FRIENDS OF CHANATE
NOTIFICATIONS
Below are notifications sent by Friends of Chanate to their email list. To join the Friends of Chanate email list, either fill out the CONTACT US form on this website, or send us an email to friendsofchanate@sonic.net
As the Las Vegas owner of the Chanate property is moving forward with a potential large-scale development proposal for the former hospital site, the community – all of us – had an opportunity to comment on his application to amend the General Plan and rezone the property.
You responded! Friends of Chanate has received in excess of 60 letters written to Santa Rosa about the developer’s application. These letters covered multiple topics and concerns, including fire/earthquake dangers and evacuation dangers.
If you (or a neighbor) haven’t yet made comments, you can still share your personal experiences with the City of Santa Rosa. Helpful topics may include:
· Your Tubbs Fire experiences in the neighborhood
· Your evacuation experiences and how an additional (+/-) three thousand people might impact future calls to rapidly retreat
· Residual health impact from the smoke, emotional stress, relocation, power outages, rebuilding, water pressure, contaminants, etc.
· Concerns about future wildfires and/or earthquakes in the area
· Proposed changes in the protected “scenic road” status of Chanate – massive tree removal, 4-story buildings along the roadway frontage, absence of enhancements or preservation of the scenic road status, etc.
· Traffic experiences since Sutter exited the property, traffic concerns in the future
· Potential glare and light pollution, sound impact, wildlife habitat encroachment, cutting recreational access to the area, drainage issues, water resources, groundwater impact, pedestrian access, absence of public transportation and amenities
· Hidden Valley School and its ability to absorb an enormous enrollment increase
Please e-mail your letters to:
woodlansatchanage@srcity.org – (the official project e-mail)
ktoomians@srcity.org – (City Planner, Kristinae Toomians)
with a copy to friendsofchanate@sonic.net – (Friends of Chanate)
All comments received by Santa Rosa will be made available by Friends of Chanate on our website.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!
In Tuesday’s Press Democrat there was an excellent letter written by a former CAL FIRE Battalion Chief:
Risky development
EDITOR: I retired from Cal Fire as a battalion chief in 2006 after a 33-year career in which I was involved in wildland firefighting all over the state. Because of my experience, I have some strong opinions about putting high-density housing at the old county hospital location on Chanate Road in Santa Rosa, which has limited access and egress.
When Fountaingrove was being developed, I met a couple of Rincon Valley and Santa Rosa firefighters near what is now Skyfarm Drive. We all agreed that if a fire got loose in the area it would be a major disaster. I should point out that this was in a time when we still had fairly normal weather patterns. That is no longer the case. The weather is no longer what it used to be, and probably never will be.
I do not have the space to discuss the many problems associated with the proposed Chanate Road development, so I will mention only one — insurance. Insurers already are refusing to write policies in the Riebli Road and Fountaingrove areas, among others.
ROY SPRAGUE
Santa Rosa
WHAT’S NEXT
Santa Rosa will use the letters and comments they received to inform a Request for Proposal (RFP) document for the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) which will be sent to specialized consultants who will prepare the EIR. Friends of Chanate will obtain a copy of the RFP and share it on our website.
Thank you for taking the time to make comments on this proposal! We will keep you informed as the process moves forward.
Please don’t hesitate to contact Friends of Chanate at friendsofchanate@sonic.net if you have any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
SUBJECT LINE: Thank You for Your Thoughtful Comments + What’s Next
As the Las Vegas owner of the Chanate property is moving forward with a potential large-scale development proposal for the former hospital site, the community – all of us – had an opportunity to comment on his application to amend the General Plan and rezone the property.
You responded! Friends of Chanate has received in excess of 60 letters written to Santa Rosa about the developer’s application. These letters covered multiple topics and concerns, including fire/earthquake dangers and evacuation dangers.
If you (or a neighbor) haven’t yet made comments, you can still share your personal experiences with the City of Santa Rosa. Helpful topics may include:
· Your Tubbs Fire experiences in the neighborhood
· Your evacuation experiences and how an additional (+/-) three thousand people might impact future calls to rapidly retreat
· Residual health impact from the smoke, emotional stress, relocation, power outages, rebuilding, water pressure, contaminants, etc.
· Concerns about future wildfires and/or earthquakes in the area
· Proposed changes in the protected “scenic road” status of Chanate – massive tree removal, 4-story buildings along the roadway frontage, absence of enhancements or preservation of the scenic road status, etc.
· Traffic experiences since Sutter exited the property, traffic concerns in the future
· Potential glare and light pollution, sound impact, wildlife habitat encroachment, cutting recreational access to the area, drainage issues, water resources, groundwater impact, pedestrian access, absence of public transportation and amenities
· Hidden Valley School and its ability to absorb an enormous enrollment increase
Please e-mail your letters to:
woodlansatchanage@srcity.org – (the official project e-mail)
ktoomians@srcity.org – (City Planner, Kristinae Toomians)
with a copy to friendsofchanate@sonic.net – (Friends of Chanate)
All comments received by Santa Rosa will be made available by Friends of Chanate on our website.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!
In Tuesday’s Press Democrat there was an excellent letter written by a former CAL FIRE Battalion Chief:
Risky development
EDITOR: I retired from Cal Fire as a battalion chief in 2006 after a 33-year career in which I was involved in wildland firefighting all over the state. Because of my experience, I have some strong opinions about putting high-density housing at the old county hospital location on Chanate Road in Santa Rosa, which has limited access and egress.
When Fountaingrove was being developed, I met a couple of Rincon Valley and Santa Rosa firefighters near what is now Skyfarm Drive. We all agreed that if a fire got loose in the area it would be a major disaster. I should point out that this was in a time when we still had fairly normal weather patterns. That is no longer the case. The weather is no longer what it used to be, and probably never will be.
I do not have the space to discuss the many problems associated with the proposed Chanate Road development, so I will mention only one — insurance. Insurers already are refusing to write policies in the Riebli Road and Fountaingrove areas, among others.
ROY SPRAGUE
Santa Rosa
WHAT’S NEXT
Santa Rosa will use the letters and comments they received to inform a Request for Proposal (RFP) document for the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) which will be sent to specialized consultants who will prepare the EIR. Friends of Chanate will obtain a copy of the RFP and share it on our website.
Thank you for taking the time to make comments on this proposal! We will keep you informed as the process moves forward.
Please don’t hesitate to contact Friends of Chanate at friendsofchanate@sonic.net if you have any questions.
The Las Vegas owner of the Chanate property is moving forward with a potential large-scale development proposal for the former hospital site. As the property is not zoned for residences, he has filed an application to amend the General Plan and to rezone the property.
The public has until November 27, 2023 (less than two weeks!) to comment on the application. Now’s the time for your voices to be heard at City Hall.
s neighbors and residents of Santa Rosa, we are asking that you take a moment and submit your thoughts, experiences, and feelings about rezoning this important property and amending the General Plan to allow extensive residential development.
Please e-mail your letters:
woodlandsatchanate@srcity.org (the official project e-mail)
ktoomians@srcity.org (City Planner, Kristinae Toomians)
with a copy to:
friendsofchanate@sonic.net (Friends of Chanate)
Your personal experiences and opinions are essential to share. Helpful topics may include:
· Your Tubbs fire experiences in your neighborhood
· Your evacuation experiences and how an additional (+/-) two thousand people living on the Chanate property might impact future calls to rapidly evacuate
· Residual health impacts from the smoke, emotional stress, relocation, power outages, rebuilding, water pressure, contaminants, etc.
· Concerns about future wildfires and/or earthquakes in the area
· Proposed changes in the protected “scenic road” status of Chanate Road – massive tree removal, 4-story buildings within 35 feet of the roadway frontage, whether these will these changes will preserve and enhance the scenic road status, etc.
· Traffic experiences since Sutter Hospital closed 9 years ago, traffic concerns in the future with the possibility of over 800 new homes on the Chanate property
· Potential glare and light pollution, sound impacts, wildlife habitat encroachment, losing recreational access to the Chanate property, drainage issues, water resources, groundwater impact, pedestrian access, absence of public transportation and amenities
· Hidden Valley School and its ability to absorb an enormous enrollment increase
The proposed General Plan Amendment/Rezoning and developer’s Concept Masterplan are on the Friends of Chanate website here: https://www.friendsofchanate.org/documents
Thank you for taking the time to make comments on this proposal! Please don’t hesitate to contact Friends of Chanate at friendsofchanate@sonic.net if you have any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
The application for a General Plan Amendment and Rezoning for the Chanate property has been submitted.
Those of you who have signed up to receive notices from the City of Santa Rosa will receive a postcard notifying you of this shortly by mail and/or email. If you haven’t signed up for notifications, we strongly recommend you do so – go to https://www.srcity.org/2881/The-Woodlands-at-Chanate and click on the button to receive email notices.
Santa Rosa staff have sent the application packet to various agencies and organizations for possible comments (including the Cobblestone HOA, the Lomita Heights Neighborhood Association, the Montecito Meadows HOA and the Parker Hill Estates HOA). All comments are due by November 27, 2023.
We have loaded all the pertinent application documents, including the two comments Santa Rosa has received so far, to our website at https://www.friendsofchanate.org/documents (There are additional application documents available – please send us an email if you’d like to receive everything included with the application.) We will keep the website updated by loading additional comments as they are received.
The next step in the process is that Santa Rosa will prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP) to hire a CEQA consultant to prepare the Environmental Impact Report (EIR). We have updated the EIR process list of actions on our website, now that the application has been filed. Please see https://www.friendsofchanate.org/eir-process for that updated list.
Thank you, again, for your interest and participation so far. We will of course keep all of you informed as this process moves forward. We very much appreciate your support!
As always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions and/or comments.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
As was explained during the October 2, 2023 Santa Rosa sponsored Neighborhood Meeting, what will happen next is everything surrounding the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the owner’s upcoming application for a General Plan Amendment and Rezoning of the Chanate property.
Friends of Chanate has prepared a summary of the steps of the EIR process, which is listed below, and is on our website at https://www.friendsofchanate.org/eir-process We will update this list as the process begins to move forward.
There are many opportunities for public engagement throughout the EIR process, but it is a specific and technical process. To help everyone understand the EIR process, Friends of Chanate has prepared a flyer that covers both the process, as well as generally how to make effective EIR comments. That flyer is available to download at https://www.friendsofchanate.org/eir-documents as the second document. Also available at that location is the EIR Environmental Checklist (known as Appendix G), which covers all the issues considered for evaluation by an EIR.
The City of Santa Rosa is also considering doing an EIR Workshop for the community; we will keep you posted about that Workshop, of course.
Thank you, again, for your interest and participation so far. We will of course keep all of you informed as this process moves forward. We very much appreciate your support!
As always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions and/or comments.
THE CHANATE EIR PROCESS:
1. The property owner will submit their official application for a General Plan Amendment and Rezoning of the Chanate property. Santa Rosa will mail a notice to everyone within 1000 feet of the Chanate property notifying them when the application is filed. EVERYONE can receive an email of this notification – and of other City notifications about the Chanate property – by signing up to receive email updates at https://www.srcity.org/2881/The-Woodlands-at-Chanate We recommend that everyone sign up to receive those City notices.
2. Santa Rosa’s Planning Department will send the Chanate application out to other City and possibly County governmental departments for their review and comments. Friends of Chanate will obtain any comments, and make those available to everyone.
3. After receipt of the complete application for a General Plan Amendment and Rezoning, Santa Rosa may prepare an Initial Study (because Santa Rosa, as the lead agency, has already determined that the Chanate General Plan Amendment/Rezoning will require an EIR, they are not mandated to complete an Initial Study). Any Initial Study will be a reasonable investigation of the potential environmental impacts of the General Plan Amendment/Rezoning of the Chanate property, and will include an initial determination of significant environmental impacts, as well as identification of significant impacts that may be able to be mitigated, and impacts that are less than significant or those that have no impact. Friends of Chanate will obtain a copy of any Initial Study and make it available.
4. Santa Rosa will prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP) for an environmental consultant to assist Santa Rosa by preparing the necessary Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”). That RFP will be sent out to multiple environmental consultants, and then after a period for responses (usually 45 days), Santa Rosa will select a consultant to prepare the EIR for this General Plan Amendment/Rezoning project. Santa Rosa is the “lead agency” and will be responsible for the EIR. We will obtain the RFP and all responses, and will make those available to everyone.
5. Santa Rosa will file and circulate a Notice of Preparation of an EIR, which provides notice to the public and to governmental agencies that an EIR will be prepared and begins the EIR scoping process. The Notice of Preparation notifies interested agencies and the public that the project could have significant impacts on the environment, and solicits their comments so that all concerns raised could be considered during the preparation of the EIR. The Notice of Preparation must contain a description of the project, location of the project and the probable environmental impacts of the project, and agencies and the public have 30 days to submit comments. Friends of Chanate will be making written comments in response to the Notice of Preparation.
6. Santa Rosa has committed to have a public Scoping Session meeting prior to the preparation of the EIR. Friends of Chanate will be attending the public meeting, and will be making written scoping comments.
7. Santa Rosa is considering holding a community Workshop on the California Environmental Quality Act and on Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs). Friends of Chanate strongly supports this idea. The EIR process is a very specific process; understanding the opportunities and the limits of that process is important, and educating everyone about how to effectively participate and provide substantive comments will be important. Friends of Chanate will be supporting this Workshop concept, and hopes it will come to fruition.
8. The draft EIR will be prepared. After completion of the draft EIR, all residents within 1000 feet of the Chanate property will be notified by mail with a Notice of Completion of the draft EIR, which will be available digitally. Additionally, this notice will be mailed to all other interested parties, including governmental agencies and everyone who has requested to be notified (again, we recommend that you sign up with Santa Rosa to receive all notifications at https://www.srcity.org/2881/The-Woodlands-at-Chanate). The Notice of Completion requests comments on the Draft EIR, will provide between 30 to 60 days for those comments. There will be a public hearing before Santa Rosa’s Planning Commission to review the Draft EIR and to solicit additional comments. Friends of Chanate will attend this Planning Commission meeting and will be submitting comments.
9. After receipt of all comments on the Draft EIR, A Final EIR will be prepared, which will respond to the substantive comments made to the Draft EIR, and governmental agencies and interested members of the public can make additional comments to the Final EIR. There will be another public meeting at Santa Rosa’s Planning Commission, who will review the Final EIR and make a recommendation to the Santa Rosa City Council about whether they should certify the Final EIR. Friends of Chanate will make comments on the Final EIR, and will attend this Planning Commission meeting.
10. The Santa Rosa City Council will meet and consider certification of the Final EIR. If the Final EIR is certified, the City Council will then consider the application for a General Plan Amendment/Rezoning of the Chanate property and may approve or deny that application. If the application is approved, the City Council will adopt findings that disclose the potential significant impacts of the General Plan Amendment/Rezoning project, as well as a mitigation monitoring program, and will issue a Notice of Determination that the project has been approved. This is a public meeting and Friends of Chanate will make written comments before the meeting, as well as attend the public City Council meeting.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
There was an overwhelming turnout of concerned neighbors and community members at Monday’s City-sponsored Neighborhood Meeting on the future of the Chanate property. In fact, the doors were closed to attendees, and the overflow crowd stood in the courtyard attempting to listen to the meeting on outdoor speakers.
