In a misguided attempt to increase business at the dying Santa Rosa Plaza shopping center, the City of Santa Rosa’s Zoning Administrator has approved the replacement of the mall’s pedestrian plaza with parking spaces. Four spaces will designated for disabled parking, and six spaces are for the convenience of Door Dash drivers picking up deliveries from a new P.F. Chang’s restaurant.
The approval is under appeal by the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition with the support of Santa Rosa YIMBY, Bikeable Santa Rosa, and North Bay Transit Riders.
“Santa Rosa has been moving toward a downtown that is more bike and pedestrian friendly,” said Eris Weaver, Executive Director of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition. “Why do they need more parking? It feels like they’re trying to sneak something by the public.’’ The appellants assert that the change will reduce safe passage options for cyclists, adding two conflict points as drivers enter and exit the parking lot and focus on westbound traffic, making cyclists even more vulnerable to increased traffic and reducing pedestrian safety, especially for those using wheelchairs and other mobility devices.
The pedestrian plaza, located on B Street, was for many years the site of the public artwork “Agraria”. The sculpture by artist Larry Kirkland, which symbolizes the importance of agricultural workers in Sonoma County, is a giant hand. It was removed in 2025 to make room for the addition of parking spots as the mall proudly announced the deal to bring P.F. Chang’s to Santa Rosa.
Santa Rosa’s downtown is a symbol of the worst of the last century’s approach to urban planning. The main downtown business district centers on Old Courthouse Square, which is bordered by small businesses, a hotel, and office buildings. The Square hosts community markets and events, and is the site for most community demonstrations and rallies.
Santa Rosa Plaza is a 1980s-era enclosed mall that was originally anchored by Sears and Macy’s but only Macy’s remains at this time. The Apple store recently moved from Santa Rosa Plaza to Montgomery Village, a vibrant open-air mall about a mile from the Plaza.
The Plaza creates a barrier between downtown Santa Rosa and Railroad Square, a tourist and retail area next to the SMART train station. To reach Railroad Square and the train, pedestrians and bicyclists have to either walk through or around the mall and its five interconnected parking garages housing 3,000 parking spaces.
“Car infrastructure already consumes 47% of the entire surface area of downtown, more space than is used by sidewalks, parks, housing, businesses, and rail combined. The city’s own parking analysis shows that 74% of parking spaces downtown go unused on a typical busy day. We simply don’t need more car access,” said Adrian Covert, co-chair of Santa Rosa YIMBY.
Santa Rosa (population 180,000) is the largest city between San Francisco and the Oregon border, 170 miles north. A strong bicycle community comes together for weekly Taco Tuesday bike rides of 100 to 300 regulars, and there is a strong bicycle tourism economy with interesting weekend rides through vineyards and quaint towns.
