Healdsburg: Too many tasting rooms?

Healdsburg, one of Wine Country's premiere tourist destinations, is going through some soul-searching over the plethora of tasting rooms downtown.

Some residents say Healdsburg has reached saturation when it comes to places that serve alcohol.

Planning Commission Chairwoman Kathi Engler, who earlier this month voted against a use permit for a proposed wine bar, said the downtown has "hit a tipping point."

"Healdsburg is just so much more than a place to imbibe," added fellow commissioner Betsi Lewitter. "I hear again and again from friends and neighbors that they do not want any more alcohol-related businesses in the downtown."

Healdsburg's central core has 30 tasting rooms and bars. That doesn't include 22 downtown restaurants, almost all of which serve alcohol, according to the planning department.

The town, with a population of 12,000, on occasion has considered limiting the number of tasting rooms, mainly as a way to ensure a diverse retail mix.

The controversy flared anew when the Planning Commission deadlocked 3-3 on an application for Bergamot Alley, a wine and beer bar.

On Monday, the City Council will grapple with the issue as it decides whether to grant the permit.

Proponents of the wine bar, proposed in a historic building at 328A Healdsburg Avenue, a half-block north of the plaza, said it can be a successful business at a time when others are struggling or can't afford the rents downtown.

"We are a glaringly different operation than a tasting room," said Kevin Wardell, a sommelier and winemaker who is proposing the wine bar. He said it will cater to locals, especially those who work in the restaurant business and want a place to go after work.

He plans to stay open until 2 a.m., unlike tasting rooms that close much earlier and cater mostly to tourists.

He also will specialize in wines from around the Mediterranean, rather than from Sonoma County.

"It's distinctly diverse from what's offered in Healdsburg," he said.

Wardell noted there are a couple of "liquor based" bars that stay open late in Healdsburg, but said they have a different atmosphere and don't have a wine "program" like he intends to offer.

The reasons for turning down wine outlets downtown seem less about the evils of alcohol than a desire to have more shopping choices.

"I don't mean to sound like the leader for the Temperance Society. I enjoy a good glass of wine as much as anyone else," Lewitter said Wednesday. "But we're always saying shop local, shop local. How many bottles of wine can I buy? There is almost nothing else other than alcohol-related businesses."

Another tourist spot with a high number of tasting rooms is Sonoma, although unlike Healdsburg it does not not require a use permit.

"Sometimes one hears from people, 'Oh wow, it's another tasting room,'" said Sonoma Planning Director David Goodison. "But at same time I can't say that the presence of tasting rooms has generated controversy, such that either the planning commission or council are considering changing the rules."

On Wednesday afternoon, tourists exiting tasting rooms fronting the Healdsburg Plaza seemed to appreciate the choices available for wine sampling.

"We come not for shopping, but for wine," said Allison Geiger, an occupational therapist from Philadelphia on vacation with her boyfriend. "What would they prefer? I'd be curious — do they want another clothing store or restaurant?"

"I can't see how anyone would say they wouldn't want it," Debbie Winer of Chicago said of an additional wine venue. "It offers jobs and it's not a casino."

"That's why we came — to try the wine," said her husband, Rick Winer.

Jim Costa, manager of Toad Hollow tasting room, indicated he wouldn't object to a limit on the number of tasting rooms because business has slowed.

"The customer base has thinned," he said, adding that only four customers had come in to his store by early afternoon.

Wine bars, like Bergamot Alley, he said are different and not direct competition because they sell wine by the glass, while tasting rooms are restricted to pouring small samples.

Bergamot Alley would be located in half of the building now occupied by Midnight Sun, a bed and bath, gift and children's store. A wall is being erected to divide it from the wine bar.

Alcohol-serving establishments in Healdsburg are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the planning commission.

Senior Planner Lynn Goldberg said the rule of thumb is to limit new wine-tasting rooms to one per each side of a block.

"There are already three alcohol-related (businesses) on the same side of the street. This would be the fourth," Goldberg said of Bergamot Alley.

But he's recommending the application be approved because it conforms with the city's general plan and it's different from tasting rooms.

"It would fill a local need," she said. "There's no compelling reason to deny it."