Slow progress on Moon Mountain Road mansions

President John F. Kennedy announced in 1962 that the U.S. would land on the moon, a milestone celebrated seven years later. But seven years after the purchase of 72 and 74 Moon Mountain Road, the property remains lined with construction fencing while the buildings sit unfinished.

The property, purchased by developers Ken and Stacy Mattson in 2015 for just shy of $1 million, is proposed to host two 5,000-square-foot, single-family homes with two accessory dwelling units, to be plastered with white stucco and variegated red and brown tile roofs. But the proposed design has yet to be fully actualized.

The Mattsons first began buying properties in Sonoma Valley in 2015 after visiting as tourists from Piedmont for years. At the Moon Mountain Road property, one of their early purchases, the couple tore down two 7,000-square-foot abandoned homes, promising to overhaul the site and improve the aesthetics along Highway 12.

The project has faced challenges due to supply chain issues with construction materials, according to previous statements by 1st District Supervisor Susan Gorin. The property also required complicated permits to redraw its parcel lines and extend the sewer line on Moon Mountain Road.

When plans were filed, almost immediately staff at Permit Sonoma expressed concerns over the size and scope of the buildings, and whether they fit into the “Scenic Resources criteria,” according to a June 2016 memo. Highway 12 is designated as a California Scenic Highway which stipulates a setback from the road limiting development, among other aesthetics.

This sentiment was echoed by neighbors via letters of concern to the county. Many writers said they feared the property would turn into an empty, behemoth eyesore along Highway 12.

“This abomination is absolutely against the rules for current zoning,” Marcia Nelson wrote in a 2016 letter to Gorin. “I would be dishonest if I didn’t tell you that I don’t believe you have considered this nearly enough. I urge you to think more than twice before allowing this decision and this monstrosity to be built.”

An unnamed commissioner of the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission also wrote a 2016 letter sharing worries about the expansive project.

“I drive past it twice a day — I thought a circus was coming to town for a moment!” the letter states, along with questions about the choice of materials and the brightness of the colors used on the trim.

Securing the rights for a sewer extension carried on for years as the developers sought approval for the permit and right of way needed for a sewer extension, according to Permit Sonoma documents. The extension included a main line and a man hole that collectively cost nearly $6,000. The traffic plan part of the sewer extension documents needed revision, according to Susan Milliron, an engineering technician at Permit Sonoma.

Milliron wrote the plan appeared to be “too narrow to accommodate the [manhole] ‘pit’ size as well as one-way traffic” and that she required an encroachment permit from CalTrans prior to issuing a permit for the sewer extension.

Ultimately the Mattsons were approved for a permit to construct the sewer line in October 2020, with an expiration date set for October 2023. And until the sewer line is built, no one would be allowed to live in the residence.

“I, Kenneth Mattson, will hold the county and its employees harmless of liability for financial damages which I may suffer by choosing to proceed with the construction of my two homes and associated ADUs prior to the completion of a functioning sewer main,” Mattson wrote to Patrick Mullin, an ombudsman for Permit Sonoma.

“Furthermore, I understand that in no circumstance will any occupancy, whether permanent or temporary, will be granted until such a time as the sewer main is fully constructed.”

Contact Chase Hunter at chase.hunter@sonomanews.com and follow @Chase_HunterB on Twitter.