Santa Rosa, CA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SRCC § 20-28.060
- Applies to
- Downtown Station Area Specific Plan area
- Downtown Transition stepback
- 6 ft minimum above 5th floor
- Neighborhood Transition front setback
- 6-10 feet minimum/maximum
- Creek building setback trigger
- Within 200 ft of creek top of bank
- Active Ground Floor threshold
- 2-3 design features by frontage length
Summary
New buildings in the Downtown Station Area Specific Plan area must follow the -DSA combining district's stepback, setback, and ground-floor design rules under City Code Section 20-28.060, which sets form, streetscape, and public-realm standards that apply on top of the base zoning district.
The -DSA combining district is intended to enhance and reinforce distinctive characteristics within the Downtown Station Area Specific Plan area and create environments that are comfortable to walk in by establishing development form, intensity, streetscape, and public realm standards. ... Buildings must step back from the street frontage a minimum of 10 feet above the third floor. Above 6 stories, buildings must maintain a daylight plane of 45 degrees... Surface parking areas are not permitted between the sidewalk and the building facade.
Full Breakdown
020. " In the Downtown Transition zone along Fourth and Fifth Streets, buildings must step back at least six feet above the fifth floor. In Neighborhood Transition areas covering Seventh, Ninth/W. Ninth, Cherry, Riley, and B Streets, Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa and College Avenues, and E Street, front setbacks run 6 to 10 feet with required trees, shrubs, and groundcovers per Chapter 20-34, buildings must step back a minimum of 10 feet above the third floor, and above six stories a 45-degree daylight plane applies; surface parking cannot sit between the sidewalk and the building facade.
The Creek and Trail Activation Transition requires new buildings within 200 feet of the creek top of bank to orient a pedestrian entrance toward the creek and provide public pathways at least 15 feet wide, spaced no more than 600 feet apart. The Active Ground Floor Overlay requires developments with up to 90 linear feet of street frontage to include two or more pedestrian-oriented design features (awnings, street furniture, public art, active recreation space, or a green wall), while developments over 90 linear feet must include three or more, and ground-floor facades of nonresidential buildings must use clear, untinted glass between two and seven feet above grade. These standards were adopted by Ord. 2020-014 Section 16 and amended by Ord. 2021-012 Section 18.
Violations & Fines
Development review authority (the Review Authority under the primary zoning district's permit process) evaluates -DSA compliance at entitlement; a project that fails to meet the stepback, frontage, or transparency standards cannot receive design or building permit approval until plans are revised to conform. Because the district works through the discretionary permit process rather than fines, noncompliance results in permit denial or conditions of approval rather than a citation, and conflicts between -DSA and base-district standards are resolved in favor of whichever standard is more restrictive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the downtown design overlay replace the base zoning standards?
How tall can a building be before the stepback rules kick in near residential transition streets?
What must a new building near Santa Rosa Creek provide under the design overlay?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Rosa
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