So Far, A Most Desirable Place
by Guy Wilson, Sonoma-West Times & News Columnist, 

The future of Sebastopol will be determined by people, not projects. At least, I keep telling myself that.

It seems a way of life around here that there is always a big, new behemoth development lurking around the corner. Laguna Vista has been looming large for years, greater in its absence - one can only hope - than it will be in its presence.

Now we have the Northeast Area Plan, dwarfing Laguna Vista and covering more corners than one cares to count. At this rate maybe we should start planning for a monorail. 
We should take heart that these mega-projects have yet to be built. We should trust in the environmental review and local political process (and, perhaps, judicial process) to keep us from being swallowed up by developments that may be too big to swallow. If it is reliably determined that we lack the water supply, traffic capacity, and infrastructure to handle the mammoth Northeast Area Plan, then by all rights a more modestly scaled, community-sensitive, and sustainable project will have to be conceived.

With the outsize Laguna Vista project temporarily operating under the title, “Litigation Vista,” and with the Northeast Area Plan encountering widespread concern over its sheer scope, we would do well to remember how we reached this point. In 1996 we voted decisively in favor of establishing urban growth boundaries. We may not have appreciated it at the time, but this was a vote in favor of in-fill development, which comes in all sizes and shapes with the UGB territory. As we have seen with Laguna Vista and the Northeast Area Plan, these in-fill sizes and shapes can be pretty big.

The good news is that in our first decade of UGB living we have not merely survived in-fill development, we have thrived. A few big projects have been built, most notably the O'Reilly headquarters, but on the whole Sebastopol has retained its small town character while attracting fresh blood and gaining a well-deserved national reputation as a progressive, green community. Vacant lots around town have been transformed into live-work areas. So far, Sebastopol has managed to stay a desirable place to live and should remain that way, as long as people stay vigilant, keep the faith, use critical thinking, believe in their dreams, and bring creative energy into play. 
Inevitably, of course, projects will get built, however despised they may be, and the urban landscape will always change over time. But even the biggest of developments will never take away the spirit of Sebastopol, which is found not in its buildings, but in those who occupy them - the artists, teachers, public servants, entrepreneurs, and everyday people who contribute to the community with their ideas, innovation, volunteerism, good will, mutual respect, and hard work.

A shining example of what I am talking about may be found at the newly opened Peter Lowell's cafe, deli, and wine bar at the corner of Florence Avenue and Healdsburg Avenue in Sebastopol. This corner was a barren lot for years, and many of us in the neighborhood have been wondering what to expect from the commercial units in the mixed-use project that seems to have taken forever to complete. Now we know. This looks like in-fill done right.

Steven Peyer and owner Lowell Sheldon have created a vibrant European-style corner cafe serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a friendly, unpretentious atmosphere. Their reasonably priced menu consists of locally produced food and wine, most of which is organic or sustainably grown. Check their web site at peterlowells.com.

My wife and I recently spent a wonderful evening sitting at the bar at Peter Lowell's, enjoying a variety of organic wines by the glass along with a delicious cheese plate, followed by a peppered halibut that was better than any seafood I have ever had at Tadich's, Scott's, or Sam's in San Francisco. If you plan on haunting Florence Avenue for Halloween, treat yourself to a bite at Peter Lowell's, but remember to get in before closing time at nine. This place deserves community support, because it is community - and a great place to eat.