For those of you who weren’t able to either attend the meeting or get into the room, or who may want to watch the meeting again, Santa Rosa has posted a recording of the meeting on line at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70yocyMxE_8
Members of Friends of Chanate’s Advisory Committee were present, as well as many of our community partners. Santa Rosa Councilmember Victoria Fleming, who represents the area of Santa Rosa where the Chanate property is located, was also present at the Neighborhood Meeting.
Thank you all for showing up and speaking out! We believe that it is important that both Santa Rosa and the property owners heard all of our concerns. The overwhelming majority of speakers mentioned concerns about traffic and safe evacuations, two extremely important issues that any future development on the Chanate property will affect. School capacity for new students was also mentioned multiple times, and is an important issue.
The next few steps in this process are listed below.
1. The property owner will submit their official application for a General Plan Amendment and Rezoning of the Chanate property. Santa Rosa will mail a notice to everyone within 1000 feet of the Chanate property notifying them when the application is filed. Everyone can receive an email of this notification – and of other City notifications about the Chanate property – by signing up to receive email updates at https://www.srcity.org/2881/The-Woodlands-at-Chanate We recommend that everyone sign up to receive those City notices.
2. Santa Rosa’s Planning Department will send the Chanate application out to other City and possibly County governmental agencies and departments for their review and comments. Friends of Chanate will obtain any comments, and make those available to everyone, and may make our own comments on the application.
3. Santa Rosa will prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP) for an environmental consultant to assist Santa Rosa by preparing the necessary Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”). That RFP will be sent out to multiple environmental consultants, and then after a period for responses (usually 45 days), Santa Rosa will select a consultant to prepare the EIR for this General Plan Amendment/Rezoning project. We will obtain the RFP and all responses, and will make those available to everyone.
Friends of Chanate is compiling a more detailed list of the process we expect prior to Santa Rosa City Council consideration of the owner’s application for a General Plan Amendment/Rezoning, and will send that list out in a future email, as well as post it on our website. There will be multiple opportunities for the concerned community to engage and participate, and we will need everyone’s help to ensure an acceptable outcome for all of us.
Thank you, again, for your participation so far! We will of course keep all of you informed as this process moves forward. We very much appreciate your support!
As always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions and/or comments.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
Santa Rosa has changed the date for the City sponsored Neighborhood meeting on the owner’s proposal for the Chanate property.
The NEW date is Monday, October 2nd, from 6-8 p.m., at Santa Rosa City Hall in the City Council Chambers. (This is not a City Council meeting, despite the location.) Although the address is 100 Santa Rosa Avenue, the City Hall parking is located off D Street, and there’s also a City garage right across the street, with additional parking. The City Council Chambers is on the second floor, and there is an elevator. See the maps, below for the location of City Hall, and the location of the City Council Chambers within City Hall.
Santa Rosa has changed the date for the City sponsor Neighborhood meeting on the owner’s proposal for the Chanate property.
The NEW date is Monday, October 2nd, from 6-8 p.m., at Santa Rosa City Hall in the City Council Chambers. (This is not a City Council meeting, despite the location.) Although the address is 100 Santa Rosa Avenue, the City Hall parking is located off D Street, and there’s also a City garage right across the street, with additional parking. The City Council Chambers is on the second floor, and there is an elevator. See the maps, below for the location of City Hall, and the location of the City Council Chambers within City Hall.
SAVE THE DATE! Don’t miss this opportunity to find out about the developer’s plans, and about the City process.
This meeting is where the property owner gets to “introduce his plans to the neighbors,” although it will be facilitated by the Santa Rosa staff from several departments, including the Planning and Economic Development Department. You will also find out the process that will be followed for the owner’s application for a General Plan amendment and rezoning on the Chanate property.
Currently there are three “neighborhoods” proposed on the 72 acre Chanate property:
Neighborhood A (the parcels to the west of the stop light, where the cemetery is located) would be rezoned to R-2, Medium Low Density residential, and the conceptual development plan shows 161-262 apartments and townhouses in this area.
Neighborhood B (the parcels to the east of the stop light, where the hospital buildings are located) would be rezoned to R-3-18, Medium Density residential, and the conceptual development plan shows 167-376 apartments and single family homes in this area.
Neighborhood C (the parcels west of Chanate, bordered by Meadow Glen Drive, Hidden Valley Drive and Rolling Hill Drive) would be rezoned to R-1-6, Low Density residential, and the conceptual development plan shows 60-240 townhouses and single family homes in this area.
The Concept Masterplan proposes up to 878 housing units on the Chanate property, not counting any additional units allowed density bonuses, ADUs, JADUs or other state laws.
Your attendance at this meeting is extremely important! Show Santa Rosa and the property owner that you care about what happens on this property.
Friends of Chanate will be attending this meeting, and encourage all of you to attend, as well. This is just the beginning of what will be a long process, and it is crucial that we are all paying close attention.
As always, Friends of Chanate is deeply concerned about the fire danger on the property and in the surrounding neighborhoods, and want to ensure that any project proposed/approved on the Chanate property will be safe, including making certain that all existing (and new) residents can safely evacuate during a wildfire or after an earthquake.
We will of course keep all of you informed as this process moves forward. We hope to see you on October 2nd!
Thank you for your continuing interest in Friends of Chanate. We very much appreciate your support!
As always, feel free to contact us at Friends OfChanate@sonic.net with any questions and/or comments.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit of Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
On Monday, September 25th, from 6-8 p.m., Santa Rosa will host a “Neighborhood” Meeting at 35 Stony Point Road about the owner’s proposal for the Chanate property. There should be ample parking at this location (Santa Rosa’s Utilities Field Operations building).
This meeting is where the property owner gets to “introduce his plans to the neighbors,” although it will be facilitated by the Santa Rosa staff from several departments, including the Planning and Economic Development Department. You will also find out the process that will be followed for the owner’s application for a General Plan amendment and rezoning on the Chanate property.
SAVE THE DATE!
Knowledge is power – don’t miss this opportunity to learn what is planned and ask questions of Santa Rosa staff and of the property owner.
Currently there are three “neighborhoods” proposed on the 72 acre Chanate property:
· Neighborhood A (the parcels to the west of the stop light, where the cemetery is located) would be rezoned to R-2, Medium Low Density residential, and the conceptual development plan shows 161-262 apartments and townhouses in this area.
· Neighborhood B (the parcels to the east of the stop light, where the hospital buildings are located) would be rezoned to R-3-18, Medium Density residential, and the conceptual development plan shows 167-376 apartments and single family homes in this area.
· Neighborhood C (the parcels west of Chanate, bordered by Meadow Glen Drive, Hidden Valley Drive and Rolling Hill Drive) would be rezoned to R-1-6, Low Density residential, and the conceptual development plan shows 60-240 townhouses and single family homes in this area.
The Concept Masterplan proposes up to 878 housing units on the Chanate property, not counting any additional units allowed density bonuses, ADUs, JADUs or other state laws.Your attendance at this meeting is extremely important! Show Santa Rosa and the property owner that you care about what happens on this property.
Friends of Chanate will be attending this meeting, and encourage all of you to attend, as well. This is just the beginning of what will be a long process, and it is crucial that we are all paying close attention.
As always, Friends of Chanate is deeply concerned about the fire danger on the property and in the surrounding neighborhoods, and want to ensure that any project proposed/approved on the Chanate property will be safe, including making certain that all existing (and new) residents can safely evacuate during a wildfire or after an earthquake.
We have received a copy of the revised application exhibit, which includes the current Concept Masterplan, and are happy to provide that document to any of you – request them by emailing friendsofchanate@sonic.net
We will of course keep all of you informed as this process moves forward. We hope to see you on September 25th!
Thank you for your continuing interest in Friends of Chanate. We very much appreciate your support!
As always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions and/or comments.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
The owners of the Chanate property have filed an application for a city sponsored neighborhood meeting that we will all be invited to attend.
Santa Rosa will set this meeting up, and notify everyone within a 600’ radius of the Chanate property of the meeting. Friends of Chanate, of course, will also notify everyone on our list!
The expectation is that this meeting will take place in late August; as soon as we have any more information, we’ll let you know.
This neighborhood meeting will discuss the owner’s intent to file an application for a General Plan amendment and rezoning from Public Institutional to three types of residential designations/zoning – low density residential, medium low density residential and medium density residential. There is no project planned or associated with this application, although the most recently proposed project included 854 total housing units, consisting of 624 apartments, 92 for sale townhomes, and 138 for sale single family homes. We do not know what will be built on the Chanate property at this time.
Santa Rosa staff will set forth the process, the owner will no doubt explain why he is making an application without any proposed project, and there will be ample opportunity for all of us to ask questions and make comments.
Santa Rosa has also set up an email address if you want/need to communicate with city staff about the Chanate project: woodlandsatchanate@srcity.org Of course, if you communicate with city staff, Friends of Chanate would appreciate a courtesy copy of your email. We very much want to know all of your questions and concerns.
We have a copy of the application materials submitted to Santa Rosa for this neighborhood meeting. Please email us at friendsofchanate@sonic.net if you’d like to receive a copy.
We will of course keep all of you posted as this application moves forward.
Thank you for your continuing interest in Friends of Chanate. We very much appreciate your support!
As always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions and/or comments.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
Tuesday’s earthquakes forcibly point out how essential proper safety planning for the future of the Chanate property will be. Not only does any future development have to plan for an inevitable catastrophic wildfire, but also for a similarly catastrophic earthquake. Both of these events will require the ability for all existing neighbors (and any new residents) to be able to evacuate our homes safely, largely on Chanate Road, a two lane road.
The City of Santa Rosa is planning to do a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prior to approval of any development on the Chanate property, and it is obvious that the safety portion of that EIR will be extremely important. There will be multiple opportunities for public comment during the EIR process – Friends of Chanate plans to pay close attention and will keep you informed.
In the meantime, after this wakeup call, we all should be prepared for a major earthquake. Visit https://www.srcity.org/455/Earthquakes for recommendations about how to prepare.
The Press Democrat has multiple informative articles about Tuesday’s earthquakes on the Rodgers Creek fault you may wish to read:
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/rodgers-creek-fault-seen-increasingly-as-major-threat/
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/santa-rosa-quake-shows-importance-of-being-prepared-for-larger-earthquake/?ref=related
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/magnitude-4-4-earthquake-rattles-north-bay/
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/tuesday-aftershock-near-santa-rosa-upgraded-to-4-3-magnitude/?ref=related
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/how-to-prepare-for-an-earthquake/?ref=related
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/study-santa-rosa-could-see-7-1-quake-on-rodgers-creek-fault-2/?ref=related
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/new-maps-detail-wider-rodgers-creek-fault-through-santa-rosa/?ref=related
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions or comments.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
On Friday, August 5th, Friends of Chanate’s steering committee met with the new owner of the Chanate property, Eddie Haddad, along with his partner Georges Maalouf, their architect Erik Swendseid (EV&A Architects) and Lisa Mayo, who is doing their community outreach.
We saw a draft site plan of the proposed development on the Chanate property, pictured below. The current draft proposal is for 964 total housing units, with 664 3 story, 3 bedroom for sale townhomes, as well as 300 rental apartments (84 studios, 156 1 bedroom units and 60 2 bedroom units).
As you can see in the site plan, there are three development areas – A, B and C. In development area A, 214 townhomes are proposed; in development area B, 98 townhomes and 300 rental apartments are proposed (of which some will be the required 15% affordable housing), and in development area C, 352 townhome units are proposed.
This is only a draft proposal, and nothing has yet been submitted to the City of Santa Rosa.
Friends of Chanate will continue monitoring any and all proposals for development on the Chanate property, as well as anything that might be happening at the City of Santa Rosa, and will keep you informed.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions or comments.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
The Santa Rosa Fire Department has declared June 6, 2022 as the start of this year’s fire season. This means that as of June 6th, the Santa Rosa Fire Department will begin weed abatement inspections on Santa Rosa properties, including the Chanate property. In fact, the Chanate property will be one of particular interest as it is within Santa Rosa’s Wildland Urban Interface.
As of June 6th, all weeds on the Chanate property will need to be cut down to 4” tall, and this will have to be maintained throughout the fire season.
While we are certain that the Fire Department has informed the new Chanate property owner of this requirement, Friends of Chanate will also send the owner this information.
We expect we will see activity on the property very soon to comply with the law.
Please visit https://srcity.org/595/Weed-Abatement for more information about Santa Rosa’s weed abatement program.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
As you know, the Chanate property has been sold to Eddie Haddad of Resources Group, so Sonoma County has stopped their security patrols of the site.
Fortunately, Mr. Haddad has engaged security for the property. If you see anything troubling, you can call the Security Supervisor, Albert, at 925-250-2766 for security assistance. After 10 pm, you can call Albert, or call Jacobo at 702-665-3331.
Of course, you can always call the Santa Rosa Police Department. If it is not an emergency, but you have a concern, call 707-528-5222.
Naturally, in an emergency, call 911!
We do not have any other updates about the Chanate property, but will let you know as soon as we have any new information.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
On Thursday, December 23rd, Sonoma County sold the entire Chanate property (minus Parcel J and the Sonoma County Water Agency properties) to Eddie Haddad of Resources Group.
This Las Vegas company has promised to work with the community, as you can read in yesterday’s Press Democrat article. https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/completely-hands-off-sonoma-county-did-not-vet-chanate-campus-developer/
We hope that Mr. Haddad will indeed involve Friends of Chanate and all neighbors/stakeholders in any proposal he has for development of the property, and will let you know of all opportunities to participate as the process moves forward.
We also must state that Mr. Haddad has NOT spoken with the Friends of Chanate advisory committee to date, although we certainly hope that he will in the future, as well as to all neighbors and stakeholders.
With this property sale, the process will move to the city of Santa Rosa. In spite of that, Friends of Chanate will be working with our new County Supervisor, James Gore, as the process moves forward. We hope that Supervisor Gore will be very supportive of Friends of Chanate and all neighbors and stakeholders concerned with development on the property.
We are happy to report that our Santa Rosa City Council representative, Victoria Fleming, has thus far been very supportive of a thorough process resulting in a safe development on the Chanate property. We expect to have a neighborhood meeting featuring Councilmember Fleming in the new year.
As always, Friends of Chanate will keep you informed of what we learn, and the process moving forward.
We wish all of you happy holidays.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
As you all know, on November 16th, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors confirmed the sale of the Chanate property to Eddie Haddad of Resources Group, with escrow expected to close on December 22nd.
In this morning’s Press Democrat, an article goes into greater depth about the new probable owner of the Chanate property and his plans. https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/chanate-road-campus-buyers-plans-could-include-housing-retail-hotel-gol/
Needless to say, Friends of Chanate will be closely monitoring this situation, and will continue to keep you, our neighbors and other stakeholders, informed of all proposals that are made for development of the former Chanate Medical Campus, including whether or not the new owner contacts Friends of Chanate and expresses an interest in working with all of us on the future of the Chanate property.
Santa Rosa City Councilwoman Victoria Fleming, who represents the district containing this property, is quoted in the Press Democrat article, and sent out an email to her list on the Chanate property. We have copied her email, below.
