"You never know until it's done," Vice Mayor Jeff Okrepkie told The Press Democrat in July, shortly before part of Ross Street closed to cars. "It gives people an opportunity to see what it could look like, and what it could possibly turn into."
Okrepkie chairs the city's Economic Development Subcommittee. He said there was no clear timeline for revisiting other places to close to traffic, and that the pilot gives the city a real example to learn from. The test has less than three weeks left. The City of Santa Rosa lists Ross Street Live as running August 14 through October 31, 2026. After that, any argument about car-free space downtown will lean on what happened on this one block.
Fourth Street Was the First Draft
Ross Street is what the Fourth Street idea became after it got smaller. City spokesperson Misti Wood told The Press Democrat that the pilot traces back to 2024, when the City Council told staff to look for pedestrian spaces closed to cars that could help bring in business. In early 2025, staff collected input from downtown businesses, ran a community survey and held a City Council study session. They looked at similar programs in San Mateo, San Jose and San Diego. Some opposed testing the idea on Fourth Street, so in late 2025 the city moved to a smaller pilot on Ross Street.
After that came committee work. The Downtown Action Organization manages the Downtown Santa Rosa Community Benefit District. It formed an ad hoc committee in November 2025 and reached an agreement with the city on June 4. The Press Democrat described "nearly a year of negotiations" before the first band played. Wood described the program as "a test of expanded pedestrian space and community programming in the downtown core, while allowing the city and its partners to gather feedback and assess impacts."
Built by the Businesses Around It
The Fourth Street proposal came from the city and drew complaints from businesses worried about losing customers. The Ross Street version is organized by businesses. The Downtown Santa Rosa organization lists Cooperage, The California Theatre, Flagship Taproom, The Lost Church and SoCo Market as the business-community organizers, working with the city and the Downtown Action Organization.
The closed stretch runs along the east side of Ross Street, from Mendocino Avenue to the private parking-lot exit behind 427 Mendocino Avenue. The Press Democrat placed it behind The Corner Store Collective and listed a stage, food trucks, cornhole, ping-pong, seating and public restrooms. The city sets three activity windows:
- Monday through Friday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., mostly lunch trucks
- Friday and Saturday: 5 to 10 p.m., live music
- Sunday: noon to 5 p.m., markets and family programming
Each partner covers a different part of the week. The California Theatre's Argo Thompson told The Press Democrat that the theater would lead Friday entertainment, The Lost Church would take every fourth Friday, and Cooperage Brewing would run Saturdays. Thompson tied it to a gap he saw when the theater moved in four years earlier: "it was clear there were no other music venues downtown. It's perfect for local bands to cut their teeth." Leeanna Ausiello-Kane, whose family co-owns Ausiello's 5th Street Bar and Grill, told the paper she thought the pilot "could help change the perception of downtown."
Weekday lunches rotate through a long list of trucks. The Downtown Santa Rosa schedule includes Galvan's Eatery, Dino's Greek Food, Sanromana, MoMo Man, Los Flippin Tacos, Xies707 Sushi Rolls, Mariscos El Cora, Patty Rosas, Drip Sandwiches, Dang That's Good and Streetdogz & Streetburgerz. On Sundays, SoCo Market hosts Ross Street Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. through October 25. Its posted vendors include Chavas Pizza, The Soda Society, Buttercup Apothecary, The Tea Nook, Between the Lines Mobile Bookstore and Cousins Maine Lobster.
The Last Three Weeks, Dated
These are the final dates the test runs. The Downtown Santa Rosa listings are live schedules. One October screening has already been postponed, so check downtownsantarosa.org before heading out.
| Date | On Ross Street |
|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 16 | Ross Street Sessions with the School of Rock House Band |
| Sat., Oct. 17 | Cooperage Pumpkin Patch with food trucks, local vendors and pumpkin decorating. The Psychedelic Fuzz plays at 6 p.m., with proceeds going to Food For Thought |
| Sun., Oct. 18 | Family screening of E.T. |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | MCHS Mariachi on the evening program, and the Norbays '26 Music Awards at 7 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Downtown Sound with LaiddBackZach & the .Wav |
| Sun., Oct. 25 | Last Ross Street Sunday market, plus a screening of Hotel Transylvania |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Lowline opens for 945, with Galvan's, Dino's Greek Food and One Night Smash trucks |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Halloween finale. The street opens at noon, with Glitter Goth on the main stage at 6 p.m. and trucks from Corberr and The Real Chamoy |
The Oct. 16 and Oct. 30 nights show what School of Rock Santa Rosa owner Josh Walden had in mind. Before launch he told The Press Democrat the program would give student bands a place to play, and he named The Okay Ultras and 945. He said he hoped it "could lead to a stage downtown." The Okay Ultras already played Ross Street on Sept. 4. On Oct. 30, 945 headlines.
A Few Blocks That Got Busier at the Same Time
The pilot is meant to show whether more people walking downtown helps nearby businesses, and its stretch of Mendocino Avenue has new tenants this year.
Chef Baki Bekci opened Capriciano Osteria at 505 Mendocino Ave. in the former Tipsy Taco space. Sonoma Magazine reported in August that it was packed a week after opening. The dining room has two large fireplaces, and the outdoor patio is described as "larger than most in the region." Bekci grew up in his family's restaurant in Fethiye, Turkey, and cooked in Four Seasons kitchens before opening his own. His signature dish is a risotto frutti di mare. Lunch runs Friday through Sunday, and dinner is served nightly.
Closer to the Square, Wind McAlister opened a second Sonoma Spice Queen in early September at 404 Mendocino Ave., Suite D. It brings her hand-ground blends north from Petaluma. Sonoma Magazine noted that the shop fills the gap left when Penzeys and Savory Spice left town. Her best-selling blend is a vadouvan French curry made from nearly a dozen ingredients.
Old Courthouse Square has added a weekly event too. The Wanderlust Food Truck Festival started a Thursday series there in early September, as The Press Democrat reported. The organizer's current site lists free Thursdays from 4 to 8:30 p.m. with a DJ, a bounce castle and seating. The city calendar has it on the Square Oct. 15, 22 and 29. On Saturday, Oct. 17, SoCo Market holds what it calls its fifth annual Halloween market on the Square. That day, the Square market and the Cooperage Pumpkin Patch on Ross Street run within a short walk of each other.
These openings are a few addresses, not a measured trend. No source found ties them to the pilot. But they are on the same blocks the pilot is supposed to help, during the same months.
What October 31 Settles, and What It Doesn't
No published source shows an extension or a decision to make Ross Street permanent. The city's schedule still ends the project on October 31. No attendance counts or broad surveys have been published either. Early coverage from NorCal Public Media reported excitement at launch and a lot of work from the businesses involved. It also quoted the Downtown Action Organization's executive director saying the goal is to give people reasons to come downtown and, above all, to stay, while gathering their feedback. The same coverage said a pilot does not have to become permanent to be worth doing.
That leaves the next step open. City Hall has said it will collect feedback and assess impacts, and Okrepkie has said there is no timeline for looking at other locations. The remaining dates are on the calendar, ending with Glitter Goth on the main stage at 6 p.m. on Halloween night.
For more on how the city's fall and summer calendars fit together, see our sixteen-day look at August in Santa Rosa and the Santa Rosa neighborhood page.
Questions about how changes downtown, like a new restaurant on Mendocino Avenue or a block that might stay car-free, could shape the streets around your home are worth talking through with someone who follows them closely. If you'd like to compare notes on downtown Santa Rosa, Steve Bowne is glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.
