Mill to be Turned into 200 Homes

THE PRESS DEMOCRAT | 14 Mar, 2019

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Healdsburg’s front entry is set for a large-scale redevelopment project that will transform a former lumber mill into more than 200 homes targeting a range of income levels, an upscale hotel and a collection of new retail shops along Healdsburg Avenue.

The Healdsburg City Council endorsed the Mill District project following a marathon meeting Monday night, authorizing the second-largest housing project in the city’s history. The decision concluded years of negotiations between the city and Vancouver-based resort developer Replay over the 9.5-acre property just north of the Highway 101 offramp to Central Healdsburg, reimagining a primary gateway into the city’s downtown.

Construction is expected to start this fall on utilities and other infrastructure. The mixed-use project, which the developer estimates will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, is scheduled to be built over a 12-year period to abide by Healdsburg’s growth restrictions.

Several council members called the approval a victory in their attempt to address the city’s ongoing housing needs.

“This is I think a pretty momentous moment for Healdsburg,” Mayor David Hagele said Monday, his voice cracking with emotion. “There’s a lot of pent-up

housing units that are ready to break through. To me, that’s a big deal.”

As part of the development agreement, a 40-unit affordable housing complex is scheduled to be built during the first phase of construction, which will also include the 53-room boutique hotel and the bulk of 15,000 square feet of retail space below it.

The first 40 multifamily, market-rate homes would also be constructed at that time, all completed as early as 2021 if Replay receives necessary design approvals as well as federal tax credits for the low-income units.

The housing package also consists of a mix of 30 rental and for-sale middleincome units, which will be built gradually over the life of the project.

The units will target those with salaries in the 120 to 160 percent range of the area median income (AMI), or up to about $94,000 for individuals, and as much as $134,500 for families of four.

“That’s been a need that hasn’t been addressed with our housing production to date,” said Councilman Joe Naujokas. “We need to hit this ‘missing middle.’ That’s been consistently raised by the community as a goal and objective.”

Additional community benefits are baked into Monday’s approval.

A nearly 1-acre public park is tentatively slated for the center of the property, in addition to Replay committing $1.045 million toward the city’s purchase of a new fire ladder truck and $1.3 million for new pedestrian and bicycle pathway in the downtown core near the recently finished roundabout.

“That part of town is awful now, and it’s been that way,” CouncilwomanEvelyn Mitchell said of its current access to pedestrians. “It’s always been kind of a joke driving into Healdsburg, this great community. This is just going to add to the whole beauty of our city.”

For construction and management of the affordable units, Replay has partnered with Hayward-based Eden Housing, which already oversees the 64-unit Foss Creek Court low-income complex in Healdsburg.

The agreement calls for 24 units at below 50 percent AMI, or $49,000 in annual salary for a family of four, and 16 more below 80 percent AMI, or about $78,500 in income.

An Eden representative said the nonprofit hopes to pursue a handful of under 30 percent AMI extremely low-income units — typically considered transitional housing for those coming out of homelessness — in the project.

To increase the chances the 40-unit complex receives the federal tax credit in the competitive process, the city will kick in $250,000, and in return Replay will contribute the same amount back to Healdsburg’s existing initiatives toward homelessness.

While the council unanimously backed the overall proposal, Vice Mayor Leah Gold voiced disappointment it did not result in even higher-density housing for the local workforce, namely because of its location next to the commuter rail right-ofway.

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, which is set to extend service to Windsor by early 2022, has yet to finalize service plans northward to Healdsburg and Cloverdale.

“That would have been, to me, the highest and best use of this property,” said Gold. “I’m sure it will be a beautiful project. We will make good use of the affordable and the middleincome housing that you do provide. I’m just hoping that in the future we can do better.”

At full buildout by 2030, the Mill District will include 208 housing units, of which 138 will be market-rate and the remaining 70 are incomerestricted, second in scale in Healdsburg only to the 346-unit Parkland Farms development approved by the council in 1995. Replay representatives said they’re ready to get construction underway.

“We’re just extremely excited to get going here and to finally realize what we’ve been talking about the last three years,” said Eric Chan, Replay’s director of development in Healdsburg. “We’re pretty proud that we’ve gone through this process to make a better project and now the real work is to come.” You can reach Staff Writer Kevin Fixler at 707-5215336 or kevin.fixler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @kfixler.

The Healdsburg City Council approved a mix of housing types within the Mill District redevelopment. A total of 208 units will be available.

Bringing the Mountain to Modern at YOTELPAD

Ski Utah | 26 Feb, 2019

The traditional mountain home is, well, stuck in tradition. Rough-hewn wooden walls, dark and heavy furnishings, cavernous rooms and probably a few dusty stuffed animals staring down in judgment at your Netflix choices. This is the tradition. It’s all so dark, stuffy, and gallingly inefficient.

The modern traveler wants modern convenience and values efficient, thoughtful, even conservative uses of space. When we go someplace like Park City, our lodging should be just right—the Goldilocks of spaces. We came here to ski, to dine, and to make memories with friends and family while we explore the mountains. Thankfully, designers, architects, and developers Berkshire Hathaway like are getting the hint and new projects like YOTELPAD Park City built around the way we actually travel and play and not some antiquated idea of how we should travel and play—with nary a dead animal on the wall.

The new YOTELPAD, the brainchild of Replay Destinations and Yotel, at the base of the Canyons Village at Park City Mountain puts the 7,300 Acres of the largest ski resort in the United States just outside your door. With 144 units ranging from studio to three bedrooms, the project was thought out to embrace smart design and maximize the square footage and all of it is fully wired with technology and intuitive services to help you focus on playing, not staying. And it’s affordable. YOTELPAD is hotel/condo concept that offers affordable full-ownership options (in the heart of a world-renowned ski resort) starting at $300,000, which puts luxury modern mountain living within range of the next generation.

Be Social

When not on the mountain and not asleep, it’s time for friends and family and to mingle with other guests. Friendly common areas offer plenty of room to spend time enjoying the time. The social spaces at YOTELPAD are designed to maximize view space of the surrounding mountains with comfortable seating, games for the kids, and food and drink. Gathering places feature soft seating placed around fireplaces. Soak up the sun, watch a movie, shoot pool, or join friends on the view terrace. Unwind by the pool or soak in the hot tub. Or relax with a drink by the fire before your next game of PAC-MAN. Designers at YOTELPAD configured every space to keep the schlepping (the bane of any ski trip) to a minimum. The valet parks your car, the ski valet takes your gear and you can settle in.

Be Efficient

Every innovative inch of YOTELPAD was created with efficiency for both time and space. Each private PAD (as the rooms are called) and social zone was designed with serious thought into how the modern traveler can and wants live on the mountain. The PADs all feature clever Italian-made furniture that makes the room work hard for many functions (and keeps prices down). For example, the sofa conceals a pull-down wall bed and storage space. The workspace doubles as a kids’ table and then transforms for bedtime into bunkbeds

Be Future Forward

Technology lets owners and guests get essentials done quickly and effortlessly. The entire property is linked up to the YOTELPAD app where you can do everything from extending your stay to requesting extra towels. Gary Raymond, the managing director of Replay Destinations, YOTELPAD Park City’s developer, believes that, “Technology, innovation, and design are converging to make smart resort homes affordable—and desirable—to a new generation.”

And YOTELPAD certainly seems to be living up to that promise.

Sponsored by YOTELPAD
Words by Jeremy Pugh