Oh boy. I live downtown. I live on Pitt Ave. Its really hard to think about this development without getting a deep sick feeling in my stomach. Pitt Ave. gets alot of traffic and noise as is. Any way you slice it this proposed project is going to create significant increased traffic flow on my street and lots of noise and pollution. I see a dramaticCars driving up and down my street because Healdsburg Ave., Main and Bodega are all crawling along people trying to cut through. Construction starting at 7 am in the morning for 20 years? The projected increase of traffic and loss of parking are huge issue for me. THE TRAFFIC WILL IMPACT EVERYONE GOING THROUGH OR LIVING IN SEBASTOPOL. Even if they build parking in the Laguna and make it a pedestrain friendly part of town, they will have to make new categories for traffic congestion. Its projected that all the major intersections in the downtwown will become LOS F. That is the worst you can have. Perhaps we can set a new precidence and make it LOS G, H or I...!
I actually think this development is potentially a really neat project.The Counsel organized a series of visionary meetings with the community that I thought was very useful. There are a lot of younger people wanting to have the opportunity to buy homes in Sebastopol. They really showed up for these meetings. This project would allow them to do this.
I love the drawings and renditions of the downtown. I would be right on the edge and could really enjoy and benefit from some of the things they plan to do. And my house potentially could actually go up in value because I would be on the edge of it.
Or not...if the the street I live on is full of parking cars and constant snarling traffic.
I would love it if there were a plan for MY street to be pedestrian friendly as well! There has been no studies on the impact of the downtown residential areas so they haven't really thought about this aspect very deeply. How about making the whole downtown east and west of Main St. pedestrian friendly! Put parking garages on the outskirts of Sebastopol with bus service? round abouts? block off streets so people can't cut through? free bikes for people to ride through town as in Paris?
Ultimately the Counsel is going to have to scale this project down or they are going to create a horrible mess. People will be very upset if they do put in all the 320 living units they say they will without solving the three big problems: traffic, water and flood zone building. They can do a lot with the second two: the wells and water use; and the flood zone. They need to do more with water conservation just as they have done with energy conservation. The flood zone can be worked with by their proposals for having the building built up one level so when it does flood the 500 year flood it doesn't flood homes. The traffic...that is where the rubber doesn't meet the road in this proposal.
Summary: So as far as I am concerned they need to scale this project down to maybe 80-100 living units. They need to address the impact on the neighborhoods west of Main St. They need to address traffic, water and flood in a new way.
Thanks. Chris Clay Bauman