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Santa Rosa staff recommend cautious pilot for Fourth Street pedestrianization after mixed business feedback
Summary
City staff reported strong public interest in pedestrian-friendly downtown spaces but significant concern from downtown merchants about parking, deliveries and business mix; staff recommended a small pilot and further traffic, parking and infrastructure analyses before any closure of Fourth Street.
City of Santa Rosa economic development staff on June (date not specified) presented results of a public survey and business outreach on downtown activation and pedestrianization, saying residents favored more walkable, plaza-style public space while many downtown merchants raised practical concerns about lost parking, deliveries and customer access.
Program analyst Rachel Beer presented the findings from a community survey of 1,333 respondents and a 32-business outreach effort, saying residents “would increase their downtown visits if streets became more pedestrian friendly,” while downtown businesses consistently cited parking loss, delivery logistics and the need for programming and infrastructure as primary obstacles.
The Santa Rosa Economic Development Chief, Scott Nadair, told the subcommittee the public’s appetite for plaza-style space is large, but staff’s recommendation is to pilot a smaller, lower-impact closure in a location with fewer direct business effects rather than immediately closing Fourth Street. He said Ross Street has been discussed as one candidate for a pilot.
Why it matters: Downtown activation was raised repeatedly by residents and neighborhood groups as a way to increase foot traffic and make downtown feel safer and more welcoming. But business owners warned an ill-planned closure could reduce sales for firms that rely on curbside customer parking or on-line order pickup and deliveries.
Staff said the next steps are to finish a set of analyses before returning to council: an infrastructure assessment, a traffic and parking analysis, and a cost/revenue estimate. Director Osborne explained staff are also exploring time-limited closures (for example limited days or hours) and operational mitigations—such as designated pickup points or scheduled delivery windows—to reduce the impacts on restaurants and retailers.
Businesses and community groups urged the city to co-design any pilot with merchants. Cadence, Executive Director of the Downtown Action Organization, said downtown retailers are not uniformly opposed but want clarity that city programming would “support and not compete with existing businesses.” Abby Arnold, a resident active with Santa Rosa YIMBY, said her group has collected more than 272 petition signatures in favor of pedestrianizing Fourth Street and urged the council not to drop Fourth Street from consideration.
Staff and committee members repeatedly emphasized the proposal is intended to be iterative: small pilots, monitoring, and adjustments. Scott Nadair told the committee staff would continue door-to-door outreach and craft a pilot that “starts small” and attempts to minimize the direct business impacts.
Ending: Staff will return with the detailed traffic, parking and infrastructure numbers and options for a pilot (including proposed locations and schedules). The subcommittee did not take a formal vote; members stressed the need for more outreach to win merchant buy-in before any permanent change.
