An amendment process to the City’s Municipal Code has been initiated to streamline the project application process, transferring some application proposals to the City’s Planning Commission while simultaneously redefining the duties of the Design Review Commission. It will be renamed the Historic Preservation Commission.
At the present time, the Design Review Commission evaluates applications for multi-family developments and modifications to buildings listed as historic resources. Responsibility for design review of multi-family developments will now be transferred to the city’s Planning Department and Planning Commission, leaving the Historic Review Commission with responsibility to evaluate applications for historic structures and buildings within the city’s Historic Overlay Zones, only. The meeting schedule for the new Historic Preservation Commission will change from monthly to quarterly.
The Historic Preservation Commission will also be responsible for approving nominations of structures to be designated as historic, and for approving the nominations of historic districts. Ultimately, final approval of such nominations is reserved for the Sonoma City Council. The Historic Preservation Commission will maintain a register of local historic resources…