We are very pleased to see that Councilmember Fleming is paying attention to the future of the Chanate property, including the very important need for continuing adequate security on the property and for safe evacuations for all current and any new residents on the property. We would recommend that you reach out to Councilmember Fleming with any immediate and/or long term concerns you may have. We would also recommend that you request to be added to her email list, so you can receive her updates. Send an email to fleming.victoria@gmail.com or to Amanda.Vancleemput@student.csulb.edu
As always, Friends of Chanate will keep you informed of what we learn.
We wish all of you a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Hello Friends and Neighbors,
Since Sutter Health relocated more than seven years ago, the Chanate property located in northeast Santa Rosa, has remained largely unoccupied. Sonoma County’s attempts to sell the property have been unsuccessful, until this month.
An auction held on November 9th was the county’s fifth attempt to sell the complex. The high bid of $15,050,000 came from Las Vegas real estate agent and developer Eddie Haddad, representing Nevada-based Resources Group. On November 16th, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors accepted Haddad’s bid. The sale is set to be finalized on December 22nd.
My first concern is ensuring the safety and security of existing neighbors of the Chanate property, of District 4, and of our Santa Rosa community. While beautiful, Chanate has many issues that will necessitate special attention by the new owner. In 2020-21, Sonoma County paid $963,699 for security, temporary fencing, vegetation management, and fire safety on the property. Once the sale is finalized, however, the responsibility for providing security and fire safety on the property will fall to the new owner.
When I receive his contact information, I hope to meet with Mr. Haddad. In the meantime, there is very little information about any plans for the property. I will continue to keep you updated as the sale moves forward and the owner’s plans move through the Santa Rosa entitlement process.
On a personal note, my daughter, Evie, was one of the last babies born at the hospital on the Chanate property. This property is near and dear to my heart, and I will work to make the transition in ownership smooth, and advocate for the best--and safest--possible development on the property.
If you have any questions or comments, please reach out.
Warmly,
Victoria Fleming
Santa Rosa City Council Member
707-478-2947
fleming.victoria@gmail.com
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
On Tuesday, November 9th, Sonoma County conducted an online auction of the Chanate property, resulting in a high bid of $15,050,000 for the Chanate property by Las Vegas developer Eddie Haddad/Resources Group LLC.
At their November 16th meeting, the Board of Supervisors will either accept or reject this sale; County staff will be recommending acceptance, and we expect the Board to agree and to vote to finalize the sale. It is expected that escrow will close on or about December 22nd.
Once the sale has closed, everything to do with the Chanate property will become the City of Santa Rosa’s responsibility. Friends of Chanate has already had conversations with Councilmember Victoria Fleming (our Santa Rosa City Council representative) and select City staff about the impending sale.
In the immediate future, Friends of Chanate is most concerned about security on the property. In recent years, Sonoma County has taken their responsibility to provide security on the site very seriously (and we have appreciated their efforts). Sonoma County has a contract with a security company who patrols the property, and has installed a great deal of fencing to keep people out of dangerous areas.
Once the sale of the Chanate property closes, the responsibility for providing security on the Chanate property will transfer to the new owner. Friends of Chanate hopes that at least the same level of security is provided by this new owner, and has asked the Board of Supervisors to give the new owner the option to assume the security and fencing contracts if they desire. Of course, the new owner would not have to take that offer, but we believe will have to provide appropriate security on the property.
Friends of Chanate will be following this sale of the Chanate property closely, and will keep you up to date on events as the occur.
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
We are delighted to report that on Tuesday, November 2nd the Board of Supervisors will (hopefully) be transferring ownership of “Parcel J” (the open space lands at the terminus of Beverly Drive) to the Agricultural Protection and Open Space District for permanent preservation as open space.
As Supervisor Chris Coursey reported in his recent newsletter:
“Speaking of fulfilling promises, I am also thrilled to announce that, on Tuesday, November 2, the Board of Supervisors is expected to approve the transfer of Parcel J (Paulin Meadow) from the General Services Department to Agriculture and Open Space for the permanent conservation and protection of this invaluable urban open space and natural resource.”
You can read the County’s full Press Release here: https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Board-of-Supervisors/District-3/News/Paulin-Meadow-to-Be-Protected-Forever/
This protection has been a long time coming, and Friends of Chanate wants to thank Friends of Paulin Creek Preserve for all of their incredible hard work that has resulted in this final action. We also thank Supervisor Coursey for fulfilling a campaign promise to ensure this protection.
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
As our last newsletter indicated would be the case, Sonoma County officially listed the Chanate property for sale on Tuesday, September 7th. To view the listing, go to https://www.ten-x.com/search/santa%2520rosa%252C%2520ca_qs/. We note that this listing does not indicate a required minimum bid for the property.
The recent Seismic Study, most current appraisal, and other documents pertaining to the Chanate property have also been made public by Sonoma County.
To review and download these documents, go to: https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/General-Services/Facilities-Development-and-Management/Chanate-Complex/2021-Property-Reports/
A preliminary review of the Seismic Study seems to duplicate earlier seismic studies of the property, although this most recent study does identify specific locations that should not have any residential development due to seismic faulting.
The appraisal places a much higher value on the property than previous appraisals, although the appraisal does not factor in the cost of demolition and potential toxic remediation that will be necessary in order for the property to be developed. That demolition and remediation will cost the ultimate purchaser millions of dollars, which obviously would reduce the value of the property. We also note that the Chanate property is unique, raising questions about the suitability of the comparable sales used by the appraisal to establish the property value.
Future development of the historic Chanate property will impact our neighborhoods, including our ability to safely evacuate in the event of an emergency. For example, the appraisal’s comparable sales were allowing density of about 10 units per acre, which could allow as many as 500+ units on the property’s 46.48 developable acres (other state laws could potentially increase the allowed total). It should be noted that the Santa Rosa environmental and entitlement process will ultimately determine what can be built on the site, and we will keep you informed as this process proceeds.
In the end, of course, the property is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, and it remains to be seen how many bids the County will receive for this property.
On November 9th, all of the bids will be opened in public in an online event. Friends of Chanate will attend that public event, and will report the results. As currently planned, on November 16th the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will have a public hearing where they will either accept the highest responsible bid, or reject all of the offers, in their sole discretion.
Friends of Chanate will keep you informed as this process moves forward.
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
Friends of Chanate is pleased to report that at this morning’s Board of Supervisors’ meeting Supervisor Chris Coursey made a public statement about the auction sale of the Chanate property.
Supervisor Coursey confirmed the process of the auction sale of the property, and confirmed that the Board of Supervisors can reject the highest responsible bid, at their sole discretion.
Additionally, Supervisor Coursey confirmed, with a commitment from County Staff, that the Seismic Study and current appraisal covering the Chanate property will be made public on September 7th. Of course, we will let you know when these documents are available for your review.
Another piece of good news is that the sale documents require any purchaser of the property to extend the lease of the Bird Rescue Center for another year, through 2022. This is excellent news not only for the Bird Rescue Center, but for our community as a whole, given what a valuable resource they represent.
The final piece of good news is that Parcel J is NOT part of the sale, and will be protected from development.
We are appreciative of Supervisor Coursey’s public statement, and Friends of Chanate will keep you informed as this process moves forward.
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
Next Tuesday, August 31st, the Sonoma Board of Supervisors will authorize putting the Chanate property up for sale, again.
After reading the Summary Report and the Board of Supervisors’ Resolution, it appears that this time the County will be using the following “auction” process of selling the property:
The Director of General Services will put the property up for sale on September 7th by listing it on a global auction website for commercial properties known as “ten-x.com."
The auction will remain open for bidding through November 9th at 9 am.
On November 9th at 11 am a virtual “public meeting,” the County will open all sealed bids received.
From 11 am to 1 pm, in the virtual public meeting, the County will solicit and accept any oral bids, and at 1 pm will announce the apparent highest bidder.
On November 16th, the Board of Supervisors will approve selling the property to the apparent highest bidder.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that the Board of Supervisors will have any public discussion about selling this property prior to their acceptance of the highest bidder on November 16th, and that bidder could easily be an international buyer with little to no interest in our community, or concern for the neighborhood. We will keep you apprised of all details of the auction and bidding process as they become available.
While Friends of Chanate is interested in the County finding a responsible buyer for this property, we believe that it is essential to have a buyer who will work with the City of Santa Rosa and the neighbors to achieve the best possible development for the site.
Additionally, Friends of Chanate has been promised that the County will release the Seismic Study and the current appraisal to the public and thus far that promise has not been kept. Supervisor Chris Coursey, who represents this district, is looking into this and will let us know when the documents are available to the public. We very much appreciate his assistance.
Of course we will keep you informed as this process moves forward.
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
Sonoma County has announced their plans to perform vegetation management work on the Chanate property over the next two months. Friends of Chanate is very much in support of all responsible efforts to reduce fire danger on the County-owned Chanate property.
According to Sonoma County’s April 29th email, the vegetation management will consist of:
Phase 1 - April 2021: Begin work with SAC and Regional Parks crews (area in pink). Phase 2 - May 2021: Environmentally sensitive methods used to reduce 41.55 acres of vegetation (green Clear Cobblestone triangle. Area of work shown in dashed pink). Phase 3 - June 2021: Remove dead/dying/dangerous trees and brush near roadways and fence lines (red bubbles).
This work will be complicated by Santa Rosa’s Chanate/Mendocino Sewer Project, which will be enforcing road closures on Chanate through September, 2021. While Eastbound traffic on Chanate will continue to be allowed, starting on or about May 17th, through September, Eastbound traffic on Chanate will be detoured onto Parker Hill Road to Fountaingrove Parkway. Visit https://chanatesewerproject.com/ for more information and updates.
Sonoma County has also announced their intention to sell a piece of County owned property at 2712 Hidden Valley Drive. Unfortunately, this is apparently the original Sonoma County Cemetery (as stated in the Board of Supervisor’s minutes from 1874), so it this property cannot be developed without all of the graves first being moved to another location.
Friends of Chanate would prefer that the County not attempt to sell this property without a full public discussion of the situation. While this property does offer an opportunity for infill development, we believe that it would be better for the County to take responsibility for moving the graves to another location prior to attempting to sell this old cemetery property. We will monitor this situation and keep you informed.
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
On Thursday, April 22nd at 6 p.m., Sonoma County will have a virtual public meeting asking for your input about Sonoma County’s Community Wildfire Protection Plan.
As has become clear, wildfires in Sonoma County have become unfortunately all too common. We live in an area that was heavily impacted by the Tubbs fire, and our input on the County’s Wildfire Plans is essential.
You can register for this important event at https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/PRMD/Fire-Prevention/Community-Wildfire-Protection-Plan/Calendar/ and you can learn more about the Community Wildfire Protection Plan at https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/PRMD/Fire-Prevention/Community-Wildfire-Protection-Plan/
Friends of Chanate is deeply concerned about both prevention of future wildfires in our area, as well as ensuring the ability for all of us to safely evacuate in the event of an emergency.
We hope to “see” many of you at this meeting.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
On Sunday, March 7th, we had 69 attendees at our Friends of Chanate zoom meeting with our new District Supervisor, Vice Chair Chris Coursey. Also in attendance was Victoria Fleming, our District representative on the Santa Rosa City Council.
Friends of Chanate is deeply appreciative of Supervisor Coursey’s time, and is grateful for Councilmember Fleming’s attendance.
Supervisor Coursey graciously answered questions posed by our members. Highlights of the meeting included:
The Chanate property is being sold as is. All discussions and concerns about any future development will only happen after the County sells the property, and will take place with the purchaser and the City of Santa Rosa government and their staff. It is expected that prior to any development of the Chanate property Santa Rosa will require preparation of an Environmental Impact Report, which will help identify issues such as fire dangers, evacuation concerns, traffic realities and hopefully the number of homes that could be safely constructed on the property.
Supervisor Coursey promised that he would do everything in his power to ensure that Parcel J – a parcel at the end of Beverly Way which was identified for protection as open space in 2002 – is finally permanently and officially protected as open space.
Once again, rather than making the sale a public process, Supervisor Coursey confirmed that the County will likely follow their previous process and keep all information about the sale – including the new seismic study currently underway – a secret until after they have selected a purchaser. Friends of Chanate considers this extremely unfortunate, although sadly it is not surprising.
Unfortunately, neither the Supervisors nor any open space/park agency has indicated any interest in using the 72 acre Chanate property currently for sale as a park or open space. (The Open Space District has protected two parcels adjacent to the West of the current Chanate property for sale.)
Again, we thank Supervisor Coursey for his courtesy and patience in answering our questions, and appreciate all of your continued interest and participation.
If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net or you can contact Supervisor Coursey directly at Chris.Coursey@sonoma-county.org.
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc. ID 94-2524840
Please join us on March 7th at 4:30 pm for a neighborhood Zoom meeting with Sonoma County’s new Supervisor, Chris Coursey.
During this one hour meeting, Supervisor Coursey will talk about the status of the Chanate property sale, about his thoughts on the future of the Chanate property, and will answer your questions.
Please submit your questions to FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net now.
We will send an email with a registration link for this meeting in the next week.
We look forward to hearing from Supervisor Coursey on March 7th, and look forward to “seeing” you all then!
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
On January 12, 2021, the Board of Supervisors announced their Closed Session decision to reject all current offers to purchase the Chanate property. To read more about this decision, see the January 13th article in the Press Democrat: htps://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sonoma-county-supervisors-restart-chanate-road-land-sale/ Under law, the Supervisors are limited to discussing price and terms being offered for the property during Closed Sessions.
Since the last proposed purchaser withdrew its offer stating that the property had seismic issues, this morning the County announced they will again begin the process to sell the property after first conducting “seismic trenching studies to help reduce uncertainties in future sale efforts.” This new study will apparently commence as early as February and Friends of Chanate is hopeful that this study will be released to the public once completed.
Once the seismic study is concluded the County will presumably follow the past procedure to sell the property which involves Staff making a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors after solicitation and evaluation of offers to purchase. The Board then selects a purchaser and the proposed purchaser will begin their “due diligence” period. The purchaser may attempt to negotiate a lower sales price after conducting their due diligence, which has been the pattern of previous proposed purchasers.
Unfortunately, this process will no doubt be conducted largely behind closed doors, again. Limited information will be available to us but hopefully we will be able to discover when the property is back on the market and perhaps learn of some of the details about any offers being considered.
Our new County Supervisor, representing the 4th District (where the Chanate property is located) is Vice Chair Chris Coursey. In his recent newsletter, he stated, about the Chanate property sale:
“I can’t tell you what happened in that closed session. But I have made it clear for several years I don’t agree with the board majority’s approach on this issue. As a member of that board now, I will hope for the best from this renewed listing of the property, but I am also prepared for the possibility that history might repeat itself and we could be at the drawing board once again later this year. Until then, stay tuned."
Vice Chair Coursey would like to participate in a neighborhood meeting with Friends of Chanate to discuss this new sale and the process. We anticipate scheduling this meeting as a Zoom meeting very soon and will let you know how you can attend and ask questions. In the meantime, if you would like to sign up to receive Vice Chair Coursey’s regular newsletters, you can sign up at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/SN47yiN
As always, Friends of Chanate will be following this situation closely, and will keep you updated as we learn any information.
