From: Ella Berger <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, 21 July 2026 14:44:35
To: Jane Riley <[email protected]>
Cc: Ari Wangerin <[email protected]>; Barney Aldridge <[email protected]>
Subject: Aldridge Development Response to Public Comment Hi Jane,
Please share this statement from Aldridge Team with members of city council and whoever else you think should be updated.
On behalf of Aldridge Development, I want to provide an accurate account of the Barlow Hotel’s economic contributions to Sebastopol, and to correct a mischaracterization that has entered the public conversation.
First, the facts on the record. It has been suggested that the Barlow did not pay its $500,000 obligation. That is not correct. That payment was deferred by agreement, and we have been making it in installments of $100,000 per year. We have met every commitment we have made.
Beyond that obligation, the Barlow Hotel is projected to generate approximately $250 million in external spending within Sebastopol over a ten-year period. This is new money brought into the local economy by visitors who would not otherwise come to our city.
It is also important to understand how the Transient Occupancy Tax works. TOT is not paid by Sebastopol residents. It is generated only on rooms booked at the hotel, by the visitors who stay there. That revenue does not exist today. It exists only if the hotel exists.
We have also invested directly in connecting the Barlow to downtown, because a stronger downtown benefits everyone. That includes funding a dedicated sidewalk connection, spearheading the conversion to two-way streets, and purchasing the Amiot benches that tie the two districts together.
I would respectfully push back on the framing that the Barlow is asking to take money from the city. It is the opposite. The choice before the Council is not between this revenue and some larger sum. It is between a new, ongoing income stream for Sebastopol and no income stream at all. You can have one hundred percent of nothing, or you can partner with us to create something that funds city priorities for years to come.
We remain committed to being a good-faith partner to Sebastopol, and we welcome the opportunity to answer any questions.
Respectfully,
Aldridge Development Team
Ella Berger
Director of Development
6780 Depot Street #110
Sebastopol, CA 95472
Phone: (707) 484-0576
Email: [email protected]
https://thebarlow.net