Residents press city on Sebastiani site as Sonoma council approves 2024 General Plan annual progress report

Residents urged the City of Sonoma to take a cautious approach to land-use changes for the Sebastiani property while the council approved the 2024 general plan annual progress report and directed staff to distribute the report to state agencies.

During public comment several speakers described the 22-acre Sebastiani site as unusually large for the city and said proposed changes could alter the character of Sonoma's downtown and increase fire and evacuation risk. Janet Boyle, who identified herself as a Brazil Street resident and a prior planning commission speaker, told the council the property's size "could change the center of the city" and said recent CAL FIRE updates raising fire-danger designations heightened her concerns. Charles Zipkin, a San Lorenzo Court resident, said a newly proposed land-use category called "Sonoma Mixed Use" was unclear and warned that altering residential zoning could unintentionally change the city's character. Bob Flanagan, an East Spain resident, urged a surgical…