Sonoma’s former fire station along Broadway will be reborn as a restaurant and retail space. Foothill Partners has announced plans to buy the site and develop 10,600 square feet for up to eight businesses in a venture dubbed “Station 1 Sonoma.”
No tenants were named in the plan for 32 Patten Street, which the city made public Friday.
City Manager Linda Kelly said there are few final details to work out on the deal, but she expects to enter escrow within 90 days. Terms were not disclosed.
In May of 2008, Kelly said the property held an assessment of $3.1 million.
The plan’s next stop is a study session with the Planning Commission on April 22. The initial timeline calls for a year of construction to begin in the fourth quarter of this year. The first shops would be open for business in early 2012.
The proposed architectural theme will play off the existing design of the firehouse. “The high-ceiling equipment bays, with glass roll-up doors, makes an ideal candidate for conversion to restaurant spaces and sidewalk dining,” stated Foothill CEO Douglas Wiele.
The proposed building would be wood-framed and incorporate two public plazas and a public-art feature. The sidewalk along Patten Street would be widened to accommodate outdoor dining and merchandising. Total planned parking is 34 spaces.
The design calls for a signature element of a 32-foot ‘hose drying tower,’ common to vintage fire stations.
As for the tenant mix, Wiele has said it will favor merchants whose primary business is serving the community, not necessarily tourists. “That’s the kind of retail we like, and the kind we think is most appropriate.”
Foothill Partners, based in El Dorado Hills, CA, specializes in small retail developments in urban communities with higher levels of education and disposable income.
For these type locations, Wiele said, “Supply is constrained, and demand for first-class retail space is always strong.”
“We have a track record of success in these type of communities,” he said.
The design will embrace green building practices, and LEED certification. Foothill is the developer of the first and to date only LEED certified shopping center in the state.
The 1960’s-era building was refurbished in 1983. In 2002, the fire department moved to its new location on Second Street West. It stood vacant both before and after it served as the temporary home of the police department and city hall while those structures were renovated.
