Reimagining the Downtown Core
Community meeting on Thursday, Nov. 14, at SebArts about creating a safer, thriving, and more welcoming Downtown Sebastopol
On August 31, 2023, the City of Sebastopol was awarded a Sustainable Transportation Grant from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The grant amount was $230,178, with a local match of $29,822, for a total of $260,000.
The city hired consultant Fehr & Peers, a transportation planning firm, to help the town develop a new vision for Sebastopol’s downtown corridor.
On Thursday, Nov. 14, from 3 pm to 7 pm, they’ll be having their first community-wide open house and workshop on the plan at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High St.
There will be short, optional presentations around 3:15 pm and 6 pm and interactive activities and opportunities for small group discussions. Drop in for any amount of time to chat with City staff and the consultant team about the project. Snacks, refreshments, and kids activities will be provided.
Find background information on the project HERE.
The consultants have also put together a survey to gather public opinion for the project. You can take that survey HERE.
What areas will be affected by the plan?
The project study area includes Main Street and Petaluma Avenue between Wilton Avenue and Willow Street, McKinley Street, and Bodega Avenue/Sebastopol Avenue between Main Street and Barnes Avenue.
What are the objectives of the plan?
According to a presentation to the Sebastopol Planning Commission on Oct. 22, the objectives of the project are as follows:
Enhance multimodal safety, accessibility, and comfort to help make Downtown Sebastopol a more desirable place to walk, bike, or use transit.
Encourage mode shift to reduce vehicle travel and increase the use of alternative transportation modes to support the City’s greenhouse gas reduction goals.
Reduce the negative impacts of regional through-traffic on Downtown Sebastopol, including truck traffic.
Engage with the Downtown business community to identify mobility and design enhancements that would help to revitalize the area and create a more inviting place to do business.
Develop consensus with Caltrans, County of Sonoma, and City of Sebastopol regarding recommended improvements to enhance regional circulation on selected roadways in the vicinity of Sebastopol and support the preferred alternative for Downtown.
Engage disadvantaged residents in the planning process to identify and address their mobility priorities.
Identify a preferred alternative to improve active transportation while maintaining adequate vehicle circulation to, within, and through Downtown.
Develop urban design and streetscape concepts to enhance the sense of place in Downtown and contribute to establishing the Downtown area as more of a destination.
Develop a set of concept-level design plans for Downtown multimodal mobility enhancements that can be used to pursue grant funding to complete design and construction.
At the Oct. 22 meeting, the Fehr & Peers consultant ripped through an update on the project in record time. See that here at the 1:14 mark.
For more information on the project, go to the city webpage on the project.
Over the years, the city has hired enough “Downtown Consultants” to field a pro football team – both offense and defense. And downtown remains, alas, like Pi - unchangeable.
Thank you for this important alert. We need as many voices as possible this session to get feedback! Should be fun as well with child care and pens to scribble.