Missing the mark
Alan Cohen misses the mark in blaming the failure of Measure O on “the same people” who protested his effort to develop six-bedroom housing at the former site of Healdsburg Lumber. (“Open Mic: GMO strikes again,” Aug. 20) Measure O failed because the City Council ignored its own poll showing that Measure O would lose pivotal electoral support if the City Council were to overreach by crafting the measure to exempt any portion of the city’s downtown core from the GMO—which is precisely what happened. The City Council’s overreach is what killed Measure O.
Jon Eisenberg, Healdsburg
Doing nothing not the answer
I agree 100% that the Healdsburg GMO needs to change, but Measure O was not the answer. Yes, 30 units of housing per year is not enough new housing, but Measure O would have excluded single-family homes from any additional new development with no annual cap number for multi-dwelling units. Can you picture the 80 acres south of the bridge with only apartments and condos? Or how about the city plans for 852 apartments downtown with only one parking space per unit?
It’s been two years since Measure O and there is no GMO modification on the upcoming ballot. Rather than spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for a GMO plan no one wants, why can’t we just change the GMO annual limit to an acceptable higher number?
Doing nothing is not the answer, but don’t blame the Hudson Street project on the vast majority of voters who said No to the very flawed Measure O.
Finally, as to the idea of building five communes where the Hudson project is slated, this is not Berkeley. We need more families and should adjust our GMO accordingly.
Dan Pizza, Healdsburg
Alan Cohen has lived in Healdsburg for approximately 40 years; served on the Planning Commission for at least 12 years; served on numerous design and housing committees over the years. If anyone understands housing dynamics in Healdsburg, it is Alan. For a newly- arrived litigation attorney to claim that Alan “misses the mark” is pretty rich.
The State of California clearly is tiring of local jurisdiction’s attempts to close the gates to new construction in order to preserve their uninterrupted small-town lifestyles (at the expense of forcing those in need of housing to find other communities more receptive to new developments.) If the City doesn’t address the GMO constraints, the State may assume that role.
After all, isn’t the city’s downtown core exactly where higher density, multi-family housing belongs?
It would show a degree of respect for we citizens of Healdsburg if Eric Ziedrich disclosed that he is not ony a licensed Real Estate broker in town, but that he stands to benefit financially from the sale of his former Healdsburg Lumber Yard property on Hudson Street to a private developer. It should be the policy of the Tribune to identify the conflicting interests of the writers to it’s editorial pages. In my case, I am simply a concerned Healdsburg citizen, homeowner and taxpayer, who owns no real estate in town other than my residence, am retired from a career in public and non-profit service, and am a writer and a consultant to non-profit organizations. I have no financial business before the City of Healdsburg or any of its agencies.
Your readers are owed that simple respect of disclosure of letter writers who have a clear conflict of interest with the City, or relative to the topic on which they are writing.
Thank you…
Steve Villano
60% of residential sales are 2nd homes, rentals and investment properties. Home sales should be predominantly owner occupied not Bay Area greed of the wealthy.
Lets be real. NO ONE IS CLOSING THE GATES ON HOUSING FOR THIS PROPERTY. Almost everyone favors it. But this proposal is more about a business that is a machine for seperating wealthy seniors from their money than providing accessible housing. Given the elevated estimated cost of participation its unlikely that this project will have a beneficial effect on what is needed by the people of Healdsburg.
I agree that not disclosing the relation between the property owner and the developer is deceiving. The fact that this project was not openly publicized from the beginning is another form of deceit. Until very recently the majority of Healdsburg residents were unaware of it. Many found out just a few days before the planning commission meeting where working drawings were revealed. Deliberate? Only people that live in the immediate vicinity were informed. That amounted to approximately twelve people. This (among other things) has created a profound mistrust of the developer and this project.
I wasn’t aware that Mr Cohn was an experienced designer of medical facilities who is knowledgeable in the unique regulations required for such a project. Thank you for that. Please post links to some of the medical facilities he has designed.