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Although just 37 percent pf Sonoma County voters are aware of the purpose and location of community separators, among that group 89 percent say they have had a positive impact on where they live. A majority of respondents support permanent or long-term (50 years) protection of community separators.
About 17,000 acres of agricultural and natural lands in eight areas are designated as community separators around Sonoma County (see map). They serve as green buffers and hold back sprawl, complementing urban growth boundaries around cities. Community separators also protect agricultural lands, waterways, woodlands and wildlife habitat from development.
Why Open Space is Important
Priority additions should include lands around Penngrove and between Cloverdale and Healdsburg that are identified for designation in the 2020 General Plan. Groundwater recharge areas, prime agricultural lands and wildlife habitat should also be considered for community separator designation for long-term preservation.
Greenbelt Alliance addresses how the Bay Area handles growth.
The organization shapes the rules that govern growth to protect the region’s open spaces and to ensure our towns and neighborhoods are amazing places for everyone. Sonoma County is one of the nation’s best examples of how a county and its cities can work together to preserve open spaces and promote smart growth. But without careful watch, it could all unravel.
One of Sonoma County’s strategies to protect their open spaces has been for voters and elected leaders to put in place an impressive set of land conservation policies. With Greenbelt Alliance’s leadership, voters in each of Sonoma County’s nine incorporated communities have approved Urban Growth Boundaries (UGBs), drawing distinct lines where communities can and cannot grow. To protect lands outside of urban boundaries, we also led cities and voters countywide in the placement of what are called “community separator
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10 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 11/15