Thirty years ago, the St. Rose neighborhood of Santa Rosa became the city’s first historic district, featuring blocks of charming old homes centered around the St. Rose Catholic Church just north of downtown.
But over the past decade, the pocket of Santa Rosa with blocks of Arts and Crafts-style bungalows and Queen Anne Victorians that have housed generations of downtown residents has also evolved into a hub for homeless services — one that stands to grow denser under a new county plan.
County officials — operating largely behind closed doors — are moving forward to purchase the Hotel Azura that sits on the northeast corner of the St. Rose neighborhood, at the intersection of College and Mendocino avenues. If the county goes through with the purchase in the next few months, it would turn the 42-room hotel into permanent housing with on-site services for people experiencing homelessness.
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