Born and Raised

Last night our City Council voted to cap hotels around the Plaza at their present number and limit new hotels in the downtown commercial zone to 5 rooms or less per block face. Also agreed to, with some details to be ironed out, was the requirement for new hotels to provide workforce housing ( 1 affordable for 5 hotel rooms) either onsite or by way of a contribution to municipal housing funds.  This was a decisive step in favor of protecting retail diversity and for protecting our downtown from being engulfed by the interests of a single industry. This follows the lead given by last Spring's town survey which demonstrated widespread support for limiting hotel growth. Even tourists can applaud this decision as it protects the 'small town charm' which provides such  welcome  respite from city life. After nearly a year of lobbying by our citizen's group ("Residents for Balance Downtown" comprised of myself, Bruce Abramson and Gail Jonas) and our many su

With the SDAT recommendations on the table, the mission to prioritize a Master Plan for the future, and to revisit the city’s General Plan, has great momentum. Many are encouraging you to act swiftly. With the issue of hotel development, we also see the need to move swiftly. It would be foolish to approve a brand-new hotel project in the near future before we have had a chance to experience and study the impacts of the two recently opened hotels, and those destined for the near future. So, thank you all very much for bringing this hotel issue back to your agenda.     According to last spring's survey, most people in Healdsburg simply don't want to see more hotels. A local citizens group seems poised to put a citywide hotel ban ordinance before the voters. If that happened, I think it would pass easily.  So, whatever the city council decides as far as zoning and requirements for allowing new hotels, it simply must reflect hesitance to add to our stock of tourist room