Transportation – Enviro Updates

SuzanneApril 14, 2025April 18, 2025Climate Change & Energy, Land Use, Transportationbicycle safety, fossil fuel infrastructure, gas station ban

Planning Commission denies gas station proposal in southwest Santa Rosa, the last such project citywide

Paulina Pineda, PRESS DEMOCRAT

Plans for what would’ve been the last gas station ever built in Santa Rosa — and potentially countywide — were tossed by city planning officials who argued it would pose a health and safety hazard to the surrounding community.

After a three-hour hearing, the Santa Rosa Planning Commission voted 6-0 Thursday to deny a conditional use permit for the project on a vacant lot south of Highway 12 on North Wright Road.

Commissioners said the project was inconsistent with city land-use policies and climate action goals that call for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The project had been in the works for nearly two decades and included six gas pumps and four electric charging stations.

The latest iteration was submitted to the city in late 2021 and was exempt from the city’s ban on new gas stations, which took effect a year later.

Commissioners said that while the exemption allowed them to consider the project, it didn’t require them to approve it.

SuzanneApril 11, 2025April 12, 2025Climate Change & Energy, Land Use, Transportationbicycle paths, CONGAS, fossil fuel infrastructure, gas station ban

Has the last gas station in Sonoma County already been built?

Coalition Opposing New Gas Stations (CONGAS)

Santa Rosa Planning Commission votes down what could be the last proposal for a new gas station in Sonoma County – ever

Santa Rosa – On Thursday, April 10, the Santa Rosa Planning Commission voted 6-0 with one Commissioner recused, to deny a Conditional Use Permit for a gas station that would have been built at 874 North Wright Road, at the western edge of Santa Rosa where highway 12 and Fulton/Wright roads intersect.

(874 North Wright Road, November 2024. Photo credit: Woody Hastings)

A strong showing of over 20 concerned neighbors, healthcare professionals, bicycling enthusiasts, members of the Coalition Opposing New Gas Stations (CONGAS) and others attended and spoke to share concerns including the fact that the site is a seasonal wetland (see photo), is adjacent to the Joe Rodota Trail, and is at an address where more than ten gas stations already operate within a five-mile radius. Several speakers also pointed to the fact that Santa Rosa adopted a climate emergency resolution in 2020 and imposed a permanent ban on new gas stations in 2022 and that we Santa Rosa should not be permitting new gas stations in 2025.

This proposal at 874 N. Wright Rd. was exempted from the ban on new gas stations and was still under consideration by permitting authorities because it was already “in the pipeline” with a complete permit application already filed when the ban was imposed.

The reason this may be the very last proposal for a new gas station in Sonoma County is that between 2021 and 2023 Sonoma County and six cities in the county adopted ordinances permanently prohibiting new gas stations. Only three cities have not taken the action: Cloverdale, Healdsburg, and the City of Sonoma. Each of them have stated that there is little to no chance that a new gas station will be proposed within their boundaries. So, with no other live proposals for a new gas station in Sonoma County, the last gas station to be built in the County has likely already been built.

Continue reading “Has the last gas station in Sonoma County already been built?”

SuzanneMarch 14, 2025March 14, 2025Climate Change & Energy, TransportationCONGAS, fossil fuel infrastructure, fossil fuels, gas station ban, gas stations

Op-Ed: The zombie gas station proposal that won’t die

Jenny Blaker & Woody Hastings, CONGAS

There will be a rally and news conference at the site: 874 North Wright Road, on March 25, 2-4 pm.

On April 10 the Santa Rosa Planning Commission will decide whether or not to approve a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a new gas station at 874 North Wright Rd, (Intersection of Highway 12 and Fulton/Wright Roads), Santa Rosa. One of the requirements for a CUP is that the project should not be detrimental to the public health, safety and welfare. This proposal clearly is, and the Commission should reject it.

A proposal for a gas station at this site was rejected by the Planning Commission and the City Council in 2007 due to concerns about traffic safety, noise, idling cars, and proximity to the Joe Rodota trail and land zoned for housing. In a 2013 flip-flop it was approved, but the developer never acted and the permits expired.

Although Santa Rosa adopted an ordinance prohibiting new gas stations in 2022, in line with similar actions taken by the County and five other cities, this one was exempted not because it was superior in any way but only because it had a completed permit application. It was on the agenda for the Planning Commission in October 2024 but was postponed due to lack of the required public notification. In November 2024 it was postponed again because it was pointed out that there is an autogas fueling station right next door and for safety reasons it is against the city’s rules to have two fueling stations within 500 feet of one another.

