photo credit: City of Santa Rosa
Conceptual layout for the three route options for the future Southeast Greenway connection 
in Santa Rosa.

The future of Santa Rosa's bike and pedestrian network is taking shape this month.

The centerpiece is the long-awaited. two-mile-long Southeast Greenway.

That's the 49-acre belt of land once eyeballed for an extension of the Highway 12 freeway east to Spring Lake.

The focus at the moment is how the Greenway will connect with the existing Santa Rosa Creek Trail and Prince Memorial Greenway.

Santa Rosa city planner Torina Wilson said there's a few options out there:

"One alternative goes almost entirely on Sonoma Avenue," Wilson said. "It goes through Montgomery Village and then south on Hahman [Drive] until you get to Montgomery High School, and would link to where the Southeast Greenway is."

"This alternative is primarily either parking protected or raised bike lane option," Wilson said.

The three alternatives in question are bike and pedestrian paths or corridors linking downtown Santa Rosa with the future park. The goal is to create a continuous connection from the city's western edge, to Spring Lake Regional Park in Santa Rosa's eastern foothills.

Wilson said the second option starts out much the same as the first. "It would go down Sonoma Avenue, it would have a similar treatment, but instead of going all the way through Montgomery Village, you would turn south at Doyle Park Drive," Wilson said.

"You would meander through Doyle Park, you would link up to Hahman Avenue and then again just south of Montgomery High School you would link up with the Southeast Greenway," Wilson said.

The third alternative runs a different route from downtown.

"You would go south on Santa Rosa Avenue and then you would link to a series of residential streets," Wilson said. "So you would use Charles Street, but ultimately what you would be on the most of the time is Vallejo Street until you get to Farmers Lane. You would be on Farmers Lane for a little jog, but we would have some sort of separated and or raised bike lane for bicycles and pedestrians. And then again, you would link just to the south of Montgomery High School."

Wilson said all three options are "completely feasible" and could be built out to coincide with the Greenway's opening. A proposed master plan is expected for the linear park next spring. She said the trouble right now, actually narrowing down options.

"So I'm hearing some people say, 'Oh, when I'm traveling to work, I'm really interested in alternative number one because it would be a straight shot down Sonoma Avenue and if I want to get downtown really quick from say, you know, Montgomery Village area, then I could do that,'" Wilson said. "Then they're saying, 'but on the weekend, if I'm wanting to, you know, ride my bike with my children and I want to meander and take my time and we might stop in Doyle Park and have a picnic and play on the playground, then I really like alternative number two.'"

The Southeast Greenway connectivity survey is open for public feedback and comment through July 31st, after that city planners will go forward with a preferred plan.

An in-person workshop for the Greenway connection will be held on July 29 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the City of Santa Rosa finance building at 635 1st Street in Santa Rosa.