At its meeting of March 4, 2026, the Sonoma City Council will discuss changing the land use designations for three properties within the city limits, including the Sebastiani Winery parcels. The meeting begins at 6 p.m.
From July through December 2024 staff worked with the General Plan Task Force, Planning Commission and City Council on identifying potential land use changes to be considered in the draft General Plan update. The direction received was presented to the community in January 2025. In May 2025, the consultants and staff began releasing preliminary draft elements (Link to Elements). These preliminary drafts were made available to the public and staff online. In addition, staff presented the Elements for discussion and comments at General Plan Task Force, Planning Commission, Parks, Recreation and Open Space Commission, Climate Action Commission, and the Historic Preservation Commission meetings as applicable.
All of the preliminary draft elements have been released and all have been discussed by the different Commissions except for the Land Use Element which is scheduled for a Special Planning Commission Meeting on March 12. On February 19, the Planning Commission (Link to Agenda, Video, and Staff Report) began discussing this Element with a focus on land use change requests and the comments received at the January 14 community meeting (Link to Video) on the potential land use change at the Sebastiani Winery. Staff is compiling the comments received from the public and at the meetings into one draft to send back to the consultants to create a final draft of the General Plan Elements to be released with the draft Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”) this spring. (Link to General Plan Update Comments)
Land Use Change Requests
On February 19 (Link to Agenda, Video, and Staff Report) the Planning Commission discussed three potential land use map changes for (1) the Sebastiani Winery parcels, (2) 577-711 Lovall Valley Road and (3) 19340-19360 Sonoma Highway. The following is a summary of the requests and Planning Commission thoughts for City Council consideration.
Sebastiani Winery
Staff received a request from interested parties in August 2024 requesting a change in the land use designation for properties known as the Sebastiani Winery property from Agriculture, Mixed-Use, and Wine Production to a use that would allow housing and commercial uses on 20 acres. This was proposed in the Draft Land Use Map and Land Use Element as a new zoning type “Sonoma Mixed Commercial Use” that allows current uses, hotel, commercial and housing with a density from 7-25 units per acre.
On January 14, 2026, a community meeting was held where the potential land uses were discussed. The results of that meeting were summarized and presented to Planning Commission for its consideration of any edits to be made to the description. Planning Commissioners recognized the importance of the land use designation and preferred either a separate planning process for the 20 acres or to have a project brought forward that would request the land use change with a proposed development rather than including any land use changes at this time in the General Plan.
577-711 Lovall Valley Road
Staff received a request from the property owner requesting a change in the land use designation for 577-711 Lovall Valley Road from Agriculture to Rural Residential which staff incorporated into the draft future land use map for consideration, but it has not been discussed at a meeting to date.
The parcels are adjacent to a mix of land uses including agriculture, low density residential and the Sebastiani winery. These two parcels consist of about 9 acres of land. One lot contains agriculture and two rental units, the other contains a single-family home. Currently these properties are nonconforming density as the minimum density for agriculture is 1 dwelling unit per 10 acres. The change of land use for this property would allow 2 dwelling units per acre and the continued agriculture use.
The Planning Commission reviewed the request and raised concerns regarding the increase in density when adjacent to agriculture and less dense residential property in the County. The original and a subsequent emails from the property owner are attached.
19340-19360 Sonoma Highway
Staff received a letter from the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center (attached) requesting a change in the land use designation for 19340 and 19360 Sonoma Highway from Housing Opportunity to Mixed Use in collaboration with the property owner. These two parcels consist of about an acre of land.
The parcels are immediately adjacent to Mixed Use land use designation to the south. There is a multifamily housing development behind these parcels and a multifamily development approved on the adjacent parcel (Montaldo). The parcels currently contain three rental homes. Staff looked at the Housing Element, and these parcels are not identified to meet the City’s RHNA.
Also under state law, the City cannot reduce density on a property without providing for another site to increase density. Currently Housing Opportunity has a 30 dwelling units per acre maximum, and the proposed Mixed-Use density is 25 dwelling units per acre, a reduction of 5 potential dwelling units on this site. However, the proposed Land Use Element would increase density on all residential-medium, mixed use, and commercial parcels, which would more than off-set the reduction in density the proposed change to these properties would occasion.
The Planning Commission reviewed the request and felt that the land use change was consistent with the adjacent land use.
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