| Fiction | Fact |
| The NE Area Plan is a huge development project. | The NE Area Plan is a plan that will guide development in that area over the next 20 years. It puts into place much higher environmental standards and many more constraints than currently exist. It is not a development project. |
| It will allow really tall buildings | The current zoning in that area already allows for three story buildings. The plan would allow 2 stories, with up to four stories by warrant. 3 or more stories would only be allowed with the highest of green standards and with significant benefits to Sebastopol. Benefits such as civic spaces, gathering places, solar power, green roofs, community gardens and transportation hubs. |
| It will pave over wetlands and impact the Laguna | The NE Area is already paved and has been built on for many years. It is not part of the Laguna and there are no wetlands in the Plan area. |
| It will allow big box stores like Walmart | The Plan would not allow big box stores of any kind. |
| It will increase traffic | Most of our traffic is currently from out of town. Having jobs, housing and shopping in one location will help to reduce traffic, not increase it. |
| Fill to raise buildings above flood levels will increase flooding | Fill is currently allowed under existing zoning. The Plan restricts the use of fill so that no net increase can be made. The Plan has far more environmental protections than currently exists. |
| There is not enough water | Sebastopol has enough water for present and future needs. We still need to do more to conserve water, and the NE Area Plan includes many water conservation measures. |
| If the Plan does not get approved, the NE Area will stay like it is. | We cannot choose whether to develop the NE Area or not. The City does not own the land and we have no money to purchase it. The NE Area is mostly all zoned "downtown" and can now be redeveloped with commercial and residential uses. Saying "no" to the Plan could open the door to big, undesirable types of development. We can't stop all change, but we can choose to change in the most sustainable way. |
| There are no economic benefits to this Plan and it will hurt our small town character. | There will be many benefits for Sebastopol if this Plan is implemented. We need housing, jobs and stores to serve the needs of local residents. We are facing a serious budget shortfall and we must revitalize our local economy if we are going to be able to maintain our vital services like police, fire, road maintenance, etc. No one want Sebastopol to become a big City and we will always have our own unique and small town character. |
| The NE Area Plan is not supported by environmentalists. | Many leading environmental groups including the Greenbelt Alliance have endorsed this Plan because it locates homes near to downtown and helps to reduce sprawl. Other groups such as the Sierra Club support sustainable development like that proposed in the NE Area Plan. |
