Elgin/Sonoita Planning Group Forges On, Minus County Funding

Residents and business owners in the Elgin/Sonoita area continue to work privately on plans to manage growth and sustainable development despite the County’s decision to pause funding for an initiative formerly known as the Wine and Cuisine Tourism District master plan. 

In 2023, Santa Cruz County received a $300,000 federal grant to study the possibility of establishing a wine and cuisine tourism plan for the Elgin/Sonoita area in an attempt to to boost the local business economy. 

However, on Sept. 12, County Supervisor Bruce Bracker released a letter stating, “The county is putting a pause on the existing US Economic Development Agency [EDA] grants to ensure funds are administered and accounted for to standards of federal compliance. This includes the wine and culinary tourism initiative funded through EDA.”

SCC Planning and Development Director Frank Dillon had recommended that the County take this step after it became known that the County’s Administrative Services department had not filed paperwork with the EDA to get reimbursed for $200,000, including expenses related to the Wine and Cuisine Tourism grant. 

This is just the latest in a series of missteps in the implementation of the Wine and Cuisine Tourism District master plan. Widespread local resistance to the initiative resulted in the firing of the out-of-state consulting firm hired by the county and a rebranding of the working group formed last spring as the Elgin/Sonoita Planning and Preservation Committee (PPC). The group continues to meet despite the County pausing the funding for their work. 

The PPC has been divided into two working groups. Aaron Gudenkauf, of Sonoita, is leading a group of 23 residents in exploring the creation of overlay districts to help protect the rural character of the area. 

“The committee just met and reviewed the notice from the County about the pause in funding,” Gudenkauf said in an email. “We are viewing this as a good thing. First, the committee isn’t a paid position; everyone on the committee is a local resident passionate about preserving our community’s fabric with a thoughtful plan. Second, it allows us to continue gathering information; we will continue researching prior efforts that the community has attempted, we will start formulating a plan that we think the community may benefit from and be open to, and when the County sorts the drama out we’ll be in a better position to guide the conversation—rather than react to it. The committee’s goal is to develop a draft plan for the community to consider. The community will then decide how to move forward.” 

Kati Spencer, managing partner of Twisted Union Wine Co. in Elgin, has been tasked with crafting a marketing and development plan to keep local businesses sustainable and thriving. 

With 30 years of experience in marketing and public relations, Spencer has volunteered to develop a planning tool for marketing and economic development for area businesses. Her goal is “to produce a plan to first and foremost support the businesses in this community,” she said. “It’s not just me in a vacuum. I’ve been talking to many in the community to see how this dovetails with planning and preservation… I have looked at what has been done so far and looked at how we compared to other markets. What strengths they have and what strengths we have. What we can highlight. That has really been the strategy for this plan.” 

The economic development plan would include identifying resources, such as grants and leadership development programs. “I am a strong advocate for a trade organization,” Spencer said, which she calls a ‘champion’ organization, perhaps through resurrecting the local Chamber of Commerce, making it easier for small businesses to get marketing help and training. 

Spencer stressed that the focus of the plan would be on supporting existing businesses in the area, not on attracting new businesses to the area. “What do they need to sustain them and what do they see as growth opportunities?” she said. 

One strategy Spencer would like to see implemented would be encouraging visitors to spend longer than one afternoon in the area. 

“We’re not talking about doubling the number of visitors,” she explained. “We’re talking about longer stays and greater spending.”

When asked if she’s finding resistance Spencer said emphatically, “No. I’m finding candor. It’s important because it’s honest and comes with mindfulness and other businesses are giving thought as to what is happening to them and within their community. Whatever final plan is adopted has to support the existing business infrastructure.”

In her interviews with local business owners, Spencer has found that those who have chosen to be here are here because of the open space and rural life. They want to protect that reason for being here. 

“As my mom says, change is inevitable and we have to control how we react to it,” Spencer said. “We cannot stop the change.”