July 1, 2019
By Woody Hastings
Sonoma Group member
On the heels of the unfortunate “green light” for the Petaluma Safeway gas station, and along with a small station proposed at Llano Road and Highway 12, a massive 16-pump 24/7 mega-station complete with carwash and mini-mart is proposed for the corner of Gravenstein Highway (116) and Stony Point Road in unincorporated Sonoma County just west of Cotati. This urban development project would wipe out the current small businesses that exist at that location, including Cali-Kind Tie-Dye and the Pond & Garden Nursery.
Approval of any local governmental agency in Sonoma County for new gas stations, even small ones, without some kind of clear case being made for need, makes a mockery of the two decades of declarations, proclamations, plans, and commitments to address the climate crisis seriously. In this case there are no less than five gas stations within a two-mile radius, so there is no case to be made.
In early May the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter leadership agreed unanimously to oppose the project and signed on to a letter of opposition that outlined the history of climate action on the part of the county.
The project is currently before the county’s Design Review Committee. This committee has limited ability to consider factors other than, as the name implies, design. Many factors, including impacts to water, wildlife, traffic, noise, quality of life for nearby residents, light pollution, and climate, are not part of the DRC’s mission. This proposal should rightly go before the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors for consideration.
This is the time to weigh in and express your concerns. Submit comments to:
To get involved in the opposition to this project, contact Woody Hastings.
Sonoma Group member
On the heels of the unfortunate “green light” for the Petaluma Safeway gas station, and along with a small station proposed at Llano Road and Highway 12, a massive 16-pump 24/7 mega-station complete with carwash and mini-mart is proposed for the corner of Gravenstein Highway (116) and Stony Point Road in unincorporated Sonoma County just west of Cotati. This urban development project would wipe out the current small businesses that exist at that location, including Cali-Kind Tie-Dye and the Pond & Garden Nursery.
Approval of any local governmental agency in Sonoma County for new gas stations, even small ones, without some kind of clear case being made for need, makes a mockery of the two decades of declarations, proclamations, plans, and commitments to address the climate crisis seriously. In this case there are no less than five gas stations within a two-mile radius, so there is no case to be made.
In early May the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter leadership agreed unanimously to oppose the project and signed on to a letter of opposition that outlined the history of climate action on the part of the county.
The project is currently before the county’s Design Review Committee. This committee has limited ability to consider factors other than, as the name implies, design. Many factors, including impacts to water, wildlife, traffic, noise, quality of life for nearby residents, light pollution, and climate, are not part of the DRC’s mission. This proposal should rightly go before the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors for consideration.
This is the time to weigh in and express your concerns. Submit comments to:
- Design Review Committee: Daniel Hoffman (dhoffman@migcom.com), Assistant Planner for the project, and to Kyreen Gonzalez, (Kyreen.Gonzalez@sonoma-county.org), Planning Project Review Secretary.
- The project is in Supervisor Rabbitt’s District 2, so comments should be sent to him and copied to your Supervisor.
- Design Review Committee meetings are held on 1st & 3rd Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m., and this issue could come up at any one of them. For more info visit: https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Design-Review-Committee/
To get involved in the opposition to this project, contact Woody Hastings.