Housing, grocery store among proposals in play as Santa Rosa council seeks to transform 2 downtown parking sites

After months of staff work, the Santa Rosa City Council is set to advance a pair of potential deals with developers that could transform two prominent city-owned downtown properties into housing.

The city seeks to redevelop the parking garage on Third Street just east of Old Courthouse Square and the former White House department store site on Third and E streets, which has been a parking lot for decades.

In doing so, the council faces hefty opposition from business and property owners over plans for the Third Street garage, which merchants and office tenants say they rely on — pressure that underscores the tension between meeting the expectations of longtime businesses and the acute need for more housing.

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