Napa Street Hotel Returns to Planning Commission for Permit Extension

At its regular meeting of January 15 at 6pm, the Sonoma Planning Commission will consider a request for a permit extension submitted by Darius Anderson of Kenwood Development for its approved hotel on Napa Street.

Under the present city regulations, a one-year permit extension may be granted. The developer, now known as The Chateau Sonoma Hotel Group, LLC, in their permit extension request, notes:

• The timing of the project’s initial approval was at the back end of the COVID pandemic which destabilized the construction and investment industries upon which the project relies.
• Additional time was needed to find an appropriate hotel brand to partner with for the design and operation of the Project. After over 50 site walks and associated meetings, we have narrowed the list of potential partners to three strong candidates and hope to make the final selection in the coming weeks. Each potential hotel partner brings their own unique set of standards and resources to the project, which will ultimately determine the final design. We look forward to finalizing the Plan Set submitted to the City during the CEQA process and remain on-track to submit applications for building and grading permits in by Q2 of 2026.
• Development of a third-party feasibility study to demonstrate the economic benefits of a 62-room hotel, restaurant, and residential units on the project site. The feasibility study demonstrates that the market has returned from its post COVID slump and interest in the project is strong and continues to build.
• Selection of a contractor to assist with the design and construction phasing needed to construct the hotel within the project site.
• Additional time was needed to reconcile the project budget with evolving trends in construction costs.
• Additional time has also been needed to raise the capital required to construct the project and reach stabilization.

The extension (UA-25-34) for a Use Permit applies to:

• Exception to Development Code Loading Standard,
• Reduction of Residential Component,
• Design Review Permit, and
• Lot Line Adjustment for the demolition of 13,963 square feet of existing structures for the construction of a 65,606 square foot 62-guestroom hotel, 80-seat restaurant and bar, a spa with six treatment rooms, raised swimming pool veranda, 130 on-site parking spaces (consisting of a 52,110 square foot 113-stall basement parking garage, 9 surface parking spaces, and 8 covered residential parking spaces), and a 21,221 square foot 8-unit residential building.

The request originally appeared on the December 15, agenda of the commission, but the meeting was cancelled due to alack of a quorum.