County airport hotel ban removed

Land Use Commission settles suit by developer over resort project in flight path at Sonoma County

By BOB NORBERG
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
July 7, 2001
The Sonoma County Airport Land Use Commission dropped its ban on hotels within a safety zone near its runways Monday night, part of a settlement of a suit filed by a hotel developer.

The commission voted 5-2 for the settlement, allowing the construction of Trendwest Resorts, a resort being proposed by a Redmond, Wash., company on Shiloh Road in Windsor. The site is within a mile of the end of a runway at the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport.

The action caps three years of conflict over airport land use that included a rare show of political muscle by county supervisors, who by unanimous vote removed two land-use commission members in April who supported tightening building restrictions. Supervisors said the move was necessary to head off costly litigation provoked by the commission's efforts to curb growth around airports.

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