Sonoma Council nominates four creek corridors and regional trail as Priority Conservation Areas

The Sonoma City Council on June 4 voted unanimously to nominate four Priority Conservation Areas (PCAs) to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), a step officials said will make the city eligible for competitive regional grants for open-space, urban greening and recreation projects.

Community development director Jennifer Gates presented the nomination package and described the program’s requirements. “Staff recommends that the City of Sonoma City Council approve a resolution to nominate designated Sonoma Creek, Friar Creek, Nathanson Creek, and the Regional Trail as a priority conservation area to the Association of Bay Area Governments,” Gates said.

The nomination covers four mapped areas inside the city boundary that the presentation said meet ABAG’s eligibility rules for at least one of three PCA types available to the city: urban greening, recreation and climate adaptation. Gates told the council that each proposed PCA had to meet a technical threshold — at least 75% of the nominated area must match ABAG’s eligibility layer for the PCA type — and that ABAG staff adjusted the city’s red-line boundaries to meet that criterion and to keep the PCAs inside the city limit. The nomination window closed in May; ABAG and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission will take final action on the region’s nominations in July.

Council members and residents discussed how narrowly the PCAs had to be drawn to meet the 75% rule and whether the designations could be expanded later. Vice Mayor Ron Wallander asked for clarification on the 75% standard and Gates walked the council through map layers showing where the city’s proposed boundaries overlapped ABAG’s eligibility maps. Council member Lowe noted minor wording issues in ABAG’s published materials but expressed support for the city’s nominations.

Several residents and community members spoke during the public-comment period tied to the item. Robert Demler asked whether the PCA nominations related to separate “green links” or trail proposals previously discussed by community groups; Gates said the PCA nominations are a near-term “phase 1” to make the city eligible for funding and that larger policy work on green links will proceed through the general-plan update and related circulation and open-space elements. Donna Danbock and Ken Stokes urged the council to seek future expansions and to coordinate with county planning where PCAs abut unincorporated land, and Stokes noted that the Regional Trail designation aligns with areas discussed for the Sebastiani property.

After discussion, a council member moved to approve the resolution to submit the four nominated areas to ABAG; the motion was seconded and carried on a roll-call vote with all members present voting yes. The council’s recorded yes votes were Council Member Dean, Council Member Liu, Council Member Gurney, Vice Mayor Wallander and Mayor Patricia Farah Rivas.

Council members and staff repeatedly described the action as preparatory: the nominations do not change zoning or create regulatory limits but make the city eligible to apply for ABAG/MTC grant programs that prioritize conservation, recreation and urban greening projects. Gates said ABAG periodically opens competitive grant notices and that having PCAs on the regional map increases a project’s eligibility when funding is available.

Council members and several residents recommended that staff retain flexibility to seek expansions or modifications in future nomination windows and to coordinate with Permit Sonoma and county agencies on cross-jurisdictional green corridors. Gates said ABAG opens nomination windows periodically and the city can submit amendments when the program reopens.

The nomination and the related maps come amid an ongoing general-plan update and separate public concerns about potential land-use changes on the Sebastiani property; several speakers at the meeting asked the council to consider how PCA designations might intersect with those future land-use discussions.

The council’s action authorizes staff to forward the four nominated PCA boundaries to ABAG for regional review and final action in July.