Petition Title, Ballot Summary Approved for Preserving Sonoma Initiative

Larry Barnett has forwarded to Patch the official ballot title and summary for the Preserving Sonoma initiative he's spear-heading.

With reference to the title "The Hotel Limitation Measure," provided by City Attorney, Jeffrey Walter,  the former Sonoma Mayor commented, "We feel it would have been more accurate to use the title included within the text of the  measure itself, ‘The Large Hotel Growth Management Initiative,’ or alternatively, to have called it 'The Hotel Size Limitation Measure.'"

The measure does not limit all hotels, Barnett noted, “only those that have or are proposed to have more than 25 rooms." The group plans to make that distinction clear in its printed materials and public information, as it begins circulating the petition next week.

Only voters resident in the City of Sonoma will be validated as signatures to the petition, and only registered voters inside city limts will vote on it, if it comes to voter approval.

The complete text of the City-approved ballot measure and summary is printed here, and available as PDF with this story.

BALLOT TITLE
The Hotel Limitation Measure

BALLOT SUMMARY
If adopted by a majority of the voters voting on it, this initiative measure would amend the Sonoma General Plan and Development Code to require that the establishment of a hotel with more than 25 rooms must receive a use permit approved by the Planning Commission. Similarly, the expansion of an existing hotel, motel, or bed and breakfast inn to more than 25 rooms will have to receive a use permit approved by the Planning Commission.

The Planning Commission would be prohibited from granting such a use permit unless it found, among other things, that (a) the annualized hotel room occupancy rate for the calendar year (January 1 to December 31) preceding the filing of the hotel application exceeds 80%, and (b) the proposed hotel will not adversely affect the historic, small town character of Sonoma. The measure provides that the annualized hotel room occupancy rate would be calculated by comparing the total number of hotel, motel, bed and breakfast inn and vacation rental room nights rented in the City with the total number of room nights available for rent in the City, during the relevant calendar year. In calculating whether the occupancy rate of 80% has been exceeded, the measure requires inclusion of the rooms available for rental and rented at (i) bed and breakfast inns, which are defined to mean rental facilities possessing 5 or less rooms and (ii) vacation rentals, which are defined to mean rental properties containing one or two residential units.

If the Planning Commission’s decision concerning a hotel governed by this measure is appealed to the City Council, the hotel could only be approved by a 4/5th’s vote of the City Council.

The General Plan and Development Code provisions re-adopted and adopted by the measure could not be changed or repealed except by a subsequent vote of City voters. The measure would apply to any hotel development proposal subject to its provisions that has not received final approval by the time the measure becomes effective. The measure does not apply to the renovation, maintenance, or repair of an existing hotel unless the renovation, maintenance or repair increases the total number of rooms of the hotel.