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| News:
04/15/2010
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SVCAC to review Mayacamas rules
At its meeting on April 21, the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission (SVCAC) will review proposed development guidelines for the Mayacamas Mountains area. The meeting will be held at the Sonoma Fire Station, 630 Second Street West in Sonoma, and will start at 6:30 p.m. The SVCAC is an advisory body that reviews development proposals in Sonoma Valley and makes recommendations to local government entities. The proposed rules for the Mayacamas, the eastern mountains running up Sonoma Valley, are aimed at protecting the valley’s scenic views by setting guidelines for building residential homes on the hillsides. The Mayacamas guidelines are based on similar rules adopted by the county for the Sonoma Mountain/Taylor Mountain area, which have been in place since 1999. Proposed guidelines for the Mayacamas were discussed as far back as the year 2000, but got bogged down in the county’s planning bureaucracy when an update of the county’s General Plan started in 2001, but didn’t get completed until 2008. The specific language for the Mayacamas design guidelines has now been drafted by the county’s Permit and Resource Management Department (PRMD). Amy Wingfield of PRMD’s Comprehensive Planning Division said the proposed regulations are scheduled to go in front of the Planning Commission on July 1, and then the Board of Supervisors later in the year. According to Wingfield, the Mayacamas rules would be combined with the existing Sonoma/Taylor Mountain guidelines. As drafted, the regulations deal with criteria regarding building sites, architecture, and landscaping, all aimed at reducing the visual impact of any development from public roads. Ridgeline development would be prohibited. Proposed architectural standards deal with building materials and exterior colors, non-reflective window glazing, reducing exterior lighting glare, and that, “All new structures shall be designed to enhance the rural character of the surrounding environment.” Landscaping guidelines involve the size and density of plant materials and plant species. According to the proposed rules, “Landscaping necessary to accomplish substantial screening shall be of sufficient size and density to screen the structure within ten years following installation.” Existing single-family dwellings in the Mayacamas Mountains area are not affected by the guidelines, but any expansion of a home would be. Structures that would be exempt from the regulations include agricultural structures, farmworker housing, or, “A structure that is not or would not be visible at the time of construction from public roads.” Click New Sonoma-Taylor-Mayacamas Draft Ordinance here to see the proposed guidelines. The geographic boundary impacted by the new guidelines is the same as PRMD’s designated planning area boundaries for Sonoma Valley, which extends from south of the City of Sonoma to Adobe Canyon Rd. in Kenwood. Download and view it here. Also on the agenda of the April 21 meeting is a review of a proposal for truck terminal and storage yard at 20850 Broadway in Sonoma, and a presentation giving an update on the Sonoma Valley Groundwater Management project. For more information on the SVCAC or its agenda, call First District Supervisor Valerie Brown’s office at 565-2241. Editor & Publisher Email: alec@kenwoodpress.com |
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