Citywide ban now
EDITOR: I support Bruce Abramson with his call for a hotel ban. It should be citywide, not just in the downtown district. No matter where a specific hotel development is located it will have the same overall impacts on the community. In my opinion, the city council is pathetically slow on addressing this issue. Perhaps the inevitable conflicts arising from any hotel development on a community overwhelm them?
City administrators lust after anticipated increases in city revenue from the hotel rooms tax; the local chamber of commerce in its standard stance for more and more growth in revenue for its members is excited over the prospects for more and more hotel visitors spending their dollars in town, etc. Those who own land in town on which the current zoning allows hotel development are extremely pleased over their current zoning and of course tout that in dealing with prospective buyers.
But what about the rest of us who live here? The impacts range from inadequate parking; street congestion; hotel development priorities overwhelming those for affordable housing; far too many tasting rooms for all the hotel visitors; and the overall negative impacts on the character of our town. For whatever it’s worth, my former life for 35 years was managing publicly traded commercial real estate finance companies and those companies financed a number of hotel developments in communities throughout the west and the Pacific basin. In dealing with hotel developers their obvious first priorities are the feasibility and financial viability of their specific project. As the prospective lender to the project, those were our priorities also.
Rarely did we ever encounter a hotel developer who had as a high priority a commitment to lessen any negative impacts their hotel development would have on a community. To lessen the impacts and purportedly be positive for the overall community is an intricate balancing act between the hotel developer and the community authorizing bodies, such as the planning departments, planning commissions and ultimately the city councils. No matter what the high priced, supposedly conflict free, hotel industry consultants will tell us about how our small town can easily absorb more hotel rooms, my gut tells me we’ve gone too far already.
As Mr. Abramson so correctly pointed out, there are at least another 350 rooms in the offing at four different locations throughout town, and it is my understanding that there is another large parcel at the north end of town that can accommodate yet more hotel rooms. A citywide ban must be done now, not studied to death, and our zoning code must be changed to require that any new future hotel development be approved only with a special use permit granted by the city council.
Bill Andersen
Healdsburg
Keep fox out of henhouse
EDITOR: As a lifelong recreational salmon and trout fisherman, I have believed that protecting fish habitats are a critical responsibility as well. Each passing year, it becomes more difficult to protect rivers and streams such as Felta Creek where fish come to breed and carry on the natural reproduction that ensures species to be here for future generations. I see my neighbors passionate about important issues such as affordable housing and the roundabout. I would ask for your same passion on this issue. There are responsible ways to harvest our forests but you do not give that to an individual who has had multiple violations in the past. As the old saying goes, that would be like asking the fox to guard the henhouse.
Eddie Merideth
Healdsburg
Hotel moratorium
EDITOR: With the recent proposal for yet another hotel downtown, I believe it’s time for a moratorium on new hotels in Healdsburg. This will give our city council time to do its tourism study. We should not have hotel tax dollars be the driving force in deciding what our town is and what it will be. Let’s save our town.
Rex Wilson
Healdsburg
Bravo, Prune Packers
EDITOR: Congratulations to the Prune Packers for a super season. You guys play great baseball and it’s a treat to go to the games. Can’t wait until next June.
Jane St. Claire
Healdsburg
Enough hotels
EDITOR: We agree with Bruce Abramson; along with tasting rooms, Healdsburg has enough hotels.
Jody and Frank Wilson
Healdsburg
Why the fuss?
EDITOR: Why is the White House making such a big deal about leaks? If they’re not doing anything wrong they don’t have anything to worry about.
Mike Rosen
Healdsburg
