Main Street: Save it or pave it?

Prompted by leaders of the Healdsburg Farmers¹ Market, a public
discussion is under way about the future of what most of us call
the Purity building, the big metal warehouse adjacent to the
railroad tracks on North Street. Over the last couple of years, the
city of Healdsburg purchased the property with the
not-too-imaginative intention of knocking down everything on it to
provide public parking. An older home, which had been used for
housing for low-income families, has already been demolished.
City leaders are waiting for Purity Products, a supplier of
chemicals and other products used in agriculture, to move to a new
location on Grove Street. The city put up redevelopment money to
buy the property and to help Purity relocate. One could argue ‹ and
some are ‹ that the city forced Purity out, by threatening to take
the property by eminent domain if Purity wouldn¹t sell. Some are
also arguing that, as the downtown develops into a denser form,
that some other use for the land is more appropriate.
Which brings us to parking. There is a clear and pervasive
perception that we have a parking problem downtown. Folks who will
park at the mall and walk a quarter-mile through parking lots to a
department store get peeved when they have to park half a block
away from their favorite boutique or restaurant. Such is the legacy
of a slower-paced downtown area. A generation ago, you could park
downtown pretty easily. Of course, commercial rents were low, and
merchants could survive on local traffic.
The new Healdsburg is recreating the density of a time farther
away, a century ago, with three-story buildings, downtown
apartments, and smaller shops packed into smaller spaces. The last
time we had this sort of density, we didn¹t have so many cars.
Folks walked more, or they parked the family conveyance (whether
buggy or horseless carriage) and strolled the streets.
Nowadays, we¹re enslaved by our cars, and we hardly go anywhere
without them, so when citizens complain (and they do) about
parking, city leaders listen, and build parking lots. As a frequent
visitor to downtown, I agree that we need more parking, and I¹m
even open to hearing about a parking garage, especially if it has
retail or residential mixed in, but I can¹t warm up to the idea of
knocking down the Purity building and pouring asphalt.
The property is too good to be wasted on parking. Bordered by
Foss Creek and the next section of the Foss Creek Trail, the
property is close to town, across the street from City Hall, it has
big trees Š it really ought to be something better. One plan has
already come forward to create a mixed-use development, with
residences, retail, and some parking, but city leaders are focused
on their future parking lot and are wary.
Another plan that¹s gaining traction is to preserve the building
as a permanent home for the farmers¹ market. Imagine the building
with open sides and easy access. The market could use it twice a
week ‹ maybe more if it¹s successful ‹ and it could have other uses
during the rest of the week. It could be rented out for events in
the afternoons, maybe used for the day labor center in the
mornings, or any use that requires shelter from sun and rain. It
could have a recreational component. It could have a few tables and
an espresso cart ‹ it would be a fun place to get a coffee and
watch people play bocce.
One of the ironies of the city being so eager to demolish the
building is that it¹s probably the only structure left downtown
that¹s a direct link to the agricultural buildings that were used
as an inspiration for City Hall. We could conceivably demolish the
authentic ag building, and keep the phony one across the
street.
City leaders are saying that it was envisioned as a parking lot,
so it must be a parking lot. Not so. Plans change. Ten years ago,
Grove Street was envisioned as a four-lane commuter road, a way to
get from the north to south ends of town rapidly. Times changed,
people spoke up, and the plans were changed. If you want to see
this old building saved, go see Mary or Renee at the farmers¹
market. They¹re the ringleaders in trying to preserve it.
The Tuesday night concert/picnic events are getting so popular,
that the race to claim a plot of land on the Plaza is getting
intense. All this year, folks have been showing up at dawn to place
blankets and chairs. This week, I heard that someone was setting
chairs out on Monday, the day before. While the forest of chairs
each week has a charming quality, it¹s also annoying folks who feel
like they can¹t use the park that day, and it¹s probably not that
good for the turf. Don¹t be surprised if the city comes up with a
rule for next year¹s concert series, setting a time on when chairs
can go out.
Ray Holley thinks people should handle problems themselves, and
not ask the government to regulate everything. He can be reached at
ra*******@gm***.com.