Considered to be the biggest eyesore in the Springs, the former Uncle Paddy’s at 15 Boyes Boulevard near the Sonoma Mission Inn, next year will be transformed into an upscale pizza restaurant.
The owner, Karen Waikiki, has drawn up plans that involve tearing down the two buildings on the property’s east end and replacing them with an awning covered patio and garden. Her architect, Adrian Martinez of Sonoma, said the original entrance, bar and dining area will be retained. There will also be an entrance from the sidewalk to the patio. He said there would be 28 seats in the dining room, 20 in the bar and 28 on the patio. There may also be a few tables on the sidewalk.
Ten parking spaces will be provided in the back along with bicycle parking. Martinez pointed out that the large valley oak tree in the back would be protected. The parking lot will be constructed with permeable materials and will have low-level lighting.
Waikiki is installing a pizza oven from Italy. In addition to gourmet pizza, the restaurant will serve small plates and have a full bar. She hasn’t yet decided on a name. Martinez said they had a pre-application meeting with the County Permit and Resource Management Department last Dec. 31st and “it was very positive.”
Waikiki is also the owner of El Molino Central restaurant on Highway 12. She did a marvelous job of rehabilitating that building. I’m confident we can expect another elegant job with her new place.
Martinez said they have no exact timeline for when the restaurant would open, other than sometime next year.
Let’s Have a True Community Celebration
Only six community members — seven if you count a photographer — attended the Highway 12 sidewalk project groundbreaking ceremony April 10 in the lot between the Sonoma Valley Teen Services building and La Morenita Market.
Former County Supervisor Valerie Brown was one of the folks who gave a speech and shoveled the dirt that had been trucked in for the occasion. Springs Community Alliance President Rich Lee also participated in the ceremony. The rest of the roughly two-dozen people attending were from the County, Cal Trans, and the engineering and construction firms that will be installing the project.
As I left the groundbreaking, I thought what we need after construction is an authentic community celebration organized by and for the people who live and work in the Springs. These County-orchestrated events are mainly photo ops for politicians and government officials, and have little connection with the community. (The County is also planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony when construction is finished.)
The sidewalk project wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for those of us who organized the Springs community 22 years ago to pressure the county to make installing sidewalks the redevelopment agency’s number one priority. And it wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the members of the former Redevelopment Advisory Commission and others who kept up the pressure.
If you have ideas about what an authentic community celebration about the Highway 12 sidewalks would look like, e-mail me. Let’s see what we can get started.
Yes on Measure A June 2
The week of May 5 Sonoma County voters will begin receiving ballots for a special election June 2. The single item ballot contains Measure A, a ¼ cent sales tax increase to fund road repairs and provide free county transit passes for students and veterans. The tax will raise an estimated $20 million dollars a year with $8.7 million going to the County and the rest divided among the nine cities.
The tax is a general sales tax. It only requires a simple majority to pass. Technically the funds could be used for any local government purpose. However, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and the county’s city councils have promised to use the revenue on roads, streets and transit. The tax is only for five years. The plan is for local governments to prove they will spend the tax as promised and after five years ask the voters to reauthorize it.
I urge you to vote yes on Measure A. So does the roads advocacy group, SOSRoads. I think the tax will benefit roads in the Springs. For more information about Measure A, visit sosroads.org.
Tobacco Retail Licensing Ordinance
After a four-hour discussion and public hearing at its April 7 meeting, the County Board of Supervisors postponed voting on a proposed tobacco retail licensing ordinance. The Board asked County Health Services Department staff for additional information and suggested some changes.
Several dozen convenience store owners attended the meeting to protest the ordinance. A tobacco outlet lobbying group and the 7-11 corporation had organized them.
The ordinance is important to the Springs, because it would stop the proliferation of tobacco and e-cigarette retailers and eventually reduce the number of such outlets in our area. The supervisors will consider the ordinance again in May.
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