Santa Rosa YIMBY

Note: This oped originally appeared in the Press Democrat.

The proposal by the Santa Rosa Plaza shopping mall to replace the pedestrian space where the Agraria hand statue once stood with a parking lot would be a disastrous downgrade for downtown. We urge the city’s Design and Review and Preservation Board to reject it.

First, the plaza’s proposal would threaten pedestrians. Every curb cut is a conflict point between cars and people. Increasing vehicle access reduces pedestrian access — especially for families with children, cyclists and downtown residents.

Second, it would worsen the existing divide between Railroad Square and Old Courthouse Square. The division created by the freeway, the mall and its parking garage is widely seen as one of Santa Rosa’s biggest planning blunders. We should be improving connectivity, not worsening it with yet another barrier.

Third, it would degrade the downtown vibe. Downtown vitality is built on a unique constellation of walkable retail, dining and cultural experiences. The pollution, noise and danger posed by cars are kryptonite to creating an atmosphere that attracts people to spend time and money in downtown spaces.

Car access to downtown is important. But car infrastructure already consumes nearly half (47%) of the entire surface area of downtown Santa Rosa, more space than is used by sidewalks, parks, housing, businesses and rail combined. The city’s own parking analysis shows that 74% of parking spaces downtown go unused on a typical busy day.

We simply don’t need more car access.

Santa Rosa’s abundance of car accessibility is ironically best exemplified by the plaza’s existing 3,000-space parking garage — larger than nine football fields and one of the largest buildings in Sonoma County. If the plaza garage provides insufficient parking, then the entire concept of sufficient parking doesn’t exist.

On the issue of curb drop-off for a prospective new restaurant, the plaza has other options. These include the underutilized existing driveway on B Street at Fifth Street or existing curb space on A Street.

The plaza is an important economic anchor, and we want it to succeed. But long-term success for downtown Santa Rosa depends on strengthening pedestrian infrastructure, not compromising it, and decisions about iconic sites like B and Fourth streets must be made with the city’s broader vision in mind.

For example, the city’s recent general plan update and active transportation plan both call for more pedestrian friendly environments; improved street life downtown through pedestrian friendly design; providing more mobility options for people who don’t want to be dependent on cars; and minimizing new driveways curb cuts. The city is currently launching pilot projects to pedestrianize Ross Street downtown and parts of Montgomery Village based on the success of similar projects in cities including Grass Valley and San Jose.