Highway 12

Neighbors voice concerns with planned senior housing development on Highway 12

Paulina Pineda, PRESS DEMOCRAT

The latest proposal for housing on a 69-acre expanse off Highway 12 in eastern Santa Rosa faced close scrutiny and even outright opposition from some neighbors who packed a Monday meeting to get a first look at the project.

For about an hour, the new developers and city staffers were hit with comments from concerned residents who worry adding hundreds of new residents there would worsen congestion on the narrow, two-lane highway, particularly during an emergency.

Critics also raised concerns about the project’s impact on wildlife and water resources.

The discussion held at the Oakmont Village East Recreation Center served as a first public test for affordable housing developer Burbank Housing, which purchased the property three years ago.

Burbank’s proposal calls for 275 apartments and single-family homes in a 55-and-older mixed-income neighborhood.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2026/03/24/oakmont-residents-neighbors-voice-concerns-with-planned-senior-housing-development-on-highway-12/

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Residents to get look at new senior development planned on long-contested Highway 12 site

Paulina Pineda, PRESS DEMOCRAT

Residents will get a first public look at the proposal during a neighborhood meeting Monday, March 23 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Oakmont Village East Recreation Center, 7902 Oakmont Dr.

Revived plans for a long-contested housing proposal on Santa Rosa’s eastern edges are wending their way through the city development pipeline three years after the property changed hands.

The new owners, affordable housing developer Burbank Housing, envision transforming the 69-acre expanse off Highway 12 and Elnoka Lane into an age-restricted, mixed-income neighborhood.

The proposal calls for 275 apartments and single-family homes and about half the property would be preserved as open space.

Burbank officials say the project would add high-quality senior housing in eastern Santa Rosa, including much needed affordable housing, to meet the needs of a growing segment of the population that is increasingly being edged out of the market by rising prices, spokesperson Stefanie Bagala said.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2026/03/20/residents-to-get-first-look-monday-at-new-senior-development-planned-on-long-contested-highway-12-site/

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Luxury resort, winery approved in Sonoma Valley

Clark Mason, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
A proposed luxury hotel resort and winery in Kenwood that withstood court challenges before languishing for more than a decade is again moving ahead following a favorable decision from the Sonoma County Planning Commission.
Despite a vigorous campaign by opponents, the commission on Thursday unanimously upheld design changes to the future inn, spa and restaurant and affirmed that the project has a vested right to go forward.
“Legally we really don’t have a big leg to stand on if we decide this project isn’t going to go through,” said Commissioner Dick Fogg, adding that the design changes were not sufficient to require further review, or delay.
“I think it’s a better design. I like it,” said Commissioner John Lowry, echoing the comments of his colleagues on the 50-room hotel, luxury spa and 125-seat restaurant and bar. A relatively small 10,000-case winery and 11 homes that were previously approved have yet to undergo design review.
Opponents led by the Valley of the Moon Alliance have been fighting the hotel and resort since its inception about 15 years ago, viewing it as part of the steady onslaught of wineries, tasting rooms and events that have altered the face of the picturesque valley and piled more cars onto busy Highway 12.
Read more at: Luxury resort, winery approved in Sonoma Valley | The Press Democrat

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Map reveals wildlife roadkill hot spots in Sonoma County

Mary Callahan, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

 

In the North Bay, trouble spots include:
• The whole of Highway 101 between Petaluma and the Golden Gate Bridge, and particularly south of the Highway 580 junction, including several stretches where wooded hills rise on either side of the road;
• Highway 12 through the Sonoma Valley, which traverses a wildlife corridor; and
• Three segments of Highway 37 roughly along the shoreline of San Pablo Bay ­— at the mouth of the Petaluma River, near Highway 121 and Tolay Creek, and near Mare Island, west of the Napa River.
See California Roadkill Observation System.

An opossum, a coyote, a gray fox, a raccoon, a crow and several ground squirrels — all dead — were just a few of the sightings Marlene Radigue reported in recent weeks from a stretch of Highway 12 through the Sonoma Valley, near her home.
A steadfast witness to the deadly encounters between vehicles and wildlife along the roadway, the Glen Ellen woman has spent several years somberly documenting the results, then respectfully moving animal remains to the edge of the road so scavengers can take over without the risk of being killed themselves.It’s sobering work. But it offers hope of change, as well.
Radigue, a textile designer, is part of an effort through UC Davis to identify California highway “hotspots” — areas where deadly collisions between motorists and animals are statistically high — in order to raise awareness about safety risks to both animals and motorists, and guide planning and design decisions toward increasing wildlife crossing opportunities in the state’s complex highway system.
More than a thousand volunteer observers have contributed to the project since its inception in 2009, creating a growing database that’s the basis of an updated report on “wildlife-vehicle conflict zones” released by the UC Davis Road Ecology Center last week.
Read more at: Map reveals roadkill hot spots in Sonoma County | The Press Democrat

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