Sonoma Report
Two Healdsburg residents have appealed the Planning Commission’s Aug. 10 approval of The Hudson, a proposed four-story senior housing development on Harmon Street.
The joint appeal was filed Aug. 20 by artist Lewis Bengham, who lives on Mason Street, and retired attorney Jon Eisenberg of Tucker Street. Both live near the proposed project, according to the Healdsburg Tribune.
Their appeal argues that the Planning Commission incorrectly interpreted Building Code 113.2 when reviewing the application. The residents contend that the project’s planned medical and memory care services would place it under the state definition of a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly, or RCFE.
The Harmon Street property is zoned for “Residential Care, general,” the appeal states. Bengham and Eisenberg argue that the proposed facility therefore cannot be built without a variance and that the commission should have denied the application on that basis.
The project, proposed by Gallaher Signature Living, would include 77 units and could house as many as 160 residents, according to the Tribune. The Planning Commission’s approval allows the proposal to move forward in the city’s review process, but the appeal places the decision before the Healdsburg City Council.
The council is expected to hear the appeal at its Sept. 21 meeting, the Tribune reported.
The approval followed an Aug. 10 commission meeting at which two members were absent: city council candidate Alec Wood and commission newcomer J.P. Gentry. Phil Luks, who served on the Planning Commission for 12 years, retired in June, according to the report.
The Hudson has prompted continued discussion in Healdsburg over development rules and the city’s Growth Management Ordinance. The appeal now gives the City Council an opportunity to review the Planning Commission’s decision and the project’s zoning and code issues.