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
The proposed purchaser of the Chanate property – Village Partners Investments, LLC – is in the “due diligence” phase of the purchase. Typical due diligence steps would include things such as geotechnical studies, evaluating earthquake fault lines, etc.; the parameters of their due diligence is really up to the purchaser. We are informed that they have been talking to Santa Rosa staff while their evaluation goes on. We do not know whether they will actually consummate the purchase of the property at this time.
We are not aware of any attempt by them to reach out to the neighboring communities to obtain feedback on their proposed purchase and potential development of the Chanate campus. Obviously we hope for the opportunity to provide input.
A recent article in the Press Democrat (https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/southern-california-developer-cites-reasons-to-close-deal-to-buy-chanate-ro/) raises several questions for us, including:
Does Village Partners visualize a similar density of development per acre as one of their other projects? For example, their project known as Village at Montclair is 370,000 square feet of residential/ commercial development on 6.3 acres, which we view as densely developed.
Do they plan to sell off parcels of the Chanate property to different developers, and, if so, will there be any master plan for the property?
Village Partners has indicated that they plan “an aggressive engagement strategy.” We hope that this engagement strategy comes to fruition and that they listen carefully to neighborhood and stakeholder desires and concerns.
We believe that Santa Rosa will require that an Environmental Impact Report be prepared for the entire property, and Friends of Chanate will be demanding this, since we believe that it is essential to evaluate the impacts of development of the whole site.
One issue that we believe Village Partners will urgently have to address is how they will ensure security of the property, if the purchase goes through. We believe that it will take at least 18 months, and likely 24 months or more, before any development on the property could commence. In the intervening period, Village Partners will be solely responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the property.
Friends of Chanate will be monitoring this situation closely, and will keep you updated as we learn more information.
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
On Tuesday, October 13th, the Board of Supervisors made the decision to sell the Chanate property to Village Partners Investments, LLC for $7,795,000. There will be a due diligence period, and we won’t know for certain that the property has been sold until there is a final Agreement to Purchase signed.
The Board of Supervisors expressed trepidation about this purchaser, as reported in the Press Democrat article: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sonoma-county-supervisors-agree-to-sell-chanate-road-property-for-nearly-8/
Friends of Chanate will be paying attention closely during this process. We are concerned that the Board of Supervisors have chosen, again, to sell the property to a non-local developer. It is unclear whether Village Partners has ever done a development such as this. In fact, their website (https://www.villagepartners.com/) shows that all of their featured developments appear to be very high density developments in Southern California, near freeways. While the Chanate property is technically “infill” development, it is not the type of infill that most developers contemplate.
As long time advocates for the Chanate neighborhoods, Friends of Chanate looks forward to seeing what this purchaser has in mind for the former Chanate medical campus and will be carefully evaluating the potential impacts as determined by the California Enviromental Quality Act.
With the recent Glass fire and yet another very high fire danger period upon us, we are continually reminded of the importance of fire safety and of the extraordinary importance of the ability to evacuate not just current residents living in the area, but ensuring that any additional new residents living on the Chanate property will also be able to safely evacuate in the event of a future fire or other emergency.
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
On Tuesday, October 13th, at 2:30 pm in a public meeting, the Board of Supervisors will consider selecting a buyer for the Chanate property, and may give County staff authority to sell the Chanate property. This meeting will be held on Zoom, and you can attend, watch and speak.
Offers to purchase the property, and the prices/terms received, are:
Continental Properties, Charles Johnston, Wisconsin Company, $2,000,000 close 12/31/2020
Paulin Pavilion Investors, Bruce Codding, $5,000,000 close 12/31/2020
City Ventures, Scott Zengel, $6,500,000 Close 3/12/2021
Village Partners Investments, LLC, Michael Morris, $7,795,000 Close 12/31/2020
OSL, William Gallaher, $4,420,000 Close 12/31/2020
Triad Christopherson LLC, Curt Johansen/Keith Christopherson, $4,875,000 Close 2/20/2021
ProcureBay, Scott Shanks, $5,000 Close Not specified
The County has prepared a matrix with more information; that matrix is available at: “Att B-Matrix Chanate Final Comparision.10.8.20.pdf”
To just watch the meeting, go to https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx Once the meeting has started, click the “In Progress” hyperlink to begin viewing.
To join the Zoom meeting and speak, follow these instructions:
To participate by computer, tablet, or smartphone application:
Go to: https://sonomacounty.zoom.us/j/95945431575?pwd=ME1sVytya0d2eTJNSFVKcno4OHhKQT09
Enter Password: 948254
To participate by phone: Dial +1 (669) 900 9128
Enter meeting ID: 959 4543 1575
Enter password: 948254
Friends of Chanate members will be attending this meeting and monitoring what the Board of Supervisors do, and will of course remain engaged as any potential property sale moves forward.
As long time advocates for the Chanate neighborhoods, Friends of Chanate looks forward to seeing what any purchaser has in mind for the former Chanate medical campus and will be carefully evaluating the potential impacts as determined by the California Environmental Quality Act.
With the current Glass fire still burning, we are again reminded of the importance of fire safety and of the extraordinary importance of the ability to evacuate not just current residents living in the area, but ensuring that any additional new residents living on the Chanate property will also be able to safely evacuate in the event of a future fire or other emergency.
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
As we reported recently, Santa Rosa will commence a large sewer replacement project in the next couple of months that will go from Terra Linda Drive on Chanate Road down to Mendocino Avenue. Strawberry Drive, Plum Drive, Lomitas Avenue and Lomitas Lane will also be affected.
This project will take approximately 2 years to complete, and will involve street closures.
Santa Rosa’s Public Works Department will be holding a virtual community meeting on July 22nd at 6 pm so all neighbors will be able to express their concerns and learn about such things as the hours of operations, the timing of the project and street closures.
We’d recommend that you plan to attend the public meeting to learn about possible street closures, and more, during the two years this project will take.
See https://chanatesewerproject.com/ for some information about the project.
See https://chanatesewerproject.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/Project-Information-Meeting-07-22-2020.pdf for information about the public meeting.
In our conversations with the Santa Rosa Public Works Department, they have expressly stated that during any high wind event, public power shut off event, or in any event where the threat of wildfire is elevated, the contractor on the project will be required to stop all activities, and reopen all closed roads fully so that they can be used for evacuation should such be necessary.
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
As we reported in our recent email, Sonoma County is going to put the Chanate property up for sale, again, this time to anyone who wishes to purchase it.
On Tuesday, June 9th, the Board of Supervisors approved the process for this sale. The County General Services Department will contact real estate brokers who have been preapproved for the County’s use, and ask them to submit a Marketing Proposal for the Chanate property.
The County will then select one real estate broker to represent the County in selling the property, which will be approved by the Board of Supervisors, probably in July.
Of course, we will keep you posted, and let you know when we find out who the real estate broker will be, and when the Chanate property is officially up for sale.
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
First, as we continue to live in these uncertain times, we hope this email finds all of you as well as is possible.
Now for updates that may be of interest to you:
1. Sale of the Chanate Property:
On Tuesday, June 9th, the Board of Supervisors will be asked to authorize the sale of the Chanate property in a “private market sale” (basically, to anyone who wants to purchase the property), and to authorize County staff to receive marketing proposals from real estate brokers, and then to hire one broker to exclusively market and sell the Chanate property.
This item is “Consent Calendar” portion of the Supervisors’ agenda on Tuesday, and will likely have little to no discussion before being approved.
The Chanate property for sale is about 72 acres and excludes approximately 26 acres of flood control reservoir property held by the Sonoma County Water Agency and Parcel J, which is to be retained and conserved by the County. The historic cemetery is part of the sale, but approximately 2 acres including the cemetery is required to be preserved.
The property will be sold for “all cash,” and will be sold “as-is.” Apparently the County will not be using the $10.8 million dollars they allocated in December, 2019, to perform County directed demolition of buildings and other work site. (We are not sure what will happen to that $10.8 million dollars, but will attempt to find out.)
Pursuant to County codes, whoever purchased the Chanate property will have to provide 15% legally affordable housing site, if any housing is built at all. Likely because of the sale of the property, it is not under consideration for an encampment for homeless individuals at this time.
The County will be attempting to close a sale of the property no later than December 31, 2020, which we consider a very aggressive goal.
While Friends of Chanate believes that the County should sell the Chanate property, we are concerned that – once again – the County will try to keep as much as possible about the sale a secret from the public. We suspect that the County will not disclose whether the property is being sold as individual parcels, as “bundles,” or as a sale of the entire almost 72 acres.
We are disturbed, in particular, that it appears that the County will not disclose the “value” of the property until such time as a sale is concluded.
2. Vegetation Management onthe Chanate Property:
The County has begun the process of “vegetation management” on the property to prepare it for the upcoming fire season. They have brought in goats to eat weeds, and will also be removing some eucalptyus, bays and scotch broom in the area around Cobblestone in the coming weeks.
3. Santa Rosa Sewer Project:
Santa Rosa will commence a large sewer replacement project in the next couple of months that will go from Terra Linda Drive on Chanate Road down to Mendocino Avenue. Strawberry Drive, Plum Drive, Lomitas Avenue and Lomitas Lane will also be affected.
This project will take approximately 2 years to complete, and will involve street closures.
Santa Rosa’s Public Works Department will be holding a public meeting soon so that all neighbors will be able to express their concerns and learn about such things as the hours of operations, the timing of the project and street closures. We will let you know when this public meeting has been scheduled.
In our conversations with the Santa Rosa Public Works Department, they have expressly stated that during any high wind event, public power shut off event, or in any event where the threat of wildfire is elevated, the contractor project will be required to stop all activities, and reopen all closed roads fully so that they can be used for evacuation should such be necessary.
That’s all the news we have at this time. We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
As is obvious, we are in very uncertain times: those of us who can are staying home, and those of us with essential jobs are bravely continuing to go to work so that the rest of us have access to health care, groceries, gasoline and other essentials.
Even in these times, Friends of Chanate is continuing to monitor Sonoma County’s activities, and according to this morning’s Press Democrat, any County consideration of putting a homeless shelter on the Chanate property has been delayed at least until June.
Additionally, given the financial situation the County – and all of us – find ourselves in,we are doubtful that Sonoma County will undertake a County-paid demolition of any/all of the buildings on the Chanate property.
Of course we will continue to monitor the County’s actions, and will keep you informed.
In the meantime, some of our elected officials are sending out email communications you might find helpful. Links to these emails are below, and if you want to receive the emails directly, there is a link in each email to do so.
Susan Gorin, Chair of the Board of Supervisors: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Modeling-Coronavirus-for-Sonoma-County.html?soid=1109047560677&aid=6XDUKugXmS8
Victoria Fleming, Santa Rosa’s Vice Mayor (City representative for our district): https://us18.campaign-archive.com/?e=715d2f46e2&u=2e4dd711c67fbf3de664ff17c&id=040db35ab9
Chris Coursey, incoming Supervisor for our district (although not until the end of the year): https://mailchi.mp/582419c7f99f/new-challenges-call-for-new-leadership-12274122?e=9289cf0fa9
We hope all of you are healthy and well, and will continue to be so.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
On Tuesday the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors selected Chanate Hall, at 3333 Chanate, as a possible site for an indoor-outdoor homeless shelter.
Between now and April 7th, the County will perform an investigation of that site to determine whether it is appropriate for this use. The County also will be engaging with the public during that time to provide information, hear concerns and answer questions. Although we would normally expect the County to hold public meetings, given the state of the Coronavirus, we do not know how this community outreach will take place, but will keep you informed
Friends of Chanate has concerns and questions about this possible homeless shelter, and our members will be participating in the community outreach, whatever form it will take.
On April 7th, the Board of Supervisors will make their decision about where new indoor-outdoor homeless shelters will be located.
We will keep you informed, of course.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
The County is moving forward on two fronts, taking action with regard to the Chanate property.
First, on Tuesday, March 10th, at 9:30 am in the Board of Supervisors’ Chambers (575 Administration Drive, Room 100 A, Santa Rosa), the Board will consider new locations for indoor-outdoor homeless shelter sites.
Two of the sites to be considered are on the Chanate property: at 3333 Chanate Hall and/or at 3313 Chanate Public Health Lab. (Other sites are also under consideration, including at the County Administration Center, a Fairgrounds location, on Santa Rosa Avenue and in Cloverdale).
The County is recommending further study of the first Chanate site, and not recommending use of the second Chanate site.
The materials for this Agenda Item 26 are available to download at https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4390150&GUID=2CDE249E-AEA8-40EE-A900-02930557D0C1
We will be paying close attention and will report further after we know more details. The Board of Supervisors will evaluate all the sites on Tuesday, including the two Chanate sites, will select up to four of the sites, and then will begin a period of staff evaluation as well as public outreach.
Friends of Chanate does not yet have an opinion about location of an indoor-outdoor homeless shelter on the Chanate property; however, we would prefer to move toward an appropriate permanent development on the site. If the County does propose to put a homeless shelter anywhere on the Chanate property, we will expect a robust community engagement process prior to any such use, since everyone – including the County – has concerns about safety and the compatibility with the surrounding areas.
You can rely on Friends of Chanate to let you know when and where the public outreach will be happening.
Secondly, the County is no longer negotiating with EAH Housing, the last remaining possible purchaser of the property under the Surplus Property process, as EAH Housing has pulled out. In September, 2019 the Board of Supervisors agreed that unless they were able to sell the property under the Surplus Property offering, the County would do the demolition of the 13 buildings themselves, and the Board set aside $10.8 for that demolition and other activities on the Chanate property, in a hope to increase its value.
The County will send out a Request for Proposals to solicit bidders willing to do the demolition and other work on the property, although it is not clear when that will happen. We presume it will be in the near future, but will let you know when we know more details.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
Over the past few months the County has continued to negotiate with the last remaining purchaser proposing to buy the Chanate property – the EAH team. The Board of Supervisors will be discussing that possible sale in Closed Session today.
Obviously, we don’t know what will happen, but will keep you posted.
Although the County intended to issue a Request for Proposals in December to attempt to find someone to do demolition of all the old buildings on the property, and more, our understanding is that that has been put off. The County, we believe wisely, is not anxious to spend well in excess of $10.5 million of taxpaper dollars to do that demolition, etc.
If the Board of Supervisors approves selling the Chanate property to the EAH team, the EAH team will take responsibility for, and pay for, all necessary demolition, as well as for providing on going security on the site, which would relieve the taxpayers from having to foot those bills.
The Friends of Chanate advisory board took advantage of an opportunity to meet with the EAH team of purchasers in late November. After that meeting, we agreed that this team of purchasers/developers seems very committed to conducting a full public process before doing any development of the site, and are offering a fair price for the property.
We have no idea what sort of development will ultimately be proposed on the property by the EAH team, should their bid to purchase the Chanate property be successful, but their stated desire to work with Friends of Chanate members, and with all interested parties, is extremely important to us. It is also important to us that the taxpayers receive a fair price for the property.
