Mattsons unveil updated plans for Springs properties

Initial plans for three key neighborhood properties along Highway 12 were presented at the Springs Municipal Advisory Group Meeting on May 25. The presentation focused on three parcels owned by KS Mattson Properties: The former Lanning Structures site; the Boyes Food Center property; and 22 Boyes Boulevard.

Project manager Daniel Crowley discussed Ken Mattson’s plans for the sites, provided a brief update of the status of each and expressed a general goal of bringing more pedestrians to the Springs and of “respecting the history and the culture” of the neighborhood.

Container village

The Mattson team is furthest along in its plans for the former Lanning Structures site at 18010 and 18020 Bonita Way, purchased by KS Mattson Properties in late 2015.

Over the last five years, plans for the mixed-use project have evolved to its current form: “a recycled cargo container-based commercial, retail and residential project designed to serve the dining, small shop, and housing needs of the Springs Community,” according to planning documents.

Crowley said that the fully-enclosed modified shipping containers, such as those used both by rail transport and highway “big rigs,” are ready in San Leandro.

“We are ready to drop them on site when we get a building permit from the county,” said Crowley. He noted that he is working with the fire and building departments and hopes the containers will be on site this summer.

“Permit Sonoma is waiting for the applicant to address March 2021 comments about outstanding fire and building concerns regarding the site’s egress and accessibility,” Bradley Dunn, Policy Manager at Permit Sonoma, told the Index-Tribune via email on June 14. “Until the applicant resolves these items, the county cannot issue building permits.”

The half-acre project includes three dwelling units, one a 773-square-foot 2-bedroom, and two 483-square foot studio units, some with outdoor patios and rooftop decks.

Once commonly referred to as the “Noodle Springs project,” the village will not open with the Girl & the Fig offshoot, as that company dropped out in 2019. Crowley declined to provide specifics on potential tenants in what is now referred to as the “Lanning Containers project.”

Old train depot/post office/Church Mouse site

Across the street 100 yards to the south, 22 Boyes Boulevard and 18092 Sonoma Highway are a single property which current houses a salon, a few vacant retail spaces and a U.S. Post Office, as well as two large long-vacant former Church Mouse thrift storefronts.

In December 2020 in an off-market sale, Ken and Stacy Mattson purchased the iconic semi-circular building.

Crowley said the Mattsons want to “activate that building to historic and economic potential,” but noted significant repairs and upgrades are needed – including the replacement of all electrical and plumbing, at a minimum. He also stressed all parking surrounding that building is county-owned. The building itself is just the footprint – with no parking at all, which will limit the Mattsons’ use options for the building itself.

Crowley stressed the Mattsons are interested in some kind of a public space around the building. “It’s in all of our interests to have a Plaza there,” he said. “And we understand it is a high profile property so we want community input. We need a public space and will help all adjacent properties, not just ours.”

Springs Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) Chair Maite Iturri wonders whether the Mattsons’ goals and the community goals for the purpose of the Plaza might be at odds, however.

“We have a vision for a community space that focuses on families and community members,” she said. “I am curious as to whose vision will be realized in this space? My hope is that this is focused on the community as a whole and not just certain sectors."

In the public comment, Tom Conlon expressed frustration with the Springs Plaza area currently serving primarily as a parking lot.

“Current businesses in the area, particularly Sonoma Mission Inn, have turned the area into just car storage,” he said, noting he was “impressed” the plan presented by Crowley and particularly pleased about the emphasis on walkability.

Springs MAC member Avram Goldman said in the MAC meeting that he has met with Crowley and Mattson and is enthusiastic about their plans.

“We are going to get our (community) Plaza (outside 22 Boyes Boulevard),” he said. “Better than our wildest dreams. We were all in the dark for a long time so we appreciate getting more clarity.”

Boyes Food Center

One block south, on the east side of the street, is the Boyes Food Center, purchased by KS Mattson Properties in 2016.

A mixed-use project for the site was announced in 2018, involving the corner market building and several other structures on 1.26 acres in the 18000 block of Sonoma Highway at Calle Del Monte. The project would increase the amount of commercial space on the site from 3,000 to 7,000 square feet and increase the total number of housing units from 12 to 37.

As a sister property to Sonoma’s Best on East Napa Street, the “Boyes Best” project will include eight new townhomes distributed between two new buildings and 29 rental units distributed between the new and existing buildings.

Crowley described the renovation plans for the Boyes Food Center as being part of a “long process” centered around mixed use – the apartments and ground-floor retail.

“This project will happen in phases to avoid displacing people,” Crowley said, stressing all current residents will be provided the chance to stay on at current rates.

Crowley also said an “extensive restoration” is planned to restore the food center “to its former glory.”

According to Dunn at Permit Sonoma, before applying for a building permit for this project, the Design Review Committee must approve the final design.

“The applicant has not submitted plans for final design review. Until they do, Permit Sonoma cannot schedule a hearing with the Design Review Committee,” said Dunn.

County reaction

Reached after the meeting, 1st District Supervisor Susan Gorin took a cautiously optimistic stance about her initial conversations with Mattson and Crowley and their project updates unveiled to date.

Gorin noted that it was a good sign that the Boyes Food Market project “received rave reviews” from her colleagues on the Board of Supervisors in November 2020.

As for the community Plaza at the 22 Boyes Boulevard site, Gorin said, “We’ve had only a superficial conversation to explore common interests and potential ways to create a public gathering place for Boyes Hot Springs. We still have a lot more work to do to come to some agreement (on plans for) the community Plaza.”

Gorin’s staff is working with county departments on issues of parking, utilities and traffic, and feels that forward progress is being made.

“I understand the impatience of the community for those projects to be completed,” she said.

After the meeting, Crowley declined to provide specific details on aspects of the plans presented but he told the Index-Tribune in a statement his team “gained some excellent insight from our meeting with the Springs MAC.”

“We will continue to work towards our goal of revitalizing the underutilized properties that we are investing in - specifically within the Boyes corridor - for this project. We always look forward to sharing progress with our stakeholders and the community. Their support and input on the projects currently under way has been invaluable.”

KSMattsonMACpresentation.pdf

Contact Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.