Springs housing proposal gets unanimous nod from citizens advisory group

A proposed 91-unit senior affordable housing complex in the Springs got a unanimous thumbs up from the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission at its regular meeting on Dec. 2.

The Siesta Senior Apartments project, to be located just north and east of the Fiesta Plaza on Highway 12, will next go before the Sonoma County Design Review Committee.

The 2.29 acre project would take up much of the block between Siesta Way and East Thompson streets, behind the businesses on Sonoma Highway.

The age-restricted development will be 100 percent affordable (except for one manager’s unit) and will be restricted to seniors with household incomes from $22,000 and $54,000 (income between 30 and 60 percent of the area median). There will be 92 units in all, one will be used for an apartment manager.

Marcus Griffin, CFO of the development group, Milestone Housing, said the rent of the units is expected to range from $625 to $1,260 a month for units that range in size from 522 to 544 square feet.

The project would require the closing of the 1.25 acre Oak Park trailer park community on Siesta Way and the relocation of its 11 households at the developer's expense, a six-month process budgeted to cost almost $1 million, Griffin said.

Milestone’s goal is to start the 15 month construction period in summer 2021, according to Griffin. The application process, including outreach, would begin around six months before the completion of construction, he said. While he noted that Fair Housing Act guidelines require that housing applications be open to anyone, he said that his team will make a “huge” effort to communicate the availability of the new units in Sonoma Valley and that applications will likely be accepted on a first-come first-served basis.

At the meeting Milestone presented several different views of the 28,500-square-feet complex footprint, including the project’s amenities, including its clubroom, exercise stations, dog park, community garden, games lawn and other outdoor communal areas. New to the plan presented on Dec. 2 was a sidewalk linking the new housing development to Fiesta Plaza shopping center and Highway 12.

Those in attendance at the online meeting agreed that additional housing is sorely needed in Sonoma Valley. Discussion at the Dec. 2 meeting centered largely on the development’s position on the Springs evacuation route, traffic on Highway 12 and the project’s landscaping plan.

Evacuation route

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Sonoma Valley resident Paul Rockett expressed his concern that a new housing development in this location could make the evacuation routes out of the Springs even more difficult during a wildfire and requested that an independent agency evaluate the project for fire safety.

Commissioner Mark Bramfitt said that while concerns about evacuation safety are real, he described the problem as more of a community planning issue.

“This project isn’t at the top of Siesta Way, it is at the bottom,” he pointed out. “And if we have problems with evacuation routes, we have them already. I don’t think this project really exacerbates the existing situation.”

Commissioner Margaret Spaulding agreed, saying that “denying this project is not the solution to improving egress in this area.”

Traffic

SVCAC Chair Ryan Lely pointed out that he lives at the top of Siesta Way and noted that exiting Siesta onto Highway 12 can be a challenge but also expressed his support for the project.

Commissioner Tim Freeman said that in his personal experience living in a 55 and up community, traffic should not be much of an issue.

Commissioner Matthew Dickey said that he supported the project but expressed concern over how Highway 12 is being impacted by new and proposed housing projects.

“I’m really concerned that Highway 12 is going to become unpassable,” he said. “At some point in the future, we are going to overwhelm one roadway. I really think we need to look at this holistically and take (existing infrastructure constraints like Highway 12) into consideration as we deliberate projects like this.”

Landscaping

Resident Caitlin Cornwall described it as a “fine” project, but bemoaned the loss of most of the large blue oak trees and the number of non-native trees proposed in the plan.

During the public comment, Fred Allebach said he has had “mixed feelings” about the project but stated that, “the relocation is the best deal that can possibly be done and the social good of 92 units of affordable housing is unquestionably needed.”

As the commissioners prepared to vote, Commissioner Steven Mullen agreed that the project is “sorely need” and Commissioners Eric Kokkonen and Shannon Kizer both noted that any concerns they had would not prevent them for voting in favor of the project. Bramfitt described the project as “98 percent perfect.”

Cornwall also expressed support, noting that she “wished it was happening inside city limits.”

Spaulding made a motion to recommend approval of the project, noting, however, some areas of concern: the safety and security of the tenants to be evicted, the desire for less hardscaping and more native plants; affordable broadband for tenants and “grave concern” about the emergency evacuation situation.

Freeman seconded the motion. All 10 commissioners voted to recommend the project.

Griffin told the Index-Tribune that he has no doubt that the demand is there. Neighboring Celestina Garden Apartments in Fetters Hot Springs, which opened earlier this year, had a 300-plus person waiting list.

“The commissioner and neighbors have provided us with a list of concerns that they want us to carefully note as we move forward,” said Griffin. “There is huge pent up demand for senior affordable housing in Sonoma Valley, everyone recognizes that and the commissioners put their concerns in that context.”

Contact Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.