Next time a politician promises a quick-and-easy solution to a thorny problem, remember what it took to begin making Roseland truly a part of Santa Rosa. It has been neither easy nor quick, but big things are happening in Roseland at last. Decades of hard work, compromise and collaboration are yielding tangible results. Roseland was an unincorporated donut hole in Santa Rosa for years before annexation in 2017. That created inefficiencies for local governments and inequities for the neighborhood’s predominantly Latino population of about 7, 400. Even after annexation, wildfires and a pandemic diverted attention from raising the level of services there to what the rest of the city enjoys. That is finally changing. Resident and local officials gathered about a week ago to break ground on the Hearn Hub, a complex that will include a new fire station, library and, one day, a community center in Roseland. The Hearn Hub follows residential development in Roseland. The Tierra de Rosas development broke ground in April. It will add 75 affordable apartments and 100 market-rate units. Other nearby changes include the popular Mitote food truck park, which relocated from the Tierra de Rosas site earlier this year but may return when the project is completed. We certainly hope so. There’s also progress halting, to be sure toward improvements to a 20-acre parcel of park land in Roseland. Each of these advances helps open the door for others. The result is an upward spiral of opportunity, livability and a sense of community for a neighborhood that was overlooked by local government for too long. A 2015 analysis concluded that a Roseland annexation would oblige Santa Rosa to provide $3. 5 million a year in city services. The neighborhood also needed upgraded roads, storm drains and other civic infrastructure costing $80 million. Such numbers can be a prescription for inaction. An editorial published on these pages in 2016 quoted another Press Democrat editorial from 1999: “The problems of Roseland won’t be solved overnight. Pulling together the finances could take 20 years.” That estimate was not far off. The 2017 annexation was only the beginning of the process of ensuring that Roseland residents fully enjoy the amenities and services other city residents take for granted. The key all along has been a mindset that sees Roseland not as a problem to be overcome but as an opportunity to be grasped. The neighborhood’s residents would require city services, but they would also pay taxes to offset the cost. The area needs infrastructure, but those improvements would support additional development, including new businesses, protect property values and enhance the quality of life in all of Santa Rosa. Putting that mindset into action requires persistence, imagination and collaboration. The first phase of the Hearn Hub, for instance, will cost $33 million. The money will come from several city sources, including wildfire settlement funds and Santa Rosa’s public safety tax. The Sonoma County Library Foundation and the Sonoma County Library Commission both kicked in. The Confederated Indians of Graton Rancheria came through with a key contribution. Local legislators and congressional representatives secured public funds. The result will become clear in the summer of 2027, when the library and fire station will open. The second phase will bring a civic center and other enhancements to the neighborhood. Big things happen when leaders unite to pursue a long-term vision of a better future. Roseland has been incorporated for almost a decade, but it is finally getting close to becoming a full part of Santa Rosa.
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/11/23/pd-editorial-santa-rosa-turns-its-attention-to-roseland/
PD Editorial: Santa Rosa turns its attention to Roseland
