Draft Environmental Impact Report
BREAKING NEWS!
Finally the DRAFT SPRINGS SPECIFIC PLAN (D-SSP) and the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Springs Specific Plan have been released.
The full Draft Springs Specific Plan (153 pp) can be downloaded by clicking on this link:
The full Draft EIR for the Springs Specific Plan (1064 pp) is available here:
You can also review and download an Executive Summary (19 pp) and all the other major Project Documents directly from this link:
https://permitsonoma.org/longrangeplans/proposedlong-rangeplans/springsspecificplan/projectdocuments
The DEIR public review is the most important stage of the process. Now that the DEIR has been published, it will be presented to at least the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission and the Springs Municipal Advisory Council. The period for submitting comments on the D-SSP and DEIR will be open from May 18, 2022 through July 19, 2022.
Written comments can be submitted to PERMIT SONOMA by 5:00 p.m. on July 19:
• Email: springsspecificplan@sonoma-county.org
• Fax: (707) 565-1103
• Mail: Doug Bush, Permit Sonoma, 2550 Ventura Avenue, Santa Rosa, California 95403
For comments submitted via email, please include “Draft EIR Comments: Springs Specific Plan” in the subject line and the name and physical address of the commenter in the body of the email.
Public Hearing on Draft EIR: The Sonoma County Planning Commission will hold a virtual public hearing on Thursday, June 16, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. The purpose of the public hearing is for the Planning Commission and Permit Sonoma staff to receive comments on the adequacy and accuracy of the DEIR. The Planning Commission will not respond to any of the comments or take action on the project at this hearing. Certification of the Final EIR will be considered at a later hearing which will be noticed in advance.
Revisit this web page to find out what is in the Draft EIR, what your neighbors are thinking about it, and how you can get involved. We anticipate soliciting volunteer and professional expertise in at least the following areas:
- Sonoma County General Plan Land-use and Zoning
- Affordable Housing
- Traffic Analysis and “Vision Zero” Traffic Safety
- Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Mitigation
- Greenhouse Gas Analysis
- Wildfire Evacuation Planning and Preparedness
- Water Availability Analysis
- Noise Analysis
- Parking Analysis
Use the following list of resources to learn more about the general Environmental Impact Reporting process:
| Board of Supervisors Meetings | Upcoming agenda, archived minutes, videos, etc. | http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Board-of-Supervisors/Full-Meeting-Calendar/ |
| PRMD (“Permit Sonoma”) | Main page for Planning Department | http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Permit-Sonoma/ |
| Zoning Codes Explained | Introduction to existing County Zoning Codes | http://sonomacounty.ca.gov/ZoningCodes/ |
| Table of all Zoning Codes | Definitions of all County Zoning Codes (Ch.26) | https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/PRMD/Planning/Project-Review/Services/Zoning/Zoning-Codes-County/ |
| County GIS Zoning Map | Look up County zoning (also County parcel info) | https://tinyurl.com/SoCo-Zoning-GIS |
| City of Sonoma GIS Zoning Map | Look up City zoning (also County parcel info) | http://www2.lynxgis.com/Sonoma |
| ABAG Executive Board Meetings | Board Meeting Agendas, Minutes & Packets | https://abag.ca.gov/meetings |
| The Planner’s Guide to the Specific Plan | Handy primer on Specific Plans | http://opr.ca.gov/docs/specific_plans.pdf |
| Planning, Zoning and Development Law | see pages 69-70 on specific plans law | http://opr.ca.gov/docs/complete_pzd_2007.pdf |
| CEQA and Noticing Best Practices | CEQA notice requirements | https://www.cacities.org/Resources-Documents/Education-and-Events-Section/Annual-Conference/2016-Handouts/Complying-with-CEQA,-Brown-Act,-and-Other-Public-N |
| PDA Planning Guide and Elements | MTC’s Description of Priority Development Areas | https://mtc.ca.gov/sites/default/files/PDA%20Planning_Elements.pdf |