Greenbelt Alliance is endorsing the proposed DeTurk Winery Village mixed-used project located near the Railroad Square Historic District and future SMART train station in downtown Santa Rosa. If approved and built, it will provide 185 homes—15 of which will be for low-income residents.
The project will incorporate the historic red-brick DeTurk Winery building, which withstood the 1906 earthquake. It will include approximately 20,000 square feet of existing commercial space within the rehabilitated building to provide shops and jobs close to homes and transit.
The project is within the boundaries of the city’s Downtown Station Area Specific Plan (DSASP) and conforms to the plan’s smart growth vision. Greenbelt Alliance led a multi-year campaign to shape the station area plan, which was adopted by the Santa Rosa City Council in 2007.
New residents will have a variety of transportation choices. The SMART station is within a quarter mile of the project and is scheduled to open later this year. There are also two bus stops located at opposite ends of the project site. The developer will offer free rail passes when the SMART station opens as part of a forthcoming Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan.
Expanded sidewalks and new bicycle lanes will be provided, helping residents safely access nearby businesses, downtown, and the SMART station. The project also includes a walking path through the site that will connect with a nearby park and small public plaza between the residential buildings.
The proposal wisely prioritizes creating great places for people rather than dedicating excessive space to cars. It includes 175 parking spaces with a residential parking ratio of .5 spaces/unit (utilizing new state law AB 744, which allows lower parking ratios near transit) and shared commercial parking areas.
In sum, the DeTurk Winery Village project will help create a thriving, transit-friendly neighborhood, improve Santa Rosa’s pressing housing affordability crisis, support the local economy, and relieve development pressure on our natural and agricultural lands.
Along with Greenbelt Alliance, the project is supported by a growing list of organizations, including Friends of SMART, the Sonoma County Transportation and Land Use Coalition and the Sierra Club.
The Santa Rosa City Council recently allowed the project to move forward after supporting an appeal by the developer Richard Deringer of Odyssey Development Company (LLC) of Sonoma. The project received denials by city design review and cultural heritage boards due to initial concerns over height and historical preservation. Some neighbors were opposed due to parking and density. The city’s Planning Commission will soon review the final project design and conditions and vote to approve or deny.
Greenbelt Alliance’s endorsement program requires proposed developments to meet strict criteria, including efficient use of land and community engagement by the developer and that are affordable to a wide range of Bay Area residents.
Learn more about our endorsement program here.
