Santa Rosa's Southeast Greenway Gets Drawn This Winter, Long Before It Gets Built
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
Plans for the strip of land between Farmers Lane and Spring Lake have been changing for about seventy years. Caltrans bought it for a freeway. Neighbors pushed back. The state let it go, and the city bought it. Through all of that, nearly two miles of open ground sat between the homes along Mayette and Hoen avenues and stayed mostly the same.
In September the City of Santa Rosa announced the start of master planning for the 49-acre Southeast Greenway. The city also set the first public workshops for November 4 and 5. Construction is years away. What the park becomes, though, is being decided between now and next summer, and that work starts with residents.
The greenway's past explains why this fall's planning matters to the people who live next to it. For most of its history, decisions about this land were made by agencies that were not its neighbors.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1952 to 1972 | Caltrans acquires the corridor for a Highway 12 extension |
| 1989 | Residents oppose a bridge proposed in that year's highway plan |
| 2009 | Neighbors form the Southeast Greenway Campaign |
| 2014 | The Highway 12 extension is dropped |
| 2015 | Partners sign an agreement with Caltrans that opens the door to a purchase |
| May 2024 | State transportation officials approve the sale |
| October 2024 | Santa Rosa completes the purchase of 49 acres for about $1.8 million |
| June 16, 2026 | City Council approves the master planning contract |
| Fall 2026 to summer 2027 | Community master planning |
Caltrans first assembled a 58-acre property. When Santa Rosa bought its 49 acres, the state kept about nine acres near Farmers Lane, which the Press Democrat reports will be developed as housing. A $1 million grant from the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District paid for part of the purchase. Donations from community groups and individuals covered more.
The timeline also shows a long stretch where little happened. The Press Democrat reported that work stalled for more than a year after the 2024 purchase while the city reorganized its parks department. Transportation and Public Works officials went looking for a consultant in January 2026. The city now has a contract, a schedule and a survey open to the public.
Beyond choosing amenities, the master plan will set management and stewardship strategies for the site and identify programming opportunities, the Press Democrat's September coverage reports. Design starts after the plan is adopted. So the design work will follow the plan. Choices about ball courts versus quiet meadow, how many neighborhood entrances to build, and what kinds of events the park hosts get settled in this phase.
The city hired San Francisco-based CMG Landscape Architecture under a $2.67 million contract. Petaluma readers may know the firm's work, since it led planning for the Petaluma River Park. The planning is paid for with $1.2 million in park impact fees paid by developers, a $750,000 grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and campaign donations passed through Sonoma Land Trust. None of that money builds the park. Construction funding is a later fundraising effort, and Thea Hensel, a longtime greenway volunteer, has been direct about how long it will take. She told the Press Democrat:
"It's a long haul. We are going after grants and we already have some people interested in donating … but this is not going to get built in a year."
That puts this winter's input at the start of everything that follows. According to the Press Democrat, consultants and city staff will spend the winter and spring sorting through feedback and drafting alternatives for the community to review. A final draft is expected by summer, and then it goes to the City Council. Those alternatives will be built from what people say in November.
Residents won't be starting from a blank page. Earlier rounds of community input already produced a list of ideas, and the city's announcement says the final mix will be decided through this new process. Here is what has come up so far, from the city's September release and the Press Democrat's reporting:
Some of these ideas pull against each other. Courts and picnic grounds draw people and activity onto flat ground that today is mostly open. Natural open space draws far fewer. The Press Democrat notes that the master plan will be shaped by input from residents, property owners along the greenway, officials from nearby schools and other stakeholders. Where along the two miles each use ends up, and how it fits with the backyards on either side, is the kind of question the workshops exist to answer.
The street crossings are also still open. An earlier city planning memo suggested crossings at Summerfield Road, Yulupa Avenue and Franquette Avenue, plus improved intersections at Hoen Avenue and Cypress Way. Those were concepts, and the city's June 2026 description still lists safer crossings and access points among the features to be planned. If a particular crossing matters to your household, this is the time to say so.
The best way to have an opinion about the greenway is to walk it, and volunteers have made that easy. The Southeast Greenway Campaign runs free guided walks of about two miles. The next one is Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to noon. Registration is required, and a shuttle brings back anyone who would rather not walk the return trip. Past walks have started near Montgomery High School and ended just past Summerfield Road. The continuous public path is still being planned, so a guided walk is the most reliable way to see the full length.
The land already has some regular activity. The Press Democrat reports that Sonoma Land Trust has held yoga and bird watching there, and that campaign volunteers have run cleanups to help with the city's maintenance. The campaign describes an annual cleanup on the stretch between Franquette Avenue and Summerfield Road. Off the land, the campaign's yearly Child in the Wild celebration was held at Howarth Park on May 31 this year, with music, cultural performances and family activities.
All of this shows the land is already used. Walks, bird counts and cleanups are a modest start, and the master plan is meant to build on what people do there now.
Mayor Mark Stapp, whose District 2 includes the part of the greenway west of Summerfield Road, called it "a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Santa Rosa residents to create a new landmark public space," according to the Press Democrat. The November workshops at 1250 Hahman Drive are the first chance to help shape it.
Rob has spent years watching North Bay neighborhoods change around parks, trails and public spaces like this one. If you live near the greenway and want to talk about what the planning could mean for your corner of southeast Santa Rosa, Rob Sullivan is happy to sit down over coffee, with no agenda beyond being a good neighbor. Let's Connect.
If you are seeking a real estate professional whom you can trust and count on for the long haul, then look no further. Rob will earn your loyalty and turn your dreams into reality.
