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03-18-2009, 06:58 PM
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Sebastopol drops long-planned development
By ROBERT DIGITALE ([email protected])
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 3:27 p.m.
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=SR&Date=20090318&Category=ARTICLES&ArtNo=903180199&Ref=AR&MaxW=250&border=0
William Hezmalhalch Architects, Inc.
Architect's rendering of possible development
in Sebastopol's Northeast Area Plan.
After five years of meetings and $500,000 spent on planning, the Sebastopol City Council has decided to drop a controversial plan to redevelop the town’s old apple packing district.
The city's planning director issued a news release Wednesday saying the five-member council had decided to "terminate" work on the plan at its Tuesday night meeting. However, the council took no formal action, according to the City Manager's office.
The plan, which called for buildings of two to three stories featuring shops below and residences above, suffered a decisive blow last fall when two candidates critical of the plan won election to the council. That produced a new majority of four council members with concerns that the plan would allow too much development and result in too much traffic.
“It overemphasized retail and it overemphasized residential in an area that was not well suited for those uses,” Guy Wilson, one of the new council members, said Wednesday.
He noted that land of the Northeast Area Specific Plan lies largely in a flood zone and is better suited for industrial uses.
Wilson, a former school board member who spoke out against the plan at hearings last spring, added that he couldn’t say the plan money was well spent but the city and its residents did gain from hearing different points of view on development issues.
A city press release said the city may update various development-related laws as a result of those discussions.
The redevelopment plan had called for 300 new residential units and nearly 400,000 square feet of new business and civic space between the Laguna de Santa Rosa and downtown.
Supporters touted it as an environmentally sound approach for boosting the local economy and reduce dependence on cars through neighborhoods of greater density. But critics said the plan allows too much development and would add too much traffic to the town of 7,700 people.
Helen Shane, one of the leaders of efforts to stop the plan, expressed delight with the council’s decision.
Shane said the process “had gone off track from the beginning” but the results of the council election had been telling.
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Sebastopol drops long-planned development
By ROBERT DIGITALE ([email protected])
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 3:27 p.m.
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=SR&Date=20090318&Category=ARTICLES&ArtNo=903180199&Ref=AR&MaxW=250&border=0
William Hezmalhalch Architects, Inc.
Architect's rendering of possible development
in Sebastopol's Northeast Area Plan.
After five years of meetings and $500,000 spent on planning, the Sebastopol City Council has decided to drop a controversial plan to redevelop the town’s old apple packing district.
The city's planning director issued a news release Wednesday saying the five-member council had decided to "terminate" work on the plan at its Tuesday night meeting. However, the council took no formal action, according to the City Manager's office.
The plan, which called for buildings of two to three stories featuring shops below and residences above, suffered a decisive blow last fall when two candidates critical of the plan won election to the council. That produced a new majority of four council members with concerns that the plan would allow too much development and result in too much traffic.
“It overemphasized retail and it overemphasized residential in an area that was not well suited for those uses,” Guy Wilson, one of the new council members, said Wednesday.
He noted that land of the Northeast Area Specific Plan lies largely in a flood zone and is better suited for industrial uses.
Wilson, a former school board member who spoke out against the plan at hearings last spring, added that he couldn’t say the plan money was well spent but the city and its residents did gain from hearing different points of view on development issues.
A city press release said the city may update various development-related laws as a result of those discussions.
The redevelopment plan had called for 300 new residential units and nearly 400,000 square feet of new business and civic space between the Laguna de Santa Rosa and downtown.
Supporters touted it as an environmentally sound approach for boosting the local economy and reduce dependence on cars through neighborhoods of greater density. But critics said the plan allows too much development and would add too much traffic to the town of 7,700 people.
Helen Shane, one of the leaders of efforts to stop the plan, expressed delight with the council’s decision.
Shane said the process “had gone off track from the beginning” but the results of the council election had been telling.
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