WE, the undersigned citizens of the city of Sonoma and the greater Sonoma Valley, petition the City of Sonoma Planning Commission and the Sonoma City Council to reject the currently proposed development located between First and Second Streets East (the FSE Project) and require that any future submissions be appropriate to the existing nature of, and City guidelines for, the historic North of the Mission neighborhood, the “Northeast Planning Area” and the town of Sonoma.

As currently proposed, the FSE Project is a massive development proposed on a 3.4-acre site just northeast of the historic Sonoma Plaza between 1st and 2nd Streets East, north of the Vintage House and east of the Little League Fields. This dense project would be the largest ever developed near our Plaza.

Current plans call for a 30-room hotel, clubhouse, pool club and 2 outdoor pools, 32-seat café and sundries shop. Thirty-two residential units are also proposed.

These components combine to create an enormous project out of scale not just with the surrounding neighborhood but also with much of Sonoma. The proposed building heights of 36 feet (3 stories) do not follow the Development Code, would dominate the area, block hillside views from downtown, and put further stress on parking, traffic, and infrastructure. Nor do they honor Ordinance 96-4 adopted in 1996 reading “...It is the intent of the City Council ...not to allow the encroachment of commercial uses that would alter the existing residential character of the area zoned Mixed Use...and generally described herein as the “North of the Mission” neighborhood...”

WHEREFORE, the undersigned hereby demand that the City Council and/or Planning Commission approve only residential uses, deny all commercial uses, require on site parking, deny exceptions to allowable elevations and setbacks, reject the “planned development” request, and preserve all existing residential structures for the land to be developed.