The developers behind the long-stalled West Napa Street hotel project in downtown Sonoma are back at City Hall, asking for more time to keep the deal alive. They have requested that the city’s discretionary permit be extended through January 17, 2027, and planning staff say the team has provided enough information to support a one-year extension. The Planning Commission is set to weigh the request this Thursday.
In a letter to city staff, the applicant said post-pandemic investment limits slowed the project and that more than 50 site walks and a feasibility study went into the search for the right hotel brand. The letter also says an interested partner has now been identified and that financing terms are under review, according to the Sonoma Valley Sun. The applicant formally requested that the permit be extended to Jan. 17, 2027, and acknowledged that a building permit must be issued and construction started within that one-year period for approvals to remain valid, the paper reports.
What the project would include
The City of Sonoma’s project page lays out plans for a 62-guestroom hotel with an 80-seat restaurant and bar, a spa with six treatment rooms and a raised swimming-pool veranda. The proposal also includes an eight-unit residential condominium building and roughly 130 on-site parking spaces, including a multi-level basement garage, according to the City of Sonoma.
Footprint and parking
Documents reviewed by local reporters show the hotel building would total about 65,606 square feet and require demolition of roughly 13,963 square feet of existing structures to clear the plaza-fronting site. The plan lists a 52,110-square-foot basement garage with 113 stalls, plus nine surface spaces and eight covered residential stalls, for about 130 total parking spaces, per the Sonoma Valley Sun.
Next steps for the extension
The Planning Commission will consider the extension at its regular meeting on Thursday, Dec. 18, at 6:00 PM. Meeting details and the staff report are slated to be posted to the City’s CivicWeb portal ahead of the hearing, according to the City of Sonoma. Even if commissioners approve the time extension, the developers would still need to pull building permits and begin construction within the one-year window to keep the approvals in effect.
Long-running debate
The hotel has been through years of public hearings and environmental review, drawing a mix of enthusiasm and skepticism. Supporters point to the potential economic boost for downtown, while opponents have raised alarms over traffic, sewer capacity and impacts on nearby historic sites. Earlier coverage of the project’s EIR and public meetings, including extensive public comment during the environmental review process, is documented by the Sonoma Index-Tribune…