Del Valle Mexican Restaurant — Approximate Site of Proposed Drive-Thru
A family-owned Mexican restaurant in Santa Rosa’s Roseland neighborhood has finally cleared the last hurdle to build a drive-thru, after the City Council voted 6-0 on Tuesday to grant an appeal overturning a Planning Commission denial. Del Valle Mexican Restaurant, which has operated at 2000 Sebastopol Road for nine years, spent three years and at least $150,000 pursuing the approval.
The council’s decision caps a winding path through city government that began when the Santa Rosa Planning Commission rejected the restaurant’s conditional use permit application in a 5-2 vote in February, according to The Press Democrat. City records show the commission’s formal resolution, PC-RES-2026-005, cited traffic, noise, and site unsuitability concerns, which prompted the Martinez Navarro family to file a formal appeal under city code on February 23, according to City of Santa Rosa records. Notably, Planning Commissioner Terry Sanders had initially moved to approve the project before that motion failed in a 2-5 vote, according to Elections Simplified; Sanders went on to vote against the commission’s eventual denial resolution…