Sonoma City Council votes to require more study for downtown hotel

Jason Walsh, SONOMA INDEX-TRIBUNE
The Sonoma City Council has voted unanimously to uphold an appeal seeking additional environmental study of a 62-room hotel project on West Napa Street.
The 5-0 council vote, in a special meeting on Monday, formally affirmed an appeal lodged by project opponents after the Planning Commission in April approved the environmental impact report for the $40 million Hotel Project Sonoma, which also includes a spa and 80-seat restaurant.
The special meeting followed a July hearing in which council members endorsed further work on the environmental report.
Critics said the report failed to fully disclose potential environmental impacts, address certain mitigation measures and offer project alternatives.
Bill Hooper, president of Kenwood Investments, the developer of the hotel, said the company supports the council’s decision because the extra study items will result in a more thorough document for the project. He noted the report is being written by an outside consultant selected by the city.
Read more at: Sonoma City Council requires votes to require more study for downtown hotel | The Press Democrat