Key issues emerge for general plan

The 2020 General Plan contains hundreds of revisions, but, so far, only a few proposals seem to attract much comment from Sonoma County residents: noise in the neighborhood, development around airports and modular sewage treatment units.

During the second of eight public hearings Wednesday on changes to the 1989 General Plan, Sonoma County supervisors said citizen comments will prompt them to take closer looks at proposals that rewrite policies in several areas, including regulations on noisy neighbors, on airport development and on increasing use of so-called packaged wastewater treatment plants.

About 70 people attended Wednesday's public hearing and 20 spoke during the session, which lasted 100 minutes. The next hearing is Monday from 1:30 to 5 p.m. and from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Glaser Center, 547 Mendocino Ave. The topic is the water resources element of the general plan.

Several Kenwood and Glen Ellen residents complained that the lack of a county noise ordinance meant it was useless to call law enforcement to help quiet disturbances. They also said initiating legal action against neighborhoods invited retribution.

Kenwood resident Karl Keener cited a raucous party on Lawndale Avenue last weekend, and a Glen Ellen woman complained about rave parties in her neighborhood with "young people screaming the F-word for four to five hours and drinking."

Supervisor Tim Smith said noise ordinance "enforcement is a black hole that I would rather not get into." But board Chairwoman Valerie Brown said "somehow we have to get law enforcement to shut down" noisy parties.

Supervisor Mike Kerns, a former Petaluma police official, said he wanted to review examples of noise ordinances in other counties.

Complaints that the new general plan indicates more leniency for modular waste units came from residents concerned about development in rural areas as well as environmental groups contending it encourage growth by circumventing waste disposal costs.

"The packaged treatment plant has opened the Pandora's box to development in undeveloped areas," said Daisy Pistey-Lyhne, the Greenbelt Alliance's Sonoma-Marin field representative, adding it makes projects possible on 85 percent of the county's 20,000 parcels.

Supervisors indicated they are split on these units that are increasingly being used on ranches and hotel projects in areas far from connections to sewer lines.

Smith said he is reluctant to prohibit technology that may solve waste treatment problems for some projects such as affordable housing. But Brown, who represents the Sonoma Valley, and west county Supervisor Mike Reilly said they oppose policies that would allow more of them.

"In most cases, they are in flood-prone areas where we can't get sewer hookups and, all of a sudden, the magic answer is a packaged treatment plant," Brown said.

Meanwhile, residents living near the Sonoma County airport and the Sonoma Skypark at Schellville called for general plan changes that increase safety rather than encourage development.

Several neighbors of the Schellville airport said they resented development restrictions on their property, while the operators of the privately owned airstrip were increasing their use.

Several residents of Laughlin Road, which skirts the south side of the Sonoma County airport, said development of a Mesa Beverage facility and addition of Horizon Air service had increased traffic on their rural roadway.

Supervisors said they would debate policy changes after the public hearings conclude Sept. 20.

You can reach Staff Writer Bleys W. Rose at 521-5431 or bleys.rose@pressdemocrat.com.