92-unit affordable senior apartments proposed for Boyes Springs

A South Bay developer is proposing the closure of a small RV trailer park in Boyes Hot Springs, relocating the residents to other similar facilities, then building a 90-plus apartment unit it its place.

The Oak Park Trailer, tucked away down an unassuming dirt drive off Siesta Way, won't stay unknown for long: Los Gatos affordable housing developer Milestone Housing is proposing a 92-unit, 3-story apartment complex at the site, targeted to senior households that have incomes at 30 to 60 percent of area median income (AMI).

The public's first look at the proposal comes Wednesday, June 17, as part of the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission meeting, to be held virtually at 6:30 p.m.

Marcus Griffin, of Milestone Housing, described the 'Siesta Senior project' as being in the beginning stages of design development.

'Our main focus at this point is getting approval to close the trailer park,' Griffin told the Index-Tribune. He noted the strong demand for senior housing in Sonoma as demonstrated by the neighboring Celestina Garden Apartments in Fetters Hot Springs, which opened earlier this year and has a 300-plus person waiting list.

The properties – two adjoining lots with a listed price of $4.15 million combined – are currently zoned for 10 housing units per acre, so the project will require a zoning variance.

There are a handful of structures on the property at present – a small 500-square-foot house, three mobile homes and seven RVs housing 12 families of 36 persons total. All of the families would be relocated at the developer's expense, with relocation and rental assistance for every current resident of the properties. In fact the bulk of the proposal before the county is devoted to the relocation process, budgeted to cost almost $1 million.

Siesta Senior Apartments, described as 'a planned 92-unit age-restricted, affordable housing project' is proposed on two adjoining parcels of 2.29 acres – the RV park is 1.25 acres – between Siesta Way and East Thompson Street, with a surrounding 6-foot masonry wall. The apartment building's footprint will be 28,500 square feet, with 91 affordable rental units averaging 544 square feet and a manager's apartment. It will mostly be three stories, sloping to two stories as it approaches neighboring homes, with a maximum height of 42 feet.

Entrance to the apartment complex is via a driveway at 171 Siesta Way, between two single-family dwellings, but initial designs include adequate space for fire turn-arounds and an emergency exit to Sonoma Highway.

Only 95 parking spaces are proposed, however, because according to the proposal, 'as an affordable senior community, trip generation is expected to be limited,' and public transportation is available on Sonoma Highway 400 feet away. Parking, and traffic generation, are often key areas of attention at SVCAC review meetings.

But this first stage of county review is primarily about the closure of the trailer park, said Jane Riley of Permit Sonoma. 'The DRC (Design Review Commission) and the SVCAC are getting an early conceptual look at the future housing project; it has not yet been formally applied for,' said Riley. A later hearing before the Board of Zoning Adjustments will also focus on the closure of the RV park, said Riley.

Additional reviews of the project include a Design Review Commission meeting, also scheduled for June 17, and the Board of Zoning Adjustments review on June 25.

Eduardo Hernandez, the Permit Sonoma planner handling the project, said the county is 'working with the applicants and trying to get this done in time for them to get some funding,' based on a June 30 application deadline.

The SVCAC meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17. Zoom conference address is zoom.us/j/91621887441.

Email Christian at christian.kallen@sonomanews.com.