Information for Project Applicants Appearing Before the MWAMAC

The Chair of the MWAMAC, with the assistance of the MWAMAC Secretary, selects projects and application proposals for review based on his or her judgment of the potential impacts that the project may have on the Mark West Area.

The advantage to appearing before the MWAMAC when your project is only in the conceptual stage is that you can get a sense of the community’s response to your plans before spending a lot of time and money on a full-fledged design.

The disadvantage is that the MWAMAC is more likely to be unwilling to recommend approval of your plans/proposal without seeing final details, so they may ask you to reappear when you have completed your planning.

The risk of appearing late in your project planning process is that the MWAMAC may recommend significant changes, or even recommend that your project be denied approval.

For projects that may generate community opposition or concerns, you might consider holding local community/neighborhood meetings before filing for a permit application.

Most projects are handled in one hearing; however, it may be to your advantage to return to the MWAMAC for consideration of your revised plan.

Concerns will inherently vary, based on the type of project or proposal being reviewed. Often these topics come up during Commission meetings:

• Traffic generation, particularly along windy and well-worn County roads
• Parking
• Event Activity
• Scope of use permits
• Concentration
• Water use
• Sanitation and other matters of health and safety
• Well, septic, drainage and ground water questions
• Noise
• Visual impacts
• Appropriateness of project given zoning and other land use designations
• Preservation of trees and native habitats
• Other environmental impacts

A regular meeting begins with a roll call and the approval of the minutes, followed by an opportunity for members of the public to address the MWAMAC on matters not otherwise on the agenda.

Typically a series of proposed projects and applications are then reviewed. Finally, the MWAMAC considers administrative issues, and reports from ad hoc committees.

Applicants or their representatives make a brief presentation before the MWAMAC, followed by a period for MWAMAC members to ask questions. The public is then given an opportunity to ask questions and/or comment on the project.

The Chair will then close the public comment portion of the review, and MWAMAC members will then discuss the project and pass a resolution, if warranted. Please note that once the public comment portion of the review is closed, any additional comments or answers to materials from the MWAMAC members should be addressed through the Chair.

During the open comment period, members of the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions and state their opinions about your proposal. We recommend that you answer questions forthrightly and concisely. You should not feel obligated to respond to statements of opinion.  

The Chair will help moderate this portion of the hearing. If the project is likely to engender a level of controversy or extensive feedback from the community, the Chair will likely establish guidelines for the public comment period, potentially including time limits for each speaker.

The MWAMAC Secretary will capture all aspects of the project review in the meeting minutes. Minutes are distributed to the Sonoma County Fourth District Supervisor and to the County’s Planning Department.  

One of the MWAMAC members appointed by the County is also charged with meeting directly with planning staff to review specific projects. The Sonoma County Planning Commissioner from the Fourth District is usually in attendance to hear discussion of projects, but will not take part in the question period.