Courthouse Square Reunification

The Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce urges the City Council to stand firm in its decision to allocate the previously committed funds for the next phase of Courthouse Square reunification - and not use the long-term investment dollars for ongoing salaries and expenses. The mix of special project and Redevelopment funds will allow the project design work to continue in order that capital improvement dollars can be raised for future implementation. Also, by holding strong and demonstrating leadership in realizing the long-term vision for downtown, the City Council demonstrates that we can and will use funds wisely. For private developers looking to make multi-million dollar investments in pioneering projects, and for public agencies like the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) that has already funded pieces of the reunification puzzle as well as the Station Area Plan, it is essential that the City Council stand behind its previous commitments. We cannot short-change long term investment decisions to cover the short-term budget crisis.

The City has a long list of important projects that have been held up for many reasons. Now is the time to build on the agreements that have been forged over time and to put the designated seed money to use so that we can get projects ready and be in position to take advantage of the inevitable market recovery. Only by acting now will we, as a city, be able to turn these concepts into reality.