Coming attractions: film fest; Springs master plan; new design guidelines for Downtown Sonoma
News from the Sonoma International Film Festival, the hub of which this year (March 30 – April 3) will not be on the Plaza but rather the Veterans Building lot. After increased friction with the City over the last few years, the event is de-camping from the Plaza to create The Village, which sits on County property and thus, like a bikini model in a Bruckheimer film, comes with fewer strings attached. “Each year the festival tries to re-invent itself,” says Kevin McNeely. “This change will really bring some new excitement.” In addition to the big tent, there will be the smaller La Tigre tent – by day a screening venue, at night home of a “Cirque du Soleil-Vaudeville” live show. The Village will also have food trucks and eating areas… Although reducing the screening venues to six (Vets Building; the two Village tents; Community Center; Vintage House; and the Sebastiani) the event actually increases its seating capacity by 27 percent… The festival is not the first event to bristle at demands from the City and its Community Services and Environment Commission, which deals with use of the Plaza. McNeely, acknowledging what he called unreasonable demands, is nonetheless thankful for the City’s support over the years. “The inspiration was to find a location that presented more favorable circumstances.”
The County is forming a Community Advisory Team to address a master plan for the Springs. The current guidelines, circa 1994, are so dusty that folks argued during the Great Paint Color Debate that they didn’t even apply anymore. The new panel of 9 to 12 members will be chosen by the Permit and Resource Management Department, and help (with grant-paid consultants) create an official document… Meanwhile, the Springs Community Alliance, the long-time Springs advocate group, will continue its schedule of monthly meetings (next up: Thursday, January 14, 7 p.m., Sonoma Charter School). Unlike the old Springs Redevelopment Advisory Committee scrapped by Jerry Brown, the SCA is not an official governmental body, and its recommendations to the County are non-binding. Still, might members feel a bit blindsided by the PMRD’s call for new representation? Not according to the SCA’s Rich Lee. “We totally support the CAT and several SCA members have applied,” he said. “We want to support the process in any way we can and look forward to getting the community engaged in the process.”
Meanwhile, the City of Sonoma, with its own team of consultants incorporating public input, will hold a Design and Preservation Guidelines workshop on Monday, January 25. It’s goal: encourage high quality designs – for both new and altered structures — that are historically compatible with the downtown Plaza area. Which means: the next wine tasting room needs to look like its been here 100 years or so. Members of the public are invited to participate in the project, and to contribute by sharing photographs, maps, and other materials or information that pertain to local historic architecture. The workshop will be held at the Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St. from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. For more info call the Sonoma Planning Department at 707.938.3681.
The Vintage House Singers will continue their choral singing in 2016 and are looking to swell the ranks. The general public is invited to join this fun and friendly group. If you are a tenor or bass, you get a free latte and doughnut at each meeting. (Just like Pavarotti’s contract with the Met.) The group meets Wednesdays, 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Vintage House, 264 First St. E. 996.0311.
— Val Robichaud
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