photo credit: City of Santa Rosa
Rendering of westward aerial view of 1650 West
Steele Lane development within the surrounding
neighborhood.

Snoopy will still be able to sleep in his doghouse, but will he have a place to park?

There's been disagreement over parking for a 36 unit housing development slated to go up across the street from Snoopy’s Home Ice.

The hold up: as planned there are just 36 dedicated parking spaces in the works, one for each unit. That’s proven a major issue for the Schulz Museum and Rink, said Erin Carlstrom, attorney for parent company Charles Schulz Creative Associates.

"The appellants are not appealing the housing component nor the density proposed," Carlstrom said. "We recognize Santa Rosa's housing shortage remains critical and that this site will be home to their new neighbors and friends. The problem is the applicants are giving their residents nowhere to park. There are 69 bedrooms proposed with only 36 parking spaces."

Schulz Creative Associates appealed against the approved plans for the project on West Steele Lane, a short walk from Santa Rosa’s Coddingtown Mall.

Gina Hunstinger, Charles Schulz Museum Director, said safety and accessibility are the major motivators for the appeal.

"We're asking for 16 more parking spaces," Huntsinger said. "We've been consistent. It's safe and it's realistic."

For developer Patrick O’Neill, the project is about challenging the dominance of car-centric development.

"Sometimes you have to be brave and just go forward and try a plan and use 1650 West Steele Lane as a pilot program," O'Neill said. "If worried about cars, let's just get on our bike. Let's get healthy, let's get fit, and let's just provide a different way of living. So that's the way I'm looking at this project."

The 16 additional spaces are not to be though; the Santa Rosa city council unanimously denied the appeal, allowing the 36 unit multi-family housing complex to move forward with 36 designated parking spaces as planned.