Homeowners appeal Planning Commission’s refusal to grant vacation rental

The Sonoma City Council will consider an appeal of the Planning Commission’s decision to deny a use permit amendment that would allow a vacation rental and wine tasting in the Cooperage building at its July 17 meeting.

In April, Leslie and Mac McQuown, the current owners of the property formerly known as Sonoma Valley Ice and Cold Storage Company, requested an amendment to the use permit, which the planning commission unanimously rejected.

At the April 18 meeting, Sonoma residents living near the 301 First St. West building applauded the commission’s decision, citing concerns about commercial encroachment into a residential area that approval would cause.

The McQuowns, who also own Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards & Winery, originally purchased the cooperage as a part-time residence and renovated the building over a five-year period. Under the adaptive reuse ordinance, they were allowed to restore the building to residential space.

After the restoration, the McQuowns changed their original plans for the building and applied for a permit for a VRBO vacation rental and wine tasting room, which was denied.

“At some point, the decision was made not to use it as a residence,” said Planning Commission Chairman Larry Barnett.

“The Commission decided that this was no longer consistent with the adaptive reuse ordinance because the building has been fully rehabilitated and no longer requires any rehabilitation to make it habitable, safe or preserved,” Barnett said. “And any change of use or special use that they wanted for the building should have been stated in their original application.”

Community members opposed McQuown’s request to use Cooperage for commercial purposes because of concerns about noise pollution, lack of parking and the commercialization of a residential area.

In addition to concerns from the planning commission and residents, vacation rentals are no longer allowed within city limits.

“A vacation rental is a commercial use and vacation rentals are no longer permitted anywhere in the City of Sonoma,” Barnett said.

“The only ones that exist are those that have already received their permits before. And when a holiday permit is issued, it is granted with the land, not with the applicant. So if a holiday permit is granted to a particular property, it continues To infinity with this plot of property, even if it changes ownership.

Neighbor Christine Bohar opposes the McQuowns’ appeal to overturn the planning commission’s decision, but worries the city council might approve it if it believes commercial use of the property would generate income.

“We are all very nervous because we don’t know what the city council is going to do. They should listen to us because we are the ones voting for them,” she said.

The McQuowns did not attend previous planning commission meetings and their proposals were presented by their architect and attorney, Bohar said.

She and her husband, Jim, live across the street from the Cooperage building and feel the neighborhood offers enough commercial activity.

“We can’t park there on Tuesday nights because of the farmers market,” Bohar said.

The McQuowns’ original permit allowed for two tandem parking spaces along the side of the building, which is now occupied by a swimming pool.

The addition of a pool, which was not included in their initial request, raises further concerns among residents who feel that a vacation rental and/or wine tasting establishment with a pool would likely cause more noise.

The Index-Tribune attempted to reach the McQuowns, but was unsuccessful.

You can contact editor Emma Molloy at [email protected].