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At a work session on Jan. 21, the council decided to look closer at the options for affordable housing on city-owned sites. This included 3 North St., also known as the Cerri building or the Purity building. While the meeting agenda and staff report were focused on affordable housing, the council was being asked to consider a project last approved in 2017. The last time council was presented with options for this site was August 15, 2016. I am the only member still serving on the council when that vote was taken. Lots of things have happened in Healdsburg since 2016 including fires, floods, housing shortages and the SDAT process. After hearing about the potential for other uses for the site, including affordable housing, I am now open to follow the SDAT team’s recommendation and embark on a thoughtful, inclusive community master-planning effort for the West Plaza area as a whole.

The other day, I picked my son up from school and had some errands to run afterward. I also had the baby in the car and we all know what a pain it is to get the littles out of their car seat every time we have to go a store. So I nicely asked my son to run into the post office to mail a folder to my mother-in-law. I handed him a couple of dollars and the folder, expecting him to just hop out of the car and go mail it. Instead, he looked at me like I was crazy. “Mom,” he says. “I don’t know how to mail this. What do I say when I get up to the counter?” Oh my goodness, I’m thinking to myself. Ok, be nice Elizabeth, don’t insult him. I had to handle this situation correctly as it was a very delicate one.