Santa Rosa's Parking Garage: A Battle Over Surplus Land

In a recent legal showdown, a California court backed Santa Rosa's plan to sell a downtown parking garage. The case, which started nearly three years ago, was all about whether the city followed the rules in declaring the garage as surplus property. The garage, known as Garage 5, is located on Third Street. A big local developer, Airport Business Center, tried to stop the city from selling it. They argued that the city didn't follow the proper steps to prove the garage wasn't needed anymore. But the court saw things differently. They looked at over 12, 000 pages of documents and agreed with the city. The judges said the city did a good job showing that there's enough parking downtown and that the garage needs repairs. They also pointed out that the land could be used better. The developer's lawyer said the city's decision was rushed and didn't have enough evidence. But the court didn't agree. They said the city's decision was supported by facts and that the garage isn't necessary for public use. The city has been working on this plan for a while. They want to use the garage's land to help meet their housing goals. The latest plan is to build 7, 000 new homes by 2040 in the downtown area. The court also said that the developer was confusing something useful with something necessary. They said the garage's parking spaces are useful, but not necessary, because there are other parking options nearby. It's still not clear what this means for the city's negotiations with a developer. The city council last talked about the sale in February, but no deal has been made yet.