When will the hotel be developed? We anticipate submitting our application this fall and the hotel taking about three years to develop.
What exactly does a midrange hotel cost? What are the price points? How affordable will the hotel be? The hotel is budgeting an average annual rate of $250 per night which could be less in off-season and midweek and higher on weekends and peak periods.
Would the workers at the hotel be able to live in the apartments? Would they be paid enough to afford the apartments? Hotel employees may apply assuming they meet income qualifications.
Is the hotel a done deal? No, it will need to go through the required application and entitlement process.
Is it located on Paul’s Field? It is on the former site of Paul’s Resort and Paul’s Field. The Sonoma Little League left the field in 2018 and will be moving to new fields across the street at Maxwell Park as part of the first phase of the Maxwell Park Master Plan.
Expand on the multi-purpose use of the hotel. The hotel will be limited service with no restaurant or spa. These uses were not included in the proposed hotel so that the hotel can better support local restaurants and other local businesses and provide an affordable local accommodation option for friends and family of local residents and businesses.
Is Paul’s Resort somehow incorporated into the hotel, in honor of his memory? The Krug Family plans to have the history of Paul’s Resort and the Springs incorporated in the hotel and on the hotel website.
Can vouchers/coupons for local restaurants be provided to guests at the hotel? Vouchers are not something we have discussed but we will certainly want to promote the local restaurants and businesses to our guests.
What measures are being taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve sustainability during and after construction?
Approximately 300 Photovoltaic Solar panels will be used to generate the equivalent electrical needs of approximately 17 single family homes.
Water heating Solar panels will supplement the domestic hot water needs for guest rooms kitchen, and pool
High efficiency mechanical equipment with room specific zoning and controls will be employed
Passive solar design principals such as the long east west axis of the building, the shading devices such as perorated screen and wall elements to filter sunlight, recessed balconies to shade the rooms and slab on grade ground floor construction to act as heat sink and store heat in the winter.
Roof Garden will be constructed to provide organic fruit and vegetables for a part the hotels food service needs.
The guest rooms will be constructed using modular construction to minimize trips for materials and labor and reduce material waste.
Water consumption will be reduced using the methods mentioned below.
Verano Hotel Design:
What will the hotel height be? The final height is still to be determined, but we are looking at doing a primarily three-story hotel with a fourth floor roof garden and Yoga room. The bulk of the hotel structure is 35 feet high; however, architectural elements will be employed to create interest. The peak of the tallest element would be 52 feet. The architectural elements also shield infrastructure, such solar panels, an elevator, stairs, and mechanical equipment.
What will the hotel look like? A modern “mission revival” style that celebrates much of the historic architecture in the Sonoma Valley. The façades will be varying stucco and stone veneer siding. Parapets and architectural elements are used to screen the solar panels and to break up the horizontal roof lines of the building. There is a combination of Spanish tile pitched roofs with vaulted, domed, and flat-roofed forms. The main stucco walls colors are soft, earth-tones cream colors with contrasting accents of azure blue and rich Terracotta. The stone veneer walls are ledgestone with a blend of cream, gray and ochre colored stones.
Will the new commercial construction pay homage to the history of the city? The style of the hotel respects the Sonoma Valley’s Spanish heritage, drawing inspiration from Spanish Colonial and Spanish Moorish precedents yet appears current and reflective of the present.
How many units will the hotel have? The hotel will have 120 rooms.
How many people would be staying in the hotel? What’s the hotel capacity going to be? The hotel would be 120 rooms (single or double occupancy) and we are anticipating an annual occupancy rate of 70%.
Project:
Why is the hotel and housing a package deal? So the public and decision makers can see how the uses interact with each other and all proposed uses can be analyzed together.
What will the lighting situation be like? The proposed development will comply with all County lighting requirements, including “downcast” lighting to minimize any spillover into adjacent properties.
Will the bus stops be affected? The Krug Family hopes to work with Sonoma County Transit to enhance the existing bus stop by adding a shelter to the bus stop on Verano, near the site.
How will traffic be affected? With the increased traffic, will the safety of pedestrians and children be ensured? The applicants are doing a traffic study to analyze how the project will affect traffic.
There is an enhanced crosswalk to Maxwell Park at the center of the site and lighted signaled crosswalks at Verano and Highway 12.
Will the project include improvements to the berms and landscaping from Old Maple to Verano?
Our design and engineering team will look at this during the design process. However, we have limited control over this area since it is not on hotel property.
Will the neighboring properties be able to use the grounds and amenities of the hotel? Anyone can stay at the hotel. The pool, breakfast room, etc. will be for hotel guests only. Local residents will have access when they have friends, family or business associates staying at the hotel.
Can you provide more information about the water usage and storm water run-off? With regards to water usage the Hotel will employ the standards of the California building code, Title 24 and Cal Green for low water use plumbing fixtures. Housekeeping will incentivize guests to forgo daily changes of the linens and towels to minimize water used for laundry services. Drip Irrigation will be managed with a computerized controller that will monitor ground moisture and weather to avoid unnecessary watering. With regards to Storm drainage we will collect all of the roof water. Bioswales positioned around the site at the ground level will be utilized to collect surface storm water. Both systems will be designed to allow storm water to be filtered through the plant materials and slowly recharge the ground water. Only when a major storm event occurs will the storm water be diverted to the existing storm drain system. Do you intend to capture rainwater onsite? If so, how? The proposal includes rain gardens around the perimeter of the hotel and bio-retention to capture runoff. A rooftop garden is planned to assist in the capture of rainwater from the upper most roofs. Additionally, the proposed landscaping will utilize water-efficient and low-impact design principles with swales, planters, and raingardens that will collect stormwater runoff from the hotel’s roofs and paved surfaces while removing pollutants and providing an attractive natural landscape.
Do you intend to use reduced water consumption plantings? The proposed landscaping will utilize water-efficient and low-impact drought tolerant mostly native plant materials design principles with swales, planters, and raingardens
Will it be possible to get a walking tour of the site? Can specific areas of the different properties be spray-painted for the walking tour? Possibly, depending on restrictions, for safety.