The Mystery of the New Piazza Hotel’s Approval
How did the hotel being built at 400 Healdsburg Avenue get approved? We have heard this question a lot lately. Didn’t we pass a zoning ordinance that was supposed to stop developments like this from happening downtown? I was part of the citizen’s group that pushed for this ordinance. It was approved in December 2018 with a 4-1 vote of the City Council. We had a lot of support. Our views, that hotel development downtown was out of hand and was threatening the character of our town, were strongly supported by the results of a city survey conducted in the Spring of 2018. We also made compelling arguments that these limits were supported by the town’s General Plan. Piazza Hospitality has built two hotels downtown and also owns Hotel Healdsburg. When they presented drawings recently for this new project, many in town felt blindsided. Several citizens asked the city for a timeline, and I took it a step further and did a formal public record request for communications leading