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By DEREK MOORE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
The city of Sonoma is moving closer to regulating so-called formula businesses, including an outright ban on the city’s historic Plaza.
City staff are preparing a draft ordinance that would set limits on chain and similar businesses and where they can locate in the city of 10,000.
Other than design review of buildings, Sonoma does not define or regulate businesses that meet zoning regulations, including in the downtown area.
A Staples store that recently opened in a building that formerly housed a Ford dealership sparked the current debate over formula businesses. It did not have to apply for a use permit to operate.
A divided city council on Dec. 19 directed staff to draft the proposed ordinance based on the recommendations of an ad hoc committee that city leaders formed to tackle the contentious issue. The eight-member group includes council members, business interests and slow-growth advocates.
The ordinance would define formula businesses as any that include 10 or more outlets, excluding hotels, offices, financial institutions and other types of service businesses.
These businesses would have to get a use permit to open. Those going in to shopping centers with five or more tenants would be exempt from the rules.
In addition, businesses that include more than 250 outlets would be banned from the plaza area.
Mayor Joanne Sanders said Tuesday that the new restrictions would lead to more commercial vacancies in the city and less tax revenue. She and council member Tom Rouse cast the dissenting votes against the draft ordinance.
They also were opposed to the city council considering a moratorium on formula businesses until such time as the new rules are enacted. The council is planning to take up that issue on Jan. 18.
“When local governments limit competition in one category, it drives up prices for working families and limits our access to certain products,” Sanders said.
Councilman Ken Brown, who voted in favor of the draft ordinance, said regulation is necessary to protect the town’s character, particularly at the plaza.
“I think Sonoma will be better for it,” he said.
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@Ben Boyce
Well said. Sonoma has become a brand that attracts tourists with stores and restaurants they won’t find in every other strip mall. That’s not Smart growth, it’s just smart.
With most city centers in decline, if not largely abandoned, each city needs to figure out what works. However, the argument works best when applied to the Plaza. Residents too have shopping needs and the high-priced yuppie stuff at Plaza shops is probably not what they usually have in mind.
For the sake of residents, I hope the anti big-box mentality doesn’t preclude permitting stores that cater to residents.
Unfortunately, NIMBY isn’t stupid here, it’s correct. The town coiuncil in Sonoma has a long history of banning businesses of any kind that comflict with ones that have any connection to a town council member. Then the council couches the ban in a “it’s for the good of the town” wrapper. When an elected official enacts certain measures to benefit themselves, or a family member or friend/neighbor, it’s a clear conflict of interest that is based solely on their economic back yard, again in an attempt to force people to shop there. So NIMBY is very applicable, and applies to the town council money grubbers.
The Plaza is completely built out so what’s the threat? This is about mandating smartgrowth development. Ground floor retail with 2 or more stories of housing on top. Big stores usually want retail only because it’s a better model.
Right now, the MTC and ABAG are pushing a plan called One Bay Area, or Plan Bay Area (to confuse people) in which they will be holding the purse strings on 200 Billion dollars in federal transportation grants to be distributed to the cities in all 9 bay area counties. The deal is that if they want some of that money they will be required to build to the smart growth model. And that development will have to be in designated areas that are being called Priority Development Areas. What happens if you own developable property elsewhere? Nothing, your city probably will deny permits to everyone else. The plan may be tweaked due to strong opposition, much of it from the cities themselves that don’t like to have their power taken away by some unelected boards.
Finley Center, January 9th at 5:30 is the place to be if you are interested in the biggest social engineering plan ever to be devised in the United States. This is truly a travesty and should be stopped. This plan should be thrown into the wastebin of history.
Dumbfounded:
I gave you the thumbs down even though I agree with you that government is unable to understand that they cannot force people to shop local through their various scams and schemes.
You got the thumbs down for uttering that stupid phrase, “NIMBY,” because whether you like it or not… people do have a right to do what they want with their land, their property, their businesses. The “Non In My Back Yard” concept is valid for property owners.. but not in government. Government is there to work for us… even though they figure they are our “leaders.”
The key issue is governmental interference in our lives. We have lost our freedom to a Nazi government at the local, state, and federal level. Government no longer represents the interests of the public opinion.
Typical NIMBY stance. Now more people will drive into Santa Rosa to find items at better prices, and more vehicles on the road makes a not so green footprint. You can’t force people to shop locally by keeping out competiton, and I seriously doubt any large national chain is going to want to jump into the Plaza and pay the rents there. Using Staples(which is nowhere near the Plaza) as an example of a giant retail devil would only work with the Occupy supporters. The only part of this article or the actions of the city council that have any ring of truth or sincerity in them is having the words “Ken Brown” and “character” in the same sentence. Have you paid your rent yet, Ken?
The proposed chain store ordinance is widely supported by local businesses, who recognize that permitting the Plaza to be over-run by tickytacky chain stores would damage the value of the Sonoma as an internationally recognized brand. This is the last chance for Sonoma to get this right, because they have already begun to go over the slippery slope, due to the ideologically driven opposition of the Sonoma Chamber, which has squashed several previous attempts to protect the Plaza and the gateway entrances to the city.
The Chamber’s proposed solution is to rely on signage to mask the presence of the national and regional chains. No one will be fooled by that ruse. Just because the McDonalds has a wooden sign with painted golden arches does not make it a good fit for the historic Plaza. Once you lose your brand, you’ll never get it back. The ordinance already provides for grandmothering in locally owned chains like Mary’s Pizza, so that argument does not hold water.
This rigid conservative Republican free market orthodoxy of the Chamber is why many small businesses are leaving the Chamber in favor of small business associations like GoLocal, because they realize that the national Chamber has become a branch of the RNC and no longer represents the interests of small business, but is merely a tool of the big corporations that call the tune in DC. We won’t let them destroy the charm of Sonoma in the service of corporate domination.
Yes, kick that awful chain of Mary’s Pizza Shacks out of town ! The list could go on and on.
I think Sonoma’s planners could have limited the sineage to keep it compatible with the surroundings and looking nice for the plaza without zoning whole businesses out of existance. The chain stores are successful, it’s the gaudy looks that bother people the most. The successful mom and pops out there are buying franchises.
A lot of this is just consumer habits. In Sonoma, why would you buy a deli sandwich at a Subway when for like a $1 more you could get a real deli sandwich from a real deli or bakery in the square? But, people go to Subway. It’s the most popular franchise and “coincidentally” is the cheapest franchise to buy.
If Sonoma planners had just thought about the actual problem and tailored a solution to address the real problem… sorry I guess I’m expecting too much.
The central planners never have suceeded in picking market winners and losers. That’s all this is and it’s a mistake. Encourage business and get them to conform to your look and feel and it’s all good.
It is this same ridiculousness that led to Rohnert Park having a massive business base and Petaluma struggling with none, except the well-functioning K-Mart. Petaluma has delayed Target for a decade, leading to millions upon millions of sales tax revenue going to Rohnert Park.
Well, since every city in the country will be bankrupt in a decade because of pension liability and overpaid bloated government offices, who really cares.
Those elected to office only understand how to steal money from people through taxes, fees and fines, not through pro-business policies.
Oh it figures that wingnut Ken Brown would want this ridiculous ordinance. He’s been living off the gov’t handout trough for years. I hope the good people of Sonoma vote him out next time as SR voted out Valerie Brown, et al last time.
This makes sense. Everyone knows that government idiots are the best people to determine how the economy should function. Look how well they balance their budgets and run the government.