We’ve all been hearing about this proposal over the past year, but now it’s a done deal. Basically, the Healdsburg City Council took a final vote at their meeting last week on the proposed ban of “formula retail businesses” surrounding the plaza, and decided unanimously to go ahead with it. The new city ordinance stops chains with 10-plus similar stores from setting up shop in the immediate vicinity of the plaza (marked in purple on the map below).
And outside the no-go zone, chain-store owners who want to move into a vacant storefront elsewhere in the downtown business district (encircled in red on the map below) will have to ask the city for a “conditional use permit” to prove that they’re bringing something “new and useful” to Healdsburg, according to the the PD. Oh, and the real giants — big-box stores like Target and Home Depot — are reportedly banned altogether from opening anywhere within city limits.
Healdsburg’s mayor, Evelyn Mitchell, said at the meeting that she thinks the new rules are a great step toward preserving our “small town charm.” Mayor Mitchell also got some camera time afterward with a CBS News crew that drove up from the Bay Area to cover this whole thing. (Watch the full news clip below.) “The plaza is where people go, right? It’s really unique,” Mitchell said. “We call it Healdsburg’s living room.”
Our mayor also mentioned to CBS that her only remaining concern is the possibility of empty storefronts if the local economy takes a turn for the worse — but she said if that happens, the city government can always pass new rules.
Interestingly, the PD actually ran an editorial back in early February that argued against the chain-store ban and made the case for letting the “market guide Healdsburg.” Guess the grassroots “Vote Yes on Local” campaign won out! Check out this Thursday’s issue of the Healdsburg Tribune for the full story. 🗞️
Note from Simone: This piece originally appeared in the weekly email newsletter I write for the Healdsburg Tribune, called Healdsburg Today. Subscribe here!
