Apartments proposed at Old Sonoma Bowl

Built as a warehouse, then remodeled into offices, the building at the back of the Old Sonoma Bowl property may have a third incarnation – a mixed use space with a dozen apartments with commercial space at the front.
Bruce Wagner, who owns the property with his brother, Rich Wagner, brought the proposal to the Sonoma Planning Commission on Thursday to test the waters and receive some guidance on developing a design. The property is home to two buildings – a commercial building that fronts Highway 12 and is home to Edward Jones, Real Care Insurance, Sonoma Phoneman and the Fitness Factory, and a second building at the back that has never been rented.
Almost ten years ago, the Wagners built a large warehouse on the back part of the property. It was a pre-fab structure and went up quickly – catching many neighbors by surprise. The tenant that was supposed to occupy the building fell through and the structure was changed into office space, partially reduce the mass of the building in response to neighbors’ concerns. However, the building has never rented.
“We’ve started another round of discussions about just what would be a productive use of the building if the demand just isn’t there for an office or a commercial site,” said Bruce Wagner at the Planning Commission meeting. “It doesn’t benefit us or the city to have a vacant building there.”
The building last came before the commission when the owners asked the commission to allow the building to be occupied by medical offices, which it did. Despite their investment in winning approvals and in designing the space, that deal never came through.
The current proposal takes a different tack. About 7,000 sq. ft. of commercial space would be maintained at the front part of the building. The back part and the upstairs would house some 13 small apartments, primarily one-bedroom.
The meeting was only a study session allowing the commission to weigh in on the plans as they are being developed. Overall, the commission seemed open to the idea. Their primary concerns were ensuring that second-story windows wouldn’t afford a view right into neighboring homes and that sufficient green space was integrated into the plan. They also inquired about the storm water run-off.
“This project is absolutely what the trend is in urbanism in not segregating residential and commercial and office, but bringing them all into the same site,” said Randy Cook, chair of the commission. “I like the way we’re moving from retail along the busy highway towards residential at the back and of course, right over the fence is residential housing,”
The property owners and architect will work the planning commission and city staff suggestions into their design and decide how to move forward. They will have to bring a modified proposal before the Planning Commission for approval in order to proceed.