Council OKs farmers market pavilion plan

Council voted 5-0 to move forward with Cerri site plan, accept Foley Family donation

Amid a thronged city council chamber, the Healdsburg City Council decided in an unanimous vote to move forward with the farmers market pavilion/event center plan for the Cerri site at 3 North St. and to accept the Foley Family Foundation pledge of $7 million for the construction of the highly anticipated project.

Councilmembers also decided to explore the possibility of locating the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) train depot at the site.

Healdsburg residents and supporters of the farmers market pavilion packed city hall before the meeting started, eager to hear the outcome of the proposed project, which has stirred boisterous conversation on whether the site should be used for a farmers market and event space or for 55 affordable housing units.

Supporters of the farmers market pavilion plan were handing out stickers with cherries on them along with the phrase, “Yes Cerri” and city staff were scrambling to set up extra chairs and a separate viewing area outside council chambers.

The final motion on the table was, as summarized by Healdsburg City Manager David Mickaelian, to “Direct city to enter into negotiations with the Foley family to prepare an agreeable commitment letter, to except the Foley’s pledge and move the community pavilion project forward, explore the current design, explore with SMART in locating the depot at the 3 North site and as part of these discussions explore the possibility of working with SMART in utilizing the SMART owned property where the current depot is located for affordable housing.”

City staff had kicked off the meeting with a presentation that aimed to provide the council with information that could help inform their decision. 

The presentation centered around city zoning, land use codes, affordable housing needs, the SMART train system and a history of the Cerri site and recent planning efforts for the site.

City zoning

The 3 North St. site is in the downtown commercial general plan zone, meaning that the area the site sits in allows for a broad range of uses according to Healdsburg Interim Community Planning Director, David Woltering.

According to Woltering, the 3 North St. site also falls in line with several general plan policies, such as protecting and enhancing downtown and its plaza, embracing the city’s waterways and protecting and enhancing qualities that attract visitors to the city.

Woltering also discussed the possibility of master planning the west plaza area, which includes the 4+ acre West Plaza Parking lot and could include the 3 North St. site.

Since councilmembers had touched on the subject of creating a master plan for the west plaza area in previous meetings, Woltering emphasized that a project with 3 North could move forward without master planning the area, however, he pointed out that master planning the west plaza area would be a good idea in general since it could address the housing and commercial possibilities.

Housing

Affordable housing was a significant topic since one of the considerations for the Cerri site was to create 55 affordable housing units.

A big question of the evening was whether or not the city would still have a healthy amount of affordable housing and whether it would still meet Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) numbers if the 3 North St. site was not to be used for affordable housing.

The short answer from Healdsburg housing administrator, Steven Sotomayor, was “yes,” the city could still meet its required housing goals without an affordable housing development at the Cerri site.

Sotomayor explained that RHNA is a set of required affordable housing production goals set forth by the state of California. The state level requirements are then distributed through a methodology determined by the Association of Bay Area Governments.

Healdsburg also sets their own housing goals through their housing action plan (HAP).

In terms of the city’s affordable housing inventory, the city has 27 properties across Healdsburg with 520 affordable housing units. Forty affordable housing units were preserved in the past year and 90 affordable units are in the process of being remodeled with a $9 million investment, according to Sotomayor.

Fifty-four percent of the city’s affordable units are for the moderate-income level, 35% are for low-income and 11% are for very-low income households.

“The city has accomplished a tremendous amount of work, but we don’t take a break, we work towards that goal,” Sotomayor said. “We’ve exceeded RHNA expectations … but we still need 18 very low units, but we’re on track with fulfilling that allocation for very-low-income units out of the 2015-2023 RHNA allocated number of 31. The city has provided 25 low-income units, one over the required amount, 64 moderate-income units, 38 over the required amount and has provided 130 above moderate-income units, 54 over the required amount.

For the 2015-2023 RHNA allocation cycle, the city is projecting that it will add 37 more very-low-income units, 41 low-income units, 71 moderate-income units and 184 above-moderate-income units.

Although RHNA allocations are projected to increase by 100% for the 2023-30 cycle, the city already has several projects in the pipeline that could provide more housing for each income level. These projects include the Mill District, North Village and possibly 155 Dry Creek.

“We have a healthy projection for the next RHNA cycle as well,” Sotomayor said.

SMART

Mickaelian said that a SMART train platform could be located at 3 North if so desired. There was a question on whether or not a station could fit there, however, he said after discussion SMART officials indicated that a station would indeed fit.

