Starting in 2023, the City began a process to update the Santero Way Specific Plan(SWSP), with the goal to increase residential development and commercial activities around the SMART Station. This effort was funded by a grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and incorporates their Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) policies, focused on the core elements of land use density, affordable housing, parking management and multimodal access. This focus was further informed by a significant public engagement effort, including direct neighborhood input and involvement and technical expertise from SMART, Sonoma County Transit, the City of Rohnert Park and the Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District. The result of this significant effort is the creation of the Santero Way Specific Plan, a comprehensive land use plan to guide development of the Santero Way neighborhood for years to come. Below are copies of the plan documents, as well as a significant amount of supporting information related to the public engagement, environmental review and technical analysis.
The previous Santero Way Specific Plan (SWSP) was adopted in August 2001, and originally envisioned a mixed-use office neighborhood, adjacent to the SMART rail station. The primary objective of the original SWSP was to increase the number of residents and employees within walking distance (1/2 mile) of the SMART station. Specifically, the original Plan envisioned the development of 198 new dwelling units, 339,200 square-feet of office and institutional uses, 68,000 square-feet of retail uses, and 57,000 square feet of supporting parkland/open space.
Since the adoption of the Plan, approximately 100 homes and 15,000 square-feet of live-work spaces have been constructed, with an additional 98 residential units and 5,500 square-feet of office and retail uses approved for development. While the lack of the Plan's full buildout over its 20-year life can partly be attributed to market forces, feedback has indicated that the SWSP is too prescriptive in terms of development standards (such as design type and building height) and too reliant on commercial square footage, given the economic changes since Plan adoption.