Sonora To Vote On Residential/Commercial Project And Budget Surplus
Sonora, CA — The Sonora City Council will vote this evening on whether to allow the construction of a three-story multi-use residential and commercial project at 956 Oregon Street.
It would be on two vacant parcels of property off of South Washington Street near Tuolumne Street, south of the former Tuolumne General Hospital Campus. The project, proposed by builder, and former councilman, Bill Canning, was earlier approved by the Planning Commission, 3-2, after several adjustments were made. However, three appeals were filed by residents, so it now heads to the city council for review. The concerns were in relation to alleged inadequate notice provided, concerns about being out of compliance with CEQA, not being consistent with Sonora’s historic character, and issues related to drainage and traffic access. The council will weigh in this evening.
The proposed project consists of one structure approximately 40 feet tall with six commercial spaces (1057 square feet per unit) located on the first floor and six two-bedroom apartment units (1073 square feet per unit) on the second and third floors, for a total of 12 market-rate residential apartments. The commercial space will include a dark bronze aluminum storefront. The project also proposes 49 parking spaces, landscaping, and street improvements including the widening of Oregon Street along the project site, a new fire access lane on Mariposa Street, and a new encroachment/driveway onto S. Washington Street.
In addition today, there will be a discussion and vote on the new budget that takes effect on July 1st. Primarily thanks to the one-cent sales tax increase now in effect, the city is anticipating a $3.3 million surplus. The total spending planned is currently $14.8 million, so the council will discuss how to spend the extra money. The meeting today starts at 5 pm at City Hall.
