The complete Final Report of the 2019-2020 Sonoma Civil Grand Jury was issued on August 2, 2020, calling the Springs Specific Plan “a Public Disclosure Misfire”. Their investigation aimed to answer one question: “Did Sonoma County follow the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) guidelines for Specific Plans relating to public disclosure and soliciting input from affected individuals?”
“The Grand Jury concludes that the County failed to follow MTC guidelines for the SSP and that the Donald Street neighborhood residents were in the dark for four years while the County and the rest of the Springs’ residents engaged in community workshops and meetings. We found that the County’s public disclosures from 2012 to early 2017 were insufficient to alert a civically engaged citizen that their neighborhood could be affected in a significant manner. The Grand Jury recommends that the County take action to rectify the lack of notice by:
- Offering an official apology
- Engaging with the Donald Street residents regarding their concerns
- Attempting to accommodate those concerns
- Considering the severance of the Donald Street region from the SSP.”
Grand Jury SSP Summary, April 2020 (3 pp)
Grand Jury SSP Individual Final Report, May 8, 2020 (11 pp)
Board of Supervisors’ Response to the Grand Jury, Oct 20, 2020 (15 pp)