The Santa Rosa City Council voted unanimously to approve the Roseland Creek Community Park Master Plan and Mitigated Negative Declaration at their September 28 council meeting, following a robust public hearing.

The approval is a major milestone for Santa Rosa and especially the Roseland community as it marked the conclusion of more than a decade of community engagement and public input to shape and develop the plans for this park, which have evolved over the years to meet the many interests and needs of the surrounding community. 

The plans outline that much of the park will remain primarily in its natural state with park amenities located mainly in the southern-most area on sections that were previously developed, and walking/biking pathways will extend into the northern portion of the park.

“It’s important to educate our children to see why it’s important to protect natural resources, to respect and take care of nature” said Council member Eddie Alvarez who represents District 1 where the future park will be located. “Children need a park like Roseland Creek Community Park, to see why it is important to preserve nature, and they can’t do that by peering through a looking glass, they need to experience it.”

Park amenities identified in the Master Plan include a community garden or outdoor classroom area, a nature center with adjacent parking area, picnic areas with barbecues, a sports court, children’s play areas for ages 2-5 and 5-12 years, a restroom, fitness stations, irrigated turf area, two pedestrian bridges over Roseland Creek, looped walking paths, interpretive signage, parking areas and a flashing crosswalk across Burbank Avenue between the Roseland Creek Community Park and Roseland Creek Elementary School. The only lighting planned for the park, beyond the existing streetlights on McMinn and Burbank avenues, will be security lighting located at the restroom building area, parking lots, and nature center area once they are constructed.

Extensive community engagement and public input over the years has helped to shape and develop the plan for this park. City staff have actively solicited and collected residents’ input on proposed park features and amenities for the Roseland Creek Park site since 2009. The City has organized listening sessions, community meetings and workshops, surveys and more to obtain residents visions for the future of the Roseland Creek Community Park site. Residents’ input varied from active-use areas with sports courts, to family areas with picnic tables and barbecues, to a nature center and included requests to protect, enhance, and preserve the nature of the park. Staff worked diligently with the community to find a balance in the park design, incorporating the varied interests of the community.

“After more than a decade, we are approving the plan for a much-needed park in Roseland,” said Mayor Chris Rogers. “This project strikes an important balance between preserving our natural open space and providing recreational facilities for our community’s youth”

Funding is available to start the next steps of the project that include constructing the pathway connecting McMinn Avenue to Burbank Avenue and then to Roseland Creek Elementary, which is a requirement of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District Agreement. Initial work will also involve removing below-grade infrastructure that remains from previous property owners such as septic tanks and concrete. The remainder of the park features and amenities, roughly estimated between $8-12 million, will be installed as funding becomes available through Park Development Impact funds in the Southwest Quadrant and through grants or similar sources.

View the Roseland Creek Community Park Master Plan at bit.ly/RCCP_MasterPlan

About the Roseland Creek Community Park Property
The future site of Roseland Creek Community Park is 19.49-acres located in Southwest Santa Rosa between McMinn Avenue and Burbank Avenue across from Roseland Creek Elementary School. The site consists of four City-owned parcels that were previously single-family residences located at 1027 McMinn Avenue, and 1360, 1370, and 1400 Burbank Avenue. Roseland Creek flows from northeast to southwest through the lower portion of the site.

For additional information on the park visit srcity.org/Park-Projects