In 2010, Cloverdale became the final city in Sonoma County to adopt an urban growth boundary, which designates where a city can and cannot grow. The City of Cloverdale is currently proposing to extend its limits to include Asti, the Industrial Area, and the Western Hills, parts of which are beyond the voter-approved boundary.
On June 4, the Sonoma Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) rejected Cloverdale’s request to include Asti under its control at the urging of Greenbelt Alliance, Sonoma County Conservation Action, and concerned local residents. Asti is home to the historic Asti Winery as well as hundreds of acres of natural and agricultural lands—allowing Cloverdale to convert these lands for destination commercial development would have been a significant setback for open space protection in Sonoma County.
For now, the Western Hills will allow for limited rural development, but we were able to get LAFCO to establish permanent land protection policies before incorporating the area into the City of Cloverdale.
Unfortunately, the Industrial Area are still at risk of sprawl development.
The fate of the Industrial Area falls to the voting public. Once a specific plan is developed, Cloverdale will need its voters to approve these changes to the urban growth boundary.
There will be plenty of opportunities for the public to weigh in on these decisions, so stay tuned.
To learn more, email Lana Russell-Hurd at lrussellhurd@greenbelt.org.
