Letter to the Editor – Workforce housing must begin with dignity
To the Editor, Yountville Sun,
I am writing in response to the town’s proposed workforce housing plan. Workforce housing must begin with dignity.
As the largest employer and taxpayer in Yountville, and as someone who has been a part of this valley for at least 50 years and deeply values the people who make this community what it is, I feel compelled to speak plainly: housing must begin with dignity.
Compressing working people into approximately 300-square-foot units, with inadequate parking and without meaningful consideration of schools, transportation or community services, is not thoughtful planning. It is an incomplete process. And when process falls short, people bear the consequences.
Our employees are not abstract numbers on a planning document. They are chefs, housekeepers, servers, landscapers, managers and tradespeople. They are parents. They are partners. They are human beings who deserve more than the bare minimum.
The demand in this town is overwhelmingly for two-bedroom units — housing that accommodates families and long-term stability. There is essentially no demand for 300-square-foot boxes that function as temporary containment rather than homes. This process has gone on for at least 24 months of planning, and never were we asked to survey our staff. We initiated our own confidential survey a little over three weeks ago. If we truly care about our workforce, we must listen to what they actually need.
Equally concerning is the absence of adequate infrastructure planning. Housing without sufficient parking, without schools, without integration into the fabric of daily life is not community building — it is isolation by design. That is not who Yountville is.
This is not an argument against workforce housing. On the contrary, it is an argument for doing it right. Employers will now conduct their own workforce surveys so real data – not assumptions – guides decisions. We have an obligation to pursue solutions that reflect care, respect and long-term vision.
I would also advocate that we source the trades people, the craftsman, the general construction and sub-trade community that thrive in the Napa Valley. It would make absolutely no sense whatsoever to recruit or hire anyone, but those who live and work in the valley to construct and deliver this planned development. Let’s ensure we invest in the people whom we are wanting to house.
If we approve a plan that compresses people into undersized units without the necessary support systems, it will leave an indelible stain on the reputation of those who endorsed it and on the town itself. We can and must do better.
Yountville has always stood for excellence. Our workforce deserves nothing less.
Sincerely,
Gary Jabara
Owner
Estate Yountville
Sponsored
Author
