Dance school owner ponders next move

A week after a city council decision she says means the end of her business, Sarah Duran, owner of the Sonoma Academy of Dance and Arts, is on vacation, clearing her head and considering her future.
“I’m not sure what her future plans are,” Suzanne Duran, Sarah’s mother, told the Sun this week. “She’s taking some time to heal her heart and her mind, and figure this all out.”
Sarah Duran reiterated to the council last week without the revenue generated by special events and weddings at the school, she would be forced to close. Dozens of parents spoke on her behalf, while neighbors of the 180 E. Napa St. facility voiced their concerns about noise, safety and parking such events generate.
It was, on a larger stage, a replay of the Planning Commission meeting at which Duran’s request to hold up to 20 events per year was denied on a 4-3 vote. The city council heard the appeal on Feb. 17 and after several hours of impassioned public comment voted to uphold that denial.
Duran has the option of modifying her proposal for special events – essentially starting over with city planners and the approval process. Any new proposal for more than four events a year would trigger an environmental review, which would likely be expensive and take longer than the prime event season of spring and summer.
The academy, located two blocks from the Plaza, is zoned as mixed-use, a designation which commonly marks the boundary of a commercial area. The Sonoma Community Center, which often hosts weekend and evening events, is one block further east.
The immediate neighborhood also includes homes, owners of which formed the primary opposition. “Everybody loves the dance academy,” said Suzanne Brangham, who leases out a home behind the property, “but the events are intrusive.”
A track record of prior events and receptions, some of which were held without a proper temporary permit, is a poor one, residents said. Academy attorney John Kelly countered the business had received incorrect advice regarding permit procedures from the city. He also argued city codes regarding the issue are vaguely defined and arbitrarily applied.
Opposition from the council came from Mayor Steve Barbose and Council member Joanne Sanders, who likened Duran’s events to a subsidy by her neighbors. Council members Laurie Gallian and Ken Brown sought more leeway. With Council member August Sebastiani declining to participate, the result was a denial of Duran’s appeal.
For now, classes continue at the academy, and Suzanne Duran feels her daughter won’t subject students to an abrupt and inconsiderate closure when she returns next week. There has been talk about a major fundraising event, and Sarah Duran’s bureaucratic struggle has energized a large base of supporters.
“We’ll see which direction she takes when she gets back,” said Suzanne Duran.