County Workshop on Community Separators

Please see notice of a County of Sonoma workshop on Community Separators policy. The workshop will be held Wednesday, March 2, 4-6pm at the PRMD Hearing Room.

February 17 Council meeting actions

At its regular meeting of February 17, Council took the following action on these community issues of significance:

• Medical marijuana: Adopted a resolution reaffirming and confirming that the Town of Windsor Zoning Ordinance operates under the principles of permissive zoning and that marijuana cultivation is a prohibited use in the Town of Windsor. Regarding action or regulation of commercial marijuana cultivation within certain zoning districts, Council decided to incorporate this issue in the General Plan Update process which will allow for further community input and viewing of the issue in a larger context.
• Vacation rentals: Council decided that they do wish to permit vacation rentals by owner in Town limits and impose transient occupancy tax on the rentals, and directed staff to develop a vacation rental policy and bring the matter back to Council for discussion and/or action. The Council stressed that the policy should be simple to implement and follow.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Read more about what makes us tick at Town Hall!

About Town: You pay your water bills here, you see us maintaining your streets, you trust us to provide programs for your children and you rely on us to h…

You are Invited: Open House Events Scheduled for Windsor General Plan Update

CONTACT:

February 4, 2016                                             Sheila Wolski, Community Development Technician

                                                                                               Community Development Department

                                                                                               Ph. # (707) 838-5337

                                                                                                                              swolski@townofwindsor.com

 

Open House Events Scheduled for Windsor General Plan Update

 

Windsor, California (February 4, 2016) – The Town is offering three open house-style events for the community to participate in the update of the Town’s General Plan. Each meeting will have the same topics but is being offered at three different dates and times to allow busy residents to pick the day that works best for them.

 
The first open house will take place at Windsor Middle School’s Multipurpose Room on Tuesday, March 1 from 6pm-8pm. The second will be at Windsor High School’s Multipurpose Room on Saturday, March 5 from 10am-noon. The final open house will be held at the Mary Agatha Furth Center in Windsor on Sunday, March 6 from 1:30-3:30, and is intended to target the Hispanic community; Spanish-speaking translators will be provided, as well as activities for children.

The open house-style events are expected to attract greater community participation in the update of the Town’s General Plan. A general plan is a long range document that is considered the Town’s constitution or blueprint because it guides growth, traffic patterns, housing and more for the next 20 years. Information will be shared and residents’ feedback received in a less formal venue than the typical Council meeting. The focus of all three events is to present potential land use patterns for Windsor’s future, educate residents on the potential benefits and impacts associated with the land use alternatives, and solicit feedback on preferences for how the Town should plan future growth and development.

 Information on the open house events is available online at www.windsor2040.com. The public can also register to receive email notification of meetings and important documents at http://www.windsor2040.com/contact/

You are invited: Connecting Windsor Workshop - Feb. 11

The Town of Windsor is inviting the community to provide input on ways to improve bicycle and pedestrian connectivity between east and west Windsor. The Connecting Windsor Study will explore creating a more efficient route for cyclists and pedestrians to cross Highway 101, improving the existing Old Redwood Highway underpass, and expanding the existing bike/pedestrian network in downtown Windsor.

 
Join us for a public workshop to learn about the Study and provide input on design goals and priorities.

To learn more, visit www.ConnectingWindsor.com

 

Thursday, February 11, 2016

6:00 – 8:00 PM

Windsor Senior Center

9231 Foxwood Drive

Press release - Town Council seeks community input on two important issues

Windsor Town Council seeks community input on two policy issues: Medical Marijuana Cultivation and Vacation Rentals by Owner

Windsor, California (February 4, 2016) – At the regular Town Council meeting of Wednesday, February 17, 2016, beginning at 6pm, the Windsor Town Council will take up two issues of significance.

 The Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA) is a package of three pieces of State legislation which addresses the regulation and licensing of dispensaries, delivery of medical marijuana, and cultivation of medical marijuana.

The Town already expressly prohibits medical marijuana dispensaries and the MMRSA does not require further action by the Town to continue its current prohibition. Further, the Town does not prohibit deliveries of medical marijuana to patients living in Town limits. The MMRSA provides that unless the Town adopts an ordinance expressly prohibiting deliveries of medical marijuana within Town limits, deliveries from dispensaries outside of Town limits may continue to be made, if they are licensed by the State. At its meeting of January 20, 2016, the Town Council decided not to take action to prohibit deliveries. In terms of cultivation, medical marijuana cultivation is currently banned in the Town of Windsor.

 The MMRSA also provides a comprehensive State licensing scheme for cultivation of medical marijuana. At the Town Council meeting of January 20, 2016, the Town Council provided direction to staff to return to Council with a proposed resolution expressly reaffirming and confirming that marijuana cultivation is currently banned in Windsor pursuant to its zoning ordinance. 

 Also on January 20, Councilmembers expressed a desire to continue to ban or limit marijuana cultivation in residential zoning districts. Some interest was expressed in researching permitting commercial cultivation of marijuana in industrial zoning districts. At the February 17 Council meeting, Town staff will be seeking further direction as to Council’s desired scope of study and possible action on a commercial cultivation ordinance.

 Vacation Rentals by Owner is a preliminary policy discussion to be held at the meeting of February 17. The Town has traditionally taken a limited role with respect to vacation rentals operating within the boundaries of the Town of Windsor.  The Town Council has requested a review of the current Town processes and policies for managing vacation rentals as well as options including prohibiting or expressly permitting vacation rentals.  The scope of this overview to be presented by staff also includes a study of the current vacation rental landscape, hosted vacation rentals where a portion of the home is rented while the owner remains onsite, steps required to implement each scenario and the pros and cons of each option.   For purposes of this policy overview, vacation rentals are defined as vacation rentals by owners, or VRBOs, and include the renting out of a portion or the entirety of a furnished apartment, house, or professionally managed resort-condominium complex on a temporary basis to tourists as an alternative to a hotel. 

 Councilmembers have expressed an interest in determining the amount of revenue which may be available to the Town if the Town’s transient occupancy tax (TOT) ordinance were extended to encompass vacation rentals.

 The Town Council is interested in community input regarding these issues and welcomes resident participation at the Council meeting. Written feedback may also be provided to the Council via email to TownCouncil@Townofwindsor.com.

New Virtual Suggestion Box!

Do you have a suggestion for the improvement of the Town of Windsor? The Town welcomes your input with the creation of our new Virtual Suggestion Box.
 

The Virtual Suggestion Box can be found on the Quick Links menu on the Town’s homepage http://www.ci.windsor.ca.us/FormCenter/Town-Managers-Office-3/Virtual-Suggestion-Box-39 (www.townofwindsor.com). Suggestions should be brief, 250 words or less, and require submitting the sender’s name and email. I will read all of the suggestions submitted via the online Suggestion Box, and staff will follow up as appropriate.

The creation of this new feature augments the Town’s efforts to increase communication with the public. This new feature complements the Town’s recent adoption of a texting service that allows the public to reach Town Staff by sending a text message to same main telephone number residents call for Town services, (707) 838-1000.

There are many ways to reach the Town and find out information about the Town. We want to continue to increase opportunities for communication and resident engagement with Town services.

Bruce Johnson Sculpture Installed as Windsor First Public Art

 

Click to read the press release regarding Windsor's public art installation at the roundabout on Old Redwood Highway and Market Street:

http://www.ci.windsor.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/16968