Hotel Barlow? Please say no.

[Copal River]

50 rooms in space that is already extremely short parking.

It is no secret that the Barlow folks are fudging their parking spot numbers.
It is no secret that traffic on 12 between the Laguna and Main St. is already a nightmare...
When is enough going to be enough?

City council meeting tonight. I am not sure what time. Or, Send an email to our city council members:

Michael Kyes: [email protected]
Robert Jacobs: [email protected]
John Eder: [email protected]
Sarah Glade Gurney: [email protected]
Patrick Slayter: [email protected]

[Barry]

50 rooms in space that is already extremely short parking.

It is no secret that the Barlow folks are fudging their parking spot numbers.
It is no secret that traffic on 12 between the Laguna and Main St. is already a nightmare...
When is enough going to be enough?

City council meeting tonight. I am not sure what time. Or, Send an email to our city council members:

The meeting starts at 6pm tonight [Tuesday] at Youth Annex (Teen Center) on Morris Street. The proposed amendment to allow hotels in the M zone (light industrial) is the first public hearing. I would expect it would start before 7pm.

The agenda is here and the Staff report is here.

Parking and traffic are going to be a nightmare no matter how The Barlow is developed. I don't see that as a major issue regarding putting a hotel there. On the positive side, it will further support tourism which brings in outside dollars to our local economy which is good thing. I don't think tourism has reached a problematic level yet, but that could happen.

Concerns include the fact that the proposal is for a ground floor hotel (and some second story) in a flood plain and the general perversion of the M zone.

[Ted Pole]

It is interesting to read the responses from people on The Barlow's facebook page when they floated this hotel idea. The overwhelming majority seem to favor some type of upscale boutique hotel ("where people will carry your bags" as one crumb from the upper crust described it) as a way to increase the number of high-end hotel rooms for various wine tourists, out of town guests, and others who might find The Sebasotpol Inn or Fairfield Suites simply too "ick".

A few respondents worry about the impact on S'pol's "rustic charm", though that miniature pony seems to have left the barn, exacerbated by the recent torching of Frizelle Enos. Further still, one delusional buzzkill went so far as to propose a homeless shelter instead, unaware that shoppers and diners would be aghast to find that sort of thing inside the perimeter of our controlled retail environment.

In the rush to increase tourism via commerce, is it impossible to retain our rural, agrarian-flavored delusion of what the town represents? As more "genuine" buildings and areas are replaced by shiny, sanitary, more business friendly simulacrums, does our town lose what little authenticity it had to begin with? I hope not, but I worry that we are hell-bent towards a version of a town that more closely resembles the rarified perfumes of Healdsburg or Carmel.

[Barry]

The Sebastopol City Council approved the amendment to the M (light industrial) zoning ordinance to allow hotels. However a specific plan for a hotel will have to be approved by the City Council along with a variance for the city's flood ordinance. Stay tuned!

[davidwhite]

So why exactly is having a hotel at the Barlow a bad idea? The city will derive TOT income, so that's good. There will be more rooms available in Sebastopol, so that's good. The hotel seems to have a green oriented business plan; two bicycles per room for the use of the guests, so that seems good. The money spent at the hotel will go towards wages, so that's good. People who come to town and stay, will spend money at restaurants and bars and stores and for other services, so that's good.

What is the problem with that?

Is it the traffic? Is it competition for local B & B's?

[dominus]

I lived in Napa for a few years and grew weary at the degree at which the corporate wine industry has usurped the character of Napa. A small town is defined by the people who make up it's community NOT the corporations. Remember, corporations are not people. In Napa, locals are often relegated to 2nd class citizenry as tourists come in droves searching for wine, wine and more wine. Locals know not to travel on Highway 29 after the crush because the traffic is impossible to navigate. It's here too. My husband and I often take walks and at times have nearly gotten mowed over by out-of-town tourists racing down a quiet little lane to a winery (I'll forgo the name.) Inebriated, insensitive, selfish, it doesn't make a difference, some people don't care about anyone but themselves. So I can understand the concern about a pricey Barlow hotel opening the door to more tourism which will alter the character of our small town. Some of it is good but too much of it won't be. It's the small town character of Sebastopol and it's people that makes it such a wonderful place to live. I wouldn't want to see us turn into Napa which is homogeneous and commercial because in Napa it's all about the money and not the people.

So why exactly is having a hotel at the Barlow a bad idea? The city will derive TOT income, so that's good. There will be more rooms available in Sebastopol, so that's good. The hotel seems to have a green oriented business plan; two bicycles per room for the use of the guests, so that seems good. The money spent at the hotel will go towards wages, so that's good. People who come to town and stay, will spend money at restaurants and bars and stores and for other services, so that's good.

What is the problem with that?

Is it the traffic? Is it competition for local B & B's?

[tommy]

Thank you Dominus. I've only lived in Sebastopol since 1997. I first lived with a friend in Rohnert Park, then Santa Rosa, then Sebastopol for a year, then Sonoma for a year... finally moving back to Sebastopol, because I felt at home here, and alot of my friends lived here. Most noticeably,. I was struck as how much more comfortable I felt here, than in Sonoma, with it's beautiful square, great restaurants, and classy high end gift shops.

In the year I'd lived in Sonoma, I'd barely gotten to know anyone. It's basically a town of rich merchants, poor people who work for the merchants, and tourists. It reminded me living in Aspen in the early 70s, and feeling marginalized by the monied classes and tourists, without the bonds of true community, enduring love for a place, the beauty of the landscape, the sacredness of those who live there... forces that have somehow come together in Sebastopol.

Here's hoping Sebastopol does not become Napa, Sonoma, or Healdsburg.

I lived in Napa for a few years and grew weary at the degree at which the corporate wine industry has usurped the character of Napa. A small town is defined by the people who make up it's community NOT the corporations. Remember, corporations are not people. In Napa, locals are often relegated to 2nd class citizenry as tourists come in droves searching for wine, wine and more wine. Locals know not to travel on Highway 29 after the crush because the traffic is impossible to navigate. It's here too. My husband and I often take walks and at times have nearly gotten mowed over by out-of-town tourists racing down a quiet little lane to a winery (I'll forgo the name.) Inebriated, insensitive, selfish, it doesn't make a difference, some people don't care about anyone but themselves. So I can understand the concern about a pricey Barlow hotel opening the door to more tourism which will alter the character of our small town. Some of it is good but too much of it won't be. It's the small town character of Sebastopol and it's people that makes it such a wonderful place to live. I wouldn't want to see us turn into Napa which is homogeneous and commercial because in Napa it's all about the money and not the people.

[photolite]

I would suggest it's becoming exactly what you fear.

Thank you Dominus. I've only lived in Sebastopol since 1997. I first lived with a friend in Rohnert Park, then Santa Rosa, then Sebastopol for a year, then Sonoma for a year... finally moving back to Sebastopol, because I felt at home here, and alot of my friends lived here. Most noticeably,. I was struck as how much more comfortable I felt here, than in Sonoma, with it's beautiful square, great restaurants, and classy high end gift shops.

In the year I'd lived in Sonoma, I'd barely gotten to know anyone. It's basically a town of rich merchants, poor people who work for the merchants, and tourists. It reminded me living in Aspen in the early 70s, and feeling marginalized by the monied classes and tourists, without the bonds of true community, enduring love for a place, the beauty of the landscape, the sacredness of those who live there... forces that have somehow come together in Sebastopol.

Here's hoping Sebastopol does not become Napa, Sonoma, or Healdsburg.