Plans for a possible Sprouts Farmers Market in Santa Rosa moved forward Thursday despite opposition from local grocers who say there's little need for another market in the city.
The Santa Rosa Planning Commission on Thursday approved a request to rezone a four-acre property at the northeast corner of Mendocino and Bicentennial avenues to general commercial, which would allow a number of possible uses, including a market.
Commissioner Shaun Faber stressed the action was far from a final decision about whether a market will be approved for the hillside site.
"This project does have some challenges," said Faber, who voted for the change. "It may or may not fly."
The commission voted 4-3 to recommend the zoning change and general plan amendment to the City Council. No project has been proposed, but AVB Development Partners, which sought the rezoning, said it hopes to build a 30,000-square-foot Sprouts on the property.
Property owner Ubaldo Tambellini has said he is talking to Sprouts, a fast-growing chain of natural food stores based in Phoenix, but has yet to ink a deal with anyone.
Commissioners voting in favor of the rezoning largely focused on whether the property at the busy intersection was appropriate for commercial uses. Those against it cited a litany of concerns, including the limited information they received about the potential Sprouts project.
"It's very hard to consider this absent of a project," Commissioner Vicki Duggan said.
The oak-studded site is home to an aging 22-unit apartment building, which would likely be razed to make way for a retail center like the one described in conceptual plans. Tambellini has said that's only one of many options.
Representatives of Community Market and Oliver's Markets urged the commission at a previous meeting not to approve the rezoning, or at least to require further study of the economic impacts. They argued there is no need for another out-of-area market in that section of the city, and said allowing one will only hurt existing grocers.
Last month the commission was unable to reach a decision, in part because Faber was absent. The hearing was continued to Thursday to give Faber the chance to review the record and vote.
Duggan expressed concern that the commission action was effectively "punting" a future project to the city's design review board, which is less familiar with environmental reviews than the planning commission.
But Chairman Patti Cisco said design review is qualified to handle environmental analysis and recently has been doing more of it.
"Whether they like it or not, we charged them with that job," Cisco said.
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