Santa Rosa staff proposes Ross Street weekend activation pilot, seeks SRTBIA support

City economic development staff on Wednesday outlined a proposed Ross Street activation pilot that would temporarily close part of Ross Street on weekends and activate an adjacent parking lot with programming aimed at increasing downtown activity and overnight stays.

“For the record, Scott Adair, chief economic development officer for the city of Santa Rosa,” Adair said as he introduced the item and turned the presentation over to program analyst Rachel Beere. Beere told the board an ad hoc Downtown Action Organization committee has been meeting biweekly to shape logistics, permitting and a programming schedule for a spring–summer pilot designed to support weekend activations.

Beere said the pilot would coordinate with public works, fire, police and planning on permitting and compliance, and that staff plans to measure attendance and engagement using analytics tools such as Placer AI. She described the pilot as a short-term test that would close roughly half of the street on weekends to allow vendors, stages and seating, while keeping a lane open for parking-lot access.

Board members pressed staff for budget details. Beere said the ad hoc committee drafted a line-item budget of about $170,000 for the program; staff described an expected SRTBIA request that would cover part of that total, and estimated a per-activation cost of roughly $3,000 when the program is viewed as many activations over the pilot period. “There is a draft budget that the ad hoc committee has worked on… the proposed budget was about I think we had it about a $170,000,” Beere said.

Several board members questioned why the board would be asked for roughly $100,000 when barricades or basic staging sometimes appear inexpensive. Staff replied that the budget covers infrastructure (tables, chairs, lighting), staging and performances, vendor support, staffing and permitting logistics, and that additional funds would come from sponsorships, fundraising and business contributions.

Location and partners: staff said the pilot would center on Ross Street near Mendocino and B Street and would activate an adjacent private parking lot whose owner is participating on the ad hoc committee. Beere listed Cooperage, Flagship, CoLab, Barrel Proof Lounge, the California Theater and other downtown businesses as engaged stakeholders.

Operational questions included alcohol service and permitting. Beere said those logistics were being worked through with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and that downtown businesses could participate in the activation; staff said established downtown businesses would likely be able to participate without a vendor fee while outside food trucks could be charged to participate.

Public commenters with placemaking experience urged careful site selection and grassroots involvement. Spring Maxfield, who said she previously closed Ross Street for a one-day festival, offered to advise on lessons learned; Kristen Kiefer, a downtown events organizer, said she supported street closures in principle but questioned whether Ross Street was the right location and urged design choices that create a clear terminus and sense of place.

Next steps: board members and staff agreed to return this feedback to the ad hoc DAO committee for refinement of the budget, marketing (“heads and beds”) plan for nonresident visitors, permitting details and hotel engagement. No formal vote or funding commitment was taken; the item was presented for discussion and feedback.

What’s next: staff said the city hopes to begin a three-month pilot in spring or summer—if permits align—running weekend activations with an evaluation afterward to inform future decisions.