PressDem ocrat WatchSonom aCounty TO W NS Business Journal Web Search by YAHOO! Home News Business Sports ShopSoCo PDPreps Blogs Mom s Register | Forums | Log in 53° CLO UDY, SA NTA ROSA , CA | HO ME DELIVERY | E-EDITIO N | PRINT ADS | PLA CE/CHA NGE A D Entertainment Living Opinion Obituaries Classifieds Real Estate Jobs Cars ARTICLE-NEWS HOME > NEWS COMMENTS ENLARGE TEXT EMAIL PRINT REPRINT SHARE Rohnert Park OKs huge mixed-use project By JEREMY HAY THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Published: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 3:00 a.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 11:20 p.m. A split Rohnert Park City Council on Wednesday approved a $1 billion Codding Enterprises’ housing and commercial project that has been hailed as a model for environmentally responsible development. It is to be developed on a 175-acre site that formerly housed the Hewlett-Packard and Agilent manufacturing campus, on the city’s southern edge. The project is “exactly what we need in terms of stimulating economic development in this city,” Councilman Jake Mackenzie said of the project, called Sonoma Mountain Village. Mackenzie, Mayor Pam Stafford and Vice-Mayor Gina Belforte voted to approve a general plan amendment changing the designation of the area from limited industrial to mixed use, which allowed the project to proceed. MOST EMAILED MOST READ MOST RECENT Homeless man hit in Santa Rosa crossw alk remains critical Kendall-Jackson w inery ow ner Jess Jackson dies at 81 Friends, colleagues pay tribute to Jess Jackson Sonoma County budget deficit stirring dispute Santa Rosa bank robber w ho turned himself in found guilty PHOTOS | YOUR PHOTOS On that key vote councilmembers Amie Breeze and Joe Callinan — who voted to approve the project’s environmental impact report — voted no. They argued, respectively, that that the project was wrong for Rohnert Park, would strip the city of land that could be used for industrial development and proposed too many residences. Coddingtown Jess Jackson Mall Redesign (1930-2011) Glass-Breaking Ceremony Fire At Coddingtown JC Penney Scenes From 'African Cats' Drift Racing At Infineon Raceway “It doesn’t make sense,” said Breeze. The development would add 1,694 residential units, from apartments to single family homes, to the city and with them a projected 4,400 residents by 2022. It also foresees 825,000 square feet of commercial, retail and office space. Rejected lamb bonds with dog converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Callinan said the project “has great potential” but would add too many new residences. “My gut is just telling me that it’s too many houses,” he said. BREAKING: Samsung 55" LED TV Sold at $84 Breeze said that changing the property’s designation would eliminate the possibility of future industrial development on the land. And she went further than Callinan in her criticism of the project, saying it represented a short-term view of economic and real estate development that did not fit with Rohnert Park. Clarks Summit: Auction site to give away 1,000+ LED TV's at… Deals On Electronics “I think mixed use sounds like a good idea but I don’t see it working in Rohnert Park,” she said. Save Up to 90% On Electronics, Comps & More-Bid To Win Huge… Codding Enterprises development director Richard Pope said the company had invested more than $12 million in the project since 2004. when it acquired the site from Agilent. The money has been spent on sewer upgrades, planning and design work and renovating existing building, he said. Pennsylvania Refinance at 2.65% $160,000 Mortgage $659/mo. No SSN req. Get a Free quote! (3.0%… He said the company had made a “significant commitment and a gutsy investment” in the project, which he said would be a source of economic energy for the city. “It is land that should be working for the benefit of the city and bringing in money now,” he said. Get All 3 Credit Reports Get Your 3 Free Credit Scores. Know your Credit Scores Today! Echoing other proponents of the project, he said the blend of environmentally-attuned development and mix of business uses would raise Rohnert Park’s profile immensely, making it “a destination city and not just a sign on the freeway.” Among the five audience members who spoke in favor of the project was Ky Boyd, owner of Rialto Cinemas, the just-shuttered Santa Rosa art house movie theater. He, too, said the project had the potential to change the face of the city. “We look forward to being the movie theater proposed in the project,” Boyd said. “We think this is a great opportunity along with the Green Music Center (at Sonoma State University) to redefine the cultural center of Sonoma County as Rohnert Park.” Later, he said that plans to open a theater in Sonoma Mountain Village had been underway since 2004 and that his company still hopes to reopen a movie house in Santa Rosa. No one in the capacity audience spoke against the project. EVENTS CALENDAR MORE EVENTS 22 FRI 23 SA T 24 SUN 25 MON SUBMIT EVENT 26 TUE Enter event type or date FIND LOCAL BUSINESSES Keyword(s): Location: Santa