About Us
The Valley of the Moon Alliance was formed in January, 2002 by people living in the northern
end of the valley to limit concentrated growth in this historically agricultural region of the
county. The grass-roots organization was prompted by two proposals to build luxury resorts in
the area: a 98-room $500-$900 a night resort, spa and restaurant on 27 acres adjacent to
Chateau St. Jean and a 50-room $300-$600 a night resort, spa and restaurant complex (along with
11 luxury homes) and a 40,000-case boutique winery at Graywood, a 183-acre pasture just north
of Kenwood, nestled under Mt. Hood.
Residents are concerned that such concentrated commerce would have a negative impact on this region. The entire
Valley is accessed through two-lane State Highway 12, already subject to heavy traffic flows
throughout the day. The combined impact of bringing in nearly 180 new hotel rooms requiring
hundreds of employees to maintain 24-hour-a-day services is thought to be excessive for many
reasons, including impacts on traffic, water, sewage, police, fire and medical needs. The
Valley’s wine business is already well developed, with dozens of wineries and tasting rooms
along the Highway 12 corridor. There are also dozens of bed and breakfast homes serving the
needs of weekend visitors that have a minimal impact on the traffic and water uses in the area.
The Valley of the Moon Alliance is organizing resistance to these two projects through public meetings, distribution of information, and by retaining legal counsel and consultants to ensure that the specific and cumulative impacts of these projects are fully explored in the required
Environmental Impact Reports. The Association is reaching out to like-minded individuals and
groups throughout Sonoma County to establish development policy and generate a political
consensus about the viability of building concentrated resorts in rural areas.
While these projects may be attractive to political leaders looking to fund affordable housing mandated by state and regional agencies, locating high use luxury hotels in rural areas with poor access is bad planning on every level. The Valley of the Moon Alliance will track the progress of the county’s current and major General Plan update to ensure that policies are considered and adopted that bring to bear long-term planning considerations to guarantee the viability and sustainability of rural life in Sonoma County.
Beyond addressing the immediate future, the Valley of the Moon Alliance will also undertake a broader mission to work out a vision of a sustainable community over the decades to come and viable methods of addressing future issues as they emerge in the ever changing landscape that is the Valley of the Moon.