He said SMART would also be open to developing affordable housing at the current depot location at Hudson Street, however, he cautioned that these ideas are all part of a very “preliminary vision.”

Recent Cerri planning efforts

Community services director Mark Themig recounted the presentation on the history of the Cerri building and the related attempts at development plans that were presented at the Feb. 12 Healdsburg Parks and Recreation meeting.

To view the article on the Feb. 12 parks and recreation meeting, visit The Healdsburg Tribune website.

The current vision for the farmers market pavilion includes 5,200 square feet of covered space, 6,100 square feet of multipurpose parking and open air event space, a catering kitchen, a loading and unloading dock and public restrooms.

According to Themig, there are two operational plans for the farmers market pavilion plan: A park pavilion plan that would feature the farmers market, city-run events, city-sponsored events and external/permitted events and an event venue model with the farmers market, external ticketed events, non-ticketed events, corporate events and a limited number of weddings.

Themig said with this model, costs to operate the facility could be more, however, the revenue potential would also be greater. Operating costs for the park pavilion model could be around $161,000 with an estimated revenue of $16,117 and operating costs for the event center could be around $316,000 with an estimated revenue of $202,367, according to Themig.

Councilmembers voiced that they would like to get the most use out of the pavilion if it were to be used as an event space. Vice Mayor Evelyn Mitchell said she would like to see more events at the space in order to maximize use of the space.

As a parting note to his presentation, Themig said that the Foley family was looking for a commitment from the city to move forward by April 15. He said they are not looking for a final agreement, but rather a commitment to move forward with talks for the future of the Cerri site.

Council and public discussion

Following the presentation, Mayor Leah Gold asked if there could be more roof coverage such as a retractable or translucent roof so more events could be held year round. Mitchell added that it would be good to add solar panels to the project.

Themig said the design could be tweaked and that the Foley family is, “Open to design modifications that could make the event space better than what is planned.” He also added that the Foley family is not opposed to the idea of having a SMART train platform at the Cerri site.

Council also asked if the farmers market would still be in the Plaza on Tuesdays, and Themig said that that decision has not yet been made.

Councilmember Shaun McCaffery asked if movies in the Plaza could be held at the event pavilion and Themig said they could since the pavilion could hold 900 seats.

During public comment, nearly all who spoke spoke in favor of the farmers market pavilion plan, except for one resident who expressed the need for affordable housing.

Supporters cited the fact the center would pay homage to Healdsburg’s agricultural roots, provide a space for all kinds of public events and would take pressure off of the Plaza, where several events such as summer concerts and festivals are held.

Speakers also pointed out that they are not opposed to affordable housing, and that the city could do both in terms of providing an event center and housing at other sites.

Tom Nelson from Duchamp Healdsburg said he sees the farmers market pavilion plan as an “inexhaustible energy to grow things” in terms of energizing the downtown, hosting more events and creating cultural vibrancy.

Healdsburg Jazz Festival Executive Director and Dry Creek Peach and Produce owner Gayle Okumura Sullivan echoed Nelson’s thoughts.

“For 20 years we’ve worked at the Healdsburg Farmers Market and we have always as a farm and as a market talked and dreamt of a permanent home, so now we have this opportunity in front of us, a community space with community support. A place in town that reflects our agricultural values and roots that celebrates the future in a uniquely Healdsburg way,” Sullivan said, adding that the event center would be a great space for jazz festival events and education opportunities. 

Following a slew of public comments, McCaffery made the motion to move forward with the plan.

“I am passionate for affordable housing, there is probably not one doubt about that and a lot of our goals for HAP and things like the state of California (allocations) all point to the fact that we need lots of affordable housing and when affordable housing is located next to transit and located near a downtown corridor it scores high — a very valuable asset to have,” McCaffery said. “… But in the end I see that there is a huge amount of support for this in the community and the work that has been done over the years … it just makes me want to rethink things and I would like to make a motion to accept the Foley’s generous gift for the pavilion.” 

Councilmember David Hagele said he would also support the project, but pointed out that he stands behind each councilmember in terms of looking at the affordable housing and event center plans realistically.

Gold concurred with her colleague’s support for the project and said that this project is a good fit for this particular site.

“I feel that the highest investment of this particular piece of property is for this community gathering place and I love the idea that Healdsburg can have a monument to its agriculture heritage and its agricultural presence. I think it is extremely appropriate for this town,” Gold said. 

She added that it would be a great symbiotic relationship if the SMART train platform were to be constructed at the at the 3 North St. site.