Page 15 - Sonoma County Gazette - August 2018

HEALDSBURG cont’d from page 1
Then, on August 15th at 6 pm they’ll share their roadmap to the future with the entire community. Or at least as many as can fit into the Healdsburg High School gym. After that, it’s up to the community to choose which of the recommendations they want to implement right
Healdsburg’s Sustainable Future
away and lay out next steps.
One resident told them, “when Healdsburg re-created itself from an agricultural town to tourism, they created a super-desirable place to live.” The only problem was that “all the people with money bought in.”
Back in 1982, Healdsburg was in the path of intense growth pressures. The Bay Area was expanding both in population and economy. Santa Rosa’s growth had exploded and was spilling over into Healdsburg. Commuting was increasing. Shoppers were heading into Santa Rosa, taking local sales and tax monies with them. Healdsburg was economically depressed. The fountain in the Plaza was a popular gathering spot for the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and several businesses surrounding the Plaza were boarded-up and vacant.
A young Healdsburg native said that he knows
Other voices chimed in to say, “there is no middle-class in this town” and “there are no places to live.” Someone noted the High School population has declined from 620 to 560 since last year. And a third person pointed out that’s half what it was a generation ago.
A group discussing arts and culture expressed
The result is Healdsburg as we know it today – a mecca for wine and food lovers, a scenic destination for bicyclists, boaters, rafters and fishermen, a home for retirees and much more – while still retaining its “home town” feel.
doing its best to lay out a map for those generations to follow into the future.
When the AIA team came this April for their preliminary evaluation, they talked with people with diverse views of Healdsburg.
Everything old is new again
Healdsburg called on the AIA then, too. After an
intense process, their Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team (R/UDAT) laid out a strategy for a stronger Healdsburg economy. They concluded, “Healdsburg is going to grow, but it faces some severe limits to the amount of growth. Change is coming and so is accompanying growth.”
Jazz Band for 5th grade students to create more on-going involvement with the arts. Another wanted us to create arts events in the image
The plan proposed three possible directions. Healdsburg chose to invest more in tourism, featuring Healdsburg’s agricultural tradition. The city continued acting as a service center for the vineyards. They also worked with the wineries to promote Healdsburg tourism. They drew visitors attracted by the vineyards, the Russian River scenic/recreation corridor and Lake Sonoma.
of popular holiday events like the FFA parade and Día de los Muertos.
The most important part of mapping Healdsburg’s future is the community’s willingness to speak up and express their views. They also need to listen to others’ ideas and then work together to support change. The AIA-SDAT teams have seen many communities divided over important issues come together to create a better future. As one attendee said, “We need to rely on the next generation and the one after that to create Healdsburg’s future.” With the SDAT, Healdsburg is
between 4 and 10 people who leave each month.
their hopes. One was to expand events like Operation
INFO: healdsburg-sdat.org
FIND a LOCAL Nursery, Landscaper, Landscape Material Supplier, etc. @ SonomaCountyNurseries.com
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