The City of Healdsburg Has Identified Many Commonly Asked Questions about Measure O
The City would like voters to believe that voters erred in their desire for self determination over the scale and rate of growth of Healdsburg. They have put together a set of FAQs to explain to voters why they should transfer that power to elected officials, government employees and special interests that influence them. Below is additional detail to consider related to the City's responses to their FAQs.
- What is Measure O all about?
Under the pretense of creating middle class housing, Measure O seeks to transfer power from the voters to elected officials, government employees and special interests that influence them.
There is no specific plan outside of requesting the voters relinquish their rights so the City can be exempt from ANY VOTER CONTROL over the number multifamily housing units in three large areas.
The City specifically says our police and firefighters deserve affordable housing yet there is nothing prohibiting thousands of new units from being permitted under Measure O. In addition, there is no requirement that housing be priced in any particular bracket.
- What is the Growth Management Ordinance (GMO)?
The Growth Management Ordinance (GMO) is a housing growth policy approved by Healdsburg voters that prevented unilateral governmental control over housing. Over time, amendments have been approved by voters. These were the original concerns and they still stand:
In 2000, the people of the City of Healdsburg declared:
A. The recent rapid increase in residential growth is dramatically changing our small town character and negatively impacting our quality of life.
B. Growth management, in the form of annual allocations of residential building permits as provided in HMC 17.24.020, will ensure a more responsible growth rate and help maintain open space surrounding the City.
C. Rapid residential growth is a matter of continuing concern to the people of the City because it could tax the City’s ability to provide adequate public facilities to meet the requirements of that growth. (Ord. 970, 2000.)
- What is the official Measure O ballot question?
"To encourage creation of middle class and workforce housing on underutilized parcels, should the City of Healdsburg exempt multi-family housing along certain portions of the Healdsburg Avenue corridor from the Growth Management Ordinance?"
- Will Measure O help with housing affordability?
The law of supply and demand applies to housing just like everything else. If there are more houses, the should be more affordable. The homeowner in Healdsburg ;might ask themselves “More affordable to who?” Zillow shows houses near the pool are running in the area of $850K. Presidential Circle is in the same neighborhood. A house on Larkspur sold for $1.2M a couple of years ago.
This measure intends to drive down housing prices by allowing the government to issue an unlimited number of building permits for multifamily housing throughout the corridor. Up to 64 units per acre is currently being considered (an acre is about 3/4 of a football field). If enough homes are build to make the local housing market more affordable, basic economics indicate that all these new houses will drive down the prices of all the houses in the same price range.
Measure O proposes to bring middle class housing prices down by flooding the market. The GMO isn’t going away. Houses are still being built. Middle class voters are being asked to sacrifice their own equity so that people living in other towns can move here.
- What is multi-family housing?
Up to 64 units per acre are being proposed over many acres. Included would be duplexes/triplexes/fourplexes, townhomes, condominiums, and apartment buildings.
- Will my neighborhood be impacted?
Every single consumer of local goods and services and everyone who drives through town will be impacted by a large increase in population. Healdsburg is a small town and the GMO was voted in so that voters could make their growth determination and not the government.
- Is Downtown Included?
There is a carve out for the Plaza. There is also talk about controlling where BIg Box stores might be built. It is unknown whether there is a Walmart dreaming of serving thousands of new residents, but there is no doubt that more stores, more police and infrastructure will be required.
- Would Measure O result in increased traffic, congestion, or parking issues?
How could it not? For transparency, it’s important to include the stipulation on the City’s FAQs that “Communities that focus housing development along transportation corridors experience less traffic congestion and parking issues. ” It’s not clear how to reconcile that statement with the potentially thousands of new residents this Measure could result in nor does it address the problem of the traffic around the Plaza and the Circle and soon the train all disrupting traffic.
- Do we have enough water to support more multi-family housing?
A few years ago, we suffered some of the most severe water restrictions in the region - 74 gallons per day. The City’s website says that there will be enough water because there is an intention to distribute non-potable, treated sewer water to big water consumers for irrigation. The premise is that will free up plenty of drinking water for 800 new housing units. This treated water is not being distributed and there is nothing in Measure O that limits permits to 800 units.