What price for a Springs Plaza?

Lost in the talk of a plaza being developed in/for the Springs is that an underground parking garage will first be build in the location, then the Springs Plaza will be developed on top of that. It is not a surprise that this important information is largely unknown. Susan Gorin delivered this information to the Springs MAC in an update. Subsequently, in a Springs MAC update, Daniel Crowley project manager (in the Springs) for KS Mattson Partners, LP indicated that the Board of Supervisors approved the agreement the week of October 18, 2021. To my knowledge, no one outside of the County or KS Mattson Partners, LP has seen the agreement in writing.

Concerns about the proposed development

• The location of the proposed project is fraught with unknowns— potential underground pollution from the (now gone) gas station on the adjacent lot, the possibility of Indigenous American artifacts and/or burials, the amount of rain water and the possibility of an ephemeral stream.
• The apparent problems are the proximity to Sonoma Highway—controlled by CalTrans, all the trucks and large equipment at a busy intersection, a gas main and electric vault, two bus stops (SCT and the SVUSD), the dust and exhaust fumes to which residents of Valley of the Moon apartments would be exposed.
• The Mattson organization has little local credibility in completing projects in Sonoma Valley.
• The expense of underground parking (huge) in relation to the economic gain (moderate) makes the motive for the proposal questionable.

What tears at my heart is the possibility that the entire proposed project would sit for years and years. The Springs Community would still have a parking lot, waiting to become a gathering place—our Plaza.

It seems unlikely such a proposal would see the light of day in the City of Sonoma. This is a good example of reasons to explore the Springs Community incorporating into the City of Sonoma.

— Iris Lombard, The Springs