Over 20 organizations, representing hundreds if not thousands of Sonoma County residents, oppose this project. It is not needed because there are already 10 gas stations within a 5-mile radius. Multiple concerns include traffic and safety issues, pollution of surface and groundwater and impacts to nearby wells, and proximity to land zoned for medium-density housing and the Joe Rodota Trail. Much has changed since 2013 and much more is known about the impacts to human health of toxic pollutants from gasoline, such as benzene which has been linked to childhood leukemia. The proposal is based on outdated studies including traffic studies from 2006-7. Many circumstances that have changed since 2013 have not been considered. This project conflicts with Santa Rosa’s own policies such as the Climate Action Plan, Climate Emergency Resolution, and the General Plan.

For more information contact the Coalition Opposing New Gas Stations (CONGAS) at contact.congas@gmail.com

Jenny Blaker & Woody Hastings are Co-coordinators of the Coalition Opposing New Gas Stations (CONGAS).

SuzanneMarch 6, 2025March 13, 2025Land Use, Transportationsprawl development, urban infrastructure, wildfire evacuation

Hanna Center abandons large housing, hotel project next to its Sonoma Valley campus

Daniel Johnson, SONOMA INDEX-TRIBUNE

• Hanna Center has canceled its 60-acre development plan to focus on strengthening mental health and community programs.

• New initiatives include a community mental health center and expanded residential services for youth.

• Hanna Center aims to enhance collaboration and sustainability while serving Sonoma Valley effectively.

Hanna Center officials have confirmed they are dropping ambitious housing and commercial development plans on a 60-acre property next to their sprawling campus in Sonoma Valley, where neighbors’ concerns about the project’s scale and issues such as wildfire evacuation clouded its future.

It was one of the largest proposed developments in Sonoma Valley, calling for more than 600 homes in various types of housing as well as a hotel, retail and office development and open space off Agua Caliente Road next to the 76-year-old center, a residential campus for at-risk youth that also provides some services for adults.

Concerned neighbors said it would overtax water and sewage systems and worsen traffic congestion, which could be particularly problematic in the event of a wildfire.

SuzanneMarch 1, 2025March 3, 2025Transportationbicycle paths, bike & pedestrian safetey, Highway 101, Highway 101 bridge, pedestrian, Santa Rosa Junior College

Long-planned Highway 101 bike and pedestrian bridge in Santa Rosa finally moving forward

Paulina Pineda, PRESS DEMOCRAT

The crossing, in the works since the 1990s, will provide a safer route for residents to access commercial, government, employment and health care hubs around Coddingtown Mall and Santa Rosa Junior College.

A long-awaited $40 million bike and pedestrian bridge over Highway 101 in north Santa Rosa is expected to break ground later this year after nearly three decades of planning and efforts to line up funding.

The crossing, stretching across the six-lane highway, will link Elliott and Edwards avenues. It will provide a safer route for residents to access commercial, government, employment and health care hubs around Coddingtown Mall and Santa Rosa Junior College as well as the passenger rail line.

The 14.5-foot-wide, 1,000-foot-long cable-stayed bridge will feature a dedicated footpath and a two-way cycle track.

Santa Rosa leaders and project backers say it will close a significant gap in the local bike network and reduce traffic risks for those who now get around on foot or bike on busy Steele Lane and College Avenue.

SuzanneDecember 23, 2024December 25, 2024Transportation, WildlifeHighway 37, salta marsh, San Pablo Bay, sea level rise

Caltrans to hold Jan. 14 meeting on Highway 37 project, environmental opportunities

Mary Callahan, PRESS DEMOCRAT
Plans for an overhaul of Highway 37 between Sears Point and Mare Island to ease congestion and gird the road against the rising waters of San Pablo Bay will be aired at Jan. 14 meeting hosted by Caltrans.

The meeting will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 14.
Interested people can participate remotely on Zoom, using the link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85317647303#success.

The hybrid meeting was scheduled to allow for discussion of a newly released draft supplemental environment impact report, now open for public review and comment. It incorporates changes to near-term road improvements, as well as the addition of a major marshland rehabilitation effort.

But there should be room for discussion beyond that, as well.

“The meeting on the 14th is going to mostly focus on the content of the draft supplemental EIR,” said Skylar Nguyen, senior environmental scientist with Caltrans. “That’s the focus, and that’s what we are presenting on, but we would be trying to answer as many questions as we can.”

The newly released environmental document relays in detail plans to restore and reinvigorate about 1,200 acres in and around what’s called the Strip Marsh East, a degraded area of tidal salt marsh west of Mare Island on the north shore of San Pablo Bay. The marsh provides habitat to multiple protected species and offers the chance for a nature-based buffer against sea level rise and flooding along about 3.5 miles of highway.

