Tensions ran high at a Sonoma County hearing to approve a dog kennel expansion on Highway 12 Thursday. The proposed expansion of Meadows Kennels increases the current 10-dog limit to 35 dogs over two phases, adding overnight boarding. The Sonoma County Board of Zoning Adjustments unanimously approved the kennel expansion after a nearly three hour hearing.

The golf club at the heart of the eastern Santa Rosa retirement community is planning to construct a new 2.5-acre lake in the middle of its driving range as part of a major water conservation project. The new 9-foot-deep lake, modern irrigation system and installation of drought-tolerant turf are expected to reduce the water demand of the semiprivate club’s two 18-hole courses by a third — 40 million gallons per year. But it will be the city’s ratepayers, not the golfers, who will be picking up the $2.8 million tab for the project.

The City Council voted 6-0 to send the plan back for further study on the visual, traffic and land-use impact of the proposed four-story affordable housing project. Neighbors called the proposed Elnoka Village project a “monstrosity,” but supporters said it would help the city meet its affordable housing goals.

Sonoma County has lost a bid to shut down a medical marijuana dispensary on the eastern outskirts of Santa Rosa, where it has been operating for months without a permit. Staff members say it serves many elderly patients, including people from the nearby Oakmont and Spring Lake Village retirement communities.

An environmental report for a controversial affordable housing project next to the Oakmont retirement community heads to the Santa Rosa city council this week. Oakmont is appealing the planning commission’s January approval of the environmental impact report prepared for the 209-unit Elnoka Village project, 30 percent of which will be affordable units.

The city has won the first round in its legal fight to preserve bicycle access through a gated community near Oakmont. Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Elliot Daum has ruled that the city’s case can proceed against the Village at Wild Oak neighborhood.

A key chapter in a long-running development debate is coming to a head in Santa Rosa as the politically influential Oakmont retirement community has stepped up its campaign to block an affordable housing project on its northern border.

The Santa Rosa City Council on Tuesday approved a wish list outlining where 88 miles of bike lanes and 5 miles of walking paths should be built over time. It includes bike lanes through a retirement community that doesn’t want them and a bicycle boulevard not far from where an existing one is set to be torn out.

Sonoma County’s zoning board voted unanimously Thursday to allow an 83-foot-tall cell phone tower near Oakmont. Critics said the tower would emit dangerous levels of radiation while supporters said it would finally provide decent cell service in the area.

The Sonoma County Board of Zoning Adjustments will take up a proposal Thursday to install an 83-foot-tall cellphone tower off Highway 12 across from the entrance to Oakmont. Some residents are concerned the tower will mar the scenic views and possibly expose them to radio frequency radiation. Others support the tower, saying it would provide better cellphone coverage.