After public outcry, Santa Rosa council merges heritage and design boards and restores lower homeowner landmark fees

The Santa Rosa City Council on Feb. 4 voted unanimously to consolidate the Cultural Heritage Board and the Design Review Board into a single Design Review and Preservation Board and to restore reduced fees for homeowner-submitted landmark alteration permits, reversing fee increases adopted in 2024.

Deputy Director Jessica Jones told the council the proposal includes four required professional seats (two architects, one landscape professional, and one archaeologist/architectural historian or historian) and three at-large members; the consolidated board structure is designed to maintain technical expertise while reducing duplicative meetings and staff resources. Jones said staff also planned to update municipal-code references, revise the city's processing procedures document for clarity, and preserve compliance with the Secretary of the Interior's standards and the state Certified Local Government (CLG) eligibility criteria.

Why it matters: Homeowners in Santa Rosa's preservation districts told council members that last year's fee changes created large sticker shock for routine projects such as window replacement and minor alterations, and several neighborhood speakers said higher permit fees risked driving unpermitted work. Council members said they did not intend those consequences and moved to restore homeowner fees.

Public comment and examples: Dozens of residents from Burbank Gardens, Saint Rose and other preservation districts described the financial impact of the increases. Public speaker Rich Caro said a previously posted example of a backyard permit rose "from $409 to $8,830," and that a front-porch repair fee moved "from $2,734 to $21,671" under the earlier schedule. Several speakers asked for training, CLG certification, and clearer guidance for homeowners.

Council action: After discussion and several council members expressing regret the earlier fee schedule had produced unintended hardship for homeowners, the council approved the staff-recommended homeowner fee rollback (staff's option 2, an approximately 92% reduction for homeowner landmark-alteration applications compared with the new published rate), adopted a change to the city's design guidelines to reflect the consolidated board name, amended council appointment policy so the full council will appoint members to the new board, and introduced municipal-code amendments to implement the consolidated board and processing changes. Voting was recorded as 6-0 in favor on the resolutions and the ordinance introduction.

Training and next steps: Planning staff told council they will continue targeted recruitment for the consolidated board, develop an updated application form that documents professional qualification or relevant preservation experience, and pursue no-cost training opportunities for staff and board members. Staff said the consolidated board must be formed within one year of the council action and that staff will return with details for the appointment process and any required ordinance adoption.

Quotations: "The item before you is broken down into 4 main sections," Deputy Director Jessica Jones said as she introduced the package. Council Member Krepkie, addressing neighbors, said: "I just wanna say I'm only speaking for myself... I screwed up," and apologized for the unintended fee outcome.

What the council recorded: The city council recorded votes on multiple adoption motions: a resolution amending design guidelines (passed 6-0), a resolution setting the reduced director-level/homeowner fee schedule (staff option 2, passed 6-0), a resolution amending council policy on appointments (passed 6-0), and introduction of an ordinance to amend municipal-code chapters related to the landmark alteration process and board consolidation (introduced 6-0). The ordinance will return for a future final reading and adoption.