SuzanneJuly 26, 2024July 30, 2024Land Use, TransportationCloverdale, new community

Company affiliated with Edge Esmeralda ‘pop-up village’ enters into purchase agreement for huge site in Cloverdale

Amie Windsor, PRESS DEMOCRAT

A massive, vacant swath of land in southeast Cloverdale that once was to be transformed into a $200 million resort suddenly is slated for potential development by a surprise buyer: a company linked to Edge Esmeralda, the “pop-up village” that attracted visitors from around the world to Healdsburg in June.

Esmeralda Land Company, run by Devon Zuegel, a principal behind Edge Esmeralda, has entered into a purchase agreement for the 267-acre site, which has sat quietly on the real estate market for seven years.

Pending approval from Cloverdale city leaders and final signoff from Esmeralda investors, Zuegel told The Press Democrat on Friday she plans to transform the open space into a full-time neighborhood that includes a hotel.

The ethos of the community will mirror that of the month-long event Zuegel helped lead in Healdsburg in June, where people took part in a variety of lectures and day trips, harmonizing with nature and prioritizing health and wellness.

SuzanneJuly 12, 2024July 30, 2024Transportationroundabouts, traffic

Cotati voters to have say on roundabouts — again

Amie Windsor, PRESS DEMOCRAT

Round and round they go: Cotati voters will have their say on roundabouts after a citizens’ initiative to repeal a citywide ban on the traffic configuration has gathered enough signatures to be placed on the November ballot.

A ban against the love-it-or-hate-it road junction has been in place since voters passed a measure in 2012 prohibiting the construction of roundabouts and traffic circles within city limits.

That original ban was also a voter-driven initiative after the council planned to install two roundabouts on Old Redwood Highway as part of a $3.5 million redesign of its downtown. The plan was part of a long-planned revitalization intended to maintain Cotati’s small-town feel, spur economic activity and make the highway safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

At the time, opponents said the traffic circles would jam traffic, cause accidents and stifle business along the half-mile corridor. Ultimately, they were never constructed.

Eris Weaver, one of three proponents for the repeal, said the original arguments against roundabouts were false.

“I don’t know why people lose their mind about roundabouts. I think it’s fear of the unknown, maybe,” Weaver, who serves as the executive director for the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, said.

SuzanneMay 29, 2024June 2, 2024Climate Change & Energy, TransportationActive Transportation Program, bicycle infrastructure, bicycle safety, pedestrian safety

Op-Ed: CalBike commends California legislature for rejecting Active Transportation Program (ATP) cuts

Laura McCamy, CALBIKES

The legislature’s budget proposal, released today, rescinds the deep cuts to the Active Transportation Program (ATP) proposed in the Governor’s Budget and plans to backfill those cuts with state highway funding. CalBike thanks the legislature for recognizing the value of the ATP and maintaining funding commitments to critical walking and bicycling projects.

CalBike policy director Jared Sanchez: “I’m glad the legislature recognized the value of the Active Transportation Program. The legislature heard from its constituents and saved a popular program many local communities rely on to fund infrastructure projects.”

CalBike consultant Jeanie Ward-Waller: “The ATP is critical to meeting California’s climate goals and addressing the crisis of rising pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities on our roadways, especially in disadvantaged communities across the state. We commend the Legislature for their strong support of shifting funding from car-centric infrastructure to improve walking and biking.”

SuzanneFebruary 14, 2024February 14, 2024TransportationHighway 37, salt marsh, San Pablo Bay, tidal ecosystem

New Highway 37 planning structure elevates focus on environment, San Pablo Baylands

Mary Callahan, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

The people who are planning the long-needed improvements on heavily congested Highway 37 are faced with more than just the amount of time commuters spend in gridlock each day en route to and from jobs in Marin and Sonoma counties.

There also are climate and environmental concerns along the sensitive shoreline of San Pablo Bay — the focus of tidelands restoration investments topping $600 million already. The diminished marshes and wetlands that once lined the greater San Francisco Bay are productive habitats that foster wildlife, filter water, sequester carbon and can help buffer the land from sea level rise.

But the varying needs don’t always line up easily. What solves one problem could exacerbate another.

And there is distrust among some who believe a short-term plan to widen the eastern stretch of 37 between Sears Point and Mare Island on slightly raised berms does more harm than good, despite the cost and time involved in a long-term plan to raise the whole highway.

They include Congressman Jared Huffman, who has, as he attests, “been lobbying nonstop” to change the approach to the highway redesign, moving directly to a full causeway instead of a freeway widening project “straight out of the 1980s.”

But in an effort to assure environmental stakeholders that their interests are on equal footing as work on the 21-mile highway corridor goes forward, the multicounty State Route 37 Partnership, currently dominated by transportation agencies, will now include key leaders from “environmentally oriented” state groups.

And it will have a new name: The Baylands Restoration and Transportation Expanded Partnership.

Environmental Center of Sonoma County

Category: Transportation