Sonoma’s Wing and Barrel Ranch gains approval for new clubhouse from county supervisors

Duck hunt club near Sonoma Raceway gets green light to build new clubhouse after negotiated compromise.|

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors this week unanimously approved expansion plans for a Sonoma hunting and sport shooting club while also imposing development restrictions sought by opponents of the project.

The outcome supported a compromise deal reached earlier this year between principals of the Wing and Barrel Ranch and a representative for several Sonoma-area residents who objected to the project.

The agreement reduces the size of the proposed clubhouse by about a third, to 18,620 square feet, limits membership and usage numbers, and allows for more public access to the bird-hunting fields, a clay shooting course and a fly-fishing pond.

In addition to a new clubhouse, the county approval advance plans for a new shooting tower on the ranch, which sits on 975 acres of hayfields north of Highway 37, just east of the Highway 121 intersection.

“We're glad that we found compromise with the appellants, and were thrilled that they sat down with us and we figured something out,” Bill Hooper, a representative of Kenwood BPSC, owner of the hunt club, told supervisors Tuesday. The principal investor of Kenwood BPSC is Sonoma-based lobbyist and developer Darius Anderson, managing member of Sonoma Media Investments, which owns The Press Democrat.

The compromise agreement between the two sides was reached in January following an appeal by people who opposed the Board of Zoning Adjustment's narrow approval of the hunt club's expansion plans. Those plans sought to amend the original use permit approved in 2012, when Kenwood BPSC purchased the ranch. Waterfowl hunting on the property dates back at least a century.

Speaking for the appellants on Tuesday, Sue Smith, who has a neighboring family ranch on Noble Road, noted that although the agreement reached between her group and Kenwood BPSC was largely satisfactory, it fell short of comprehensive oversight.

“Some remaining issues were too big for a small group of local citizens to resolve, and we are relying on the county and state agencies to assure the public's interests are properly served,” Smith said.

Smith also raised the issue of flooding, and asked that the public be indemnified from expenses should flooding occur.

The ranch sits on the inland side of Highway 37, which suffered extensive flooding in last winter's historic storms and is a prime example of a Bay Area roadway at risk amid sea level rise.

Supervisor Susan Gorin, whose district includes the hunt club, raised several issues with the expansion, primarily including traffic conditions on Highway 37.

The often-busy two-lane highway does have a turning lane in the area of the Noble Road-access to the club, and while studies downplayed the impact of the club's activities on traffic, Gorin said she was “concerned about cars hanging out there in the travel lane” and asked whether an accident or fatality would trigger a review.

Tennis Wick, the county's planning director, said the board could ask for a review of the use permit, and Jennifer Barrett, the planning department's deputy director, referenced a clause in the agreement that set a two-year review policy.

Supervisor Lynda Hopkins asked about flooding and pollution concerns during high-water events, as the first floor of the new clubhouse would be below sea level. She was assured by the project applicants the design was for a watertight first floor.

Public comment was largely favorable, coming from longtime area farmers and hunters, who pointed out that hunting and fishing licenses contribute $130 million a year to California's conservation efforts.

Supervisor James Gore, the board chairman, praised the compromise reached over the project. The appellants, including Smith, local naturalist Tom Rusert and Ted Eliot, a former diplomat and conservationist, withdrew their appeal as part of the deal.

“I think it was real smart for you to create a compromise on the back end, because it could have gotten a lot weirder,” Gore said.

Supervisor David Rabbitt was absent for the 4-0 vote.

The project now heads to the county's Design Review Committee for final approval of the clubhouse plans. Construction could begin later this year.

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