Springs ‘Area Plan’ targeted for 2018

An “area plan” for the Springs neighborhood was the focus of last Thursday’s Springs Community Alliance meeting, as Sonoma County officials laid out the process that will lead to a roadmap for the community’s future.

Work on the creation of a plan is about to begin, say County officials, and the community will have plenty of opportunities to participate. However, the development of the plan alone will take at least two years.

According to Yolanda Solano, a planner with the Department of Transportation and Public Works who spoke at the Jan. 14 meeting at the Sonoma Charter School, the Sonoma Springs Area Plan – funded by a $450,000 dollar grant from the Sonoma County Transportation Authority – will likely not be completed until January of 2018.

“It may take a bit longer, possibly until summer of 2018,” Solano told a group of 40 attendees. “But for now, the official target date is January 2018.”

The complex project, once completed, will result in a land-use plan for the unincorporated areas stretching along the Sonoma Highway corridor between north Agua Caliente and Verano Avenue. The plan will be used by the County to guide all future development throughout the preonderance of the Springs area.

The plan will be developed with participation from community members who will join a Community Advisory Team, which had a call for volunteers last November. The team will act as liaison between the County and the rest of the community. The applications to joint the team were so high, County officials plan to open it up to a larger group than originally anticipated.

“The original intention was to end up with a group of between nine and 12 people,” said Solano, “but out of the 65 applications we received, there were just so many good candidates, it was a very hard process. I finally got it down to 15, and I just don’t see how I can cut it down any further, so we’re changing our original idea, and will end up with a group of 15.”

The final 15, according to Solano, represent a wide variety of interest groups and perspectives – including property owners, business owners, residents, and others.

“It’s a good cross-section,” said Solano.

Asked by one attendee at the meeting how many Hispanic residents or business owners were included in the final group, Solano replied, “Some.”

The attendee responded: “I hope there are quite a few, because, given Spanish-speaking people are a major part of the demographic here, and they continue to be a seriously underrepresented group.”

Another group, which Solano called the “Technical Advisory Group,” will also be formed in the near future.

According to Solano, additional community engagement will take place through a series of five community workshops, at which neighbors will be able to weigh in on various issues. The purpose of the workshops is to identify specific issues that are a priority for the community, and to inform residents and business owners about the progress of the plan. This first workshop will take place at the end of February, Solano said, with the exact date and location to be announced.

County officials hope that the plan – once approved and having cleared any EIR hurdles – will have a significant impact on how future development in the Springs will unfold. Solano said that any projects currently in the works will continue as planned.

“The Sonoma Springs Area Plan will only affect projects that are entered into permitting process after the adoption of the plan,” she said, “or have not been approved and completed at the time the plan is implemented.”

Solano elaborated that “completed” refers to the permitting and approval process.

“The final draft of the plan,” she said, “will be a significant tool as the Springs plans out its future, guiding the creation of parks, parking lots, pools, public places and schools.”

Email David at david.templeton@sonomanews.com.