Healdsburg won’t cap wine-tasting rooms

There may be more wine tasting rooms in downtown Healdsburg, California than some people want, but the City Council decided on Tuesday not to impose new restrictions on them. There are currently 20 wine tasting rooms downtown and continuing interest in establishing more.

The Planning Commission last month deadlocked 3-3 on an application for the “Bergamot Alley” wine bar, fearing an oversaturation on one block of Healdsburg Avenue. But the City Council approved it after the applicant argued it would serve unusual wines and be the only such place open late to cater to restaurant employees after they get off work.

The issue of the proliferation of booze serving outlets is not new in Healdsburg. The general guideline was established that there should be no more than one alcoholic beverage outlet per block face, other than restaurants. Three applications for tasting rooms were rejected in the past few years as a result.“We’ve almost decided by default we will do it case by case,” Mayor Tom Chambers said on Tuesday.