Zoning administrator approves Cedar Hall Lodge design review with conditions on lighting and sound

The Santa Rosa zoning administrator approved a minor design review for Cedar Hall Lodge, a project at 2055 Gardenville Road that includes a private meeting hall, four detached bungalows and an eight-car garage, planning staff said.

Senior planner Christine Toomians (as recorded in the meeting) described the proposal as a 2,574-square-foot private meeting hall (Grange-type facility), four detached bungalows of approximately 396 square feet each, and a 4,800-square-foot detached garage designed to hold eight cars. The presentation included an illustrative landscape plan, building elevations showing a cohesive “log cabin” architectural style, and a lighting plan that staff said uses downshielded fixtures to prevent light spill onto neighboring properties.

Toomians told the administrator that the project sits on a deep lot with mixed general-plan designations (medium-density residential at the front and low-density residential toward the rear). Staff said the site plan was adjusted during design review to protect trees along the west property line by flipping the driveway and that notices to nearby residents produced questions about amplified outdoor sound and lighting. Toomians said amplified outdoor sound is restricted by Title 17 of the city code and that the prior conditional-use permit for the site included conditions limiting audible sound from the Grange after 10 p.m.

The applicant’s representative, Alan Cohen, said the design team had altered the driveway location to better protect trees and that team members were available to answer detailed questions. A resident identified in the record as “Connor” asked whether the bungalows would be rentals; Toomians replied that, as presented for land-use purposes, they could be used as rental housing, and she deferred to the applicant for intended long-term use. No parties in the meeting requested a public hearing.

Staff told the administrator the project is exempt from CEQA under the state infill exemption (the transcript cites CEQA section 15332) and noted an earlier 2023 zoning-administrator approval of a minor conditional-use permit for the use; staff also referenced AB 2729 as providing an automatic 18-month time extension for project approvals in some circumstances. The zoning administrator said the project would provide a community gathering space and approved the minor design review. The transcript records that the action is final unless an appeal is filed with the city clerk’s office within two calendar days; the meeting transcript records the appeal deadline as Tuesday, 04/01/2025.