Estero Trail (Proposed)

What & Why?

The Estero Trail project proposes to define and dedicate a public access, pedestrian-only, trail easement alignment that would connect Highway 1 to the Estero Americano. This is a partnership between Regional Parks and the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District. The proposed project location is on the Bordessa Ranch property located just north of Valley Ford between Hwy 1 and the Estero Americano.

The Sonoma County Permit and Resource Management Department previously prepared and circulated an initial study and a draft Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Estero Trail Easement: Designation of Trail Corridors and Associated Staging Areas Project.

After reviewing the information disclosed by the draft Mitigated Negative Declaration document, the Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District and the Board of Supervisors of the County of Sonoma directed staff to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the development of the proposed project. 

Final Legal Notice of Completion of Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) (PDF: 116.8 kB)

Copies of the Draft EIR are available for review at this web page. 

The Sonoma County Planning Commission conducted a public hearing on July 16, 2020 on the Draft EIR. A summary of the EIR was presented at the Zoom-format public hearing. The meeting provided time for the public to submit oral or written comments on the adequacy of the Draft EIR. The Sonoma County Planning Commission unanimously voted to have staff move forward and prepare the Final Environmental Impact Report.

What’s Next? 

Prepare the Final Environmental Impact Report. The Final EIR is comprised of the Draft EIR plus written responses to all comments received during the public review period and at the first Planning Commission hearing. The Final EIR will be scheduled for a second Planning Commission hearing, where the Commission will be asked to provide their recommendation to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.

For additional information, please contact Karen Davis-Brown, Project Manager at (707) 565-1359 or by email at  karen.davis-brown@sonoma-county.org.

• Proposed Estero Trail Corridor Map
  (PDF: 209 kB)

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