Politics & Government

Local Group Vows to Gather Sonoma Chateau Hotel Opposition Signatures

During tonight's meeting of the Sonoma City Council, former Sonoma Mayor Larry Barnett put the council on notice.

A local group called Preserving Sonoma has put the Sonoma City Council on notice.

The message came via the public comments section of the Sonoma City Council meeting held Monday night. Former Sonoma Mayor and local writer Larry Barnett told the council that the group intended to circulate a petition to place an initiative that will amend the General Plan as it pertains to hotel development.

The group will seek to stop the development of hotels larger than 25 rooms until the annual occupancy rate in Sonoma reaches 80 percent. As of 2012, the annual occupancy rate in Sonoma stood at 64.8 percent, he told the council.

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Should the group be successful in gathering enough signatures, and eventually winning in the ballots, it would stop the development of the Chateau Sonoma Hotel Project, that has been the talk of the pages of Sonoma Valley Patch as of late.

The project, on West Napa Street, is designed to feature a 59-unit hotel, a gym and an event facility, two restaurants and 2,800 square feet of retail space.

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Barnett told the council that Preserving Sonoma is dedicated to "Preserving our small town character."

Do you agree? Will you be signing Preserving Sonoma's petition?


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