The 707
Montgomery Village announces new brands A wave of new businesses are opening this fall at Santa Rosa’s Montgomery Village shopping center—including women’s apparel and accessories brand Anthropologie, as well as mission-driven restaurant Sweetgreen. Anthropologie opened at the 2404 Magowan Drive retail center on Oct. 22, while Sweetgreen enjoyed a Nov. 4 debut. Bluemercury beauty store and contemporary clothing brand Vuori celebrated Nov. 7 openings. Also on the horizon at the Village are Free People, a specialty women’s clothing brand known for its bohemian- fashion, activewear and accessories; beauty retailer Sephora and Beach By Everything but Water, a destination for women’s swimwear and resort-wear. In all, Montgomery Village is welcoming 11 new businesses to its 280,000-square-foot complex, with such brands as Blue Bottle Coffee, Club Pilates, Face Foundrie and Fieldwork coming soon. Montgomery Village recently celebrated its 75th year with an expansion of over 2,800-square-feet of new community spaces: The Green, an open turf area for families and pets, and The Terrace, a gathering space with cozy fire pits. The openings and renovations are part of the shopping center’s vision to continue being a “vibrant destination,” General Manager Kris Miller said in announcing the new brands. “These behind-the-scenes improvements all ladder up to our vision of creating a place where people are eager to spend time,” said Miller. For more information, visit montgomeryvillageca.com .— JW
inspired
Former farm bureau employee suspected of theft, fraud A former Sonoma County Farm Bureau employee was arrested last month for allegedly stealing around $375,000 from the ag- industry advocacy group. Samantha Piehoff is being held by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office on suspicion of grand theft, forgery and obtaining money under false pretenses, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat first reported. Farm Bureau Executive Director Dayna Ghirardelli told the Press Democrat suspicion of the fraud first arose when she analyzed a check to a vendor and inaccuracies and other details of the check raised red flags. Further review found additional financial irregularities and Piehoff, an employee since 2018, was dismissed and the matter eventually handed over to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office. Piehoff, who had not been formally charged at press time, is a member of the Herrerias family, whose support and membership in the farm bureau dates back nearly a century, with various family members serving in staff and leadership rolls over the decades. Piehoff, 36 of Sebastopol, was hired as an executive assistant and office manager, according to the PD .— NBb
Sonoma County supervisors to update Cannabis Program Belly up to the bud bar, Sonoma! That could be a new thing if the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors moves ahead with its Cannabis Program update, which would include allowing “consumption lounges,” akin to alcohol-serving bars, where cannabis users can purchase and consume product on site. The update, advanced via a straw vote by the supervisors Oct. 28, is intended to refine the county’s cannabis permitting framework and environmental policies, aligning land use and regulatory standards so cannabis is treated more consistently by the county with comparable non-cannabis activities. Key changes include allowing most supply chain uses in industrial and commercial areas, county officials said in an announcement of the updates. In agricultural areas, the board plans to “reclassify cannabis as a ‘controlled’ agricultural crop with right to farm protections and allowances for more vertical integration at cannabis farms, which will further integrate cannabis into the agricultural landscape of the county and provide additional business opportunities and flexibility.” The supervisors also moved to improve neighborhood compatibility by adding a new 1,000-foot setback from all residential zoning and also voted to strengthen current setbacks by applying the 100-foot property line setback and 300- foot setback from neighboring residences to the entire cannabis operation, county officials said.— JW
12 NorthBaybiz
December 2025
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