December 4, 2007
To: Mayor Sam Pierce; Councilmembers Craig Litwin, Sarah Gurney, Linda Kelley, Larry Robinson
From: Sebastopol Preservation Coalition
Subject: The Northeast Specific Plan
Many public meetings and workshops were held about the Northeast Specific Plan, but none of the City Council meetings, public workshops or meetings discussed details of the proposed General Plan changes or revealed the impacts to areas outside the Northeast Plan Area.
There was no more than a passing comment about the fact that only intersections immediately contiguous to the Northeast Plan area were studied and reported on.
The truth is that if the Northeast Specific Plan zoning were approved, current traffic Level of Service (LOS) standards for all of downtown Sebastopol would need to be gutted or eliminated.
Further, we believe that a broader range of traffic intersections must be studied, including Sebastopol neighborhoods, Hwy 116 South, Healdsburg Ave, the Hwy. 12 corridor and Bodega Ave.
It is a blatant fallacy that the application of the current General Plan would generate more traffic and more growth. It is simply not true. This could happen only if the current General Plan Level of Service standards and building height parameters and many other limits were jettisoned to permit such overbuilding.
In communication to the public, negative impacts of the Northeast Plan as proposed must not be downplayed, minimized, or omitted, nor should its benefits be exaggerated or embellished.
We fear that many negative impacts of the Northeast Plan will occur by omission, rather than commission.
We think it is vital to have the proposed Northeast Plan changes and their impacts to the entire town reviewed and discussed at a Council meeting.
Sebastopol Preservation Coalition, including
s/s Helen Shane
s/s Magick
s/s Clare Najarian
s/s Holly Downing
s/s Eric Johnson
s/s Gayle Bergmann
s/s Nansi I Weil
s/s Deanne Thompson
s/s Ruth Robinson
s/s Jane Nielson
s/s Lisa Pierce
s/s Steve Pierce
s/s Sylvana deJonghe
s/s Bill Kenney
s/s Ken Royce
s/s Stacey Royce
s/s Manus Monroe
s/s Jim Wheaton
s/s Carey Wheaton
The Northeast Area is big. Let’s make the best of it, not the most of it.
To: Mayor Sam Pierce; Councilmembers Craig Litwin, Sarah Gurney, Linda Kelley, Larry Robinson
From: Sebastopol Preservation Coalition
Subject: The Northeast Specific Plan
Many public meetings and workshops were held about the Northeast Specific Plan, but none of the City Council meetings, public workshops or meetings discussed details of the proposed General Plan changes or revealed the impacts to areas outside the Northeast Plan Area.
There was no more than a passing comment about the fact that only intersections immediately contiguous to the Northeast Plan area were studied and reported on.
The truth is that if the Northeast Specific Plan zoning were approved, current traffic Level of Service (LOS) standards for all of downtown Sebastopol would need to be gutted or eliminated.
Further, we believe that a broader range of traffic intersections must be studied, including Sebastopol neighborhoods, Hwy 116 South, Healdsburg Ave, the Hwy. 12 corridor and Bodega Ave.
It is a blatant fallacy that the application of the current General Plan would generate more traffic and more growth. It is simply not true. This could happen only if the current General Plan Level of Service standards and building height parameters and many other limits were jettisoned to permit such overbuilding.
In communication to the public, negative impacts of the Northeast Plan as proposed must not be downplayed, minimized, or omitted, nor should its benefits be exaggerated or embellished.
We fear that many negative impacts of the Northeast Plan will occur by omission, rather than commission.
We think it is vital to have the proposed Northeast Plan changes and their impacts to the entire town reviewed and discussed at a Council meeting.
Sebastopol Preservation Coalition, including
s/s Helen Shane
s/s Magick
s/s Clare Najarian
s/s Holly Downing
s/s Eric Johnson
s/s Gayle Bergmann
s/s Nansi I Weil
s/s Deanne Thompson
s/s Ruth Robinson
s/s Jane Nielson
s/s Lisa Pierce
s/s Steve Pierce
s/s Sylvana deJonghe
s/s Bill Kenney
s/s Ken Royce
s/s Stacey Royce
s/s Manus Monroe
s/s Jim Wheaton
s/s Carey Wheaton
The Northeast Area is big. Let’s make the best of it, not the most of it.