Update on the Springs Specific Plan

May 1, 2020 by Fred Allebach

A recently released Grand Jury report has concluded that the County did not properly notify Donald Street neighborhood stakeholders of their inclusion in the Springs Specific Plan (SSP) area. 

The Grand Jury only addressed the County’s notification process, not any of the substance of the Plan, but it recommended “the County take action to rectify the lack of notice by: offering an official apology, engaging with the Donald Street residents regarding their concerns, attempting to accommodate those concerns, considering the severance of the Donald Street region from the SSP.”

To the County’s credit, Permit Sonoma has already engaged residents regarding Donald neighbor concerns and attempted to accommodate them. Neighbors have affected the planning process by stimulating the creation of different zoning map alternatives, and a special hearing with the Board of Zoning Adjustments was given. As then BZA Chair Greg Carr said at the time, there’s still years to go when Donald input can be had, input is being had now, the process is not over.

On the face of it, the notification issue was reasonable. Fair is fair, and it looks like the Donald folks were not treated fairly with proper notification.

Here I’d like to shift the conversation to an underlying issue, a question about low density zoning, segregation, and white suburban privilege. If no low density-zoned areas can be changed through planning processes, to serve class and racial integration of neighborhoods through the inclusion of lower-cost housing, where does that leave urban Sonoma Valley? The NIMBYS have won? Does this mean that integration of high property value, low-density zoned neighborhoods, that are primarily white and wealthy is off the table here? 

Another legitimate point of some Donald neighbors. Why is higher density, lower income housing seeming to be mostly sloughed off to the Springs urban service area? What about Sonoma? Why not some high density rezoning on the East Side? Good point. There are lots of empty lots at Armstrong Estates, for example, that are a five-minute walk from the Plaza, jobs, and public transit. Make a Specific Plan and rezone it, with proper notice!   

This leads back to what I’ve termed the green checkmate and an underlying privileged lifestyle here. No projects can go in any low-density neighborhoods or on city and urban area edges because of neighborhood protectionism on one side and a restrictive Sonoma urban growth boundary on the other. The end result is that nothing goes anywhere. The protector’s plan is to stuff all poor people on West Napa Street and Highway 12. It remains to be seen if changes in the Sonoma UGB language will actually result in a higher potential for Affordable Housing on city edges. 

Maybe the combined negative effect on Affordable Housing of the 2008 recession, Bay Area gentrification, the fires, and the virus recession will finally shake loose some needed new rules, land, and projects. Or maybe lack of money and more tribalism will stop any chances of Affordable projects and new County plans to address the issues. Lots of unknowns and battles to fight.  

At the end of the day, all planning processes are fraught with drama and years of back and forth about what is going to happen and why. The Donald neighborhood SSP notification Grand Jury report is one such act in the overall play of the SSP.

What we have so far in the SSP for Affordable Housing is a collaborative project between MidPen Housing and Krug hotels, to build a mid-priced hotel and 78 units of high-density, deed-restricted Affordable Housing at the old Paul’s Field site. So far this project has been without concerted opposition.  

At the very first SSP public meeting way back when, everyone present said how much they wanted to keep the Springs cultural diversity and to protect and foster more Affordable Housing. This is a noble goal and hopefully one that can be adhered to as the Plan nears completion. Housing has to go somewhere; it was logical to think open land within the urban service area might be the place.