Appellation Petaluma Hotel: An Investment in Our Future
Authors: Elisa Weber, Nancy Leoni, & Naomi Crawford
As business owners and stakeholders in Petaluma’s future, we stand united in support of the Appellation Petaluma Hotel project. This proposal represents a rare opportunity to revitalize a long-blighted downtown property, generate critical new revenue for city services, and strengthen the economic ecosystem that sustains our local businesses, artists, farmers, and producers.
For more than 30 years, the vacant lot at the center of this debate has generated nothing to the life or economy of our downtown. The Appellation Hotel would change that overnight. According to data presented by the City Council, the hotel would generate $10 million annually in economic activity that benefits local restaurants, cafés, retailers, and service providers.
This is not just a hotel. It is an investment in Petaluma’s downtown vitality, a catalyst for neighborhood renewal, and a customer magnet for our small businesses. It would convert a chain-link fenced eyesore into a vibrant, walkable destination that draws new visitors, supports local artists and makers, and aligns with Petaluma’s values of sustainability, local pride, and smart growth.
We are deeply concerned by efforts to derail this project through a voter referendum that is neither fiscally responsible nor grounded in fact. Some local businesses have received threats of boycotts simply for voicing support for the project. That is unacceptable in any civic dialogue. Regardless of how you feel about the hotel, all of us should reject the bullying of local businesses.
Let’s be clear: just because our doors are open does not mean we are thriving. The majority of us are merely surviving. We fully support historic preservation, but vacant lots do not add to our charm like a thriving downtown business community would. We need investment in our downtown, and right now, fear-driven politics is undermining our future. The Appellation Petaluma Hotel is a good example of responsible, contextual development. It complements nearby buildings in scale and footprint, and features a publicly accessible rooftop deck that is set back from Petaluma Boulevard. As a result, the Appellation Petaluma Hotel’s perceived height from the street will be less than that of the Petaluma Hotel, a historic landmark since 1923.
Not only will the hotel benefit our downtown business community in general, but more specifically, they will be working with local businesses to make Appellation Petaluma-centric. The hotel’s farm-to-table restaurant, run by an award-winning Sonoma County chef, will purchase millions of dollars of goods and services from local producers. Last November, downtown businesses supported our agriculture community by overwhelmingly opposing Measure J. Now we need the community we serve to support us.
Your downtown business community joins the police and firefighter unions in recognizing the urgent need for economic stimulus and sustainable city revenues. Let’s not block progress that benefits all of us, even those in opposition. Let’s support a project that celebrates our community’s best qualities: local talent, sustainability, respect for Petaluma’s historic significance, smart design, and shared prosperity.
We urge the Chamber of Commerce, our fellow business owners, and all residents who care about Petaluma’s future to oppose the referendum, support the overlay, and stand in favor of the Appellation Petaluma Hotel.
Petaluma thrives when Petaluma works together.
Signed by,
Petaluma Business Owners and Organizations in support of Appellation Petaluma Hotel
Jupiter Foods
Leghorn Wine Company
LivXplore Lok Group of Companies d.b.a Quality Inn Petaluma
Lunchette
MAD Architecture
McEvoy Ranch
McNear’s
Mockingbird Heights Salon
Obsessed Clothing Company
Out to Lunch Catering
Paradise Found
Pennyroyal
Petaluma Pie Company
Refill Mercantile
Risibisi
Robindira Unsworth
Rusty Hinges Ranch
Seared Simmer
Stellina Alimentari
Stellina Pronto
Stockhome
Table Culture Provision
The Kentucky
The Mystic
Uber Optics
Usher Gallery
Published: Argus Courier
Date: May 26,2025
