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Return of the boarding house

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Sonoma Valley Sun

The Sonoma City Council on April 6 will officially hear the first of an ordinance, drafted by the Planning Commission and submitted basically under protest, dealing with Boarding Rooms – a dusty old term now meant to describe a short-term rental in an owner-occupied, single-family residence. The council ordered up the new rules in August, asking to limit any rental to a single room for which the landlord must acquire from the city a license, not a permit. That’s a major distinction amid public concern, according to a staff report, “that this activity would introduce tourism into neighborhoods in an incompatible manner and lead to the erosion of residential character.” Right now, to get a permit, public hearings are required. Getting a license, though, is an over-the-counter transaction. Pay your water bill. Get the dog a new license. Become a boarding room landlord, regardless of what the neighbors think… What’s in it for the city? Hotel room tax, one we-put-a-cot-in-the-study or my-college-son’s-old-room at a time… As mentioned, the Planning Commission did as asked in preparing the draft, but wasn’t too happy about it. Concerned with impacts on residential character and wondering about enforcement (are the owners really home, or did they take a longer short-term rental down the street?), the majority of planners voted to recommend against the whole concept. That’s rather like being checked into a hotel and being told you shouldn’t have left home in the first place.

Sonoma’s gloriously renovated Maysonnave House, on First Street East, served elegantly as the Film Festival base camp for filmmakers, sponsors and assorted importanistas. At the other end of the structural spectrum, just yards away on the same property, sits the Maysonnave Cottage, a heap waiting for its own spread in Architectural Digest – the crack house issue. To the rescue is coming the company Benchmark/Hoover. It’s deal with the city calls for a 20-year lease of the property to be used as a vacation rental, in exchange for (minimal) lease payments and the renovation of the cottage to a residential occupancy standard. Translated: They fix up the joint (estimated cost $150,000) and make loads of money for 20 years, at which point the City gets the spiffy house back. One rub – the company is concerned it might have to pay workers “prevailing wage”– a state requirement. That would boost their costs by 10-15 percent — “an unacceptable risk.” Imagine that, the prevailing wage, which suggests some degree of fair market value, is now considered an unacceptable expense.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley will open a Teen Clubhouse in the Maxwell Village Shopping Center in June, moving into the now-empty Citibank location near Starbucks. Teens have dedicated space on the current campus, but the new location opens up lots more room (and expanded hours) for classes, counseling and hanging out, away from the little ones. What teen doesn’t think its cool to have your own place?

The County Library now has a 3D printer, deployed in Santa Rosa for staff training and public workshops. Eventually, as it tours all the library locations, the unit will visit Sonoma, including scheduled access to print your own creation. “With 3D printing, we can allow patrons of all ages to dream up an object or make improvements on something they already use,” said librarian Rachel Icaza. “It inspires people to look at the world differently, as creators and not just consumers.” As a bonus, maybe it can print people who return their books on time.




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