(SCG) - Residents from throughout Sonoma County are meeting to strategize about challenging recent proposals for new and expanded wineries as event centers in rural areas. Meanwhile, the Napa County Board of Supervisors has scheduled a March 10 meeting to hear critics of winery over-development.

The huge Dairyman Winery and Distillery proposed for high-speed Highway 12 in the greenbelt separator between Sebastopol and Santa Rosa has been the main target of Sonoma County opponents. It is near the intersection of an already congested two-lane highway and the frequently-flooded Llano Road in the vulnerable Laguna de Santa Rosa vicinity.

Groups such as Sonoma County Conservation Action, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, Sebastopol Water Information Group, Rural Alliance, Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, and Apple Roots sent critical comments on Dairyman to Sonoma County’s Permit and Resource Management Department (PRMD).

Vocal Dairyman opponents include a former County supervisor, former mayor, former Planning Commissioner, and former PRMD planner. Environmental scientists, sustainability advocates, food farmers, concerned parents, and the maker of the acclaimed film “Russian River: All Rivers” have spoken against the Dairyman application.

They oppose it on many grounds: congested traffic; water over-use, especially during droughts; blocking the popular Joe Rodota trail; damaging the fragile Laguna de Santa Rosa and its wildlife; zoning violations; chemical use that would pollute water, air, and land; and violating the Sonoma County General Plan.

Grape growers and the wine industry contribute many valuable benefits to Sonoma County. Most critics appreciate a good glass of local wine. But they advocate moderation when it comes to such proposals, contending that Dairyman is too big and in the wrong place.

Imagine tipsy tasters crossing the Joe Rodota Trail, full of bikers, skateboarders, children in strollers, walkers, and pets and then entering 60 miles-an-hour traffic. The application demands that Trail users “yield” to the winery’s many vehicles attending up to 58 events a year with as many as 600 people a time.

Who is in charge here? The public or wineries? Sonoma County Parks owns the Trail. Since when can a winery privatize public property and make demands on its use, prioritizing their wealth? Who has the right-of-way?

"This proposal includes a restaurant-like commercial kitchen in a winery,” commented former Sonoma County Fifth District Supervisor Ernie Carpenter. “That is prohibited by the County’s General Plan.”

NAPA RESIDENTS CHALLENGE WINE INDUSTRY

“This is not just a local issue,” said one long-term rural resident at a recent meeting. “We need to make community decisions about such regional land use issues.”

 “Napa is out of land and water for investors to expand,” wrote Santa Rosa’s Carol Vellutini. “Sonoma and Lake still have some room and our water issues seem to be swept under the table.”

“Napa County to Explore the Price of Wine Success” headlines on article in the Feb. 14 Napa County Register that confirms Vellutini’s claim. “Napa County is wrestling with the notion that wineries may be getting too big and the problems associated with that growth,” reports the paper. “The Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission will address the issue in a March 10 meeting. Critics of winery growth have seized on plans for the Yountville Hill Winery on Highway 29, replacing a defunct hilltop bed & breakfast.”

“Some people say there are too many wineries emphasizing too much tourism and generating too much traffic while sucking aquifers dry,” the Napa article adds. Sound familiar? “Some people say the county is driving like a drunken sailor down the road and is going to put the long-term agricultural preserve in a ditch,” said Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht, who grew up in the city of Napa.

Sonoma County winery expansion critics plan to attend the Napa meeting.

HUGE DAIRYMAN CONTRASTS WITH SMALL CHAR VALE WINERY

Eighteen speakers at Sebastopol City Council’s Feb. 3 meeting spoke against Dairyman. No one spoke in favor of it. Mayor Patrick Slayter sent a strong letter recommending to the County--who will eventually make the decision--that they deny the application.

Exactly two weeks after the Sebastopol Council voted 5-0 to recommend rejection of the Dairyman Winery, the new Char Vale Winery hosted neighbors at their Occidental Road site north of Sebastopol for a dialogue on its application. Representatives from Friends of the Atascadero Wetlands attended.

Char Vale planner and project manager Steve Martin initiated a cordial educational exchange of views. The size of this winery is small, and wants to upgrade an existing use permit from 2000 to 4000 cases a year. In contrast, Dairyman seeks a new permit for 500,000 cases of wine and 250,000 gallons of distilled spirits. They want nearly 100,000 square feet of buildings and pads, as well as permits to be open as late as 10 p.m. at night.

“It’s always important to get feedback from neighbors,” Martin opened the discussion. “I’m concerned with the constant threat to the wetlands,” neighbor Jo Bentz said. “One man trashed the area around the Atascadero Creek a few years ago. Wildlife is abundant here. We’ve destroyed over 90% of California’s wetlands. Old-timers say they used to fish out of this creek. I don’t want to stop the project but to enhance the environment.” Bentz and others requested wildlife friendly fences and lighting.

Char Vale owners Derron and Valerie Char agreed to consider improving the riparian corridor. “We are hopeful that the owners will take advantage of the opportunity to restore and protect the riparian habitat. It would be good publicity for them and good for the environment,” commented Anna Ransome of Friends of the Atascadero Wetlands. Neighbors plan to keep watchful eyes on how Char Vale develops.

This contrasted to how Joe Wagner did not really provide many specific details of Dairyman’s plans or answer questions at the Sebastopol Council meeting.

Numerous letters have been and can be sent to the County’s Permit and Resource Management Department (PRMD) planners responsible for gathering comments on these two projects: traci.testconi@sonoma-county.org for Dairyman and ken.ellison@sonoma-county.org for Char Vale. They are available to be read at PRMD’s office.