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| News:
11/15/2008
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Deadline near for comment on hotel’s DEIR
The public has until Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. to give written comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Wolf House Inn, a proposed 46-room condominium hotel that would be built on the northern end of Jack London Village in Glen Ellen. Comments can be mailed to Permit and Resource Management Department (PRMD) planner Melinda Grosch at 2550 Ventura Ave., Santa Rosa, 95403, or sent via email to mgrosch@sonoma-county.org. A copy of the DEIR can be downloaded at www.sonoma-county.org/prmd, or hard copies are available at Sonoma Valley Regional Library in Sonoma, the Rincon Valley Regional Library, or the Central Library in downtown Santa Rosa. A public hearing on the DEIR was held on Oct. 30 in front of the Sonoma County Planning Commission. The proposed project would place a 45,000 square foot, 46-room condominium hotel on 2.4 acres near Sonoma Creek. Rooms would be sold separately, and managed by an on-site operator. Occupancy of the rooms would be limited to less than 30 days. In its application, the developer, Wolf House Inn LLC, is asking for a General Plan Amendment to change the parcel’s land use designation from Limited Commercial (LC) to General Commercial (GC). Hotels are not allowed on LC zoned properties. An amendment to the county’s zoning code is also being requested to add hotels as a permitted use in the Planned Community zoning district. The Oct. 30 Planning Commission hearing was limited to comments on the environmental impacts of the project as contained in the DEIR. At a later date the commission, as well as the Board of Supervisors, will hold hearings on the merits of the project. At the hearing, some Glen Ellen residents expressed concern about the proposed zoning change from Limited Commercial to General Commercial, a designation that allows more expansive commercial uses they said are incompatible with the rural nature of Glen Ellen. “The zoning change has growth inducing effects,” said Glen Ellen resident Barbara Roy, “It would set a precedent to change LC to GC in other parts of the county.” Vicki Hill, a Glen Ellen resident and a professional land use planner, said the DEIR is flawed in a number of respects and inadequately analyzes the broader impacts of the proposed zoning change. Also, said Hill, the DEIR failed to properly look at the alternatives to the proposed hotel, specifically a project that would be reduced in size and scope. Other Glen Ellen residents said that the DEIR’s traffic and parking analysis were not up to date or complete, and expressed concern about noise and potential for flooding. John Pflueger, a Glen Ellen resident and architect on the project, said the project has been downsized three times in the last three years in response to community concerns. “I feel the (DEIR’s) mitigation measures are feasible, and we will continue to work with the community for successful resolution of the project.” For preparation of the final EIR, planning commissioners directed county staff to, among other things, readdress the traffic and parking issues, further analyze noise impacts, and expand the analysis of the impacts of changing the zoning from LC to GC. |
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