Williams-Sonoma seeks approval for changes at Sonoma store

Williams-Sonoma found itself in the soup after Sonoma city officials discovered it converted the former home and garden of founder Chuck Williams into furniture showrooms without approval.

The upscale kitchenware company didn’t seek permission from city planning officials until April, seven months after opening the store at 605 Broadway, the same spot where Williams launched the business in 1956. Despite frustrations over the changes that were made without approval, the Planning Commission held off at that time on making a decision on the issue.

Now, representatives of the company are expected to go back before planning commissioners Thursday.

In addition to seeking approval to continue to use the home and garden as furniture showrooms, they’re also seeking permission from commissioners to hold special events, such as wine tastings, monthly markets featuring local foods and wares, and cooking demonstrations by celebrity chefs.

They’ve scaled down the number of requested special events, as well as the number of attendees. In April, they sought permission from commissioners to hold “midsize” events with up to 75 guests 15 times a year and larger events with as many as 100 people up to four times a year. Under the new request, they’re proposing holding midsize events with a maximum of 60 people no more than 12 times a year. Large events would be limited to no more than 80 people three times a year. They also offered to notify neighboring businesses and residents two weeks prior to each event.

“They’re responding to the questions and concerns that were coming up from the community and commissioners,” city senior planner Rob Gjestland said.

“The commissioners felt that the scope of the events was too much,” he said about the original request.

In the revised application, Williams-Sonoma officials also addressed concerns over event parking. They plan to provide valet parking during special events by leasing off-site parking, including the lot of a nearby post office.

“In response to Commission and community concerns about that additional retail area, we have added bike racks to encourage employees to not use their cars, and have provided for employee parking nearby,” Bud Cope, senior vice president of store development for Williams-Sonoma, said in an email.

“We have also addressed community and Commission concerns by limiting the proposed frequency and size of events, developed a comprehensive event parking plan using valet parking, and developed procedures to minimize any event impacts,” he added.

Still, neighbor Patricia List urged commissioners to deny the special events. In a letter to the city, she said the town was promised a museum and small store that sold some of Williams’ original finds.

“What we got was a small version of the normal run-of-the-mill Williams-Sonoma stores - nothing special or particular to Sonoma,” she argued.

“Allowing an expanded event schedule for a business opening out on First Street West, which is already a very busy street parked solidly all day except for Sunday, seems like a mistake,” she said.

Williams-Sonoma originally intended to use the home as an overnight retreat for chefs, executives and other visitors, but company representatives said their vision changed as the site was restored. Posh sofas, chairs and desks from their furniture line filled the rooms where old newspaper clippings and black-and-white photographs of Chuck Williams hung on the walls. Outside in the garden, benches and tables were set out to provide guests a place to eat the prepared meals purchased inside. Plans for a cafe were ditched and replaced with offering gourmet take-away food, all prepared inside in the culinary center.

City employees learned about the furniture showroom and other changes when they went in for an inspection just before the highly anticipated grand opening in October, Gjestland said. Planning commissioners said they didn’t discover the changes until attending the celebration.

Project architect Max Crome apologized in a letter to planning officials for the changes made without the city’s permission.

“Williams-Sonoma sincerely regrets that in its excitement to achieve all the opportunities presented by the site, in time for the scheduled October 2014 opening, it failed to obtain prior approval,” Crome said.

However, he said they were working to address all of the city’s concerns.

“But if concerns remain, we will keep working diligently and in good faith to resolve them,” Crome said.