‘Big Box Stores’ on council agenda
The news that the office supply giant Staples will open late this year at the former Holder Ford location was to many local merchants more painful than a deep paper cut. (See guest editorial).
While the city coffers would welcome the sales tax revenue generated by a thriving business in the now vacant, 14,500 sq. ft. space at 977 W. Napa, Sonoma merchants say the gains will be wiped out as smaller businesses, unable to compete on price, would be forced to close. Opponents also contend the Staples precedent would open the door to other huge chain stores, ultimately destroying Sonoma’s unique, small-town character.
Responding to such concerns, Councilmember Ken Brown has added a discussion of the issue to the April 4 meeting. “Proposals such as the one brought forward by Staples is of such magnitude, with the potential of significantly affecting the small town character of the City of Sonoma and its core business, that they may need to be subjected to more extensive analysis and study than the City’s current development code requires,” he said.
So far, the Staples deal has conformed to all city zoning and code guidelines. In fact, the proposal, quite in line with the building’s intended commercial use, is not even subject to review by the city’s Planning Commission.
Whether the council has the power, public support or political will to try to halt the plans remains to be seen. More likely is a look at revising permitting processes to grant it a role in approving ‘big’ deals in the future.
Where do you stand?
[poll id=”13″]
3 thoughts on “‘Big Box Stores’ on council agenda”
Comments are closed.
Can’t believe the city council is even considering a big box store at the entrance to Sonoma–and it’s a terrible chain. I vowed several years ago never to return to Staples because the customer service was terrible. If you go ahead with this big box, I and my friends will picket. It’s bad enough that 2 chains are already on the plaza. STOP!!!
Yes, we do have chains in Sonoma. I’m not sure which chains on the Plaza the previous poster was talking about — Ben & Jerry’s? Chico’s? Bank of America? Chase Bank? Mary’s Pizza? And off the Plaza, Kragen’s? CVS? Safeway? Whole Foods? Wells Fargo? Jack-in-the-Box? Lucky, Starbucks, RiteAid, Taco Bell, McDonald’s etc., etc. And many Sonomans would love to see a Trader Joe’s come to town — another chain store.
So where do you draw the line?
I’ll always be a loyal Copy Store & More customer, but I do go to the Petaluma Staples for file cabinets, ink cartridges and other things. I’d welcome a local Staples branch, and would like to see the vacant building have a new occupant.
Posts like KM’s illustrate how difficult it is to even have civic discussions (I am taking no side here). This is because the majority of folks that get riled up by such matters fail to take a few minutes needed to become really familiar with the issues sufficient to be able to form an informed judgment. KM posts as if the Council has anything to say about Staples…it does not. This use by Staples is a “legal use”, meaning it is not subject to use permit, requires no rezoning, no general plan amendment – nothing but building permits for remodel. KM seems to want us to be a government of “men” not of “laws’, doing whatever the fickle majority of the time (or perhaps minority) wants. And one more thing: The former Ford dealership was the original tenant at this location. Hard to think of a more big box chain! – oh, maybe Toyota….