At it's heart, Measure O is about construction.
Before voting, please consider how Healdsburg will be affected by an unknown quantity of potentially very high density apartments built up and down Healdsburg Avenue:
- Increase in Air Pollution from construction activity, heavy equipment and additional traffic from potentially thousands of new residents. Construction contributes up to 23% of the air pollution. In addition, construction is responsible for 39% of greenhouse gas emissions when demolition and construction activity, transportation and manufacturing of construction materials are considered.
- Increase in Water Pollution - Measure O places no constraints on the amount construction in our watershed. Construction activities result in pollutants from construction sites enter our nearby waterways such as Foss Creek and the Russian River
- Increase in Noise Pollution - The sound from heavy equipment and construction work impacts the nearby area
- Light Pollution - Multifamily homes often require lighting throughout the night during construction to protect the construction site and going forward for the safety of the residents.
- Loss of Natural Resources - Construction consumes large amounts of natural resources. The World Watch Institute found that 40% of the world's raw stones, gravel and sand and 25% of virgin wood are used in construction. They also found that construction consumes 40% of the energy and 16% of water annually. Harvesting the natural resources causes irreversible damage to our natural environment.
- Waste - Construction generates hundreds of millions of tons of waste a year. In the US, construction activities add up to over 25% of waste.
- Biodiversity Loss - Construction of large buildings such as those permitted by Measure O will impact the natural habitat of wildlife currently in many of our lots that would be available for large construction projects. By destroying the land then paving it, water will run into our storm water system and, carrying with it all the pollutants, be washed into the Russian River then to the ocean. That water will not percolate through the earth into our water tables. This cannot be solved by planting a few trees as an afterthought.
- Carbon Emissions - Carbon Emissions from buildings and construction recently hit a new high. One of the City's top priorities is to reduce carbon emissions. Over the objections of many residents, the City budgeted many of millions of dollars towards climate change mitigation efforts that far exceed requirements established by the State of California. One of the fundamental precepts of that effort is that reducing our carbon emissions will reduce the impact of climate change on our town. Measure O will reverse all the work we have done to reduce the net total carbon emissions from the City of Healdsburg. It will cause an irreversible increase in carbon emissions both from the immense amount of carbon released through the construction process, the increase in pollution due to increased traffic and the natural impact of increased pollution and carbon due to an increase in population.
- Water - Drinking water is a finite resource. The City residents recently endured austere restrictions because the City hadn't secured sufficient water rights for the residents. Consequent to the restrictions, residents have suffered steep water rate hikes because the water department incurred revenue losses during the restrictions and because they need $80M for infrastructure due to deferred maintenance. Despite some planning for water supplies and planning for the purple pipe project to keep the golf course green, Measure O allows the City Council to permit and unlimited number of multi-family units over hundreds of acres straddling Healdsburg Avenue. Although residents petitioned the City Council to stop issuing building permits after the City enacted some of the most severe water restrictions in the county, the City never stopped issuing building permits.
10. Traffic - Healdsburg Avenue is the main artery. Measure O places no limits on the number of units that may be built in the zone. The Capacity Report suggested that over 800 units could be built within a couple of blocks of the Plaza - all of which would use the traffic circle to access the southbound freeway entrance. The recommendation was to increase zoning to 65 units per acre and to limit parking to one parking spot per unit. There was no report on the traffic impact of 800 additional cars in that small area nor on the pollution related health risks to existing residents.
Sample Proposed Density:
