Residents urge limits on hotels and commercial uses in Sonoma mixed-use general plan update

Three members of the public used the council's public-comment period to press the city and council to narrow proposed mixed-use definitions in the general plan update and to limit commercial development in a residential neighborhood.

An unnamed resident said she had spoken with planning staff and described the proposed mixed-use definition as "too broad." "I would like to see the hotel category removed because it's a special category. It requires a number of preconditions and a number of conditions after it's completed," she said. She also asked for a separate category for affordable housing and urged the city to avoid meeting processes that she said felt like they were organized for private developers.

Steve McCrosty of Fourth Street East said neighbors are uneasy about the prospect of a large hotel or major commercial development near a residential area. "If that property gets developed in a very major way, boy, I'm just concerned about people getting out of town in a timely way in the case of an emergency," McCrosty said, referring to evacuation routes and traffic congestion during fires. He added that the site in question is close to homes and vineyards and said neighbors would prefer development that respects the area's residential character and the region's winemaking heritage.

Erin McTaggart, who said she owns property on Church Street and Brazil Street, expressed support for housing in the area but asked why the proposed rezoning did not include more mid-density or higher-density housing options. McTaggart also voiced concern that allowing commercial uses could open the door to national chains or convenience retailers near the plaza. "That property is a narrow bridge. It's a residential community, and I think it should just remain residential," she said, while acknowledging interest in higher-density housing as a potential solution.

Council members and staff noted the broader general-plan outreach process and attendance at recent public meetings. The council did not take action on the points raised during public comment at the meeting; those concerns will be part of the general-plan update process and follow-up planning meetings.

Speakers asked the council to consider traffic and evacuation modeling, to create a distinct affordable-housing category in the general plan, and to remove hotels from the mixed-use definition so as to limit major commercial uses in residentially surrounded sites.