NORTH BAY DESTINATIONS | ROHNERT PARK
An early conceptual map of the 28-acre downtown.
Building a dream A state-of-the-art downtown could cement Rohnert Park as a prime North Bay destination
By Janis Mara
“Things will be great when you’re downtown—everything’s waiting for you!” —Petula Clark, “Downtown” I n what could cement Rohnert Park as the North Bay’s most up-and- coming city, the city council in August 2024 reached a significant milestone toward a decades-long dream: Building a downtown from scratch. The council on Aug. 27 unanimously approved CenterCal Properties LLC of El Segundo as the developer for the estimated $400 million project. The council had already purchased a location for the downtown—a vacant 28-acre site at Rohnert Park Expressway and State Farm Drive—for $12.5 million in 2022. While it will take around two years to finalize the designs and get approval before ground can be broken, selecting a developer sets the final processes in motion. The development plan includes a hotel, town square, public walkways,
retail and housing. As detailed by CenterCal, the proposed hotel would be next to the SMART train station, next to the city public works lot. Approximately 150,000 square feet of retail space, including a grocery store, would face State Farm Drive. The total number of residences is not yet hard and fast, with one estimate at around 300 homes along Enterprise Drive and State Farm Drive. At least 25% of the homes will be affordable housing—available for households making up to 80% of area median income. One man with a front row seat to local development throughout the years is Rohnert Park’s first mayor and city manager Peter M. Callinan, 94. Callinan and his wife, Greta, moved to Rohnert Park in 1958 and bought one of the first homes in the A neighborhood where they raised their six children. Callinan served on the inaugural city council for a year and as the original city manager for 27 years. When asked why Rohnert Park is just now getting a downtown, Callinan replies: “Paul Golis, the original developer, never planned one,” referring to the local attorney sometimes
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Rohnert Park 2025
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