Sonoma Country Inn

The Applicant requests approval of certain minor design modifications to the winery buildings and associated site improvements on a 5.23-acre portion of the 16.73-acre property. The proposed design is based on the conceptual design as described in the 2004 Sonoma Country Inn EIR, with modifications made to comply with certain conditions of approval and other minor changes. The Phase II Proposed Winery includes a 10,000 case per year winery with a public tasting room, retail wine sales, and 20 special events per year with a maximum of 200 persons in attendance, 147 parking spaces, and a Country Store. Specifically, the Phase II Proposed Winery design consists of 2,134 SF for both the public and the reserve tasting rooms (1,097 SF for the public and 1,037 for the reserve); an art gallery in the public tasting room as required by the 2004 Board Resolution; a 2,958 SF of marketplace; 1,678 SF of winery offices in a two-story structure; 20 special events per year with a maximum capacity of 200 participants as allowed by the 2004 Board Resolution; 3,379 SF of fermentation space; 659 SF of cold storage space plus a 67 SF storage room; 3,316 SF of staff & maintenance uses; and 1084 SF for restrooms and a wastewater treatment shed. The Phase II Proposed Winery is a total of 18,901 SF. There are 147 parking spaces. No change has been made to the restrictions on hours of operation, number of employees, winery production capacity, or availability to the public. In addition to the proposed buildings within the building envelope, the Phase II Proposed Winery design includes access driveways, a service road, a pedestrian pathway and pedestrian entry, landscaping and planting, winery leachfields (e.g., sewage disposal area), bioretention facilities, and a wastewater treatment shed. The reconfigured parking layout for the winery still contains 147 spaces. Parking is divided into a primary parking lot and a trailhead parking lot, as required by conditions of approval. The primary parking lot will have 133 spaces. The trailhead parking lot (already constructed) contains 12 spaces and two vehicle-plus-trailer spaces. Parking spaces within the primary parking lot will have porous gravel paving using a cellular system. Drive aisles and driveways serving the winery will be paved with concrete and asphalt. The current total removal of trees within the grading limits is 74 trees, consistent with the EIR estimate of 70 to 120 trees. To further reduce potential impacts to any nesting bird species, special-status bats, and American badger, the project includes three Voluntary Conditions that are consistent with current BMPs for protection of special-status wildlife, as proposed in the Letters to Georgia McDaniel, Permit Sonoma, from Law Offices of Tina Wallis, Inc., March 16, 2023 and March 23, 2023. The original Project Description per Board Resolution No. 04-1037 Exhibit “F” File No. PLP01-0006 Winery Use Permit Final Conditions of Approval and Mitigation Monitoring Program includes: a Use Permit for a 10,000 case per year winery, open to the public with tasting room, retail wine sales, and 20 special events per year with a maximum of 200 persons in attendance. Events will include weddings, meetings, winemaker dinners, and charitable auctions and the like. Included in the winery building is a small art gallery. Other buildings in the winery complex are a barrel storage building (4,300 square feet), fermentation building (3,400 square feet),winery offices (1,800 square feet), storage and mechanical (800 square feet), and staff & maintenance area (4,450 square feet). In addition, a retail store (3,000 square feet maximum) is included in the winery area. Items for sale will be Sonoma County produce and food items made from Sonoma County produce. Support and storage areas may occupy 33% (1,000 square feet) of the total area. Sales of locally grown products may occupy 90% of the retail area (1,800 square feet), incidental retail sales will occupy no more than 10% (200 square feet) of the retail area. The winery is served by 6 employees and has a 147- space parking lot. The parking lot also includes 12 parking spaces and two spaces for vehicle-plus-trailer parking to serve the public trail.