Sparks fly over Sonoma Mountain Village agreement

<p>Sparks flew Wednesday over a political coalition’s role in the Sonoma Mountain Village project, with critics accusing the group of strong-arming developer Codding Enterprises for labor, environmental and housing concessions. </p><p>“Who in the hell do you people think you are?” asked Keith Woods, executive director at the North Coast Builders Exchange, which represents mostly non-union contractors. “You are functioning as a shadow government. I don’t remember electing you.” </p><p>His remarks at a breakfast meeting of the pro-business Sonoma County Alliance were aimed at the Accountable Development Coalition, a group that negotiated a far-reaching agreement covering the 200-acre mixed-use development in Rohnert Park. </p><p>Representatives of the coalition and Codding Enterprises defended the agreement, saying there was no coercion involved. </p><p>“I don’t think anybody forced Codding to do anything,” said Kirstie Moore, Codding’s development manager. </p><p>She said the pact will help build public support for the $1 billion green-oriented project. </p><p>“This agreement was reached voluntarily,” said Michael Allen, a former union leader and current political aide who chairs the coalition.</p><p>The agreement ensures the project will include affordable housing, local jobs, transportation and good environmental design, Allen said. </p><p>Critics said it will drive up costs, cause delays and exclude non-union contractors. </p><p>Moore acknowledged the environmentally-friendly development will cost more to build. “But we think this is the future,” she said. “We can’t carry on building projects like we used to.” </p><p>Non-union contractors won’t be excluded, Moore said. “It’s an even playing field,” she said. </p><p>Sonoma Mountain Village, located on the former Agilent Technologies site in Rohnert Park, is designed to include nearly 1,900 homes and 825,000 square feet of retail, office and industrial space. When completed in 10 years, it will have about 4,400 residents and 4,400 on-site jobs. </p><p>The Accountable Development Coalition, a Santa Rosa-based group of labor, housing, environmental and political organizations, worked with Codding for more than two years to reach the development pact, Allen said Wednesday. </p><p>While such agreements are new to Sonoma County, they’re being used in large-scale development projects across the country to achieve community benefits, he said. </p><p>The 16-page agreement with Codding contains a long list of requirements for the developer, including affordable housing, green building standards, space for community gardens, limits on water use, preferential treatment for labor unions in commercial construction and a “One Planet Living Center” for community meetings. </p><p>Codding also will pay annual fees to the coalition. </p><p>In exchange, the coalition agreed to provide political support and consultation for the project. </p><p>At Wednesday’s event, a Sacramento lobbyist who represents the Western Electrical Contractors Association said such “community benefit agreements” are a problem for developers. If they refuse to go along, developers are likely to face challenges and delays, said lobbyist Richard Markuson. </p><p>Such private agreements sidestep the public planning process and subject developers to another set of rules, he said.</p><p>“We’re concerned this will become a template for new construction in California,” Markuson said. </p><p>Cynthia Murray, president of the North Bay Leadership Council, a Petaluma-based employer group, questioned whether the agreement is good for the economy.</p><p>“Does it put the North Bay at a disadvantage when we’re trying to attract employers here?” she asked. </p><p>But Moore said the agreement fits with Codding’s vision, which calls for “deeply sustainable” development.</p><p>“It’s an investment in the future,” she said.</p>