After our meeting, the Friends of Chanate advisory board sent a letter to the Board of Supervisors supporting sale of the property to the EAH team, in general terms. We have not agreed to any proposed development, and have in no way limited our future response to any possible activities on the property. A copy of our letter has been posted on our website at www.friendsofchanate.org/Property-sale (Scroll to bottom of the Property Sale page to see communications.)
We will, of course, let you know as we learn any new information about the future of the Chanate property.
In the meantime, we hope that everyone enjoys a lovely holiday season.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will hold a hearing on Tuesday, August 20th, at 3 pm, at 575 Administrative Dr., Santa Rosa to discuss their options for selling the Chanate Property.
This is an important opportunity for you to tell the Supervisors about what you want for the Chanate property. Friends of Chanate members will attend this meeting and speak, and we hope that you will join us.
One of the proposed bidders for the property – CalCHA – has withdrawn their offer. Therefore, on Tuesday the Supervisors will be considering:
Selling the property to one of two of the remaining bidders; or
Committing the County itself to do demolition of existing buildings, do geotechnical studies, and do environmental analysis of the property; or
Relocating County government offices to the property; or
Trying to find another possible purchaser of the property by sending out a new Request for Proposals.
Friends of Chanate has met with both of the remaining bidders for the property, and believes that both are genuine in their expressed desire to work with the community in an open, public and transparent process, should they be selected to purchase the property. Unfortunately, we do not have enough information about options #2, #3 or #4 to form an opinion. We don’t know what the cost of options #2 or #3 would be to the taxpayers in both time and money, nor do we know enough specifics about either item to be able to form an opinion at this time.
Please attend this public hearing, or send an email to the Board of Supervisors! Let them know what you think.
To send the Board of Supervisors an email with your comments and concerns, use the following email addresses. Shirlee Zane is the Supervisor representing the area the Chanate property is in.
Supervisor James Gore: District4@sonoma-county.org
Supervisor Susan Gorin: Susan.Gorin@sonoma-county.org
Supervisor Lynda Hopkins: Lynda.Hopkins@sonoma-county.org
Supervisor David Rabbitt: David.Rabbitt@sonoma-county.org
Supervisor Shirlee Zane: Shirlee.Zane@sonoma-county.org
Friends of Chanate will reiterate what we have been saying for years now:
We want any development of the property to be safe, and to be the best project possible for the location. We look forward to working with any purchaser of the property toward this goal. We want the public to be fully included and to have ample time and ability to participate in a robust and transparent public process. We want both the County and the City to follow all laws. We want the County to get a fair return on their sale of the property.
Despite continued misrepresentations, Friends of Chanate is NOT opposed to development of this property. Friends of Chanate simply wants whatever development will occur to have had all of the impacts fully considered through an open and transparent public process so that we all can be assured that the development will be safe for existing residents, as well as all potential new residents.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit
Thanks to the hundreds of Friends of Chanate supporters, members and other interested members of our community who attended the two County community meetings on July 24th and 25th, the County has delayed is final decision on sale of the Chanate property until August 20th.
If you were unable to attend those meetings, you can watch the video here.
Many people asked very good questions, and two Friends of Chanate members sent letters with additional questions to the County. To read those letters, and all the materials relating to the current proposed sale of the Chanate property, visit the Friends of Chanate website and scroll down to the documents section.
The County has delayed the Supervisorial decision on the sale of the Chanate property so they can answer all of our questions and provide more time for public input.
Thank you for showing up, and asking great questions!
We will keep you posted, and let you know when there is more information available.
In the meantime, do mark August 20th on your calendar to attend the Supervisorial meeting so you can be heard.
Friends of Chanate’s goals for the Chanate property remain the same:
· To ensure that both the City and the County follow all laws;
· To ensure that we, the public, have ample time and ability to participate in a robust and transparent public process;
· To ensure that the County receives a fair return on their sale of the property; and
· To ensure that any development of the property is safe, and the best project possible for the location.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
These meetings will include County staff, Supervisor Zane, Santa Rosa staff, members from the development team the County will probably sell the property to, and “neighborhood leaders.” Although no members of Friends of Chanate have been asked to participate as a “neighborhood leader,” we will be attending both of these meetings.
We hope that many of you will be able to attend one of these meetings, which are scheduled for:
Wednesday, July 24th – 5:30-7 pm
Thursday, July 25th – 5:30-7 pm
The meetings will be held at 3313 Chanate Road, Santa Rosa, CA, in the rotunda across from the old hospital.
To register, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-conversation-chanate-property-update-tickets-65997988761
Space is limited, so don’t wait to register! However, we believe that unless the meetings are full, they will not turn anyone away.
Today our Board of Supervisors decided to extend the time period before they make a final decision on the sale of the Chanate property two weeks – the new hearing is scheduled for August 6th – to allow more time for public comment and to get more information themselves. We will have more information about the proposed sale and future Supervisorial actions in a later email, and will post Friends of Chanate letters about the problems with the proposed sale on our website soon.
Friends of Chanate’s goals for the Chanate property remain the same:
· To ensure that both the City and the County follow all laws;
· To ensure that we, the public, have ample time and ability to participate in a robust and transparent public process;
· To ensure that the County receives a fair return on their sale of the property; and
· To ensure that any development of the property is safe, and the best project possible for the location.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
On Tuesday, July 23rd, at or after 2 pm, in the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors’ Chambers at 575 Administration Drive 102A in Santa Rosa, your Board of Supervisors will be finalizing their decision to sell the Chanate property.
Instead of attempting to rush this sale through, Supervisor Zane and the Board of Supervisors have an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of and commitment to representative government, leadership, and public engagement. Now is the time for them to invest in engaging the entire community, including neighbors and other stakeholders, to explore who may be the best choice to purchase and develop the Chanate property. This is especially true because of the complex financial aspects of their selected purchaser’s unusual proposal.
You can download and read the materials about this sale on their website – scroll down to Agenda #50, click on the “2019-1133” and then you can download the staff report and other materials.
If you want to read the proposed bids to purchase the property, go to the Chanate Campus website to download the proposals. The bidder they are going to sell the property to is California Community Housing Agency.
We have barely had time to read all the materials, but do know that their selected buyer of the Chanate property is proposing to pay the County $1, and will build up to 750 units of housing on the site.
Please ask the Board of Supervisors to delay their decision by at least three weeks to allow the community and stakeholders to talk to proposed purchasers of the Chanate property and evaluate their proposals. This will allow all of us the opportunity to provide meaningful input into this important decision which will affect the future of our community.
Please attend this public hearing, or send an email to the Board of Supervisors! Let them know what you think.
To send the Board of Supervisors an email with your comments and concerns, use the following email addresses. Shirlee Zane is the Supervisor who represents the community surrounding the Chanate property.
Supervisor James Gore: District4@sonoma-county.org
Supervisor Susan Gorin: Susan.Gorin@sonoma-county.org
Supervisor Lynda Hopkins: Lynda.Hopkins@sonoma-county.org
Supervisor David Rabbitt: David.Rabbitt@sonoma-county.org
Supervisor Shirlee Zane: Shirlee.Zane@sonoma-county.org
Then, on Wednesday and Thursday, 7/24 and 7/25 from 5:30-7 pm, the County is holding two “Community Conversation” meetings, with “neighborhood leaders” in attendance. Although no members of Friends of Chanate have been asked to participate as a “neighborhood leader,” we will be attending both of these meetings. These meetings will be held at 3313 Chanate Road, Rotunda, in Santa Rosa. The County is asking for you to register, although it is not necessary to register to attend.
Friends of Chanate still intends to hold our own Neighborhood Meeting with the purchaser of the Chanate property in attendance to answer your questions, and will let you know as soon as that meeting is scheduled.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
In light of recent developments at the County, Friends of Chanate is postponing our scheduled July 28th public Neighborhood Meeting.
We have just learned that the County has selected the Catalyst Housing/BUILD/CalPFA bidder to purchase the property, and that the Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing to confirm this sale on Tuesday, July 23rd.
We have been informed that all of the bids for the property will be released to the public on Friday, July 19th. As was done on the prior sale, the County will allow interested members of the public only 72 hours to review the bids and make comments.
It is obvious that the Board of Supervisors, and our Supervisor, don’t think it necessary to allow the public adequate time to review the bids, talk to the development teams who submitted the bids, and/or participate in any meaningful discussion to elicit our opinion about the best potential purchaser of the Chanate property. The County has already made its decision without our input.
As we saw in the previous sale of this property, once the Board of Supervisors has made their secretive decision it is unlikely anything the public says will have any effect.
We will reschedule our Neighborhood Meeting soon, and will invite the successful purchaser of the property to be at that meeting to answer your questions.
In the meantime, Friends of Chanate will of course let you know as soon as we have any information that will be useful to you, as our supporters and concerned community members.
Please accept our apologies for this late notice of the meeting postponement.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
Friends of Chanate will be having a public Neighborhood Meeting on July 28th at Hidden Valley School, starting at 10 am. You won’t want to miss this meeting, so mark your calendars now!
The County of Sonoma has announced that they have received three bids to purchase all of the Chanate property. The County may not disclose the actual bids until 72 hours before the Board of Supervisors make a decision about whether to accept any of them (and they can reject all of the bids). Friends of Chanate is concerned about the sale and ultimate development of this property, and believe the public deserves more than 72 hours to evaluate the proposals to purchase the Chanate property.
We have also learned the names of the three bidders to purchase the property:
1. EAH Housing and JH Community Partners
2. California Housing Authority, BUILD and Catalyst Housing Group
3. OSL Properties, LLC (Oakmont Senior Living)
In an effort to increase public awareness, Friends of Chanate is inviting the three bidders to our upcoming Neighborhood Meeting so that we can all meet them, and receive answers about their bids and about their vision for the ultimate development of the Chanate property.
So, put July 28th at 10 a.m. on your calendar so we all can find out more information!
Friends of Chanate’s goals for the Chanate property remain the same:
• To ensure that both the City and the County follow all laws;
• To ensure that we, the public, have ample time and ability to participate in a robust and transparent public process;
• To ensure that the County receives a fair return on their sale of the property; and
• To ensure that any development of the property is safe, and the best project possible for the location.
We look forward to seeing you all on July 28th!
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
First, the great news – the Bird Rescue Center has found a new home and is no longer facing eviction by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors!
While their new home won’t be ready for awhile, they are moving to a location where they will be appreciated and will be able to continue their wonderful work for decades to come! They will need to continue their fundraising efforts to make the move. If you would like to contribute to help them build their new home, go to their website. And see the Press Democrat article .
We are hopeful that any purchaser of the Chanate Campus will allow the Bird Rescue Center to keep their present location up until the time they can make the move to their new facility. We will keep you apprised of developments in this regard as we learn of them.
Second, additional news:
“Community Conversation” meetings were held in late March and early April. The County explained the process going forward to sell the property as surplus. They made it clear that the County will not be asking for any specific development this time around, and that Santa Rosa will be responsible for reviewing and approving all development on the property. Several Friends of Chanate Advisory Committee members attended each meeting and were heartened to see many of our supporters also present at these well attended meetings.
Friends of Chanate hopes that the County has learned from the recent past experience in which the court found the previous process followed by the Board of Supervisors was inadequate. We anticipate that the Board of Supervisors, unlike last time, will encourage public involvement and will hold several meetings inclusive of our participation. These recent “community conversation” meetings were a good start. Also new this time around, the County has obtained new appraisals of the total property and of each of the three parcels. So far the County has refused to release the new appraisals to the public but we are monitoring the situation and hope to obtain this information soon.
The Process—Bids Due by May 10th
The County will consider offers to purchase the Chanate property under the Surplus Property Offering with first priority going to those offers including a minimum of 25% affordable housing and second priority going to those offers including park uses, open space uses, and/or school or other government uses. The County’s ultimate priorities are the overall price, conditions and speed of the sale. The offers will be considered in closed session. The offers will eventually be disclosed to the public and we will have short window of only 72 hours to review the offers before the Supervisors hold a public hearing revealing their closed session decision. We believe the time for public review is grossly inadequate. We will be requesting an earlier disclosure of all offers and will continue to request the undisclosed appraisals. Responses to this Surplus Property Offering are due on May 10th and will likely be reviewed by the Board of Supervisors in August. The Supervisors can reject any offer. As always, we will keep you apprised of all developments as we learn of them.
We hope that during this process the Board of Supervisors will be mindful that “making a profit” on the property must be subordinate to ensuring that any future development is safe, appropriate for the site, appropriate for the surrounding neighborhood, and provides an adequate percentage of legally affordable housing. Purchasers, either during this Surplus Property process or any attempted sale to a commercial developer, should not be allowed to maximize development at the cost of safety and neighborhood compatability.
Friends of Chanate intends to hold a neighborhood meeting and invite all agencies submitting bids so that we can learn more directly from those agencies interested in purchasing the property. Watch your email for this meeting!
Friends of Chanate’s goals for the Chanate property remain the same:
• To ensure that both the City and the County follow all laws;
• To ensure that we, the public, have ample time and ability to participate in a robust and transparent public process;
• To ensure that the County receives a fair return on their sale of the property; and
• To ensure that any development of the property is safe, and the best project possible for the location.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
This is a reminder that Supervisor Shirlee Zane will be holding informational meetings and community discussions about the Chanate property sale very soon.
We hope that many of you will be able to attend one of these meetings, which are scheduled for:
March 25th – 6-7:30 pm
April 1st – 6-7:30 pm
April 4th – 6-7:30 pm
The meetings will be held at 3313 Chanate Road, Santa Rosa, CA, in the rotunda across from the old hospital.
To register, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-conversation-chanate-property-sale-next-steps-tickets-58685327394
Space is limited, so don’t wait to register!
Friends of Chanate’s goals for the Chanate property remain the same:
· To ensure that both the City and the County follow all laws;
· To ensure that we, the public, have ample time and ability to participate in a robust and transparent public process;
· To ensure that the County receives a fair return on their sale of the property; and
· To ensure that any development of the property is safe, and the best project possible for the location.
Since the County will not be asking for or directing any type of development on the Chanate property during their sale process this time, it seems premature to solicit community ideas about development of the property although we are eager to hear Supervisor Zane’s explanation of the sales process. Once the property has been sold by the County, the City of Santa Rosa will be approving all potential development on the property.
Friends of Chanate appreciates the opportunity for all of us to hear from Supervisor Zane and to offer our thoughts and ideas, and hope that many of you will be able to attend these meetings!
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
Sonoma County has announced three “informational meetings and community discussions” about the Chanate property on:
March 25th – 6-7:30 pm
April 1st – 6-7:30 pm
April 4th – 6-7:30 pm
The address for this meeting is 3313 Chanate Road, Santa Rosa, CA
This is the rotunda across from the old hospital.
According to the invitation, space is limited, so if you’d like to tell the County and Supervisor Shirlee Zane your opinions, you should register for one or more of these meetings soon!
You can register at this llink:
Friends of Chanate members will be attending all of the meetings to see if there is any new information divulged, and to see what the County and Supervisor Zane have to say for themselves.
We look forward to seeing you at one of these meetings.
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
As we reported in our last email, the County has commenced the possible sale of the Chanate Property to non-profits, including Housing Sponsors. On February 11th, the County released their Surplus Property Offering to hundreds of potentially interested buyers, including other jurisdictions, public agencies and non-profit developers.
