We are not allowing drive-thru restaurants in the downtown developer for a few reasons:

• The goal of Downtown Rohnert Park is a development centered around people, not cars. Having drive-thru restaurants would increase traffic in the development.
• Drive-thru restaurants take up a lot of space with drive-thru lanes and signboards. We want to prioritize that space for the public through plazas, seating, walking paths, and other people-friendly amenities.
• The increased traffic and idling of cars would add significant greenhouse gas emissions, which would go against the goal of building a walkable Downtown Rohnert Park centered around people... not the automobile.

The final design and layout of Downtown Rohnert Park will be decided when the City partners with a developer.

However, our conceptual site maps incorporate a town square that could support our wonderful Community Services events in the future at downtown Rohnert Park!

One unfortunate issue in recent months is that some of the trees on the property are in poor health. Rohnert Park expects that 33 trees will need to be removed to ensure the public's safety when on the property.

The city was not pleased that the prior owner cut down so many trees before deciding to not proceed with the project and will remove trees only when absolutely necessary. The city's arborist has determined that 20 Coast Redwoods have declined beyond recovery and will need to be removed at some point. Plenty of new trees will be planted as the downtown is built.

See the Rohnert Park Tree Map.

We're building housing for several reasons. One is that this region and the state need more housing to make it more affordable. Increasing housing is a top priority for the City Council. Additionally, state law requires cities to build housing if we develop public property, and 25% of the units need to be affordable.

Rohnert Park residents have long asked for more non-chain retail and restaurants. Concentrating those non-chain businesses in the downtown area will turn the 30-acre site into a walkable downtown. Park once and spend your next few hours wandering around the square, poking into new shops and restaurants, or simply enjoying your choice of beverage on the square.

During the past year, the City has worked with Urban Design Consultants to determine the optimal places to put housing, retail, and hotel. The Hotel was situated near the SMART station as an easy way for folks getting off the train to travel to the hotel. The Achilles Heel of public transportation has always been the "first and last mile," meaning people often must drive to public transit, which defeats the purpose of using public transit. By placing the hotel close to the SMART stop, people only need to walk a short distance to the hotel instead of driving or relying on a ride-sharing service.

These designs are conceptual and focused towards showing developers the land uses (where retail, housing, and hotel could go) as well as highlighting how we want the shops and residential units to interact with the street and environment (Form Based Code). The actual design and color of the buildings may well change, as are the amenities (benches, trees, greenery) surrounding the retail and residential are subject to change. Check out the “Form Based Code” FAQ section to get a glimpse of Form Based Code in action.

Hotels can be an extremely valuable addition to a downtown area. They bring leisure visitors to the heart of a community. They can fill a market need by accommodating visitors to nearby businesses and institutions such as Sonoma State and the Casino. Hotels can generate sales for nearby retail and service businesses and capture tourism dollars in the community. Hotels also generate significant tax revenues while creating many new jobs. 

Developments like this can easily cost $200 million or more. Neither the City nor developers have that kind of money to instantly pay for the development. Cities rely on developers and investors to shoulder upfront financial risk of paying for a development of this magnitude. The majority of the money to pay for the development comes from the developer and their investors. Additional funding comes from federal, state, and local grants and loans, all of which take time to apply for and receive.

On October 24, 2023 we presented the conceptual layout of Downtown Rohnert Park, with 60,000 to 120,000 square feet of new retail, 300 to 500 housing units, of which 25% will be affordable, a boutique hotel, and central to the entire project, a large community square.