowing parking access on the south side of the building was an important way to increase the leasable space on the ground floor, making the project more financially viable. The other, more expensive option was to tunnel a driveway through the building from Third Street....
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/articl...developer-strikes-parking-deal-with-City-Hall
 
#42 ·
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/20110701/ARTICLES/110709976/1350?Title=Memorial-Hospital-reviving-ER-expansion
 
#43 ·
Some awesome roller derby action coming to downtown...:cheers:

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/20110701/ARTICLES/110709936/1350?Title=HomeWreckers-roll-into-downtown-Santa-Rosa
 
#46 ·
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/20110707/BUSINESS/110709595/1350?Title=Santa-Rosa-seeks-funding-for-Railroad-Square-project
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#47 ·
$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/20110713/ARTICLES/110719806?tc=ar
 
#48 ·
As long as the market at the new SMART station development pans out this isn't too big of a disappointment. :yawn:

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/20110718/ARTICLES/110719527/1350?Title=Sonoma-County-Fairgrounds-public-market-project-is-dead
 
#49 ·
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.com/2011/07/news/rob-schneider-eats-here-to-help-make-a-memorial-from-a-piece-of-the-wtc/
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#50 ·
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.
 
#51 ·
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/bjs-restaurant-and-brewhouse-to-coddingtown.html
 
#52 ·
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/20110812/BUSINESS/110819811/1350?Title=Target-eyes-Gottschalks-space-at-Coddingtown
 
#54 ·
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.
 
#55 ·
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.
 
#56 ·
City Council is full of brain dead morons :bash:

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/20110928/ARTICLES/110929439/1350?Title=Santa-Rosa-may-build-one-parking-garage-tear-down-another
 
#58 ·
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.
 
#59 ·
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/20111004/ARTICLES/111009831/1350?Title=Protesters-want-pedestrian-bridge-and-the-jobs-it-will-bring
 
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