Santa Rosa City Council Approves EIR and General Plan Amendment

The Southeast Greenway Project has taken a giant step forward. At its meeting on Tuesday, July 9, the Santa Rosa City Council voted unanimously to Certify the Environmental Impact Report and approve the General Plan Amendment and Rezoning for the Santa Rosa Southeast Greenway. Each approval was met by cheers from over 75 supporters in their Greenway T-Shirts. The City Council approvals will allow the project to move to the next phase – appraisal of the property followed by negotiations for its purchase from Caltrans.

Following the public comment period, Mayor Tom Schwedhelm held up this accomplishment, saying, “The folks that have just been staying along with this. It’s inspirational, not just for this community, but for other communities to look at. How did Santa Rosa figure out how to make this work? It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.” The recognition of our community effort by all the council members means a great deal as we work to move the project forward.

The total project that the Council approved encompasses 57 acres. A 47-acre Greenway will include land for open space, environmental restoration, community gardens, walking paths and a bike path that will link Farmers Lane to Spring Lake Park. The City of Santa Rosa will own and manage the area from Hoen Avenue near Montgomery High School to Summerfield Road. Spring Lake Regional Park will be expanded to include 16+ acres that stretch from the current park boundary to Summerfield Road. Ten acres of additional land are set aside for housing and mixed-use development.

Learn More
More information can be found on the SE Greenway Project update page on the City of Santa Rosa’s website, as well as on this website.

Thank You!
We would like to express our deep appreciation to the many supporters who took time to show up for this important meeting and to all the organizations and individuals who submitted letters of support prior to the meeting. It takes a community – and together, we did it!