At a highly contentious meeting attended by 25 Sonoita and Elgin residents on June 12 at the Sonoita Fairgrounds, steering committee members of the wine cuisine tourism initiative voted 12-7 to continue to work on studying the possibility of developing overlay districts in the area.
“Now that the community has voted to move forward, we are standing by for them [the steering committee] to notify the County who will be designated to work with the County and consultants on the project moving forward,” said Santa Cruz County Planning Director Frank Dillon.
The $300,000 Wine Cuisine Tourism grant was awarded to Santa Cruz County by the federal Economic Development Administration in 2022 “to support the establishment of a comprehensive ‘cuisine tourism’ strategy and implementation plan.”
Urban Scenarios, a Portland, Oregon-based consulting firm contracted by the County in 2023 to run the initiative, encountered stiff opposition last fall from Sonoita/Elgin residents alarmed by what they perceived as a threat to the area’s rural character. Amidst this pushback, in January the County pivoted its approach, shifting its focus to reflect community concerns. A new steering committee of local residents was formed and began to meet regularly, and by late May, Urban Scenarios had been let go by the County, due to what Dillon called “miscommunication.”
There is still $115,000 left unspent from the original planning grant. Although almost two-thirds of the grant has been spent already with little to show for it, Dillon said he feels “confident that the remaining amount should be sufficient to cover the remaining activities.”
And the clock is ticking. The deadline for the grant program to be completed is approaching.
“We are working with the EDA on an extension since we had an additional community engagement period,” said Dillon. “We will keep those involved apprised of any new deadlines.”