Complete Santa Rosa General Plan 2050, adopted by City Council June 3, 2025.
Vision, guiding principles, and overview of the General Plan 2050.
AI-generated summaryThis chapter introduces Santa Rosa's General Plan 2050, providing background on the city's geography, history, and demographics, and explaining how the plan was developed through a multiyear community engagement process called Santa Rosa Forward. It describes the context for updating the plan, including major events such as the 2017 Tubbs Fire, the COVID-19 pandemic, social justice concerns, and climate change, which shaped the plan's priorities. The chapter also outlines the structure of the General Plan, the planning area boundaries, and how State law requirements are addressed across the plan's six topical chapters.
- City history and geography
- General Plan update process
- Wildfire and climate resilience
- Social and environmental justice
- COVID-19 pandemic impacts
- State law compliance
- Community vision statement
- Land use and growth capacity
Land use designations, growth framework, and economic development policies.
AI-generated summaryChapter 2 of Santa Rosa's General Plan 2050 sets out policies and goals for land use and economic development across the city. It identifies priority areas—including Equity Priority Areas, Equity Priority Populations, and Areas of Change—where the city will focus investment to advance environmental justice and create complete neighborhoods. The chapter establishes a range of land use classifications (residential, mixed-use, commercial, industrial, and open space) with corresponding density and intensity standards. It also addresses economic development strategies, transit-oriented development, and alignment with regional planning frameworks such as Plan Bay Area and Priority Development Areas.
- Equity Priority Areas
- Areas of Change
- Land use classifications
- Mixed-use development
- Transit-oriented development
- Complete neighborhoods
- Economic development strategies
- Priority Development Areas
General Plan 2050 — Chapter 3: Circulation, Open Space, Conservation, and Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Open original PDF →Transportation, open space, natural resource conservation, and GHG reduction policies.
AI-generated summaryThis chapter of Santa Rosa's General Plan 2050 addresses four interconnected topics: circulation and mobility, open space, natural resource conservation, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. It examines how people travel around the city, the role of transportation choices in air quality and equity, and the city's goal to reduce dependence on single-occupant vehicles. The chapter also covers open space and wildlife habitat protection, conservation of natural resources, and strategies to cut GHG emissions from transportation and other city services in alignment with state targets.
- Active transportation network
- Transit system improvements
- Vehicle miles traveled reduction
- GHG emissions reduction
- Open space conservation
- Roadway classifications
- Equity and transportation access
- Zero-emission bus fleet
General Plan 2050 — Chapter 4: Urban Design, Cultural and Tribal Cultural Resources, Historic Preservation, and Art and Culture
Open original PDF →Urban design, cultural and tribal cultural resources, historic preservation, and arts policies.
AI-generated summaryThis chapter of Santa Rosa's General Plan 2050 establishes goals, policies, and actions related to urban design, the preservation of Tribal cultural and historic resources, and public art and culture. It outlines standards for shaping the physical character of neighborhoods and corridors, recognizes the ancestral lands of Coast Miwok, Southern Pomo, and Wappo peoples and sets out protections for Tribal cultural resources, and describes the City's Historic Preservation program including landmarks and preservation districts. The chapter also supports the Public Art Program as a tool for placemaking, community inclusion, and economic development, with emphasis on Equity Priority Areas and Areas of Change.
- Urban design standards
- Tribal cultural resource protection
- Historic preservation
- Public art program
- Neighborhood character
- Equity Priority Areas
- Gateway and corridor design
- Cultural heritage surveys
General Plan 2050 — Chapter 5: Safety, Climate Resilience, Noise and Public Services and Facilities
Open original PDF →Safety, climate resilience, noise, and public services and facilities policies.
AI-generated summaryChapter 5 of Santa Rosa's General Plan 2050 addresses hazards, climate resilience, noise, and public services facing the city. It establishes goals, policies, and actions to reduce community exposure to seismic activity, flooding, wildfire, and hazardous materials, while also planning for emergency preparedness and evacuation. The chapter incorporates a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment examining how rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns will intensify natural hazards. It also prioritizes equitable outcomes by directing attention to Equity Priority Areas and vulnerable populations.
