Hi Folks,
I want to make sure people are aware that there is a proposal afoot to wipe out the businesses at the corner of 116 and Stony Point including Cali-Kind Tye-dye and the Pond & Garden Nursery and build a 16-pump gas station with a carwash and mini-market. There is no date set for the next time this issue will be considered, but if you don't like the idea, please send your comments to the Sonoma County Design Review Committee Staff: Send comments to: Daniel Hoffman: [email protected] and [email protected]
Some points: There are already five gas stations within a 2 mile radius, including four near Hwy 101 in Cotati, and two car washes within 2 miles. A 16-pump gas station is twice as big as any other rural gas station in the county, and bigger than every station in Rohnert Park except Costco.
The land is zoned Limited Commercial. The County General Plan states that "Limited commercial land is intended to accommodate retail sales and services for the daily self-sufficiency of local rural or urban neighborhoods or communities in keeping with their character." (Page LU-53). This is just one of many conflicts with the General Plan.
Only neighbors within 300 ft have to be informed by the County. Neighbors further away in the surrounding rural area will also be impacted by increased traffic, traffic congestion, pollution from idling cars, noise, bright lights at night, etc.
This encroachment of urban-style development into the rural area between Cotati and Sebastopol is close to a Community Separator. Community Separators were approved by 81% of Sonoma County voters in November 2016, to protect land between the cities for 20 years.
Water would come from a well on site. Sewage, wastewater and runoff would all be dealt with on site and have the potential to contaminate nearby creeks, tributaries to the Laguna de Santa Rosa, a Wetland of International Significance.
Leaking underground storage tanks are ubiquitous in Sonoma County. Even small amounts of pollution from gas stations are a threat to groundwater supplies and public health.
Experts have criticized the biological evaluation as inadequate (e.g. surveys were done at the wrong time of year, on site only and not in adjacent areas as required, and correct protocols were not followed). Other studies e.g. on GHG emissions have also been criticized by experts. The site lies within an area designated as critical habitat for the endangered California tiger salamander.
As we face the climate crisis, Sonoma County has taken a lead in trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and encourage the use of clean energy. Gas stations are decreasing and sales of electric cars are soaring. Who will pay for and clean up the mess when the gas station becomes obsolete? What would be the cumulative, long-term and perhaps growth-inducing impacts of building a gas station, convenience store and car wash at this site?
A handout is attached that you can use to share this information.