After decades without a true city center, Rohnert Park is finally putting a stake in the ground. On Nov. 18, the City Council approved preliminary terms with CenterCal Properties to transform the former State Farm campus at 6400 State Farm Drive into a new downtown, setting the stage for formal negotiations on a project that could reshape the city. The roughly 30-acre site, situated next to the SMART train station, is slated for a mix of housing, shops, a hotel, and a central plaza that city leaders hope will become Rohnert Park's long-sought civic center.
What’s in the plan
According to Northern California Public Media, the draft outline calls for at least 300 housing units in four multi-story buildings, with CenterCal allowed to apply to boost that number to 450. At least 25% of those homes must be affordable. The plan also identifies approximately 146,955 square feet of commercial space, featuring 60 studio units stacked above a portion of the retail area.
City Manager Marcela Piedra has framed the affordability targets around 80% of Sonoma County's area median income, using roughly $84,650 for a single earner and about $96,000 for two people as guideposts for the restricted units, according to Northern California Public Media.
Money and infrastructure
The city's staff report and draft term sheet set a purchase price of $11.2 million and require CenterCal to relocate the existing water main on the property at the developer's expense, a task that city staff estimates will cost approximately $2.2 million, as per the Draft Conceptual Design and non-binding Preliminary Stage Term Sheet. The same packet pegs off-site roadway and infrastructure costs at roughly $9 million.
The city currently has about $7.2 million available for those off-site improvements, according to a City of Rohnert Park press release. The term sheet also spells out that the 300-unit minimum and the 25% affordability requirement are tied to compliance with the state Surplus Land Act for the former State Farm site.
Local concerns and the developer's track record
Not everyone is ready to hand over the keys. Labor groups and residents urged councilmembers to incorporate strong local-hire rules and contractor oversight into any final agreement, as reported by The Press Democrat. They argued that if Rohnert Park is getting a once-in-a-generation downtown, local workers should get a fair shot at building it.
CenterCal representatives say they have been meeting with labor organizations and point to their experience with mixed-use, community-oriented centers. The firm manages Bay Street Emeryville, among other projects, according to the developer's site, a track record several councilmembers cited when they chose CenterCal to shepherd the downtown plan.
Next steps and timeline
If the council's approval stands, CenterCal must finish due diligence within 150 calendar days and file land-use entitlement applications within 180 days. After that, city staff would negotiate a formal Disposition and Development Agreement, or DDA, according to the staff report.
If approvals and construction stay on a relatively clean schedule, the new downtown could be built as soon as September 2029, Northern California Public Media reports.
