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Residents press city on Sebastiani site as Sonoma council approves 2024 General Plan annual progress report
Summary
Public commenters raised concerns about proposed land-use changes at the Sebastiani property and fire-safety and traffic impacts. After a staff presentation, the council voted to accept the city's 2024 General Plan annual progress report and direct staff to transmit it to state agencies.
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 approach that preserved agricultural and historic portions of the property while addressing specific development needs.
Why it matters: The general plan frames long-term land-use and growth decisions. Public comment on major properties such as Sebastiani informs staff and elected officials ahead of any rezone or general plan amendments that could change allowable uses or density.
Staff presentation and council action: Later in the meeting planning staff presented the city's 2024 general plan annual progress report (APR), which documents implementation steps and progress, including housing element actions, staffing changes, code updates and permitting improvements. Jennifer Gates, Community Development Director, and Diane Levine, Associate Planner, summarized accomplishments in 2024 and priorities for 2025. Noted items included improved online permit workflows, completion of a housing element reporting form and steps to refine objective development standards, ADU ordinance updates, and an ongoing general plan update task force.
After the presentation the council voted to accept the 2024 General Plan annual progress report and to direct staff to distribute the document to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI). The motion passed with an affirmative vote; the report fulfills the city's April 1 submittal requirement to state agencies.
Staff highlighted housing-development projects underway, including a 50-unit Montaldo project (with 25 affordable units) in environmental review, the Hummingbird subdivision under construction (15 units with an affordable component), and a 31-unit infill project at 254 First Street East with affordable units. Levine told council the city would continue working on ADU pre-approved plans, rezoning opportunities to allow affordable housing by-right, a tree inventory and urban canopy assessment, and updates to objective design standards for multifamily and mixed-use development.
Public and council context: During the public-comment period and in later discussion, residents repeatedly tied land-use questions to fire-safety and traffic impacts and asked why the city would rezone parcels when property owners previously accepted the existing designations. Staff confirmed the APR is a progress summary for calendar year 2024 and that the formal submittal to state agencies is due April 1. The council did not take a separate land-use change action that night; public comments will inform future hearings if the city pursues amendments or rezones for the Sebastiani site.
What happens next: With the APR accepted and transmitted to state agencies, planning staff will continue to advance the general plan update, zoning-code revisions, housing-element implementation programs and targeted studies such as the proposed tree inventory and canopy assessment. Any formal rezoning or general-plan amendment for the Sebastiani parcels would require separate public hearings and environmental review.
