New Sonoma hotel and housing project proposed near historic plaza

A local developer is looking to build a 50-room hotel, cafe, spa and 35 apartments and homes that could be used as vacation rentals just northeast of Sonoma’s historic plaza.

Caymus Capital, a firm led by Ed Routhier of Sonoma, submitted plans that were to be reviewed by city planning commissioners during a study session on Thursday night. The developer later asked to reschedule for Jan. 14.

“There’s a lot going on in the community,” said JJ Abodeely, one of the partners in the project. He cited as one of the deciding factors the funeral held at noon Thursday for Rev. Mike Kelly, a popular pastor at St. Francis Solano Catholic Church in Sonoma.

“(With) that and also wanting more time to share information with people, it seemed like the right to do,” Abodeely said.

The project is drawing flak from some residents, who say it’s too large and is a poor fit for the downtown neighborhood. They argue the proposed development on 3.4 acres off First Street East would bring in more tourists and traffic.

“The monstrosity they’re pitching is over the top,” said AJ Riebli, who lives down the street from site near the Little League fields and Depot Park.

The project calls for nine detached homes and five townhouses with guest units and seven apartments, four of which would be affordable units. The apartments will be on the second- and third-floors of a 42-foot-tall mixed-use building, along with several hotel suites. The building would include 2,100-square feet of commercial space and a 15-car parking garage, which city officials say doesn’t provide enough spaces for a project that size.

A two-story clubhouse would house the cafe and spa, as well as a yoga studio. The other hotel rooms would be built near the pool, on the east side of the property closer to Second Street East.

For a look at the proposal, click here.

The developer is requesting the owners be able to rent their homes and guest units to vacationers for a “limited” time. However, they would not be able to list them on sites such as Airbnb. Hotel staff would manage the rental process, according to the proposal.

Project officials say the development will beautify the neighborhood, generate more tax revenue for the city and provide a “much needed local cafe.” It would be managed by Routhier and his wife, Martina, who live across the street.

Dubbed “The Cloisters,” it’s the second hotel proposal that the Planning Commission has received since a battle ensued two years ago over a ballot measure that would have limited the size of new hotels in town had it not failed. Measure B sought to cap new hotels or expansion of existing ones to 25 rooms unless Sonoma achieved an annual occupancy rate of 80 percent, which the city has never done.

The initiative was sparked by opposition to a proposal from developer Darius Anderson to build a boutique hotel less than a block from the historic Sonoma Plaza. Anderson, managing member of Sonoma Media Investments, which owns The Press Democrat, later revised his plans, cutting the proposed boutique hotel to nearly half of its original dimensions.

Last year, Southern California developer Owen Smith proposed building a 36-room hotel on Broadway, but later scratched out that idea and replaced it with a residential-only proposal.

The new hotel plans appear to be refueling Sonoma’s pitched debate over hotels, with the opposing sides reflecting the city’s ongoing struggle with how to drive economic development in a tourism-dependent town without sacrificing appeal and services for residents.

Opponents of The Cloisters proposal say the project would upend that balance in favor of tourists and part-time residents.

“I’m flabbergasted that these guys were would take a run at a (50-room) hotel, three stories high in a residential neighborhood,” Riebli said about latest project.

Routhier did not return messages seeking comment.

Bill Jasper, former president and CEO of Dolby Labs and a principal in Sonoma Media Investments, is one of the investors on the project.

Some residents argue Sonoma doesn’t need vacation rentals, but instead more affordable housing options for those who live and work in the city.

“The last thing this community needs is more luxury housing and luxury hotels,” said Larry Barnett, a former mayor who pushed for the approval of Measure B. “Few housing opportunity sites exist which are so appropriate to low-cost housing development. To squander such property for use and enjoyment solely by the rich and privileged is ethically and socially wrong.”

Sonoma residents Bastian Schoell and Randy Bennett support the project. In an email to the city, Schoell said the project is aesthetically pleasing and “created by a Sonoma resident who has obviously given much thought (on) how to design for Sonoma.”

Bennett in his letter said the project would “beautify a neglected area,” and improve “the overall architecture, landscape, and streetscape of Sonoma,” points Abodeely urged residents to make to city officials.

There are currently a pair of homes and duplexes on the site, as well as industrial buildings used by a taxi service and sign company. They would be demolished to make way for the project.

Kelso Barnett, who lives on that street, created a website to challenge the proposal. More than 100 residents already have signed up on his site, stopthecloisters.org.

He said he’s not opposed to improving the site, but that the current project isn’t a good fit. He said the development would drastically change the neighborhood, turning into a “playground” for tourists.

“We’re not against development of the site. We’re against this project,” said Barnett, who sits on the city’s design review and historic preservation commission and plans to recuse himself when the project comes before the group.

You can reach Staff Writer Eloísa Ruano González at 521-5458 or eloisa.gonzalez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @eloisanews.