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Sonoma County General Plan Update

Sonoma County is currently in the process of updating its General Plan. The General Plan—updated about once every 15 years—will act as the blueprint for growth and development on county unincorporated land through the year 2020. The General Plan will determine how much growth will occur and whether it will occur on rural lands. This update presents a critical opportunity to advocate for protection of important open space in the county's 900,000 acres of unincorporated land.

Greenbelt Alliance has been closely monitoring and participating in the General Plan update process over the last five years. As the process has moved through the Citizen’s Advisory Committee and Planning Commission, we have focused on the issues of protecting for open space and wildlife habitat, preserving farmland, providing transportation options, and managing water and wastewater. In November 2004, Greenbelt Alliance released a report, Toward a Bright Future: Updating Sonoma County's General Plan, analyzing these critical issues in the plan. While the long timeline has made it difficult for some people to remain engaged in the process, we are continuing to work with partners to mobilize a grassroots coalition to affect these issues.

The Board of Supervisors began hearing the General Plan in 2007. This will be the last chance to ensure a better future for Sonoma County through the General Plan.

What's at Stake

The General Plan is updated only every 15 years. To guide growth and development in the county, it is crucial to get involved now.

If development is done poorly, it will lead to lost open space, agriculture, and community character, and increased traffic. Done well, development can support the local economy while bringing a higher quality of life to all the county's residents.

It's important for local residents to be involved, to keep the Supervisors accountable to the desires of the community. The decisions that are made in the next year will affect Sonoma County's quality of life long into the future.

What You Can Do

• Write a letter to the Board of Supervisors stating your support for expanded community separators to protect our greenbelts, and in support of the Greenbelt Alliance platform of policies.
  
  Address your letters to:
  Board of Supervisors
  575 Administration Drive, Room 100A
  Santa Rosa, CA 95403-2887
  
  Chair: Valerie Brown (click to e-mail Valerie)
  
  
• Get involved in Greenbelt Alliance's campaign to protect Sonoma County's open space and community character. Contact Daisy Pistey-Lyhne by email or at (707) 575-3661.
  
  
• Attend Board of Supervisors hearings and speak up! Click here for the schedule. Written comments are also accepted until the close of deliberations on each issue.
  
  

  Hearing dates may be changed to accommodate public testimony and consideration of actions on each element. The telephone hotline at (707) 565-8354 will be updated as changes are made.
  

• Download a copy of Greenbelt Alliance's report on the General Plan update.