Sonoma Battle Over Upscale Hotel To Be Decided Tomorrow

Staff Writer - The Timeshare Beat

September 20, 1999
The ongoing battle to decide the fate of a 60-acre parcel of land on a hillside overlooking Sonoma will be decided by ballot tomorrow. The proposed ordinance would prohibit the city from selling or leasing the property, which has variously served as a mountain cemetery, a city dump and a lovers lane, for hotel development. A "yes'' vote would bar hotel development. A "no'' vote would allow the council to entertain a hotel development proposal.

The proposed resort, to be built on 60 acres which would be leased from the city, would be owned by Rosewood Hotels and Resorts and Paradise Hotels and Resorts and contain approximately 105 rooms, a 180-seat restaurant and a spa.

Opponents of the development fear that such development would open the doors for even more development, which would ultimately threaten their rural way of life. They cite everything from parking and traffic problems to the visibility of the resort from the valley floor.

Proponents, on the other hand, point out the economic benefits of bringing in such a resort, from the additional taxes it would add to the city coffers to the jobs it would provide and the dollars that tourists would spend in the local economy.

Controversy has been so hot and heavy that the proposal was put on the ballot, as Measure A, to let the voters decide. In June, the council agreed 3-2 to let Sonoma citizens decide the property's future through a special Sept. 21 election - with a "yes" vote banning resort development on the site, and a "no" vote potentially opening the application process.

But the application would follow two separate channels - one involving a zoning change, the other spelling out the terms by which developers could lease the property from the city.

Even if Sonoma's Measure A is defeated tomorrow, there's still a long road to travel before a luxury resort could be built on the city-owned Upper Mountain Cemetery property.

And it's all still speculation. No application has been filed and no negotiations are ongoing between Rosewood and the City Council. Everything is on hold pending the outcome of the vote.

Assuming the project is approved by the voters, the planning process that would occur at that time would involve numerous public hearings at every stage.

Those stages include the project's initial environmental review, comments on the draft environmental impact report (EIR) and the final EIR, which fall under the purview of the city Planning Commission. Public hearings would also be required for the General Plan amendment, rezoning and use permit.

And of course, General Plan amendments and Zoning Ordinance changes are subject to City Council approval - the Planning Commission only makes recommendations in those areas. The process could take about two years.

Rosewood Hotels was founded 20 years ago by Texas oil heiress Caroline Rose Hunt and enjoys a reputation of building and operating neighborhood-friendly resorts that cater to very high-end clientele. The proposed Sonoma plan would have from 80 to 105 rooms that would cost as much as $700 a night.

The firm has properties in Texas, Baja California and Hawaii. Its partners and investors include Javier Burillo Azcarraga, a member of a family that controls the largest TV media corporation in Mexico.

The Rosewood proposal for a Sonoma site suggests the project would be hidden from view from the floor of Sonoma Valley, outlining a cluster development of small rooms around courtyards, with parking lots hidden beneath tennis courts.