THE SPRINGS REDEVELOPMENT AREA
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
On November 27, 1984, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved the Redevelopment Plan for the Sonoma Valley Redevelopment Project. The following questions and answers provide information about redevelopment, in general, and The Springs (formerly known as the Sonoma Valley) Redevelopment Project Area, specifically.
What is redevelopment?
Why do we have redevelopment?
Where does the money for redevelopment come from?
Who governs The Springs Redevelopment Project?
What is The Springs Redevelopment Plan?
Does the Redevelopment Agency have the power of eminent domain to take my property?
Does The Springs Redevelopment Project afford
any opportunity for cooperative projects with private developers, homeowners,
non-profits or others?
What is redevelopment?
Redevelopment is a legal and financial tool created to eliminate blight from designated areas and to achieve desired development, reconstruction, and rehabilitation, including but not limited to: affordable housing, commercial, industrial and retail. Redevelopment is the reinvestment of local property tax dollars into the community from which they came, under local control, according to the approved Redevelopment Plan. “Reinvestment of local property tax dollars” means that funds identified for Redevelopment Project can only be spent for the benefit of The Springs Redevelopment Project Area. “Under local control” means that all of the decision-making for how the project’s funds will be spent will be made locally. “According to the approved Redevelopment Plan” refers to the general provisions of the Plan approved by the Board of Supervisors and the detailed plans to be developed and approved with the participation of local citizens, elected officials, and County staff.
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Why do we have redevelopment?
The law governing community redevelopment resides in the Health & Safety section of the California Constitution. At its roots, redevelopment is about improving the health and safety conditions and, consequently, quality of life in a designated project area. Redevelopment focuses on eliminating “blighting conditions,” a broadly defined term that can refer to physical conditions, economic conditions or social conditions that adversely affect the local community. Redevelopment is also focused on the preservation and expansion of employment and affordable housing opportunities.
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Where does the money for redevelopment
come from?
Funding for redevelopment projects comes from a dedication of part of the property taxes that are paid on parcels in the designated redevelopment project area. The Redevelopment Project shares in the growth of property tax revenues over the life of the project, along with the County, the school district, the fire district and other taxing entities that receive part of the property tax revenues.
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Who governs The Springs Redevelopment
Project?
The members of the Board of Supervisors, acting in their capacity as the governing board of the Sonoma County Community Development Commission (CDC), are responsible for The Springs Redevelopment Project. The Sonoma County Community Redevelopment Agency was created in 1975 and resides within the larger CDC organization. The Executive Director of the CDC is Executive Director of the Redevelopment Agency, which is also staffed by the Redevelopment Manager and the Redevelopment Associate. The Redevelopment Advisory Committee (RAC) is a seven member local citizen’s advisory committee established by the Board of Commissioners in 2003 to make recommendations regarding use of redevelopment funds for various projects and programs in the Springs Project Area. The RAC is comprised of five locally-elected individuals and two members appointed by the District 1 County Supervisor. The RAC includes elected representatives from the following categories: residential tenants, residential owner-occupants, business property owners, business operators, and a community organization representative.
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What is The Springs Redevelopment
Plan?
The Redevelopment Plan is the legal document that describes the general purposes, goals, authorities and limitations for redevelopment in The Springs project area. It does not identify specific projects but, rather, provides a framework for the redevelopment process. The Redevelopment Plan has three primary goals: (1) Create for the Sonoma Highway commercial district an efficient, attractive and identifiable commercial neighborhood in which existing and new commercial establishments and professional offices can capture a share of the growing market demand for goods and services in the area. (2) Alleviate deterioration in residential neighborhoods in order to stabilize and enhance the quality of the Project Area neighborhoods, and (3.) Maximize the natural environmental potential of the Project Area in order to create an attractive and efficient community for all persons working and living in the area.
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Does the Redevelopment Agency have the power of eminent domain to take my property?
The Springs Redevelopment Project has no authority for the “taking” of any property (i.e., exercise of eminent domain authority). Since the Agency was formed in 1975, the Redevelopment Agency has never exercised eminent domain authority in any of its project areas.
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Does The Springs Redevelopment
Project afford any opportunity for cooperative projects with private developers,
homeowners, non-profits or others?
California Redevelopment Law anticipates that redevelopment agencies alone cannot accomplish the objectives of project area redevelopment plans. The Springs Redevelopment Plan includes specific provisions for working with business owners, business tenants, landowners, home owners, landlords, non-profit organizations, and other government agencies in order to achieve the goals of the Project.
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For more information, please see the Redevelopment page on this site or contact the Sonoma County Community Development Commission, 1440 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95403, at (707) 565-7508 or (707) 565-7523, or by e-mail to Boris Sztorch, Redevelopment Manager, at bsztorch@sonoma-county.org
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