Extend growth plan to allow for broader conversation

Since an Urban Growth Boundary sets the stage for a comprehensive land-use plan, the Sonoma Valley Housing Group calls for a two-year extension of the exact same UGB and UGB language, and a concomitant inter-related discussion of the UGB and the General Plan. 

 We support an open-minded UGB process that starts with reviewing old and possible new UGB provisions and context, and builds from there. We ask for a comprehensive and objective public conversation under the auspices of the city planning department and planning commission, where pros and cons can be vetted in a fair analysis of alternatives. 

 Particular attention needs to be paid to how UGB alternatives will affect housing affordability, and how each alternative will reflect the aspirations arrived at in the city’s Housing Our Community forums. Given that the city and its surrounding unincorporated areas are one community, we believe the city must consider the regional context and options available.  

Our interests are centered in the social character of our community, specifically that the cohort at and below the area median income be fairly provided for in the future of the town and its environs.

— David Kendall and Ken Brown, Sonoma Valley Housing Group