Spinster Sisters seek to build hotel in Santa Rosa

The owners of the popular Spinster Sisters restaurant in Santa Rosa have applied to open a small boutique hotel next door, hoping to spark more development along the SOFA corridor around Juilliard Park, which despite having a burgeoning dining and arts scene still has pockets of vacant lots and crime.

The ownership group has applied to the city of Santa Rosa to build the Spinster Inn, a two-story, nine-room hotel south of its restaurant located on the ?400 block of South A Street.

The two-story building would feature loft-style rooms that have kitchenettes, ranging from 350 to 700 square feet, with an urban feel that is more Airbnb than a Wine Country getaway at the Hotel Healdsburg.

“We feel this is a natural extension of our restaurant,” said Liza Hinman, chef and partner in the business. “This isn’t going to be a rustic hotel in the middle of Wine Country.”

In fact, the owners have been able to test out the concept as they have three units above the restaurant that they rent out on Airbnb, where prices go for $80 a night.

“This is not a B&B with a host family,” said Giovanni Cerrone, general manager and partner. “This will be for people who want a more urban experience .?.?. (and) are more self-sufficient.”

He added that the hotel would likely serve those who are interested in cycling, as it is located near the Joe Rodota bike trail. Other guests could include visitors who want to go wine tasting and then return to Santa Rosa, staying in an area that allows them to walk to Railroad Square or over to bars and restaurants along Fourth Street.

The project would have a retail shop on the first floor, likely selling food products, possibly to-go items from the restaurant, as well as a space to host rotating winery events.

Cerrone would not disclose the cost of the project, which involves razing an existing building and constructing a new inn. The partnership, which also includes investor Eric Anderson, bought the property last year for $570,000, according to RealQuest.com.

Developers will ask the city Planning Commission next week to convert the zoning on one of the lots from multifamily residential to commercial. If approved at the July 23 meeting, it will then head to the City Council for final sign-off.

City Senior Planner Patrick Streeter said the project fits within the city’s downtown development plan that was issued in 2007 to help guide public and private investment, especially as Railroad Square will have a Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit stop.

Cerrone credited the city planning staff for helping to speed the process along, though his group did have to submit a parking study as city staff determined that would be a major issue for the project. The hotel would have two parking spaces in front, as well as street parking available to other guests.

The project’s developers hope to further revitalize the district, Cerrone said. Despite featuring almost 40 artist studios and highly regarded restaurants such as the Naked Pig Cafe, Criminal Baking Co. & Noshery and Dierk’s Parkside Cafe, the South of A corridor, or SOFA district, is next to Juilliard Park, a center for problems such as prostitution, drug sales and homelessness. On its eastern boundary lies Santa Rosa Avenue, which is pocked with undeveloped lots.

In an interview earlier this year, Mark Dierkhising, owner of Dierk’s Parkside Cafe, noted how much potential the area could have for development. It is a convenient walk for downtown workers and tourists while rents in the area are much less expensive than those for businesses on Fourth Street, he noted. When Dierkhising opened his midtown cafe at Talbot Avenue and Fourth Street, he was able to garner a lot of foot traffic from nearby residents, something that has eluded his efforts near Juilliard Park, where most visit by car.

The project comes amid a potential boom in construction of hotel rooms in Sonoma County. Currently, there are approximately ?1,500 new hotel rooms being proposed at 25 different hotels, according to the Sonoma County Economic Development Board.

The county has an estimated 11,000 total hotel rooms, including campgrounds, said Tim Zahner, spokesman for Sonoma County Tourism. Nearly 75 percent of them were occupied on the typical night last year, an occupancy rate that has been higher than in nearby Napa County in past years.

“We have some great occupancy rates,” Zahner said.