Santa Rosa zoning administrator approves 62-unit Meadow Creek Townhomes design review at 533 Bellevue Avenue

The Santa Rosa zoning administrator approved a streamlined design review for the Meadow Creek Townhomes, a 62-unit residential subdivision at 533 Bellevue Avenue, during a special meeting. The project divides a 4.78-acre site into 62 attached units across 12 buildings with two common open-space parcels and bioretention alongside the creek.

The decision follows a staff recommendation that the design meets city infill and multifamily design guidelines and that the project is statutorily exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under Government Code §65457 because it is consistent with the Roseland Area Sebastopol Road Specific Plan. The zoning administrator said, “I can also make all of the required findings … I approve the project.” The approval is final unless an appeal is filed with the city clerk within 10 calendar days; for this item the appeal deadline was announced as Monday, 09/15/2025.

Staff told the zoning administrator the proposal would create 12 buildings containing 62 attached units (ten five‑unit buildings and two six‑unit buildings) on lots ranging from 1,349 to 1,818 square feet. The site plan includes two open-space parcels, a bioretention area along the creek, and a gated steel fence providing access to the creek trail. The property is in the Roseland area Sebastopol Road Specific Plan and carries a medium-density general plan designation with zoning noted in the staff presentation as R3‑18.

Neighbors at the meeting raised multiple concerns. Resident Jackie Gear said density and parking were larger than she had expected and warned that school‑time traffic on nearby Burgess Boulevard can block vehicle movement; she said, “Density is over double what we were told it was going to be.” Roger Gere and other residents cited emergency access and a 10‑foot easement near the rear yards as constraints for fire equipment. Resident Laurie Freeland asked about wildlife impacts, including owls and a reported salamander area on the site.

The applicant and staff responded with technical details presented earlier at a July 4, 2025 Planning Commission hearing, where the tentative map for the subdivision was approved. The applicant said the site has been zoned for eight to 18 units per acre since the 1990s and that the current design results in roughly 13 units per acre. The applicant said each unit would include a two‑car garage and that the overall parking ratio is about 2.7 spaces per unit, with an additional 45 off‑garage spaces on site. The applicant also said garages are oriented away from the existing Flapjack Way backyards and that an alley would provide fire access.

On environmental and habitat concerns, the applicant said the project has purchased mitigation for salamander habitat and purchased off‑site wetland mitigation. Staff noted conditions of approval prohibit tree removal during nesting season; the planner also said the project landscaping shows 88 15‑gallon trees proposed for mitigation plantings, and that selected street/yard trees listed on the landscape plan include water gum (reported as 15‑gallon stock). The applicant and staff said storm drainage and sewer capacity had been sized for the development and that runoff would be directed toward the Colton Creek system rather than into adjacent yards.

During the hearing, the city’s traffic engineer was cited as having concluded peak hourly trips would be low (about 30 AM and 35 PM peak trips) and that one vehicular access on Burgess Boulevard, with emergency access at the north end, was acceptable for the expected traffic volumes. The planner offered to provide residents with additional materials after the meeting, including a species breakdown and counts for the mitigation trees.

The zoning administrator’s approval applies to the design review findings only; the tentative map and other entitlements were previously approved by the Planning Commission on July 4, 2025. The decision is final unless appealed to the city clerk within the 10‑calendar‑day appeal period announced at the hearing.