Sonoma County Board of Supes to Consider Eliminating Board of Zoning Adjustments at Today’s Meeting

At today’s hearing of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, consideration will be given to eliminating the Board of Zoning Adjustments and creating the position of  Zoning Administrator.

The change is prompted by efforts to streamline the project review process and land use authority for development applications, and will place authority with a single individual for projects deemed minor. Major projects will be referred to the Sonoma County Planning Commission.

The change will eliminate public hearings on minor development applications and vest authority with a Zoning Administrator. Given current state law limiting the number of public hearings allowed for housing development applications, many jurisdictions have adopted similar streamlining procedures reduce redundancy.

The specific language of the Agenda Item #20 is:

10:05 A.M. Code Updates for Land Use Public Hearings and Procedures- Creation of 2025-0142 Zoning Administrator and Additional Changes

Hold a public hearing. After closing the public hearing, take the following actions:

A) Adopt a Resolution introducing, reading the title, and waiving further reading of an ordinance titled “An ordinance of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Sonoma, State of California, amending Sonoma County Code Chapters 2, 3, 13, 23A, 25 and 25C to establish a County Zoning Administrator; allocate land use hearing authority and related duties to the Zoning Administrator and Planning Commission, and eliminate redundant hearing bodies; update
references to hearing bodies and make minor related changes to land use procedures; and determining that CEQA does not apply to the action and in the alternative that the action is CEQA exempt”

B) Adopt an Ordinance amending Sonoma County Code Chapter 26 (Zoning regulations) to Implement Zoning Administrator hearings and processes; allocate hearing duties between the Planning Commission and Zoning Administrator; modify provisions governing expiration of approved use permits; add a procedure to expire inactive permit applications; and clarify and modify appeals and other land use processes and procedures; and finding that the action is not a CEQA project per CEQA Guidelines § 15378(b)(5) and in the alternative is exempt from CEQA per CEQA Guidelines § 15061(b)(3)

C) Adopt an Ordinance amending Sonoma County Code Chapter 26C (Coastal Zoning), the Local Coastal Program (LCP) Implementation Plan, to implement Zoning Administrator hearings and processes; allocate hearing duties between the Planning Commission and Zoning Administrator; eliminate redundant hearing bodies; modify provisions governing expiration of approved use permits; and clarify and modify other land use processes and procedures; and finding that the amendment to the LCP is exempt from CEQA per CEQA Guidelines § 15265, and further that the entire action is not a CEQA project per Guidelines § 15378(b)(5) and in the alternative is CEQA exempt per Guidelines § 15061(b)(3)

D) Adopt a Resolution authorizing submittal of amendments to Sonoma County Code Chapter 26C, the Local Coastal Program Implementation Plan, to the California Coastal Commission and finding that the action is exempt from CEQA per CEQA Guidelines § 15265 Department or Agency Name(s): Permit and Resource Management.