Commission approves ordinance amendments clarifying awnings and projections into public right of way

The Sonoma City Planning Commission on Sept. 18 approved amendments to municipal design-review language intended to clarify when awnings, marquees and similar projections into the public right of way can be treated as exempt from design-review review by staff and when they should be referred to the commission for review.

Staff presented revised language to reduce subjectivity and to specify objective thresholds for projection width, clearance and placement relative to storefront openings and architectural features. The proposed amendments amend provisions in the design review and public‑right‑of‑way sections of the municipal code (referenced in the staff presentation as sections 19.41.10(d) and 19.54.080(d)).

What changed

Staff explained the amendments remove vague terms and add clear measurements and placement rules: awnings should generally fit within a storefront opening or associated commercial window opening, be set at a minimum clearance so pedestrians do not strike a valance, and may not project closer than three feet from the curb where typical street furniture or utilities are located. Staff also proposed limits intended to keep awnings subordinate to the building’s architectural features (for historic and contributing buildings, awnings should not exceed the storefront bay or transom area).

Commission discussion

Commissioners and staff reviewed several photographs of local awnings and marquees to illustrate where staff would allow an administrative exemption and where larger, building‑wide canopies would trigger design review. Several commissioners said the visual examples helped clarify the policy intent; others raised maintenance and enforcement questions for existing awnings with worn fabric or damaged structures.

Public comment and outcome

Tom Graves of Sonoma urged staff to retain design flexibility and recommended that, where property owners disagree with a staff determination, owners be able to bring the matter to the commission. After discussion, a commissioner moved to approve the amendments as presented (with the clarified reference to window head/sill language), a second was recorded and the motion passed unanimously on roll call. The commission’s action leaves existing awnings in place (grandfathered) but requires compliance with the new standards when an awning structure is replaced or substantially modified.

Next steps

The ordinance amendments will be incorporated into the municipal code language as adopted by the commission and staff will implement the clarified administrative exemption process; items that exceed the stated dimensions or that wrap building-wide will be routed to design review. Staff indicated ongoing coordination with the city attorney’s office to finalize ordinance text before publication.

Ending

The changes were framed as an effort to reduce subjectivity in staff-level reviews while reserving the commission’s oversight for awning or canopy treatments that meaningfully alter a building’s appearance or affect the public right of way.