Sonoma Municipal Code Ch. 19.36 West Napa Street/Sonoma Highway Corridor

A. Existing Conditions. Located in west and northwest Sonoma, the West Napa Street/Sonoma Highway corridor is a commercial strip comprised of segments of State Highway 12. Beginning at West Napa Street/Third Street West, it extends westward along West Napa Street to Riverside Drive, then northward along the Sonoma Highway to Harley Street. Although it contains a wide variety of uses and building types, many of the blocks within the corridor present a pleasing appearance and exhibit a high degree of visual organization. The corridor is also punctuated by shopping centers with expansive parking lots, some only lightly landscaped, which break the rhythm established by smaller-scale development. Still other segments are more notable for their natural features and present a distinctly rural appearance (Sonoma Creek is a significant, if underutilized, natural amenity). Throughout the corridor, there are axial views of the hills surrounding Sonoma. West Napa Street and the Sonoma Highway are the city’s primary collectors and the corridor contains the most heavily travelled streets in Sonoma.

Existing land uses include:

1. Shopping centers of various sizes;

2. Smaller-scale modern commercial development, including banks and professional offices;

3. Small office and service uses in converted residences;

4. Three car dealerships and various other auto-related uses;

5. Restaurants, fast-food and otherwise;

6. Small multifamily developments and scattered single-family residences;

7. A mobile home park;

8. The Sonoma Valley Library; and

9. The St. Francis de Solano Church.

B. Desired Future. While fulfilling its role as a traffic artery, the West Napa Street/Sonoma Highway corridor should be upgraded visually and made kinder to pedestrians. Towards these ends, a program for filling gaps in the sidewalk and street tree system should be developed and implemented. When frontage improvements are required of new development and redevelopment, planter strips should be used rather than monolithic sidewalk. New development and redevelopment should incorporate any desirable site features, especially trees and existing buildings having a street presence. Driveway cuts should be minimized, especially through the use of shared access, and new parking should be located in the back of properties. Because much of the corridor backs onto residential development, site plan relationships must be carefully evaluated. Ideally, new commercial uses should be designed to relate to the extent feasible with adjacent residential development; at a minimum, adequate screening and buffering are required.

C. Intended Changes. The improvement of West Napa/Seventh Street West is necessary for safe pedestrian access to the library. Safety improvements are also needed at Sonoma Highway, where the bike path ends, in order to address unsafe pedestrian crossings in that area. It is projected that additional intersection improvements will be needed at West Napa Street/Fifth Street West and the county has expressed the intention of widening the Riverside Bridge and making adjustments to the West Napa/Sonoma Highway/Riverside intersection. Any improvements to that location should be viewed as an opportunity to beautify the intersection through additional landscaping. (Ord. 2003-02 § 3, 2003).

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A. Site Planning Standards.

1. Residential Density. The following residential densities and minimum lot sizes apply to new subdivisions within different zoning districts in the West Napa/Sonoma Corridor:

Table 3-28. Lot Size and Residential Density Requirements

Notes:

1.Densities do not include density bonus. See Chapter 19.44 SMC.

Table 3-29. Napa/Sonoma Corridor: Additions and Replacement Structures

Notes:

1.Front porches may extend up to 10 feet into front setback (or street-side setback for wrap-around porches).

2.Measured at building wall, not ridge.

Table 3-30. Napa/Sonoma Corridor: New Development

Notes:

1.Front porches may extend up to 10 feet into front setback (or street-side setback for wrap-around porches).

2.Measured at building wall, not ridge.

2. Setbacks, Site Coverage, and Open Space. Proposed development shall be designed and constructed in compliance with the requirements set forth in Tables 3-29 and 3-30, preceding.

3. Driveways and Parking. Parking areas for multifamily projects shall not be located in a front setback, but shall be provided at the rear or along the side of the site. Multifamily parking areas shall be screened from adjacent residential zoning districts and land uses. See Chapter 19.48 SMC, Parking and Loading Standards. Driveways along collector streets (West Spain Street, Fifth Street West, and Verano Avenue) shall be minimized when possible, by combining driveways, using alleys, or designing development so that access is provided from local streets.

4. Natural Features. Significant environmental amenities such as creeks, streams and other drainage courses, mature trees, and other natural features shall be preserved by being incorporated into site plan design and layout. Appropriate enhancement or protective measures shall be included in plans where determined necessary by the planning commission. See creek setback (SMC 19.40.020) and landscaping standards and design guidelines (SMC 19.40.060), and the tree preservation ordinance for specific tree preservation requirements and guidelines.

5. Screening and Buffering. Multifamily and commercial developments shall require screening and buffering of parking and driveway areas, and noise and light sources. See Chapter 19.46 SMC, Fences, Hedges and Walls, and landscape standards and guidelines (SMC 19.40.060).

B. Building Design.

1. Height and Profile. Proposed structures shall not exceed a maximum height of 30 feet. See SMC 19.40.040 for height measurement and exceptions.

2. Building Types – Guidelines for Residential Structures. Proposed dwellings should be placed on their sites so that the most narrow dimension of the structure is parallel to the most narrow dimension of the parcel, and so that the primary entrance to the dwelling faces the public street, or is accessible from a porch or other entry element which faces the street.

3. Building Types – Guidelines for Commercial and Mixed Use Structures. New commercial and mixed use buildings and alterations to existing structures should enhance the character of the West Napa Street/Sonoma Highway corridor and preserve significant historic elements. In reviewing proposals for commercial and mixed development and redevelopment, the review authority shall make use of the following guidelines:

a. Buildings should reinforce the scale, massing, proportions and detailing established by other significant historic buildings in the vicinity (if any).

b. The massing of larger commercial and mixed use buildings (5,000 square feet or greater) should be broken down to an appropriate scale through the use of storefronts and breaks in the facade.

c. Architectural styles and details that reflect the Sonoma vernacular should be used.

d. Site design and architectural features that contribute to pedestrian comfort and interest, such as awnings, recessed entrances, paseos, alleys, and patios, are encouraged.

e. Potential impacts on adjacent residential uses shall be considered and addressed through the site planning of new commercial and mixed use development.

f. In renovations involving historic buildings, authentic details should be preserved and any new detailing and materials should be compatible with those of the existing structure. Pre-existing alterations that diminish a building’s historic qualities should be removed when the opportunity arises. (See Chapter 19.42 SMC, Historic Preservation and Infill in the Historic Zone.)

g. Building types, architectural details and signs having a generic or corporate appearance are strongly discouraged. Chain stores and franchises are not prohibited in the West Napa Street/Sonoma Highway corridor, but such uses must enhance appearance of the area in terms of building design, landscaping, and signs. (Ord. 10-2025 § 2 (Exh. A), 2025; Ord. 02-2021 § 1(10), 2021; Ord. 06-2013 § 3, 2013; Ord. 03-2004 § 3, 2004; Ord. 2003-02 § 3, 2003).

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