ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES SHOULD BE COMPLETED FIRST!

By Tim Smith

Rohnert Park Planning Commission Meeting of April 8, 2004

Over a decade, beginning in 2006, developers would like to build 3,700 Rohnert Park homes, with as many as 600 being built in one year. There are four major development areas for the City, totalling more than 800 acres: Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and the University District. At the Planning Commission meeting of April 8, 2004, City Manager Carl Leivo recommended that three of the areas, Northwest, Southeast and the University District, receive top priority in a building permit allocation scheme and be allowed to start building homes in 2006.

In their objections to such proposal, two Planning Commissioners, Susan Adams and Tim Smith, argued that environmental studies should be completed first. Such studies are currently in process for most of the undeveloped land and expected to be finished by the end of the year. Smith stated - "This is putting the cart before the horse. It's fraught with opportunity for litigation. This is a situation that will cause more conflict, rather than produce careful planning."

By a 3-2 vote the Planning Commission forwarded its recommendation on how the housing permits should be divided up. The three Planning Commissioners in favor of implementing a building permit allocation scheme prior to completion of the required environmental studies were Dan Blanquie, Joe Callinan and Dan Hubley.