The Wilfred/Dowdell Specific Plan, Rohnert Park’s northwest border closest to the long-planned casino and resort hotel west of the city, popped up on the Planning Commission agenda this week.

Thursday night, April 26, the commission discussed an application from Oxford Suites Hotel to build a five-story hotel on the site. The proposal would also include a McDonald’s fast food restaurant.

The parcel is 4.5 acres in size, bordered on the east by Redwood Drive, on the south by Golf Course Drive West (formerly Wilfred Avenue), on the west by Dowdell Drive and on the north by Home Depot hardware store.

Both Dowdell and Golf Course West drives are two-lane streets with deep drainage ditches on both sides.

They will be upgraded with wider roadways, curbs, gutters and sidewalks by the developer.

The south side of Home Depot will have an access road built from Redwood Drive to the project. This was stipulated in the agreement Home Depot signed with the city back in July 1991. It took 21 years for this clause to be put to use.

The 4.5 acres is called Village North in the Wilfred-Dowdell Specific Plan. It has no habitable buildings on the site. A similar parcel called Village South extends from Golf Course West south to RP Business Center Drive.

There are no wetlands on Village North. But they do exist on Village South along with a few habitable homes.

RP Planning and Building Manager Marilyn Ponton’s staff report noted if the proposed casino and resort hotel is built by Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and Station Casinos of Las Vegas, Golf Course West Drive will be a major access route for gaming patrons from the freeway. This will mean right hand turns only from and into Oxford Suites until a method is found to handle an influx of extra traffic.

The hotel itself will be 107,700 sq. ft. in size with 163 rooms, a swimming pool and cabanas. There will be parking spaces for 193 cars. The McDonald’s fast-food outlet will be similar to its other restaurants.

Oxford Suites Hotel is a smaller size hotel when compared to a major hotel like the DoubleTree. Its size could be called “compact,” as in small cars and larger SUVs.

There are already two “suites hotels” on the east side of Redwood Drive  north of RP Expressway.