- Seismic and geologic hazards
- Wildfire and urban fire
- Flooding and dam failure
- Climate change vulnerability
- Emergency preparedness and evacuation
- Hazardous materials management
- Noise standards
- Equity Priority Populations
General Plan 2050 — Chapter 6: Health, Equity, Environmental Justice and Parks
Open original PDF →Community health, equity, environmental justice, and parks policies.
AI-generated summaryChapter 6 of Santa Rosa's General Plan 2050 addresses health, equity, environmental justice, and parks for all city residents. It identifies Equity Priority Areas using the CalEnviroScreen tool, sets goals to reduce health disparities and pollution burdens, and outlines policies for community engagement, food access, and urban agriculture. The chapter also describes the city's Recreation and Parks System, establishes a parkland standard of 6 acres per 1,000 residents, and calls for equitable distribution of parks and recreational services.
- Equity Priority Areas
- Environmental justice policies
- Social determinants of health
- Community engagement and outreach
- Food access and urban agriculture
- Parks and recreation system
- Displacement and housing safety
- Air quality and health risk
General Plan 2050 — Chapter 7: Housing Element (Adopted Feb 2023, revised June 2025)
Open original PDF →State-certified Housing Element covering the 2023–2031 RHNA cycle.
AI-generated summaryThis document is the City of Santa Rosa's Housing Element for the 2023–2031 planning period, adopted in February 2023 and revised in June 2025. It assesses the city's housing needs, evaluates constraints on housing development, and establishes goals, policies, and programs to meet the Regional Housing Needs Allocation of 5,326 units across all income levels. The element emphasizes racial equity, fair housing, affordability, and the creation of mixed-income neighborhoods close to jobs and transit. It also documents extensive community outreach efforts conducted during its preparation.
- Regional Housing Needs Allocation
- Fair housing assessment
- Housing affordability constraints
- Special needs populations
- Community outreach engagement
- Sites inventory analysis
- Accessory dwelling units
- Goals policies programs
Definitions of terms used throughout the General Plan 2050.
AI-generated summaryThis chapter is the glossary for Santa Rosa's General Plan 2050, providing standardized definitions for planning, environmental, land use, transportation, and emergency management terms used throughout the plan. It also includes a comprehensive list of acronyms and abbreviations referenced in the document. The definitions cover topics ranging from housing types and climate concepts to equity populations and hazard mitigation.
- Planning and land use terms
- Climate and environmental definitions
- Housing and transportation terminology
- Equity and environmental justice
- Hazard and emergency management
- Acronyms and abbreviations
Strategy for reducing community greenhouse gas emissions.
AI-generated summaryThis document is the City of Santa Rosa's Community-wide Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy, adopted in June 2025 as an appendix to the General Plan 2050. It updates and replaces the City's 2012 Community Climate Action Plan, establishing targets to reduce GHG emissions at least 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 85 percent below 1990 levels by 2045. The strategy inventories past and current emissions, forecasts future emissions through 2050, and identifies reduction measures across transportation, energy, waste, water, and land use sectors. It also serves as a CEQA-qualified plan that future development projects can use to streamline environmental review.
- GHG emissions inventory
- Emissions reduction targets
- Transportation and VMT reduction
- Clean energy transition
- Zero waste goals
- Water efficiency
- Land use and sequestration
- CEQA compliance
General Plan 2050 — Appendix B: Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Report
Open original PDF →Assessment of Santa Rosa's vulnerability to climate change impacts.
AI-generated summaryThis document is the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Report for the City of Santa Rosa's General Plan 2050 update. It evaluates how eight identified climate hazards—including wildfire, extreme heat, drought, and severe storms—may affect the city's populations, buildings and infrastructure, economic drivers, ecosystems, and key services. The assessment follows the California Adaptation Planning Guide methodology, scoring each population and asset by impact potential and adaptive capacity to determine overall vulnerability. The report identifies critical vulnerabilities, with populations such as households in poverty, outdoor workers, seniors, and immigrant communities among the most at risk.
- Climate hazard assessment
- Vulnerable population groups
- Infrastructure and buildings vulnerability
- Ecosystem and natural resource impacts
- Adaptive capacity scoring
- Wildfire and extreme heat risk
- Regulatory compliance requirements
- GHG emissions scenarios