Comments on: Santa Rosa renews business-friendly zoning policies http://www.watchsonomacounty.com/2012/09/cities/santa-rosa-renews-business-friendly-zoning-policies/ Your Sonoma County Politics Site Mon, 20 May 2013 16:22:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Bob Whittaker http://www.watchsonomacounty.com/2012/09/cities/santa-rosa-renews-business-friendly-zoning-policies/#comment-359917 Bob Whittaker Fri, 21 Sep 2012 20:39:23 +0000 http://www.watchsonomacounty.com/?p=23513#comment-359917 Hans Dippel? Please how is this guy even considered as a candidate. Isn’t he basically a professional suck up and winery clown? He is a triumph of form over substance. He has no ideas and a fake spanish catch phrase (“Razon Para Creer”) which is supposed to pander to the Hispanic vote. All he does is drop names and swig wine. How is he qualified to do anything but continue the big giveaways to big business?

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]]> By: Brian Brown http://www.watchsonomacounty.com/2012/09/cities/santa-rosa-renews-business-friendly-zoning-policies/#comment-358513 Brian Brown Fri, 21 Sep 2012 14:33:23 +0000 http://www.watchsonomacounty.com/?p=23513#comment-358513 I believe that Hans Dippel is having a major influence on the course and direction of the Santa Rosa City Council. Because he is running as a pro-business candidate and a creator not a spender there may be adjustments being made to protect their incumbent positions.

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]]> By: Kay Tokerud http://www.watchsonomacounty.com/2012/09/cities/santa-rosa-renews-business-friendly-zoning-policies/#comment-354949 Kay Tokerud Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:19:06 +0000 http://www.watchsonomacounty.com/?p=23513#comment-354949 My only beef here is that one area has been singled out to continue to enforce the “six month rule” that says if a use is discontinued for six months, then the current use is lost. All other non-conforming properties in Santa Rosa now have 24 months to get a new tenant before they lose their use. This innappropriately named Park and Gardens area, which is the commercial strip on Santa Rosa Avenue just below City Hall has no Parks or Gardens in it. This area has been repeatedly dogged by City officials resulting in vacant eyesores due to the City’s reluctance to allow any new development or expansions in that area for years. In their “vision” of making this into a vibrant smart growth village, they have stifled all development.

Because busybody Judy Kennedy can see this strip from her home she has lobbied the City for years to clear out all the “bad elements” from the street. The City’s planning and restrictions have only made matters worse. Many businesses have tried to come in but have been refused. I know because I led the fight to prevent the the Gateways redevelopment project from demolishing the whole area. Once again, the city has listened to one extremist who for personal reasons has caused the City to decide not to allow this area to benefit from the “aggressive economic measures” that all the rest of Santa Rosa enjoys. Maybe this is Santa Rosa’s way of punishing these property owners for their part in funding the lawsuit against the Gateways redevelopment project.

As everyone knows, the State passed a new law abolishing all redevelopment projects in the entire State. So, the City’s deliberate attempt to facillitate the obsolecence or the “blighting” of this area for redevelopment has resulted in the underdevelopment and vacancies we see there now. If the City hadn’t had these abusive policies then that area would have seen some good new commercial development during the last upswing in our economy. At this point, this last move may permanently cripple the improvement of this area.

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