Sonoma County development under scrutiny

Plans to create a residential development as well a hotel in Healdsburg are meeting with opposition.

The North Bay Business Journal reports that the developer “Southern California-based Comstock Homes has drawn a legal challenge against the city, with opponents asserting the expansive development would run afoul of state environmental regulations.”

In addition to a 120-room hotel, Comstock wants to “construct 350 units of housing split between 132 income-restricted rental units for the local workforce and a 220-unit senior living community. Plans also call for 20,000 square feet of retail space,” according to the paper.

The development on a former lumber yard hasn’t found any supporters among California River Watch members. The Business Journal writes that the environmental organization “has filed suit contending that Healdsburg failed to lawfully account for the greenhouse gas emissions the luxury hotel would generate. The lawsuit is a key piece of the group’s goal to force local governments to more closely account for the climate impacts of commercial growth and the region’s tourism economy.”

According to the paper, “the new suit aims to force the city to withdraw its environmental study of the area and revise the plan so it includes a way to calculate rising emissions.”