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Neighbors tell Sonoma planning commission they were blindsided by 50–60 unit townhouse proposal
Summary
Jesse Ortiz told the Planning Commission on Nov. 20 that more than 100 neighbors oppose the scale of a proposed 50–60 unit townhouse project at 5th Street East and Napa Road by City Ventures and requested timely, transparent notice on annexation and rezoning; he urged a smaller 20–25 unit alternative.
Jesse Ortiz, representing more than 100 neighbors, urged the Sonoma City Planning Commission to be transparent and forthcoming about a proposed 50–60 unit townhouse project by City Ventures at the corner of 5th Street East and Napa Road. Ortiz said many neighbors learned about the project only at the applicant’s recent open house and asked the city to provide timely notice on annexation, rezoning and future development actions.
“At the open house … the vast majority of the neighbors never heard that the project was even on the table,” Ortiz said. He told commissioners the neighborhood would “remain vigilant and concerned by the scale and scope of the proposed project” and said residents would prefer a project in the 20–25 unit range rather than the 50–60 units shown at the meeting and open house.
Ortiz said the project’s size had already changed in recent months — from “60, 61 unit” plans a few months earlier down to the 50–51 unit proposal shown at the open house — and asked the commission and city council to ensure clear, timely public outreach as the project moves forward. The commission received the comment during the meeting’s public‑comment period; no formal action was taken on the proposal at this hearing.
