FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Greenbelt Alliance Supports Two New Large Residential Projects in City Core Close to SMART
Public Review by City Boards This Week
Greenbelt Alliance supports and has officially endorsed the new residential developments proposed in downtown Santa Rosa that are being reviewed for city approval this week. The two large developments that could transform the city’s center are located at 556 Ross Street and the “SMART” Village at 34 6th Street next to the Railroad Square SMART station.
The two multi-story apartment home complexes proposed by Cornerstone Properties meet and exceed the criteria for the Climate SMART development endorsement program. They are the first Santa Rosa developments to receive the Climate SMART endorsement. The Greenbelt Alliance Climate SMART Endorsement Program provides an essential environmental perspective on building housing within existing communities in the Bay Area. Read more here.
Ross Street is being reviewed by the city Design Review Board at 4:30 pm Sept. 17. The Sixth Street SMART Village is set for review by a joint meeting of the Cultural Heritage and Design Review Boards at 5 pm on Sept. 16.
“The proposed developments align with the City’s goals, planning blueprints, and in creating a vision for the downtown as an energetic commercial and cultural center,” said Zoe Siegel, Director of Climate Resilience for Greenbelt Alliance. “With the much-needed housing and the incorporation of private and public spaces, this project will help create a vibrant more climate-friendly downtown.”
At Ross Street, the plan is to repurpose a parking lot and alley at the site of the current Press Democrat building for an eight-story, mixed-use building comprised of partial ground floor commercial space and 109 residential units consisting of “affordable by design” studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments with 10 percent of units reserved for income-qualified households. The alley would be converted to a pedestrian and bike path.
The SMART Village project in Railroad Square consists of a 6 story residential/mixed-use building with outdoor community pool and open gathering space for residents and neighbors.
“This is the kind of climate-smart development that we need in the Bay Area to meet our housing goals, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and make sure that local residents are able to grow and thrive in their own communities as housing costs rise,” said Teri Shore, Advocacy Director, Greenbelt Alliance, based in Santa Rosa.
Greenbelt Alliance is rising to the challenge because we envision a Bay Area of healthy, thriving, resilient communities made up of lands and people that are safe during climate disasters and recover quickly from wildfire, floods, and drought, where everyone is living with nature in new and powerful ways for generations to come. That’s why we educate, advocate, and collaborate to ensure the Bay Area’s lands and communities are resilient to a changing climate.
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MEDIA CONTACTS
Zoe Siegel, Director of Climate Resilience, zsiegel@greenbelt.org (510) 367-4464
Teri Shore, Advocacy Director, Greenbelt Alliance, 707 934 7081, tshore@greenbelt.org
