Archives



Expansion of hunt club questioned

Posted on October 4, 2017 by Sonoma Valley Sun

The appeal of the County approval of the Wing and Barrel Ranch hunt club, a Kenwood Investments venture, will be heard by the Sonoma County Board of Zoning Adjustments on November 2. The self-described “ultimate private hunting club” promises to “bring together the best of shooting, food, wine and the wine country lifestyle.” A Use Permit modification authorizes a new 26,802 square foot hunting clubhouse, a 1.5 acre casting pond, an 85-foot shooting tower, and related facilities. The clubhouse contains a kitchen and dining area, a full bar, demonstration kitchen, pro-shop, training room, cigar room, and wine room… The project is termed an upgrade of the old Black Point Sportsman’s Club, though the new facility is in a new location, at 6600 Noble Road (east of Highway 121, on north side of Highway 37). The appellants had a problem with the grand plans, and not just because they can’t afford the membership. Opponents say the initial permit was approved administratively – that is, by a clerk, not by a county panel at a public meeting. The decision was too hasty and ignored traffic and other factors, detractors say. “This is not the way residents expect their governing organizations to be handling a sensitive subject related to guns, noise and a major disturbance, in the very heart of significant restoration projects,” reads the complaint. The unresponsiveness of the County “is deeply disturbing, particularly with the high visibility parties involved.”

 The ‘Summer of Love’ bash at B.R. Cohn last weekend was far out, as the kids (alas, now age 60) used to say. Haight-Ashbury couture was the prevailing style (tie dye being, for the day, the new black) and the just-loud-enough music came from a hot Rolling Stones cover band. Even in the pun-filled world of tribute band names, this one, fronted by Christina Michelle, stands out: Chick Jagger.

MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa has been sold to IMH Financial Corporation, a Scottsdale-based group that also manages L’Auberge de Sedona and Orchards Inn, both in Sedona, Arizona.
The 64-room hotel, developed by Suzanne Brangham with the backing of local investors, opened in 1998. The property then consisted of a Victorian home, a caretaker’s unit and a large barn; the estae dates back to the 1800s. Today, at corner of Broadway and MacArthur, it’s the site of 64 luxury guest rooms, a conference facility, garden spa and restaurant. “This was to be a 10-year venture for us and we are now nearly 20 years old,” said Brangham. “We are excited about IMH’s plans to take the property to yet a higher level. Brangam said the new owner will keep all of the hotel’s employees in place, as many have been with the hotel for more than a decade. “When offered re-employment, 100 percent of them accepted.” As for her, Brangham said the transition to a new owner will be difficult, but “I’m looking forward to getting to spend more time with my family back East and on my passion of art and painting.”

— Val Robichaud

Send your tips and quips to Page3@Sonomasun.




Sonoma Sun | Sonoma, CA