Letter to the Editor – Don’t commit $90M to Commons without hard worker numbers
Dear Editor,
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what Yountville will look like in 30 years. Not just the buildings or the footprint, but the actual heartbeat of our town. The Yountville Commons project isn’t just about housing; it’s about deciding whether we want to remain a living, breathing community or slowly become a quiet museum of weekend homeownership. To keep the “Yountville charm” we all love, we must have the foresight to welcome the people who actually make this town run.
To the surprise of a certain narrative, Thomas Keller and I are both in favor of workforce housing yet taking on nearly $90 million in debt, or at least cost of the project, could be detrimental in my opinion. Thus, we need data to know who needs housing and what price would they be willing to pay. Most of our worker community based on my knowledge of hourly wage is making below $60K per year and a chunk of those well below that.
Yet, “doing it right” means we need to be working with real-world data, not just projections. We need to get proper, direct information from our town employees as to what their true housing needs are. Are we building what they actually need to stay here long-term? Without that clarity, we risk missing the mark on the very goal we’re trying to achieve: bringing workers and families back into the fabric of our streets.
Beyond the “who,” we have to get the “how” right. One of my biggest concerns is the current parking plan. We cannot sacrifice parking for density. Having 70 spaces for 120 units simply doesn’t work in reality; those residents will inevitably park on the streets, increasing congestion and stripping away the small-town feel we are trying to preserve. If we want a sustainable community, we have to account for the infrastructure that supports it. So, let’s make the plan right. We have already spent $1.7 million dollars on planning; why wouldn’t we already have done this survey?
We have a unique opportunity right now to do what’s best for the long-term health of Yountville. It’s about more than just numbers on a spreadsheet; it’s about bringing the “community” back to our streets in a way that is smart and functional. Let’s make sure 30 years from now, we look back and are proud that we chose to be a place where families can grow, the infrastructure is sound, and the people who work here can truly belong.
I commend council and staff for their ability to get things done in a timely fashion, yet an eight-week pause to get clarity on worker data is crucial. At the same time, we should really consider having a public-private partnership on this project. Our local economy is in a different place than it was 10 years ago. Let’s think forward and let’s think together because that is how we can prosper as a community we all love.
Arik Housley, owner
Ranch Market Yountville
Yountville Elementary School class of somewhere in the ‘80s
Sponsored
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