The property is being offered for sale either in total, or in three parcels. One of the parcels is to the north of Chanate Road, and includes the old Hospital buildings. The other two parcels split the southern portion of the Chanate property. We are relieved to report that Parcel J – the Paulin Creek Preserve – is not included as part of this sale, and will be protected.
Unfortunately, the County is demanding “simultaneous” sale of all three parcels, which will make it more difficult to sell the property through this process. Our best guess is that they are structuring the sale this way because the parcel containing the old Hospital buildings may technically be virtually “worthless,” and may have a negative “value” because of the costs of demolition/remediation of toxics.
However, as you can see in Gaye LeBaron’s recent column -- https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/9301478-181/gaye-lebaron-chanate-road-hospitals -- the original hospital building is historic and we believe should be integrated into any final plan for the property.
Responses to this Offering are due by May 10th, and if this process is not successful, we expect the County to offer the Chanate property for sale to commercial developers.
Friends of Chanate will be closely monitoring this process, looking for developers who share our common vision for the Chanate property.
Our goals remain the same:
· To ensure that both the City and the County follow all laws;
· To ensure that we, the public, have ample time and ability to participate in a robust and transparent public process;
· To ensure that the County receives a fair return on their sale of the property; and
· To ensure that any development of the property is safe, and the best project possible for the location.
We will keep you informed as the sale and future development of the Chanate property moves forward, and are fortunate to have received a refund of our legal fees to continue this hard work.
In the meantime, it would be impossible to adequately express our gratitude to each and every one of you who have been supporting us both financially and in other ways. We look forward to working together in 2019!
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
Friends of Chanate is made up of individuals who have come together to support development of the Chanate property into the best possible project, and to ensure that the process is inclusionary and transparent with community outreach and adequate public input.
In addition, we also support the non-profits who are currently located on the Chanate property, including the Bird Rescue Center.
The Bird Rescue Center, formed in 1976, is a valuable part of our community. They not only rescue, rehabilitate and release thousands of birds each year, but educate and mentor hundreds of children and adults annually.
On Christmas Eve, the Bird Rescue Center received an eviction notice demanding that they move by February 11th. Unfortunately they do not have a place to move to, so this eviction would mean their closure.
While it may be impossible for the Bird Rescue Center to stay on the Chanate property forever, there is no need to evict them at this time. The County is going to try to sell the Chanate property, but it is unlikely that any such sale would occur before the end of 2019.
The Bird Rescue Center will have an Open House on February 2nd from 10-1. Their address is 3430 Chanate Road, in Santa Rosa, but their physical location is on County Farm Drive (See https://www.birdrescuecenter.org/get-in-contact/ for a map.) Everyone is invited to visit to learn about the wonderful work that they do!
Friends of Chanate supports the Bird Rescue Center. We hope that you will support them, as well. You can sign an on line petition of support at https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/save-the-bird-rescue or you can attend their Open House on February 2nd, or you can donate to support their work at https://www.birdrescuecenter.org/make-donation/
We hope to see you at the February 2nd Open House!
Numerous Friends of Chanate members have independently contributed to the Bird Rescue Center, but no Friends of Chanate funds have been donated or provided to the Bird Rescue Center.
The Bird Rescue Center is not a member or sponsor of Friends of Chanate, and there is no connection between the two organizations. This is merely an announcement that Friends of Chanate thinks its mailing list might find important.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
2018 was a busy year for Friends of Chanate! While we were fortunate to win our lawsuit and stop the proposed 2017 sale of the Chanate property, it appears that 2019 will require our close attention, too.
On December 11th, the Board of Supervisors started the process to sell the Chanate property as “Surplus Property.” The Board approved sending out a “Surplus Property Offering” to other jurisdictions, public agencies and possibly nonprofit developers; these types of agencies will be given first priority to purchase the property before it can be offered for sale to a private developer. The “Surplus Property Offering” documents are not yet available, but when we receive them we will let you know their contents.
Our goals remain the same:
To ensure that both the City and the County follow all laws;
To ensure that we, the public, have ample time and ability to participate in a robust and transparent public process;
To ensure that the County receive a fair return on their sale of the property; and
To ensure that any development of the property is safe, and the best project possible for the location.
We will keep you informed in the new year as the sale and future development of the Chanate property moves forward. We are fortunate to have sufficient funds to continue this hard work.
In the meantime, it would be impossible to adequately express our gratitude to each and every one of you who have been supporting us both financially and in other ways. We look forward to working together in 2019!
Thank you for your continued support and, as always, feel free to contact us with any questions.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
On Tuesday, December 11th, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will be considering taking new actions on the Chanate Property.
As you will recall, our efforts to stop the 2017 sale of this property were successful, thanks to our win in Court.
However, the County still owns the property and still wants to sell it. The manner in which the properties will be offered and sold are the current issues.
On December 11th, the Board of Supervisors will consider taking several “housekeeping” measures, and will also be starting the process to sell the property.
To sell the Chanate property, Sonoma County must first do a “Surplus Property Offering” to public agencies and nonprofits, who will get the first opportunity to buy the property, and that is one of the things that will be discussed at this meeting.
As part of this process, Sonoma County is obtaining a new appraisal of the property to determine its value.
We are very happy to report that apparently Parcel J will NOT be included in any sale of the Chanate property, and that the Board of Supervisors are working with Santa Rosa and the Sonoma County Open Space District to address protecting the property, hopefully in perpetuity.
The “Surplus Property Offering” documents are not yet available, and neither is the new appraisal. However, we will obtain copies as soon as they are available and carefully review them.
Nothing will be happening immediately on the property sale – the proposed Surplus Property Offering is expected to be sent in mid-February.
We will, of course, keep you updated as this process moves forward. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.
In the meantime, we truly cannot adequately express our gratitude to each and every one of you who have been supporting us both financially and in other ways. There is a long road ahead, but together we can make a difference!
Thank you for your continued support!
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
Pursuant to the Court’s order, on October 9th, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors introduced an ordinance to vacate their approval of the prior sale of the Chanate property and discussed next steps with respect to a future sale of the Chanate property.
Ordinance to Vacate the Prior Sale
The Board now needs to finalize the ordinance by scheduling a “second reading” for the record of their dissolution of the property sale. Our understanding is that this “second reading” will occur today – October 23rd – and will put a final halt to the current sale of the property. We are pleased that the Board started the process and anticipate they will finish it tomorrow. We will be paying close attention to make certain the procedures are followed by the Board and that the ordinance to vacate the prior sale is finalized.
Next Steps by the Board of Supervisors
As required by California law, the Board of Supervisors will offer to sell the property to other jurisdictions and/or to non-profits in what is known as a “Surplus Property” offering. We expect that this will happen later this year. Friends of Chanate will be monitoring the Board’s next steps for sale of the Chanate property as Surplus Property very closely to make sure that the Board doesn’t repeat their previous actions, where they only notified seven agencies, none of which were non-profits, and then tried to sell the property to a private developer for far less than their stated minimum purchase price of $15 million.
Friends of Chanate will be closely watching the next steps of the Board of Supervisors and will comment if necessary, to make sure that the Supervisors’ new Surplus Property offering assigns a realistic value to the property, and that they notify a much larger number of agencies and organizations to allow a fair opportunity for as many agencies as possible to bid on the property.
On a positive note, we do commend the Supervisors for realizing that they must protect Parcel J – the Paulin Creek Preserve – forever. We will be monitoring that situation as well.
In the meantime, we truly cannot adequately express our gratitude to each and every one of you who has been supporting us both financially and in other ways. There is a long road ahead but together we can make a difference!
Thank you for your continued support!
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
According to the agenda just published, next Tuesday, October 9th, at or after 1:30 p.m., the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will be taking action with regard to the Chanate property. As we all now know, the Court order resulting from our lawsuit requires the County to rescind the existing agreement to sell the property. What happens after the existing agreement is rescinded will be discussed by the Supervisors at this very important meeting.
Please plan to attend this hearing! It is in all of our interests to monitor the Board of Supervisors’ discussions, strategy and plans of action with respect to the Chanate Campus. Your presence at this meeting is vital.
According to the agenda, the Supervisors are considering the following three options:
1. Conduct Environmental Review on Proposal Submitted by Original Developer and Pursue a new Sale Agreement with Original Developer. It is estimated that this option could take up to 24 months and could include the developer’s entire original proposal, as amended by the requirements of the CEQA laws.
2. New Surplus Process. This process offers the property for sale to other public agencies or non-profits and will likely include a component for construction of affordable housing.
3. Explore Combining with County Government Center Process. The City of Santa Rosa and the County have recently begun exploring the possibility of construction of a joint governmental campus which would include linking the sale of the Chanate property for that purpose. The time involved with this type of development has yet to be determined.
County staff is also recommending that the Supervisors direct staff to explore how to protect Parcel J as an open space resource.
We are delighted that Parcel J might ultimately be permanently protected,and will be monitoring that process closely!
We are not certain which of the above options, or possibly other options, the Board of Supervisors will select for moving forward but we fully intend to pay very close attention to the process.
Please plan to attend this meeting. All of our presence at this important meeting matters.
We truly cannot adequately express our gratitude to each and every one of you who has been supporting us both financially and in other ways. There is a long road ahead but together we can make a difference!
Thank you for your continued support!
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
Although we won our lawsuit, we do not yet know what will happen next with the Chanate property.
We do know, however, that it’s time for all of us to come together and talk about what kind of development we would like to see on this significant piece of property!
As you may recall, in October, 2015, the County held a neighborhood meeting purportedly for the purpose of seeking input from the residents about development of the Chanate property. Our input was never sought again and three years have now passed. We think it’s long past time to ask you what kind of development you would like to see on the Chanate property.
Please plan to attend our Neighborhood Meeting on Saturday, October 20th. We plan to give a brief update on the status, as we understand it, but the primary purpose of the meeting is to ask you all what you would like to have happen on this property.
The meeting will be held at Hidden Valley School, on Chanate Road.
More details will be coming soon, but in the meantime, please mark your calendars.
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
On Tuesday of this week, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors decided not to appeal our win in Court. We believe that this was the right decision. Unfortunately, as you can see in the Press Democrat article, apparently the developer hasn’t yet decided whether he will appeal or not, so we’re not out of the woods yet.
The developer has until October 17, 2018 to appeal. We will let you know if we hear of a decision before that time, of course.
What happens next?
If the developer does not appeal, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing – apparently some time in October – to discuss what they will do with the property. To the best of our knowledge they have several options:
1. Do the required California Environmental Quality Act assessment and renegotiate a sale agreement with the currently selected developer;
2. Issue a new Request for Proposals to solicit different possible purchasers of the property, and then redo the process; or
3. Just offer the property for sale to the highest bidder.
We need your continuing support!
It is essential to have a very large attendance at the next public meeting the Board of Supervisors holds. They need to know that although we won our lawsuit, we all are still going to pay very close attention to what happens to this property. We want to ensure that the County process is fully transparent, that the County pays attention to all of our voices, that any resulting sale price is fair to the taxpayers and that any development of the property is reasonable and safe for everyone.
We will let you know the date of the next public hearing as soon as we know it.
If you would like to sign up to be notified by Sonoma County of their future actions regarding this property, send an email requesting to be so notified to chanateinfo@sonoma-county.org.
The important thing to remember is that this property still will be developed, and we must pay close attention to get the best possible development.
Friends of Chanate still owes our attorney fees for her successful prosecution of our lawsuit – worth every penny, we believe – and will be incurring additional costs no matter what the County decides to do. Thanks to your generous donations, we have raised over 40% of the $10,000 we still owe! This means that we only need to raise another $6,000 to fully pay for our lawsuit.
Anything you can contribute to help Friends of Chanate pay our attorney’s fees would be appreciated.
Looking to the future, we need to prepare for the developer to potentially appeal. We also need to be prepared to hire experts to ensure that the County’s ultimate environmental review of their sale of the property is adequate. While Friends of Chanate is an all volunteer group, we will continue to need to raise money to ensure that any development of this property is safe for all of us.
Again, we truly cannot adequately express our gratitude to each and every one of you who has been supporting us both financially and in other ways. There’s a long road ahead, but together we can make a difference!
Please help us succeed by making a tax-deductible contribution today! Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840. Visit www.FriendsOfChanate.org to make a secure, tax deductible contribution, or donate securely on our Facebook page. You can also mail a tax deductible check to Friends of Chanate by making the check payable to “ISI/Friends of Chanate” and mailing it to Friends of Chanate, P.O. Box 1284, Santa Rosa, CA 95402.
Thank you again for your generous contributions to support our efforts to ensure only the best possible development on this property!
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
As you know, Friends of Chanate was successful in court on our CEQA cause of action several weeks ago. The Court’s Judgment has been filed and the County will have until October 23rd to file an appeal.
So, what happens now?
We know that the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors met in closed session on August 7th to discuss the case. We expect they will have more secret meetings in the future before they decide on a course of action.
The County has two choices: They can appeal or they can accept the Court’s decision.
If the County appeals we will file a brief in response and possibly a cross-appeal. In this scenario additional attorney’s fees and costs will be incurred and the proposed development (or any development) will be further delayed. The length of the delay will depend on the speed with which the Court of Appeal will hear the matter but we anticipate at least a year and possibly longer.
If the County accepts the Court’s decision they will need to start an environmental review of the proposed project as required by the Court’s order and then renegotiate a new sale agreement with their favored developer. In this scenario, Friends of Chanate would closely monitor the process to ensure that it is public, transparent and acceptable. We estimate this process could take a year or less.
The important thing to remember is that our win in Court neither kills the proposed project nor requires the County to find a new developer/buyer of the property.
In fact, the City of Santa Rosa still has the current proposed developer’s pre-application and has accepted his fee to begin Santa Rosa’s environmental review. Since the County’s sale agreement was vacated by the Court we believe that the developer no longer has any right to act regarding this property. For that reason, we will be requesting the City of Santa Rosa to halt their work on the proposed project until the County has complied with the Court’s order.
We will need your help with this request to the City of Santa Rosa - In the next couple of weeks will ask our supporters to send letters and emails to the Santa Rosa City Council supporting our position that their work should cease on this project until the County complies with the Court order.
Budget
Friends of Chanate still owes our attorney $7,000 for her successful prosecution of our lawsuit and we believe you will agree she has been worth every penny! Anything you can contribute to help Friends of Chanate pay our current attorney’s fees would be greatly appreciated.
Looking to the future, we need to prepare for a possible appeal. We also need to be prepared to hire experts to ensure that the County’s ultimate environmental review of their sale of the property is adequate. While Friends of Chanate is an all volunteer group, we will continue to need to raise money to ensure that any development of this property is safe for all of us. Please help us succeed by making a tax-deductible contribution today! Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840. Visit www.FriendsOfChanate.org to make a secure, tax deductible contribution, or donate securely on our Facebook page. You can also mail a tax deductible check to Friends of Chanate by making the check payable to “ISI/Friends of Chanate” and mailing it to Friends of Chanate, P.O. Box 1284, Santa Rosa, CA 95402.
Thank you again for your generous contributions to support our efforts to ensure only the best possible development on this property!
