Mach 8, 2021 — About half the Caucasian population in Mendocino County has been vaccinated, compared to 16% of the Hispanic population. Still, with case rates dropping, Public Health Officer Dr. Andy Coren says the county could enter the red tier by the middle of this month.
The county Planning Commission unanimously approved a subdivision of parcels on Feliz Creek in Hopland for more winemaking, with the possibility of publicly available walking trails on a 40-acre parcel in the floodplain.
And the county has likely missed its opportunity to purchase Old Howard Hospital, with another potential buyer taking steps to secure the property.
The topic of possibly using Measure B money to buy Old Howard Hospital for a psychiatric health facility surfaced at the January meeting of the Measure B citizens oversight commission, which decided to leave the matter to ad hoc committees of the Board of Supervisors and the Willits City Council. In 2018, when the site was first being considered for a puff, the City Council passed an ordinance noting that the county had failed to provide the city any information about the project; that the Council believed the building does not conform to seismic and safety standards; and that the proposed use of the site does not comply with the city’s zoning requirements. The upshot of the ordinance was essentially a public records act request to the county, enfolded in a declaration of the city’s desire to be involved in the decision-making process about the use of the property.
Just a week and a half ago, county representatives were gearing up to do just that. The Willits Rotarians received a presentation about the implications of having a puff in their community, and a town hall with the city and county ad hoc committees was planned for yesterday afternoon. But as of late last week, the Frank R. Howard Foundation had signed a letter of intent with an undisclosed buyer. The purchase agreement had not been signed, but once it is, a minimum of sixty days’ escrow will begin.
Arnie Mello, the Executive Director of the Howard Foundation, said the potential buyer had expressed an interest in renovating the property and converting it to a healthcare facility of some sort, but there is still lots of due diligence to be done.
And on Thursday Gary Breen, the CEO of Campovida winery in Hopland, made a case to the Planning Commission to subdivide 54 acres into four small parcels and a 40-ACRE remainder. Last year, he built a $12 million 60,000 square foot building to store a million gallons of wine from local vineyards. He argued that he’s made significant financial contributions to the local economy and public safety.
The planning Commission agreed unanimously to grant Breen’s request.