Rosa, CA POPULAR SEARCHES Powered by LOCAL.COM Search Pope also made a not so subtle reference to the city’s strained finances — the council earlier Wednesday adopted a budget with a $2.4 million deficit. “There is not much more left to cut,” he said. “Let us be a part of Rohnert Park’s recovery.” A combination of development fees, sales taxes and other revenues are projected to bring in $79 million to City Hall from the project over the next 10 to 12 years, Codding’s development manager Kirstie Moore said. City staff had recommended approval of the project, saying its analysis — and the development agreement it designed — would ensure that “this project would pay its own way. ” The project, described by environmentalists as groundbreaking, is designed to be a model for sustainable development: it is projected to use less water than was allowed Agilent annually; will use 100 percent renewable energy and emphasizes pedestrian and cyclist needs. “It means everything to us as a company; we’ve invested a lot of time and money and creative talent,” said Connie Codding, the development company’s majority shareholder. “It’s going to move our company to a whole new level.” “It’s so exciting for the future not only of our company but of the world,” she said. converted by Web2PDFConvert.com In a related development, the council earlier in the day, on the same split lines, voted to approve a $880,000 grant from redevelopment funds to the Sonoma Mountain Business Cluster incubator. The grant, which is contingent on the nonprofit business incubator matching it dollar for dollar and not relocating for six years, is about “creating jobs,” said Vice-Mayor Gina Belforte. The nonprofit operates on the Sonoma Mountain Village site, offering office space and support to mostly tech-related start up companies. It also has recieved a $500,000 redevelopment funds grant from the city in 2007. “I’m having a hard time giving $1.4 million to one of the richest developers in this county,” Callinan said. “The return is going to be huge for Rohnert Park,” said Stafford. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged. ENLARGE TEXT EMAIL PRINT REPRINT SHARE You Might Be Interested In From Around The Web Girl bitten by snake at Annadel State Park, airlifted out Delivering Effective Personalization Through Automated Targeting (Conversion Conference Blog) UPDATE: Crash at Santa Rosa Costco gas station sends four to hospital It's Time to Legalize Cell Phone Jammers (PCWorld) FBI raids SR business Harbaugh finally gets a chance to coach The Amadesa InPlace Revolution is Covered on Internet Retailer & eM+C | Amadesa (Amadesa Blog) Police on the scene as man hit by bus in Santa Rosa Abalone diver who died off Fort Ross identified Divorce Diaries: Drudging Along (WomansDay.com) ID Thief Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Prison (PCWorld) Shares of Alpha PRO Tech Potentially Undervalued in Terms of Enterprise Value to Sales Ratio (APT, MDCI, SPAN, RTIX, WWIN) (MySmarTrend) [what's this] Recommend Sign Up to see what your friends recommend. Add a comment... F acebook social plugin Refinance Rates at 2.65% $160,000 mortgage $659/mo. No Obligation. Get a Free Quote! (3.0%apr) Bad Credit, Bankruptcy? No Problem, We Finance Used C ars, Only $250 Down, Apply OnLine 24/7 LendGo.com /Mortgage CarLottaCredit.com Local Coupons 1 ridiculously huge coupon a day. Get 5090% off your city's best! www.Groupon.com Ads by Yahoo! NEWS PHOTOS SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT REAL ESTATE CLASSIFIEDS Local Business Video Blogs Sports Colleges Entertainment Music & Nightlife Rentals New Home For Sale/Wanted Pets California Nation/World Forums Santa Rosa NFL NBA Movies Dining Communities Agent Directory Services Legal Notices converted by Web2PDFConvert.com Around the Empire Magazine Sonoma Mom MLB NHL Theater Arts Open Homes Rate Calculator Rentals Autos Education Politics Petaluma360.com Watch Sonoma Racing Tennis Things to Do TV Listings Jobs Autos Open Homes Garage Sales Opinion Editorials County W ineTravel.com Golf MLS Numbrix Sudoku Find a Car Build a Car Place an Ad Print Ads Letters to the Editor Columns North Bay Business Journal SonomaPets NASCAR Giants Raiders Games Living Food & Dining Research a Car Shopping Weather history New s in Education Circulation and Chris Smith Bob Padecky Obituaries Guest Books 49ers Sports Columnists W ine Green Living New spaper archives Subscriptions New spaper Ads Robert Rubino Low ell Cohn Funeral Notices and Guest Books Stats 49ers Blog Home and Garden Health Poll Results Celebrate Mobile Place an Ad Paul Gullixson Gaye LeBaron Special Sections Data Center PD Preps Preps Schedule Jeff Cox Review s Search for Community Celebrations Events Staff Directory New s Archive Weather Frontlines Restaurants Coupons Local Businesses The New Economy AGA Collapse C ontact Us About Us Advertising Subscribe Work for Us Help Privacy Policy About Our Ads C orrections RSS Terms of Service Photo Reprints Site Map Copyright © 2011 PressDem ocrat.com — All rights reserved. Restricted use only. converted by Web2PDFConvert.com