City of Sonoma Zoning Ordinance Says Williams-Sonoma Too Successful to Open in Original Downtown Sonoma Location
From The Associated Press – Chuck Williams first opened his little shop in Sonoma in the heart of Northern California wine country in 1956 — and eventually saw it grow into the Williams-Sonoma chain that is now worth some $3 billion.
The cookware giant now wants to build a store at the same site in Sonoma where it first opened more than a half century ago, but is facing hurdles as the Sonoma City Council considers a zoning ordinance to regulate chain stores in the city’s historic district.
The City Council was to vote Wednesday on a temporary moratorium on chain stores from its downtown plaza while it drafts a permanent zoning ordinance that will regulate and possible ban “formula” stores from its historic city center. But when it became clear that the four of five votes needed to pass the urgent moratorium were not there, they shelved the issue until they could discuss it further.
Mayor Joanne Sanders worries the proposed ordinance could hurt the local economy for the 10,000 residents in the town that was once the capital of the California Republic in the 1800s. The small-business owner is opposed to chain-store regulations and believes there is room for growth while Read more…
From Sacramento Press – Sacramento’s wine industry received a boost last month with the approval of an ordinance that promotes agricultural tourism, a move local wineries said they are excited to see.
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in December to adopt new zoning code amendments that will potentially foster growth of Sacramento’s wine industry. The changes will take effect in just a few days.
Among other things, the ordinance provides the grape growers of a certain size the right to produce and bottle their own wine; gives wineries the ability to open small tasting rooms in agricultural zones; and eliminates the requirement for conditional use permits for Read more…
The Orange County Register’s Fast Food Maven, Nancy Luna, has shared with her readers that Wahoo’s Fish Taco will be hosting a VIP preview party on February 2, 2012 at its soon to be open location in California’s largest historic district, Old Town Orange.
The opening of this new Wahoo’s location will be in the Vineland Hotel building on West Chapman Avenue in the City of Orange. It was built in 1886 and was the first hotel in the city.
Opening up a business in a historic district involves preserving the building’s historical character while complying with current building codes. It took Wahoo’s about three years to Read more…
San Juan Capistrano City Council Will Become Successor of City’s Redevelopment Agency
From the Orange County Register – The San Juan Capistrano City Council will become the successor to the city’s Redevelopment Agency and form a housing authority to take over the agency’s housing functions, according to a unanimous decision at a special council meeting Tuesday.
As the successor agency, the council will have greater control over the process of liquidating agency assets to pay the $52 million owed by the agency in debt and other obligations.
Forming a housing authority provides similar control and will allow the city to continue its affordable-housing programs, including the subsidized living program in Little Hollywood that provides 34 homeless families with apartments and townhomes. The housing authority will consist of council members and two members of the public.
A report from Tom Clark, the agency’s legal counsel, allayed fears that the city would lose control of the agency’s $13.8 million real estate portfolio.
A state law dissolving redevelopment agencies as of Feb. 1 includes language that will allow the city to keep the properties owned by the Redevelopment Agency as long as Read more…
City of San Clemente Wants California Supreme Court to Overturn Developer’s Lawsuit Victory
From the San Clemente Patch – San Clemente officials hope that the California Supreme Court will intervene in a land-use lawsuit that has rolled on for more than four years.
Although the parcel is small — just under 3 acres — the city is pursuing the case to discourage future lawsuits, and because the surrounding Avenida San Juan neighborhood has opposed the plot’s development.
“People in the neighborhood are nearly unanimous and very vocal in their opposition,” said City Attorney Jeff Oderman. “If this had been a project where there had been a division of opinion in the neighborhood, [the city] may not have gone the extra mile.”
A landowner wants to subdivide a 2.85-acre parcel at Read more…
From OPB – You’ve heard of neighborhood zoning. Now there’s a move afoot to zone the ocean. Oregon, Washington state and the federal government all have fledgling plans to coordinate competing ocean uses.
But wave energy developers say Oregon’s initial draft leaves them in a watery ghetto. Oregon is the first to produce detailed ocean maps.
At first glance, the Pacific Ocean looks wide open and mostly empty. It’s anything but on a digital map the state of Oregon has recently put online. The interactive display includes Read more…
Who is Phil Bacerra?
Phil Bacerra is a dynamic problem solver with many years of experience in planning, zoning, permitting, public administration, government relations and marketing.
A graduate from the University of Southern California, Mr. Bacerra has Read more…
OCTA and LA Metro Offer FREE Transit on New Years Eve
OCTA and LA Metro are offering everybody FREE transit rides in Orange County and Los Angeles County on New Years Eve.
According to OCTA, you can ride transit for FREE in Orange County from 6:00 PM on Saturday, December 31, 2011 until Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 2:30 AM. The following OCTA routes will be running after midnight: Read more…
Allowable Industrial Zone Use…Spaceport?
From the Denver Post – Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper told attendees of an aerospace roundtable event being held at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science that Front Range Airport is a likely candidate for a spaceport designation with the federal government.
The airport, which is east of Denver International Airport, is comprised of 4,000 acres and is surrounded by 6,000 acres zoned for industrial development.
Gov. Hickenlooper said it is important to have a spaceport that is both in a remote location and has access to the support services it needs.
Gov. Hickenlooper said his administration has sent a letter to Read more…
