Santa Rosa is asking residents to help design what will become the city's fourth-largest public park, with two community workshops scheduled in November at Montgomery Junior Senior High School to gather ideas for the 49-acre Southeast Greenway. The sessions, set for November 4 and November 5 at 1250 Hahman Drive, are part of the city's planning process for the long-vacant corridor between Farmers Lane and Spring Lake Regional Park. The city hired a landscape architecture firm this summer to draft a master plan.
According to The Press Democrat, the November 4 workshop will be conducted in English and the November 5 session will be held in Spanish, part of an effort described by campaign volunteer Hensel to reach property owners, school officials, nonprofits and other community groups who have a stake in the greenway's future. Residents unable to attend in person can also weigh in through an online survey available in both languages. Once complete, the corridor will rank as Santa Rosa's fourth-largest public park, according to Made Local Magazine, spanning nearly two miles between Farmers Lane and Spring Lake Regional Park.
A Freeway Fight That Became a Park Campaign
The land's history stretches back decades. The Press Democrat reports that the California Department of Transportation began acquiring the 58-acre property in the 1950s, intending to build a four-lane Highway 12 extension through the area. Community activism derailed a proposed bridge over Spring Lake in 1989. Neighbors organized the Southeast Greenway Campaign in 2009, and highway extension plans were officially scrubbed in 2014, per the Press Democrat, with partners signing a formal agreement with Caltrans the following year.
State transportation officials approved the land sale in May 2024, and the $1.8 million purchase of the 49-acre parcel closed that October, per the same account. The acquisition drew support well beyond city hall: community groups and individuals contributed alongside a $1 million grant from the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. The effort was later honored with an Acquisition Merit Award from the California Trails & Greenways Award Program, a 40-year-old recognition sponsored by California State Parks, with representatives accepting the honor at a state conference in Pomona in May 2025, according to the Southeast Greenway Campaign.
Not All of the Corridor Becomes Parkland
Not every acre of the original corridor is destined for open space. The state retained about 9 acres near Farmers Lane for housing.
The master plan itself is funded by $1.2 million in park impact fees, supplemented by a $750,000 grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, per the Press Democrat's reporting. The Santa Rosa City Council formally approved a $2.67 million master planning contract with San Francisco-based CMG Landscape Architecture on June 16, after transportation and public works officials sought a consultant in January 2026. CMG previously led planning for the Petaluma River park and waterfront areas near Oracle Park, the paper reports.
What Could Take Shape on the Land
Early community input has pointed toward a mix of passive and active recreation, according to the Press Democrat. Ideas under consideration include play space, green gathering areas, a multiuse path, a community garden and native-habitat education areas, along with ball fields, courts and picnic areas. The easternmost end of the property could remain largely natural open space, while residents have also shown interest in a new Spring Lake entrance, improved trailheads and creek crossings.
The planned multiuse trail is envisioned as a major piece of regional active transportation infrastructure. A walking and bike path would connect the Prince Memorial Greenway and SMART trail to Spring Lake and Trione-Annadel State Park, according to the Press Democrat, linking downtown rail transit directly to regional open spaces.
The planning process includes public communications and arts-based community engagement.
Officials Call It a Once-in-a-Generation Chance
Mayor Mark Stapp said community input will be critical to shaping the site's long-term vision, calling the Southeast Greenway a once-in-a-generation opportunity for a new landmark public space, according to the Press Democrat. Dan Hennessey said community ideas should be reflected in the final plans, the paper reports, echoing sentiment from residents who have pushed for this park since the campaign's earliest days.
Consultants and city staff will review public feedback gathered this fall through the winter and spring, before a final draft master plan goes to the City Council for approval. A draft park master plan is expected to be released in summer 2027, at which point the project would transition to the design phase.
In the meantime, Santa Rosa's parks continue to draw on Measure M, a countywide one-eighth-cent sales tax due to expire in 2029. If voters approve the proposed renewal, it would supply the city with roughly $2.6 million annually for park maintenance, upgrades and trail access — a funding source that Hoodline previously reported Sonoma County supervisors voted to move ahead with renewing and line up for a November voter decision, though formal ballot placement still required later action. Community members can track planning updates at southeastgreenway.org as the process moves forward.