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
On Thursday, July 26th, Judge Chouteau ruled in favor of our CEQA cause of action and determined that the County's Disposition and Development Agreement with their developer must be vacated.
We wish we could report that this means that Friends of Chanate will have no need to spend additional money on attorneys’ fees. Unfortunately that isn’t true. We not only still owe about $10,000 in attorneys’ fees (which we believe was money well spent, since we won!), but it is likely that we will have to continue to spend money to ensure that both the County and the City of Santa Rosa act properly with regard to the future of this property.
Nonetheless, this was a great victory, and we couldn’t have done it without your generous financial support, as well as the support of our many volunteers. Thank you!!!
While we are still evaluating the Judge’s decision, what we believe this means is that the County has two choices:
1. The County can appeal the Judge's decision. We would then defend that appeal, of course (and could even consider appealing or cross-appealing ourselves). Fortunately, defending an appeal is not as expensive as the underlying lawsuit was, but it would require us to spend money on legal fees and court costs. An appeal could take anywhere from 1-3 years to be resolved.
2. Or the County can accept the Court's decision and commence environmental review of their sale of the property. We don't know what that environmental review would discover, but the review would be conducted in public (and we will be playing close attention!), and could result in a negative declaration, a mitigated negative declaration, or a full EIR. (We suspect that a full EIR is unlikely to be required by the County, although it still would be required by the City of Santa Rosa.) This process could take 6 -9 months. After the environmental review is complete, the County would then commence negotiations again with their selected developer for a new Disposition and Development Agreement to sell the property, which we estimate could take another 6 months or so.
Whichever choice the County makes, Friends of Chanate will work with the City of Santa Rosa to ensure that their current consideration of the project stops until the developer has the legal authority to act with regard to the property. We are hoping that this will not involve us having to sue the City of Santa Rosa, but that remains a possibility.
Of course, it is always possible that the County's chosen developer will back out, and no longer be interested in the property. While we think that's unlikely, if that happens, the County would begin the process of finding a new purchaser.
Friends of Chanate is hopeful that the County will accept the Judge's decision and proceed to conduct an adequate, public environmental review of their proposed sale of the property.
Friends of Chanate has never been opposed to development of the property, but wants any development to be appropriate and safe for all existing and new residents of the area, and we want to preserve our valuable public amenities. Choosing to accept the Judge's decision would mean a shorter process before much needed housing could be built on the site. If the County chooses to fight the Judge's decision in court, we believe that not only will we ultimately prevail, but that the County will have unnecessarily extended the period before the site will be properly developed.
We will keep you informed as our understanding of the results of our success in Court become more clear, and as we discover what the County chooses to do.
Anything you can contribute to help Friends of Chanate pay our attorney’s fees would be appreciated. We are preparing for a possible appeal and/or a lawsuit against the City of Santa Rosa. Friends of Chanate is an all volunteer group –almost every dime we raise goes toward legal fees and costs.
Again, we truly cannot adequately express our gratitude to each and every one of you who has been supporting us both financially and in other ways. There’s a long road ahead, but together we can make a difference!
Please help us succeed by making a tax-deductible contribution today! Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840. Visit www.FriendsOfChanate.org to make a secure, tax deductible contribution, or donate securely on our Facebook page. You can also mail a tax deductible check to Friends of Chanate by making the check payable to “ISI/Friends of Chanate” and mailing it to Friends of Chanate, P.O. Box 1284, Santa Rosa, CA 95402.
Thank you again for your generous contributions to support our efforts to ensure only the best possible development on this property!
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
The August 2nd Santa Rosa Concept Design Review Board meeting to consider this proposed project has been CANCELLED.
We just received the following written confirmation from Santa Rosa:
"This message is to inform you that the proposed Chanate Village project will not be heard as a Concept Design Review item at the regularly scheduled Design Review Board meeting of August 2nd, 2018."
Please do NOT attend this meeting.
This does not mean that Santa Rosa has stopped their consideration of this proposed project, but at least this proposed project will not be considered on August 2nd.
We will keep you updated as we learn more.
Thank you, again, for your continued support!
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
We agree that it’s confusing: Judge Chouteau vacated the County’s sale agreement with the developer last Thursday, but the City of Santa Rosa is continuing forward with their Thursday, August 2nd Concept Design Review Board meeting.
Although we believe that this meeting – and all Santa Rosa consideration of this project – should be stopped, so far it’s moving ahead.
Attend the August 2nd Design Review Board Meeting:
Please plan to attend the City of Santa Rosa’s Concept Design Review meeting regarding the proposed Chanate project on August 2nd. Your participation and attendance at this meeting is essential. We need a better project and both Santa Rosa and the developer need to hear from us!
The Design Review Board meeting will be held at City Hall, Council Chambers, 2nd floor, 100 Santa Rosa Avenue. The meeting starts at 4:30 pm, and this project is the third item on the agenda. We don’t believe it will be heard before 5 pm, and probably not until later than that. There is limited surface parking at City Hall, but there is also a large parking garage on D Street, right across from City Hall.
The seven-member Design Review Board reviews development proposals in light of Santa Rosa’s adopted design guidelines; they consider the “location, design, site plan configuration, and the overall effect of the proposed project upon surrounding properties and the City in general.”
Concept Design Review is a very early process where the Board will give the developer their tentative reaction to the general design concept.
Your input at this early stage is vital since, as neighbors and concerned community members, the ultimate development will impact all of us.
Proposed Design Review Board Talking Points:
Of course, you can say anything you want, but it is important to keep your comments under 2 minutes and it would be helpful to speak on topics the Design Review Board considers. Some suggestions on what to say or ask would include:
1. Your consideration of this proposed project is premature because last week the Superior Court found that the sale agreement must be vacated.
2. Your consideration of this proposed project is premature because there has been no environmental review of this project, and we therefore have no idea what will be allowed to be built on this property.
3. This proposed project will have a terrible effect on traffic, which will negatively impact surrounding neighbors and Santa Rosa as a whole.
4. This property contains the Rogers Creek fault, as well as other earthquake faults, and is covered with hills. Because there has been no environmental review of this proposed project yet, it is too early to know how the site's geologic constraints might limit any development.
5. This property contains the Rogers Creek fault, as well as other
earthquake faults, and is covered with hills. Because there has been no environmental review of this proposed project yet, it is too early to know how the site's geologic constraints might limit any development.
6. This proposed project will interfere with the health and safety of surrounding neighbors, and the new proposed residents, because it will be difficult if not impossible to safely evacuate in the event of another disaster.
A suggested closing comment:
We ask you to make no comments, and to continue this Concept Design Review hearing until the results of the Court decision are better known, and until a full Environmental Impact Report has been completed and certified.
It’s important to attend this August 2nd meeting and speak out! We hope to see you there.
If you cannot attend but would like to send written comments, address an email to (please send a copy to friendsofchanate@sonic.net):
Design Review Board
Michael Burch, Chair, mburch@srcity.org
Warren Hedgpeth, Vice-Chair, whedgpeth@srcity.org
Sabra Briere, sbriere@srcity.org
Eric Goldschlag, egoldschlag@srcity.org
Scott Kincaid, skincaid@srcity.org
Drew Weigl, dweigl@srcity.org
Kevin Zucco, kzucco@srcity.org
Update on Our Lawsuit:
We do not know what the County will do regarding their loss in Court last week, and probably won’t know for a week or two.
We, in fact, are still evaluating the Judge’s decision, but will send all of you an email with what we do understand very soon.
Unfortunately, we still owe attorney’s fees, but feel that it’s worth every penny the lawsuit cost, for obvious reasons.
Anything you can contribute to help Friends of Chanate pay our attorney’s fees would be appreciated. We also are preparing for a possible appeal and/or a fight with the City of Santa Rosa. Friends of Chanate is an all volunteer group – none of us are paid anything; almost every dime we raise goes toward legal fees and costs.
We cannot adequately express our gratitude to each and every one of you who has been supporting us both financially and in other ways. There’s a long road ahead, but together we can make a difference!
Please help us succeed by making a tax-deductible contribution today! Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840. Visit www.FriendsOfChanate.org to make a secure, tax deductible contribution, or donate securely on our Facebook page. You can also mail a tax deductible check to Friends of Chanate by making the check payable to “ISI/Friends of Chanate” and mailing it to Friends of Chanate, P.O. Box 1284, Santa Rosa, CA 95402.
Thank you again for your generous contributions to support our efforts to ensure only the best possible development on this property!
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
We wanted to be the first to let you know that Judge Chouteau issued his ruling today in our lawsuit and our petition was granted! We prevailed on the California Environmental Quality Act cause of action.
We couldn’t have done it without you!
As the Judge’s decision states:
“Based on the above analysis, the court grants the petition and orders the County to vacate its decision approving the Development Agreement.”
We have barely had time to read the decision, and haven’t yet had a full conversation with our attorney about next steps, so will have more to report shortly. But we want to let you know the good news right away!
Again, thanks to all of you for your support and for your generous donations to the cause.
As you may have read in the Press Democrat (http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/8551939-181/lawsuit-over-sonoma-countys-land), last Friday Friends of Chanate was in court for our trial.
It was obvious that Judge Chouteau had read all of the briefs, and had very specific questions that he wanted answered. Our attorney, Noreen Evans, was very effective in her explanations and arguments.
We don’t expect a decision for 2 or more weeks, but are cautiously optimistic.
No one wants to file a lawsuit – they’re expensive and time consuming. But after Sonoma County’s behavior with regard to this property, we had no choice.
Our lawsuit has three causes of action: failure of Sonoma County to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act; failure of Sonoma County to comply with the Brown Act; and gift of public funds for selling the property too cheaply.
Under the best circumstances, we would prevail on all counts, but even if that doesn’t happen, a win on any one of our causes of action could cause the sale of this property to be voided and require the County to start the process over.
We will let you all know as soon as we hear anything, of course!
No matter the outcome, the County and City now know that Friends of Chanate exists, that the neighbors and community members are organized, mobilized, will take action, and we will not be ignored!
Our greatest need right now is for donations to help Friends of Chanate succeed in our legal battle with the County and prepare for the battle with the City.
We are deeply grateful to all of you who have contributed, both financially and through your support of Friends of Chanate.
We have paid our legal bills and costs through May, thanks to your generous donations. Now we face our final legal bills through our trial, which we estimate will be $9000.00. Your support will be appreciated!
Please help us by making a tax-deductible contribution today! Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840. Visit www.FriendsOfChanate.org to make a secure, tax deductible contribution, or donate securely on our Facebook page. You can also mail a tax deductible check to Friends of Chanate by making the check payable to “ISI/Friends of Chanate” and mailing it to Friends of Chanate, P.O. Box 1284, Santa Rosa, CA 95402.
Thank you again for your generous contributions to support our efforts to ensure only the best possible dev
SAVE THE DATE – AUGUST 2nd:
Please plan to attend the City of Santa Rosa’s Concept Design Review meeting regarding the proposed Chanate project on August 2nd. Your participation and attendance at this meeting is essential. We need a better project and Santa Rosa and the developer need to hear from us!
The Design Review Board meeting will be held at City Hall, Council Chambers, 2nd floor, 100 Santa Rosa Avenue. The meeting starts at 4:30 p.m. We will let you know what time this project will be discussed as soon as the agenda is available.
The seven-member Design Review Board reviews development proposals in light of Santa Rosa’s adopted design guidelines, including proposals that have neighborhood compatibility issues. Concept Design Review is a very early process where the Board will give the developer their tentative reaction to the general design concept.
Your input at this early stage is vital since, as neighbors and concerned community members, the ultimate development will impact all of us. We will provide more information as the meeting gets closer, but in the meantime mark your calendars and plan to attend!
Update on Our Lawsuit:
Our lawsuit is entering the final stages: our trial will be held later this week, and we expect that Judge Chouteau will make a decision within a month. Stay tuned!
Our goal with the lawsuit is to void the sale agreement and require the County to comply with the law, including holding hearings allowing the community to more fully participate in the terms of the sale of this property and any future development.
We are feeling positive, and hope to prevail! No matter the outcome, the County and City now know that Friends of Chanate exists, that the neighbors and community members are organized, mobilized, will take action, and we will not be ignored!
Our greatest need right now is for donations to help Friends of Chanate succeed in our legal battle with the County and prepare for the battle with the City. Our attorney has reduced her hourly rate, donated dozens of hours of her time, and we would not be where we are without her efforts. Friends of Chanate is an all volunteer group – none of us are paid anything; almost every dime we raise goes toward legal fees and costs.
We are deeply grateful to all who have contributed, both financially and through their support of Friends of Chanate.
Please help us succeed by making a tax-deductible contribution today! Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840. Visit www.FriendsOfChanate.org to make a secure, tax deductible contribution, or donate securely on our Facebook page. You can also mail a tax deductible check to Friends of Chanate by making the check payable to “ISI/Friends of Chanate” and mailing it to Friends of Chanate, P.O. Box 1284, Santa Rosa, CA 95402.
Notifications: If you have not signed up with the City of Santa Rosa to receive notifications about this project, you should do so now by going to: srcity.org/2881/Chanate-Village
Thank you again for your generous contributions to support our efforts to ensure only the best possible development on this property!
The Neighborhood Meeting:
There was an overwhelming attendance at Santa Rosa’s “neighborhood” meeting on June 25th – probably 400 people, standing room only, and excellent questions were asked of City Staff and the developer about the proposed project on the Chanate property.
Thank you all for attending, asking great questions and making certain that Santa Rosa and the developer know we all are paying attention!
Santa Rosa has posted the video of the meeting at https://srcity.org/2881/Chanate-Village if you were unable to attend or want to refresh your memory of what was said.
SAVE THE DATE – AUGUST 2nd:
Santa Rosa has scheduled a Concept Design Review hearing about the proposed project for this property on August 2nd. Save this date – your attendance at this meeting will continue to put pressure on Santa Rosa and the developer!
We will update you on the time and location of this meeting, as well as send you suggested talking points, as the date gets closer. It is essential that our voices continue to be heard, and that we are able to get a much better project.
Our Lawsuit:
Our lawsuit is entering the final stages: we have filed our trial brief, the County has responded, and our final reply will be filed in just a few days (see our website if you’d like to read these documents -- https://www.friendsofchanate.org/our-lawsuit/)
Our trial will be held in July, and we expect a decision within a month after that.
Our goal with the lawsuit is to void the sale agreement and require the County to comply with the law, including holding hearings allowing the community to more fully participate in the terms of the sale of this property and any future development.
Our greatest need right now is for donations to help Friends of Chanate pay our legal costs. We are in the home stretch now!
Thanks to those that have already contributed! Our needs for legal fees and court costs to get through trial should be no more than $15,000 – we’re close to the end of this phase.
Please help us succeed with our lawsuit by making a tax-deductible contribution today! With your generous support, we hope to WIN our lawsuit, and force this entire property sale to start over. Visit www.FriendsOfChanate.org to make a secure, tax deductible contribution, or donate securely on our Facebook page. You can also mail a tax deductible check to Friends of Chanate by making the check payable to “ISI/Friends of Chanate” and mailing it to Friends of Chanate, P.O. Box 1284, Santa Rosa, CA 95402.
