Edge Esmeralda will return to Healdsburg for the month of June, or most of it. The four-week live-and-work program, described by its organizers as “our flagship popup village,” will take place from May 30–June 27. The program is targeted to those who “are optimistic about the future and are actively working towards a society rooted in human flourishing.”
The Esmeralda group is behind the global Edge pop-up events, from Austin to Thailand, South Africa to Patagonia, and considers Healdsburg a cornerstone of those conventions. Unlike the earlier visits to town, this year’s program is also specifically taking a long look at a 267-acre parcel south of Cloverdale as a “potential living community of like-minded souls working to improve the world,” or at least the neighborhood they live in.
For the past year, Devon Zuegel of Esmeralda Land Company has engaged in talks to purchase nearly 270 acres of land at the south end of sleepy Cloverdale, and to develop it into a new town, or neighborhood, to be called Esmeralda.
That effort has been working its way through Cloverdale’s Planning & Community Development Department, and has obtained several key approvals including a recent Water Supply Assessment (WSA) required by the state.
It’s the latest in a series of proposals to develop that south side, according to City Manager Kevin Thompson. “There’s been discussion of some kind of development down there since the ’90s,” he said. “It’s changed over the years. It’s been a golf course. It’s been a horse ranch, or equestrian center.”
The property in question is the Alexander Valley Resort (AVR) site on the southeast end of Cloverdale, accessed via Asti Road. It was approved by the city, almost 20 years ago, to include a golf course, parks, hotel and spa. It’s on the site of a former lumber mill, which must be fully remediated before any development can take place.
Concerns about water supply have been a hurdle to previous projects. However on Dec. 10 Esmeralda did get its WSA approved, as it was backed by the contracted engineering firm and two separate private engineers, and deemed adequate.
“The project in general, although big, uses less water because of the style of homes that are being proposed,” Thompson said. “There are 200 senior units that are apartment-style. And we know from our experience in town that the majority of the water is actually used outdoors,” in lawns and irrigation. “So they have been ultra-efficient in using common areas for water use.”
Even with the WSA, “there are still going to be several public hearings at the planning commission and the city council, so we’ve got a long way to go,” Thompson said.
The next public hearing is Thursday, Feb. 5, an in-person Q&A from 6-8pm at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building. That meeting was suggested by the city council, and the Esmeralda group readily accepted the opportunity. Stated the city’s announcement of the meeting, “This is an opportunity to hear directly from the developer and get information at the source, while asking questions, sharing comments, or raising concerns directly with the applicants proposing the project.”
The post went on to emphasize that it was not an official city business meeting and would not be recorded or streamed, stating in addition, “and likely no remote participation ability. If you want to take part, you need to join live and in person.”
Who, what, where
Esmeralda Institute and the Esmeralda Land Company have published an FAQ on their Esmeralda.org website, tackling a number of questions that residents and neighbors in the Cloverdale area are asking.
It states that the Esmeralda Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to lifelong learning across generations, inspired by the 150-year-old Chautauqua Institution (a summer learning camp in New York).
The Esmeralda Land Company, the other partner, is an independent, for-profit company developing the project. It is “backed by patient, values-aligned investors who see this as a unique opportunity to create a special place that will bring new opportunities and energy to Northern Sonoma.”
Esmeralda Institute is a DBA for Adventureland Institute, itself a nonprofit public benefit corporation whose “specific purpose is to provide financial and social assistance to the homeless through the reclaiming and re‑purposing of degraded land in America.”
The city manager confirmed that the parcel is inside Cloverdale city limits, and like the “south entry” of Healdsburg, it is not fully plumbed with water, sewage or electrical grid access. In order to build it out as Esmeralda intends to, said Thompson, they would have to complete that access, “but they’re going to have to do it on their dime.”
Information at edgeesmeralda.com.
