What's Still Up for Debate in Rohnert Park's Downtown Plan

The roughly 30 acres at Rohnert Park Expressway and State Farm Drive have been bare ground since 2019, when crews took down the old State Farm buildings. The parcel sits next to the SMART station in the middle of a city that has never had a real center. On Sept. 30, CenterCal Properties submitted detailed plans to build that center, and city staff presented them to the City Council on Oct. 13.

This plan is being steered differently from the ones before it. Earlier attempts depended on a private landowner deciding whether the numbers worked. This time the city bought the land back, picked the developer, and approved a concept plan before anyone drew detailed buildings. So the questions still open about plaza size, the grocery anchor and whether the design feels like Rohnert Park will be settled at public hearings. Residents can attend those hearings.

Fifteen Years, a String of Owners, One Empty Lot

The history explains why the city ended up holding the pen.

1. 2011. State Farm vacated its Rohnert Park campus.
2. 2014. SunCal acquired the property for a project that never happened, then sold it to Laulima Development.
3. 2016. The city's downtown blueprint called for 300 to 500 homes, distinctive retail and restaurants, a hotel, a plaza and walkways.
4. December 2017. Laulima finalized its $13.5 million purchase.
5. November 13, 2018. The city approved the final development plan for Laulima's Station Avenue.
6. February 2019. Demolition began. Station Avenue never broke ground.
7. April 2022. The council unanimously approved buying the site back for $12.5 million after Laulima said it planned to sell.
8. August 27, 2024. The council unanimously chose CenterCal from three finalist teams.
9. November 18, 2025. The council voted 5–0 to approve a concept plan and sell most of the property to CenterCal for $11.2 million.

Station Avenue was a roughly $400 million plan. Laulima blamed delays on higher labor and material costs after the wildfires and on competition. Press Democrat reporting carried by the North Bay Business Journal in August 2019 quoted Laulima managing partner David Bouquillon calling the project "un-financeable." That's the background to Councilmember Gerard Giudice's remark at the Oct. 13 meeting, as quoted by the Press Democrat: "To say that this has been a dream that has spanned decades would be an understatement." Giudice sat on the Planning Commission in 2014, when the city got a regional grant to study the area.

The 2022 buyback is what made the current process possible. Because the city owned the land, it could choose the developer and approve a concept plan before selling. It also kept 1.5 acres on the southeast corner, next to the public works yard, so that yard can expand.

Where Everything Would Sit

The submittal splits the property into clear zones. Here's how the Press Democrat's Oct. 16 report describes the layout, based on CenterCal Vice President of Development Scott Bohrer's presentation:

• North half, along Rohnert Park Expressway. This is the commercial core. Shops and restaurants cluster around a 1.38-acre public plaza with a water feature and green space, and more standalone commercial buildings fill out the north side. Most parking sits outside this central area on purpose.
• Above the plaza storefronts. 100 affordable units on upper floors, over ground-floor retail facing the plaza.
• South portion. About 250 market-rate apartments.
• Corner of State Farm and Enterprise drives. About 50 detached single-family homes for sale.
• East side, along the SMART line. A 128-room hotel with about 3,500 square feet of meeting space.
• Southeast corner. 1.5 acres the city keeps for the public works yard.

The city's Oct. 14 announcement gives the exact figures: 163,931 square feet of commercial retail and 401 homes, made up of 250 multifamily, 51 detached for-sale and 100 affordable. It describes the plaza as "approximately one-acre" and mentions EV and bicycle parking on site. City Manager Marcela Piedra said in the release that, "If approved, CenterCal could deliver what the Rohnert Park community has long wished for: a walkable, bikeable, and community-centric Downtown."

How the Numbers Moved Since Last November

When the council approved the concept in November 2025, it approved ranges. The September filing commits to specific numbers, and comparing the two shows how the plan has firmed up.

Two things stand out. The retail figure lands slightly above the top of last year's range, which means the commercial core grew while the hotel settled in the middle of its range. And the for-sale homes are new. Station Avenue proposed only rental housing. When CenterCal presented in 2024, residents asked for a Trader Joe's and a skate park, but the developer committed to neither. The current filing includes a grocery store, restaurants and shops, and the reporting doesn't name any tenants yet.

Bohrer said the filing closely follows last year's concept and reflects community surveys, open houses, and meetings with local business and labor groups. He said the feedback asked for a central gathering space, fast-casual and special-occasion restaurants, rental housing, and a chance to own a home downtown.

The Three Questions Raised on Oct. 13

The council didn't comment on the proposal itself. Several public speakers did, and their points cover most of what the hearings will likely take up.

Does it look like a downtown?

A few residents asked the city to push for a more distinctive design that reflects local history. Paul Carey, a former city staffer who helped steer the project's early stages, praised the for-sale homes but said the overall design looks more like an outdoor shopping mall than a downtown. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said, according to the Press Democrat.

CenterCal's other work gives a useful reference point. Local coverage lists Emeryville's Bay Street and Bridgeport Village outside Portland among its projects. NorthBay biz described Bay Street as a three-block walkable shopping, dining and gathering district that was remodeled in 2022.

Grocery store or food hall?

Michael DeSimone was glad to see progress. He questioned the grocery store because several are already nearby, and suggested a food hall that could bring people downtown and keep them there. No anchor tenant has been announced, so this is still open.

Did the plaza shrink?

Carey also said the square is smaller than originally intended. Bohrer disagreed, saying the green space hadn't shrunk and that developers are required to build a plaza of at least 1 acre. The published numbers explain the confusion. Last year's concept allowed 1 to 1.45 acres, the city release says "approximately one-acre," and the Press Democrat reports 1.38 acres. The filed plan is above the required minimum and below the top of last year's range.

Councilmember Samantha Rodriguez said she saw much of the input from recent years reflected in the proposal.

Where the Decisions Get Made From Here

The filing has started a review, and nothing has been approved yet. City planners will check the plan against state environmental law and city and state design standards. They're working with Good City Company, a consultant that helps staff with heavy application loads. Director of Development Services Natalia Fossi said CenterCal is seeking several entitlements, including design review for projects in the city's central core and a major subdivision map.

The design questions above will be decided in those reviews, at three public bodies:

• Parks and Recreation Commission, which will likely weigh in on the plaza and green space
• Planning Commission, for design review and the subdivision map
• City Council, for final approvals

The city says these hearings will take place over the next nine to 18 months, and it encourages the public to attend and comment. Hearing notices and project updates will be posted on the city's Downtown page. CenterCal is aiming to finish by summer 2030.

Tim McKee is following the downtown review at each hearing. If you'd like to talk about what the State Farm Drive project could mean for your part of Rohnert Park, schedule a free consultation and home valuation and we'll go through it together.