The Board of Supervisors will consider the Draft Vision, Guiding Principles, and Community Engagement Framework on:
Community engagement is a central part of the General Plan and guides how the County plans for the future. Input from residents, businesses, and community organizations is gathered through workshops, surveys, and outreach efforts and used to shape the plan's vision, priorities, and policies. This is an ongoing process, and there will be multiple opportunities to participate as the work continues. We encourage everyone to share their ideas and help shape the future of Sonoma County.
Our current pulse survey gathers info on your communication preferences.
As General Plan Sonoma moves from community visioning into policy development, Sonoma County is expanding outreach to ensure diverse community voices help shape the plan. Community-based organizations (CBOs) are key partners in reaching underrepresented communities and reducing barriers to participation. The County is inviting nominations of CBOs interested in partnering or recommending an organization, with a particular interest in groups that serve:
onoma County expects to partner with 5–7 community-based organizations and will provide stipends to support their participation. Submitting a recommendation does not guarantee selection or commit an organization—it simply lets the County know they may be interested. Recommendations are due by August 14, 2026. The 3–5 minute form asks about the communities served, community engagement experience, and language capacity. Organizations not selected as formal partners can still participate through many other General Plan Sonoma engagement opportunities. Questions? Email GeneralPlan@sonomacounty.gov.
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Creating a Community Vision for the Future
The General Plan Outreach Dashboard provides an interactive, GIS-based view of community engagement throughout the Community Visioning process. It maps workshops, pop-up events, and other engagement activities across Sonoma County, offering an at-a-glance understanding of where and how residents have participated in this initial phase. Users can explore event locations, attendance trends, and basic demographic insights to better understand outreach efforts thus far. The dashboard reflects Permit Sonoma’s continued commitment to evidence-based planning, transparency, accessibility, and broad representation in shaping the County’s long-term land use policies.
The Community Engagement Framework outlines general principles and strategies on how the County will engage residents, businesses, community organizations, and other stakeholders throughout the General Plan update. It describes the outreach approach, engagement goals, and opportunities for the public to help shape the plan from beginning to end.
The Community Visioning Summary highlights what we heard during the initial community visioning activities. Thousands of residents shared their ideas, priorities, and aspirations for Sonoma County's future. This feedback helped establish the project's vision and will guide development of the General Plan.
During our Community Vision activities, we collected input from all across the county, including via an online survey. Survey results provide a snapshot of community feedback collected throughout the planning process. Responses from residents help the project team better understand local priorities and ensure the General Plan reflects the needs and values of Sonoma County communities.
Residents can share ideas at any time by emailing the project team, participating in periodic online engagement opportunities, or attending community events and workshops. While feedback is always welcome, there are several key milestones during the planning process when public input plays an especially important role in shaping the plan. These milestones often include multiple ways to participate, such as surveys, workshops, open houses, and public meetings. We have already completed the Community Visioning phase, where thousands of residents helped identify priorities for Sonoma County's future. A summary of that input is available above and in the Community Engagement Framework.
Following initial community input and engagement, County staff created a broad framework outlining how the County will involve the community in future policy development and the draft General Plan update. While this structured processes guides the formation of the plan, Permit Sonoma staff are always open to receiving feedback. We can't accommodate all requests, but we welcome invitations to community meetings and events.
From AI to climate change, we live in a time of unprecedented changes. Understanding current conditions in Sonoma County, including housing, transportation, safety, and the environment, is an important part of the update process.
Based on input and data, County staff will develop ideas into policies, impacts, and local land use plans. These scenarios help demonstrate how Sonoma County might grow and change in the future.
Bringing together all the ideas, data, and input, together we will create a Draft General Plan for broad discussion. Then, we'll submit it the final version for environmental impact review - a study that examines how the proposed General Plan could affect the environment and how to reduce impacts.
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