Development Update: Sonoma Mountain Village Plans Progress

Even during the recession, Codding's Sonoma Mountain Village is progressing — the 175-acre development underway on the city's southeast side is attracting new businesses, planning to lease new apartments and moving forward with the ecotopia's vision of a "One Planet Community."

In the last month, Codding has rented a formerly vacant space to Innovative Molding, a plastics company that manufactures container lids and measuring spoons formerly based in Sebastopol, bringing the 25-acre business park to 70 percent occupied, according to Brad Baker, Codding's president and CEO.

The move relocated more than 100 employees to Rohnert Park.

Last Friday, Codding execs gathered with elected officials from throughout Sonoma County, including Mayor Gina Belforte, Vice Mayor Jake Mackenzie, Councilwoman Pam Stafford, Supervisors David Rabbitt and Shirlee Zane and Congressman Mike Thompson, to dedicate two roof-mounted solar arrays by Stellar Energy, which officials said will generate 100 percent of the development's electricity on-site.

And Baker reported last week that the company is starting to convert the 1400 building, adjacent to Sally Tomatoes at Sonoma Mountain Village, to apartments.

"The market has changed so much since we developed our plans in 2007, so we're looking at a couple hundred edgy, industrial flats," Baker said. "We're starting that process now."

In addition, Baker said he's talking to other "big tenants" who have shown interest in the property — something that's skyrocketed with the development of Sonoma State University's Green Music Center and the development of a "," with located right in the middle.

Baker said he couldn't elaborate on which new businesses yet, but he did say "we really want different uses here — industrial mixed with commercial, residential, office and manufacturing."

"It's not moving forward as fast as we expected, but I don't think anyone could have anticipated the length and the depth of the downturn in the housing market and economy in general," Baker added. "But we're talking to some pretty exciting tenants."

The solar panels, touted as unprecedented by elected officials, was financed in part through Sonoma County's Energy Independence Program — specifically throug a private-public partnership called Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE — paid for over time through property taxes.

"Solar is such a great investment," Baker said. "This helps us become 100 percent alternative-energy powered at Sonoma Mountain Village and fits in with our mission of sustainability."

How PACE works: A private company supplies money to Sonoma County, and the county funds a clean energy project, such as the solar array at Sonoma Mountain Village. As property taxes increase on the development, developers pay back the county, and the county pays back the financing company, said John Kinney, CEO for Clean Fund, who provided capital for the project.

“In order to compete with China these days in doing business, Sonoma County needs to lower our cost of energy,” Zane said. “If we significantly lower the cost of energy, we will become a magnet for all kinds of businesses; we’re very lucky here because we have wind, we have solar and biomass.”

“This project is a great example of where we’re headed — it’s the largest PACE program for energy-efficient upgrades it’s here in Sonoma County.”

Belforte said what's happening at Sonoma Mountain Village is paving the way for similar efforts in Rohnert Park, such as in green building and public-private partnerships.

"When Agilent left, it hurt Rohnert Park financially," she said. "Now we're bringing back jobs, creating sustainable communities and changing the way we work as a city, providing these kind of new projects."

Sonoma Mountain Village, over the next 10-20 years, plans to redevelop the former Agilent campus into a community with nearly 2,000 housing units,  500 of which are slated for affordable housing, and add upwards of 2,500 new jobs, according to Kirstie Moore, a development manager for Codding.

Housing is expected to add 4,500 residents to Rohnert Park, boosting the city's schools system, the local economy and creating a model for sustainability — what Moore says has already "put Rohnert Park on the map."

The campus aims to be "energy independent," by implementing public policies in energy, for example, that power the development of solar, wind and biomass power. Grocery stores and outside markets will sell food sourced less than 50 miles away, community gardens and an urban farm will be located on site and the community will host cycling and walking street patterns, providing a choice for residents who don't want to be auto-dependent.

"Rohnert Park was built so housing was separated from jobs, from industry and commercial, so you had to drive to where you wanted to go," Moore said. "We think if we can build a one-planet community in a suburban setting like Rohnert Park, we can do it anywhere. It's meant to be replicated."

"When this property became available, we saw it as an opportunity," she added. "Agilent left an 2,500 jobs disappeared, so it makes sense that we help redevelop a piece of land in a city that we're so invested in."

Editor's note: Check out the New York Times article about the PACE program here — Rohnert Park made the lead photo! Find photos of the solar panels and renderings of Sonoma Mountain Village to the right.