Planner outlines three alternatives to connect Southeast Greenway with Prince Memorial Greenway; survey open

Alexander Oseguera, the City of Santa Rosa’s active transportation planner, presented the Greenway Connectivity Study to the Waterways Advisory Committee, describing three conceptual alternatives to close a gap between the Southeast Greenway and the Prince Memorial Greenway and asking the committee and public to take an online survey.

Oseguera said the study is funded by a federal grant and focuses on surface‑level connections on existing public right‑of‑way that provide low‑stress biking and walking routes for all ages and abilities. “This project is trying to create a low stress connection between the Southeast Greenway and the Prince Memorial Greenway,” he said, and added the team has received “about 500 plus respondents” to the survey so far.

He laid out three alternatives: Alternative 1 would run primarily along Sonoma Avenue and include protected, bidirectional (class 4) bike lanes in some segments; Alternative 2 would route through Doyle Park and Houghton Avenue, combining protected lanes with neighborhood greenway features such as speed cushions and traffic diverters; and Alternative 3 would rely more on neighborhood greenway treatments on streets such as Vallejo Street with traffic‑calming features.

On parking, Oseguera said he did not think most alternatives would require losing parking but acknowledged some locations might. “I don’t think that that would be the case,” he said, while adding the survey is a place for residents to note parking concerns.

Committee members asked how traffic diverters would affect first responders. Oseguera said diverters can be designed with wheel paths or removable bollards so emergency vehicles retain access and that staff will check local station locations when considering designs. He also said maintenance responsibility for planting strips would likely fall to Parks if the city builds the features, or potentially to adjoining property owners depending on frontage responsibilities.

Oseguera cautioned that the alternatives are conceptual and will be refined; he noted geometric constraints on some streets (for example, a short segment between Francat/Franchette and Hamann Drive may have insufficient width for conventional bike lanes) and emphasized that ADA requirements and future traffic and development scenarios will be considered during the next design stages.

He encouraged the committee to take the survey (which he said closes in September) and noted staff has been to neighborhood meetings, schools and other boards as part of outreach. The chair said he will ask committee members at the next meeting whether they completed the survey.

No formal vote was taken; the item was informational and staff will analyze survey results to refine concepts.