Spring 2003 Newsletter

Update Moore Project:

Street Tree Planting - April 5th!

For everyone that requested street trees for the sidewalk area in front of their homes, we will be planting them on: Saturday, April 5

Plan to meet at the St. Rose Church Parking Lot area at 8 a.m.

The City Parks Department is providing the trees (crape myrtles) and will show us how to plant them. You will need to provide your own shovel(s).

We will be starting with the homes on Tenth Street and moving on to the rest of the neighborhood after that. All trees should be planted by noon. Besides the trees in front of individual homes, we will also be planting 27 trees around the perimeter of the St. Rose Church parking lot. This should soften the view of the chain link fence that surrounds the lot. Neighbors on Tenth Street have agreed to water the trees that will be around the church. If you have requested street trees and will not be available on April 5 (although we hope everyone will be there to help) please call Denise or Joe at 544-5713 so we can make plans to plant your trees.

Traffic Diverter - 10th & B Streets

I'm sure, by now, everyone is aware that the City has put in a traffic diverter at Tenth & B Streets. This is a direct result of our meetings with the City regarding the Moore Project (slated to start being built on the empty Beauty School lot this summer). The neighbors felt that this project would create a negative impact by generating a significant increase in traffic cutting through our neighborhood to reach Hwy. 101. In order to mitigate this situation, the City approved a traffic diverter to re-route traffic south on B Street to 7th Street or 3rd Street. There will be a nine month "test" period during which time the City will poll the neighbors to get their opinion on the diverter's impact. If, after the 9-month test period, the majority of the neighbors support the diverter, it will be installed permanently. As a homeowner on Tenth Street, I can attest to the fact that it has already reduced the amount of speeding cars cutting through our neighborhood and as a result, crossing Tenth Street on foot or backing out of our driveway is a lot less stressful.

Cal Trans Project

Cal Trans is currently holding meetings with the City of Santa Rosa's staff in regards to the next step of the Hwy. 101 expansion from Hwy. 12 to Steele Lane. Already added to the project is an undercrossing (for autos & pedestrians) which will connect Sixth Street between our neighborhood and Railroad Square. Still to be decided are designs for the sound walls and other aesthetic aspects of the project. Rian Sanderson has volunteered to attend these meetings (which are the first Tuesday of each month @ 10:00 a.m. in the Public Works Department located @ 69 Stony Circle) as a representative for our neighborhood. He will be reporting back to us anything he feels requires our input. In the meantime, there should be an EIR presentation by Cal Trans in April and a presentation to the public in May. For more information, you can visit the Cal Trans website at: www.dot.ca.gov/dist4/route12wpg.htm

Sonoma County Museum

The Sonoma County Museum (on 7th Street) is offering an Education and Lecture Series this spring. If you didn't make "The Art of Architectural Preservation" presented by Dan Peterson in February, you missed a fascinating history of not only how the City's post office was moved to it's present location to become the museum, but also the architectural history of some of the homes in our district. The current 2nd-floor exhibit on "International Artiststamps" is quite entertaining as is the first floor photo exhibit documenting the post office move from it's old location (by Mervyns) to it's present location. For a list of future exhibits and presentations, visit their website at: www.sonomacountymuseum or drop by the museum for a brochure of upcoming events.

SRJC Culinary Cafe & Bakery

The Santa Rosa Junior College's new Culinary Arts Center has opened in the Brickyard Center on the corner of 7th & B Streets. The college's culinary arts program trains students in food preparation and restaurant support jobs. The bakery is open M-F, 7:30am-2pm and 3-course gourmet lunches (for less than $10) are served Wednesday-Friday from 11:30-2pm. Lunch reservations are required. To make reservations or for other information call: 576-0279.

Project Updates:

Union Hall - Tenth & B Streets Finish in 2003.

Moore Project - Old Beauty School lot on 10th & B: Start late summer 2003.

Museum Place Townhouses - Map to subdivide approved by Planning Commission. Design Review Board to review again. Neighborhood to receive notice when review scheduled.

Museum Expansion - Not for 5-10 years.

Lot at 10th & Washington- Status unknown.

Regular Items