Santa Rosa Downtown Station Area Specific Plan

City of Santa Rosa

Downtown Station Area Specific Plan for the City of Santa Rosa. Downtown Santa Rosa is the site of one of 14 future train stations for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter rail service. Within the next few years, the downtown area is likely to be significantly transformed by the construction of this station, particularly through higher-density transit-oriented development. DC&E prepared the Downtown Station Area Specific Plan to help ensure that this transformation results in attractive, appropriate and transit-friendly development that preserves downtown Santa Rosa as the cultural heart of Sonoma County, promotes the economic vitality of the City and the region, and encourages walking, bicycling and other transportation alternatives. As part of the Specific Plan process, DC&E led community workshops to help residents and business owners formulate a unified vision for the entire study area, and establish land use policies, design guidelines, market strategies and infrastructure improvements to support the implementation of that vision. This project won the Northern California Section APA Merit Award for Focused Issue Planning in 2008.