Environmental Debate Around Remodel of North Bay Centre

A plan to make the ’s remodel more environmentally sustainable put vice mayor Jake Mackenzie at odds with the rest of the Rohnert Park City Council last night.

Developers revamping the shopping plaza succeded in having the council remove from the project’s proposed requirements a system to recycle rainwater for irrigating native trees on the site.

“What kind of burden are we putting on these people — is this something we asked for?” councilmember Joe Callinan asked. “On one hand, we’re asking for economic development, we want to replace most of our old structures … and we’re saying we’re business friendly.”

“But then, we’re saying you have to save the rain water when we haven’t done that for the 35-40 years it’s been there,” he said.

For Mackenzie, the issue is the future sustainability of the city — its natural resources and environmental business standards. He used the example of the Sonoma Mountain Village and the University District Plan as directions the city should move in.

“Practices that were fine in the past of allowing oil and other toxic material-laden water from parking lots to go into our storm sewers is no longer appropriate,” Mackenzie said. “We as a council have to look beyond the short-term, we’re dealing with decisions that have an impact for decades.”

Mackenzie said even a minimal effort, such as the plan to capture rainwaters from the roof of , as proposed, would do wonders for the city.

But for the rest of the council, the plan was shoddy at best. Councilmembers said the environmental proposal was just an idea, not a requirement, and the Nov. 23 decision to require the developers to explore rainwater catchment was too vague. 

“I didn’t feel, and I still don’t … that it was a mandate,” mayor Gina Belforte said. “Not knowing how many gallons of water we’re going to capture and how it’s going to recharge [groundwater], I would say no.”

Developers said rainwater harvesting would be expensive, and produce little results.

Brian Powell, a landscape architect who works with Argonaut Investors, the Corta Madera-based firm who’s doing the renovation, asked the city to remove the rainwater capture system from the plans. Powell said he was surprised the rainwater harvesting system was required in the first place.

“We estimate that it’s going to cost $35,000 to $40,000 at least,” Powell said. “We’re more than happy to provide the native trees, but frankly we were a little surprised that [rainwater capture] was a condition of approval.”

Marilyn Ponton, city planning and building manager, said it was clear to her at the Nov. 23 City Council meeting, when the councilmembers OK’d the plan — — that they asked for the consideration of planting native trees, preserving existing vegetation and incorporating a rainwater recycling program.

“It seems clear from the record, from what I can see here, that the council did at some point make a motion to include as a condition of approval the requirement that the applicant consider on site reuse of water drainage, use of native species and preservation of existing trees,” said city attorney Michelle Kenyon.

Council, after an hour of heated discussion, vetoed the water recycling component of the plan. Mackenzie was the sole 'no' vote.

Capturing rainwaters to use for plant irrigation would help the Laguna de Santa Rosa, especially during the first rains of the year, according to Amy Bolten, a spokesperson for the Sonoma County Water Agency.

"A lot of runoff and pollutants come from the first few rains," Bolten said. "Built up chemicals, oils, grease — we call it the first flush, and all that pollutant ends up in the waterways. It's not good for the Laguna."