<p>Roseland Village Development Project approved, construction to begin after Cinco de Mayo</p>

The Roseland Village Development Project approved by the Santa Rosa Planning Commission on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 will provide housing and community amenities in an area of the city that has lacked resources for decades.

“We’re incredibly proud of our partnership with the City of Santa Rosa to transform this property into a community resource,” said Margaret Van Vliet, executive director of the Sonoma County Community Development Commission, which owns the site along Sebastopol Road. “Roseland Village will serve as a catalyst for future development and shows how much we can accomplish when we work together. It’s truly an historic moment.”

 The Community Development Commission purchased the property in 2010 and teamed up with developer MidPen Housing in 2016 to engage neighborhood residents and business owners in creating a development that reflected the needs of the area.

“Roseland community residents have consistently expressed the need for more quality housing, accessible gathering spaces and parks to promote community and healthy living,” said Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, whose district includes Roseland. “Compliant with the 2007 Sebastopol Road Urban Vision Plan developed by the community, this development addresses many of those priorities.”

The greater Roseland area was annexed into city limits in late 2017 as part of an ongoing effort to reduce the number of unincorporated islands that currently exist throughout the city of Santa Rosa. According to Marcos Suarez, longtime Roseland advocate and program manager at the Sonoma County Economic Development Board, Roseland Village represents a long-awaited step in addressing the needs of the of Roseland residents.

“This is the future of Roseland and the community has been waiting for something like this for a very long time,” said Suarez. “Roseland Village is creating opportunities for our community to thrive.”

The 7-acre property, a portion of which requires soil and groundwater cleanup due to contamination from a former dry-cleaning business, will benefit from a $2.4 million grant from the California State Water Agency to carry out the required environmental remediation. The grant funds are pending final State contract approval. The rest of the Roseland Village development will be funded using a combination of redevelopment dollars and other public and private financing.

The project includes 175 housing units – 100 market rate and 75 affordable units – built alongside a public plaza and retail building and aims to create a walkable community along a major county transit corridor.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Chairman David Rabbitt. “Roseland has undergone tremendous change during the past decade – including annexation into Santa Rosa city limits. This project not only reflects that change, but also reflects a commitment from local governments to support this community.”

Construction on the ‘Plaza Temporal’, consisting of an outdoor space for food service and community gathering, will likely begin immediately after this year’s Cinco de Mayo celebration which takes place each year along Sebastopol Road. The Plaza Temporal is expected to open in early summer 2019.

For more information, visit roselandvillage-midpen.weebly.com.