No. 1

Include set asides for Seniors and include people from the mid to low income brackets

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No. 2

Reduce the density from 24.5 units per acre to 15 units per acre

 

Fifteen units would be more in line with the Broadway Corridor guidelines for "small multifamily development"

 

Fifteen units per acre would allow for: 

• Adequate on-site parking for tenants, visitors, and staff

• An adequate buffer between new structures and established residences 

• Better reflect the limitations of the site, such as existing heavy truck traffic on Clay Street, near the hotel

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No. 3

Create a sound and visual buffer on the West property line

 

Include a 10-foot masonry wall with a 25-foot building setback

 

 

No. 4

Locate single-story, one-bedroom structures along the West property line as a height and density buffer to existing single-family residential structures

 

The current proposed site plan shows several two-story buildings at the West property line. Tall buildings would compromise the privacy of people who already live there. The proposed two-story buildings are 31 1/2 feet high. If the grade height is 33 inches, as the architect's drawings show, the buildings' perceived height would be comparable to three-story buildings with flat roofs. Three-story buildings were discussed and discarded because they would be inappropriate at this site. Single-story, one-bedroom structures would be the obvious solution.

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No. 5

Increase off-street parking per dwelling unit ratio without exceptions 

 

Sixty-five parking spaces are proposed for as many as 227 residents. This is an insufficient number for a development that would be situated in an already over parked area of Sonoma. Inadequate parking will be addressed in the Conditional Use process, according to the Planning Commission. Conditional Use is known to be ineffective at this location. Lodge employees are not allowed to park on Clay as a condition of use, but they have parked there for seventeen years. The City has been unable or unwilling to enforce that condition. Since there are no teeth in this particular mechanism, neighborhood residents reject it as the solution to the parking problems that will be exacerbated by a big development.

 

On-site parking has been placed near the West property line, on the North side of the lot. This will expose current residents to noise, fumes, and bright lights. Current residents need written assurances there would be sufficient protections in place.

 

 

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