The Sonoma County Democratic Party has passed a resolution urging the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to deny approval of the proposed location of the Dutra asphalt plant at Haystack Landing on the Petaluma River, across from Shollenberger Park.

If approved, the Dutra plant would be located in a designated scenic corridor, and the expected decrease in air quality and increase in noise and truck traffic would have a negative impact on the wetlands and sensitive wildlife habitat of Shollenberger Park.

In addition, there are serious, unanswered questions about the hazard to navigation along the Petaluma River that the new development would create. This navigation hazard would, almost certainly, create liability for Sonoma County that is unfunded in the current budget.

The area is currently zoned as agricultural, commercial and scenic, but approval of the Dutra project would require a zoning change to industrial and a change in Petaluma’s urban growth boundary. Such changes are ill-advised because the site selected for this project is not appropriate for an operation of this type.

“We are urging the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to respect the unanimous vote of the Petaluma City Council and deny approval of this project,” said Stephen Gale, Chair of the Sonoma County Democratic Party. “In addition to the negative environmental impact on Shollenberger Park and the surrounding area, the Dutra plant would be located on county land and therefore not subject to local oversight.”

Full text of the resolution follows:

Resolution to the Board of Supervisors regarding the Dutra Asphalt Plant:

WHEREAS, the Petaluma City Council has once again formally and unanimously asked the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to deny the proposed location of the Dutra Haystack Landing Asphalt & Recycling Plant within Petaluma's longstanding Urban Growth Boundary, and

WHEREAS, the proposed location lies directly across from Shollenberger Park, a treasured Petaluma community resource, and

WHEREAS, the revised version of the project proposal is substantially no different from the original in its negative impacts, and

WHEREAS, siting an asphalt plant at the proposed location would circumvent a 76-percent countywide vote establishing a scenic corridor below Petaluma to the Marin County line, and would require a vote of the people;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Sonoma County Democratic Party reiterates its urgent call to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to respect the unanimous request of the elected representatives of the City of Petaluma, as well as the opposition of the vast majority of Petalumans testifying during public comment on the proposal, and to deny any and all approvals and amendments which would permit the location of the Dutra asphalt plant on the Petaluma River directly across from Shollenberger Park, and to instead fulfill their stewardship obligations in safeguarding an irreplaceable natural habitat, and the gateway to Sonoma County.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Sonoma County Democratic Party urges the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to join in with the City of Petaluma and other municipalities to work collaboratively with the applicant, and other stakeholders to identify and secure a mutually satisfactory and suitable alternative site.

Approved February 9, 2010 by the Sonoma County Democratic Central Committee