We all deserve a County Government who is working for us, and is not giving valuable property away far too cheaply.
Notifications: If you have not signed up with the City of Santa Rosa to receive notifications about this project, you should do so now by going to: srcity.org/2881/Chanate-Village
We will keep you up to date with as much information as we have but you should also be on the City of Santa Rosa’s mailing list for this project.
Thank you again for your generous contributions to support our efforts to win our lawsuit!
Friends of Chanate is a fiscally sponsored nonprofit project of
Inquiring Systems, Inc., 94-2524840.
This photo was taken by Julie Combs at the City of Santa Rosa Neighborhood Meeting held June 25, 2018 at the Finley Center in Santa Rosa, California
This letter was received by the residents within 400 feet of the proposed project. The project map was shown on the back. It can be viewed on "The Project" page of this website.
This article was written by Jeff Elliot:
In 2017 Santa Rosa suffered the Tubbs Fire and before that, the 1964 Hanly Fire. But way back in 1870, yet another firestorm charged over the mountain towards Santa Rosa. Our ancestors simply called it The Great Fire.
The California fire history maps only go back to 1951 and none of the reports yet published by the state mention the 1870 disaster, although it followed the same pattern as what happened last year. Driven by very high northerly winds, the October 1870 fire started near Calistoga and when it was joined by a blaze from St. Helena it became unstoppable. The Santa Rosa newspaper reported, “soon the flames were beyond control, devouring everything within their reach…and swept along the mountains with such terrible speed that all efforts to check its progress were given up.”
No map was published of the burn area, but the Sonoma Democrat described which properties were hit – see articles transcribed below. A deed search would probably produce a reasonably accurate map, but we know it stopped three miles from Santa Rosa. Measuring from the 1870 city limits, that would mean it burned through Fountaingrove.
Cal Fire map of regional wildfire history since 1951
Just as in 1964 and last year, there was also a simultaneous fire on the Sonoma Valley ridge. It burned as far south as Napa City – like the recent Nuns Fire – and on the Sonoma county side the fires also matched the 2017 disaster: “The smouldering stumps and blackened fields can be seen all along the Sonoma road,” reported the Sonoma Democrat in 1870.
The crisis came the night of October 16, the third night of what we now call, “Diablo Winds.” Santa Rosa was on edge because of “the close proximity of the fire on the hills;” a collection was taken up among townsfolk to pay three men to stay up all night and sound the alarm if the fire threatened.
What the Petaluma Argus observed six days afterwards sounds uncomfortably familiar to 2017: “Fires are yet raging through all the vicinity,” and there was “a smoky haze of the atmosphere through this section seldom if ever before seen.”
There were no deaths – aside from 400 sheep – and the properties harmed were remote farms and ranches. That’s probably the reason you won’t find mention of the 1870 fires in any of our local history books – the authors probably thought it was a fluke. (I stumbled across the details only while reading the old newspapers.)
But looking back on the incident now, the Great Fire of 1870 is unnerving to discover. Once can be an accident; twice could be a coincidence.
Three times is a pattern.
Friends of Chanate was impressed and heartened by the 150+ people who took time out of their busy Sunday to attend our Neighborhood Meeting on May 20th. Clearly there is interest in what is happening with this property and we were happy to receive so many questions asking how you can help.
At our meeting we described our lawsuit and the proposed project based on the information currently available to us. For additional questions or clarity, please don’t hesitate to send us an email at FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net.
Our greatest need right now is for donations to help Friends of Chanate pay our legal costs. We are in the home stretch now!
Right now Friends of Chanate has accrued legal expenses in the amount of $13,500. Thanks to all of the generous donors who attended our Neighborhood Meeting, we have raised over $12,000! The donations already received will go to pay our current legal expenses. Many of you asked for projected expenses. We have an immediate goal of raising another $9,500 in the next two weeks to cover legal services rendered in May for drafting the brief which was just filed. We also anticipate an additional $10,000 will be required to pay our legal expenses through our July 20th trial. Our attorney continues to work very hard on our behalf at a reduced rate.
Our goal with the lawsuit is to void the sale agreement and require the County to comply with the law, including holding hearings allowing the community to more fully participate in the terms of the sale of this property and any future development. Our trial date is July 20th and we filed our opening brief last Thursday. If you’d like to read our brief, you can download it at https://www.friendsofchanate.org/our-lawsuit/ -- scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Petitioner’s Opening Brief.”
Please make a tax-deductible contribution today to help us succeed! With your generous support, we hope to WIN our lawsuit, and force this entire property sale to start over.
Visit www.FriendsOfChanate.org to make a secure, tax deductible contribution, or donate securely on our Facebook page. You can also mail a tax deductible check to Friends of Chanate by making the check payable to “Friends of Chanate/ISI” and mailing it to Friends of Chanate, P.O. Box 1284, Santa Rosa, CA 95402.
We also promised to let you all know how to sign up to receive notifications from Santa Rosa. We expect that a city-led Neighborhood Meeting will be scheduled in the next 2-3 weeks. Friends of Chanate will pass along this information to our email list and post it on our Facebook page as soon as we receive it but to make certain that you receive everything possible from Santa Rosa about this project, send an email requesting to be notified, with your name, address and email address, to:
William Rose: WRose@srcity.org
Patrick Streeter: pstreeter@srcity.org
Santa Rosa largely communicates by “snail mail,” sending notifications in goldenrod-colored envelopes, so don’t throw those away. They will ultimately put up a web page for this project, but in the meantime, emailing Mr. Rose and Mr. Streeter will at least ensure that you know some of what’s going on in Santa Rosa with regard to this project and will also put the City on notice of your concern and interest in the project.
With your help we can get to our trial date, and hopefully WIN our lawsuit!
Thank you, again, for your continued support!
Friends of Chanate recently sent the following letter to the City of Santa Rosa City Council Members:
May 7, 2018
Chris Coursey, Mayor
Chris Rogers, Vice-Mayor
Julie Combs
Ernesto Olivares
John Sawyer
Tom Schwedhelm
Jack Tibbetts
Santa Rosa City Council
Via email
Re: Chanate Village (the previous Sutter Hospital site)
File Number: PRJ18-024
Dear Mayor Coursey and members of the Santa Rosa City Council:
We recently became aware that the applicant for the Chanate Village project has filed a number of requests with the Santa Rosa Planning and Economic Development Department.
The applicant has already had their pre-application meeting with Santa Rosa staff, and now has filed applications for a pre-application Neighborhood Meeting and for Concept Design Review, and has made a $25,000 deposit so that a RFP for the Environmental Consultant can commence. Further, applicant has submitted very detailed plans for the proposed development of this site, including floor plans, which is clearly premature.
As you are all aware, Friends of Chanate has filed a lawsuit against the County of Sonoma over the County’s sale of this property on grounds including violation of CEQA, violation of the Brown Act, and for selling the property for less than they should have.
Our trial is scheduled for July 20, 2018.
If we are successful with our lawsuit, the sale of this property will have to be reopened, and the entire County process may have to be redone.
Our success in court would mean that any work done by the already overburdened Santa Rosa staff would be a complete waste of time.
Since our trial date is only a few short months away, there would be no significant harm to the applicant (and we believe there would be no harm to applicant at all) should Santa Rosa choose not to process applicant’s applications until after the Court’s decision on the merits of our lawsuit.
Therefore, with this letter, we request that the City Council make the policy decision to instruct the City Manager to direct staff to stop working on all matters with regard to this proposed project until the Friends of Chanate/County of Sonoma litigation has concluded.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or would like additional information. At your request, we would be happy to provide you with a copy of our lawsuit or other documentation, including applicant’s detailed plans for development of the site.
Thank you for consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
FRIENDS OF CHANATE
Jim Barnes Tom Brown Heidi Facciano Ken Howe
Trudi Schindler Joanne Thomas Ralph Thomas
cc: J.D. Morris, the Press Democrat
Kevin McCallum, the Press Democrat
Jim Sweeney, the Press Democrat
Don’t Miss It! – Neighborhood Meeting, May 20th
Find out what’s happening with the old Community Hospital/Sutter Hospital Chanate location at our neighborhood meeting on Sunday, May 20th, from Noon to 2 p.m. at Hidden Valley School. All are welcome!
The process is moving fast (the developer has now filed papers with Santa Rosa!) – you need to know what’s proposed now so you can stay informed and influence the final development.
Knowledge is power. If you don’t know what’s happening, you may not be happy with the result.
· We’ll update you on our lawsuit.
· We’ll show you large pictures of the 867 high density apartments the applicant is proposing for the site.
· We’ll let you know the process the proposed project will follow.
· We’ll let you know how to make sure that you stay informed.
· We’ll answer your questions.
Don’t miss this chance to find out what’s really going on!
We are not opposed to development at this location, but we are very worried about what kind of development will happen, and how all of us will be able to evacuate in the event of another disaster.
We are fighting hard to win our lawsuit against the County, which would require this process to start over, but we all need to stay informed of everything else that is going on, particularly now that the developer has filed papers with Santa Rosa to start the project.
To find out as much as we know, attend the Friends of Chanate Neighborhood Meeting on Sunday, May 20th from Noon to 2 p.m. at Hidden Valley School, 3435 Bonita Vista Dr., Santa Rosa – right off of Chanate Road.
RSVPs to FriendsOfChanate@sonic.net appreciated.
Your continued support is critical to our success. Please make a tax-deductible contribution today to help us succeed!
We all deserve a County Government that is working for us, and is not giving valuable property away far too cheaply.
Please visit www.FriendsOfChanate.org to make a secure, tax deductible deposit, or donate securely on our Facebook page. You can also mail a tax deductible check to Friends of Chanate by making the check payable to “Friends of Chanate/ISI” and mailing it to Friends of Chanate, P.O. Box 1284, Santa Rosa, CA 95402.
Thank you, again, for your continued support!
Sat. June 2nd – Sierra Club Sonoma Group Chanate Historical Walk.
Don’t miss this rescheduled event! After having to be cancelled because of rain, this historical walk will now take place on June 2nd. Enjoy this opportunity to explore the historic County hospital property along Chanate before demolition and development begins.
On June 2nd, at 11 a.m., The Sierra Club is sponsoring a guided walk of this beautiful property – this is a unique chance to learn more about the history of this site.
First you will tour the Bird Rescue Center, who will be having an Open House. After snacks & talks by neighbors who evacuated during the fire, Jeremy Nichols, a local historian who will be the narrator, will take the walk through the site of Santa Rosa’s old community hospital and "WPA 1941" rock walls. Then going by the morgue, you will walk on sidewalks and cross over to the other property being sold by Sonoma County off Chanate Road for building and demolition projects. This historic site has changed names over the years, but was most recently Sutter Hospital. Beautiful historic colorful tiles decorate the building, but sadly much vandalism has taken place. You will also get to visit the historical cemetery, see many historical buildings, and may optionally walk to the Paulin Creek Preserve to see the Oak woodlands our tax dollars purchased, the old dam spillway with colorful graffiti art, the site of the old pond, walk part of the Water Agency Road and return to cars.
This walk will be along paths with uneven surfaces and dirt trails so please wear appropriate footwear. (Please no wheelchairs or walkers) Class: E-2-A. Bring water and snacks.
Meet 11 am (off County Farm Drive) by Bird Rescue Center 3430 Chanate Rd. Follow the one way loop road with the rock walls and park in the area to your left as you approach the top. Walk over to the Bird Rescue Center to meet Carol Vellutini , the walk leader, and sign in.
There is no cost to go on this walk, and no reservations are required. For additional information, please visit www.sierraclub.org/redwood/outings
The Sierra Club is not a member or sponsor of Friends of Chanate, and there is no connection between the two organizations.
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN. IT IS BEING RE-PLANNED FOR ANOTHER DATE. CHECK BACK IN FOR THE NEW DATE.
Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the historic County hospital property along Chanate before demolition and development begins.
On April 7th, at 11 a.m., The Sierra Club is sponsoring a guided walk of this beautiful property – this is a unique chance to learn more about the history of this site, which is the location of Santa Rosa’s first community hospital.
On the walk you will visit the Bird Rescue Center (which unfortunately will have to move off of the site when development starts), see the site of Santa Rosa’s first community hospital, “WPA 1941” rock walls, the former Sutter hospital with the colorful tiles, the historic cemetery, and many historic buildings. If time permits, we will walk by the Paulin Creek Preserve.
Jeremy Nichols, a local historian, will be the narrator. Other speakers may also speak about the fire and evacuation, although the Chanate property was fortunately spared.
The approximately 2 mile walk will be along paths with uneven surfaces and dirt trails so wear appropriate footwear. There are some hills. (Please no wheelchairs or walkers.) Be sure to bring water and snacks.
Meet at 11 a.m. off County Farm Drive by the Bird Rescue Center (3430 Chanate Rd.) in the parking lot. Follow the one way loop with the rock walls and park in the area to your left as you approach the top.
Rain cancels.
There is no cost to go on this walk, and no reservations are required. For additional information, please visit www.sierraclub.org/redwood/outings
The Sierra Club is not a member or sponsor of Friends of Chanate, and there is no connection between the two organizations. This is merely an announcement of an event Friends of Chanate thinks its mailing list might find interesting.
Thanks to you and our many other generous supporters, on March 14, 2018 Friends of Chanate met a key legal benchmark; we completed our deposit of $35,000 with Sonoma County to pay for the Administrative Record.
Equally important have been the many volunteer hours devoted to research, documentation and spreading the word. Thank you, all!
We will continue to press forward because it is unacceptable that the County has given a gift of public funds to their favored developer. County taxpayers deserve a full public process before this valuable 82-acre property is given away for only $6-12 million dollars.
Next the County will prepare the Administrative Record (which consists of all the documents that will be used to prove our case) and submit it to the court. However, first the County must address our significant comments about their attempt to include irrelevant and duplicative documents in the Administrative Record. By our count, over 1/3 of their proposed record consists of documents that are irrelevant and/or duplicative. They’ve also left out a number of important documents, and we will be demanding that those documents be included in the Record.
If necessary, our attorney will return to court to demand that the Administrative Record appropriately contain only the documents necessary for this lawsuit, and if possible, further reduce the cost. There continues to be no charge to Friends of Chanate for this representation, as our attorney is donating her fees on the matter of the Administrative Record.
After the Administrative Record situation has been resolved, we will file our first legal brief with the Court. This need not be an endless process. The trial is now scheduled for July, and we look forward to a clear resolution on the merits of our case.
Although we have been able to thwart the County’s attempt to make us abandon our lawsuit, thanks to the contributions from our generous supporters, the battle is far from over. We expect the County to continue to use delaying tactics to drive up the cost to Friends of Chanate of pursuing our lawsuit.
Your continued support is critical to our success. Please make a tax-deductible contribution today to help us succeed!
We all deserve a County Government that is working for us, and is not giving valuable property away far too cheaply.
Please visit www.FriendsOfChanate.org to make a secure, tax deductible deposit, or donate securely on our Facebook page. You can also mail a tax deductible check to Friends of Chanate by making the check payable to “Friends of Chanate/ISI” and mailing it to Friends of Chanate, P.O. Box 1284, Santa Rosa, CA 95402.
Thank you, again, for your continued support!