Gravenstein Commons, St. Vincent de Paul's controversial Sebastopol housing project, gets last stamp of approval

A 22-unit housing development for low-income and unhoused people got its final stamp of approval this week from Sebastopol’s design review board, but not before members of that panel got one last earful from residents who oppose the project.

St. Vincent de Paul of Sonoma County’s Gravenstein Commons development was revived by the Sebastopol City Council last week after the nonprofit threatened the city with a lawsuit for rescinding prior approval for the project.

The city council initially approved the project in May 2023. But it changed course in April after Sebastopol City Manager Don Schwartz told city council members the project was too risky for the cash-strapped city, which had signed on as a co-sponsor for a $6.5 million California “Project Homekey” grant to help fund the development.

But in June, attorneys for St. Vincent de Paul warned city officials they were investigating why the city had walked back from its previous commitment, prompting city officials to reconsider the project.

The project is set to inhabit the former AmeriGas site next to Bill’s Liquor on Highway 116 where an RV encampment for homeless people called Horizon Shine Village had once stood. It’s also near the recently approved 84-unit Canopy townhome development on the city’s north side.

Design review board approval was the final step before construction on Gravenstein Commons could get underway. Now that that’s happened, Jack Tibbetts, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul expects to break ground this September or October.

He hopes to complete the project within 18 months, citing the nonprofit’s “really ambitious timeline. ... We’re going to start in winter doing a lot of critical work like laying foundations and framing,” Tibbetts said. “If we get a lot of rain or atmospheric rivers, that will be delayed.”

The project has been met with opposition from neighbors who say the area has deteriorated since Horizon Shine Village opened in February 2022. The RV encampment shut down earlier this year.

“I live very, very close to the old structure and so far, I haven’t seen anything positive,” resident Diana Green told the design review board on Wednesday. “We are dealing with a town that doesn’t look at all like it did when I moved here in 1974.”

Tibbetts told The Press Democrat the development will provide a helping hand for people in Sonoma County facing hardship and homelessness.

“The key to solving homelessness in your community is creating accountability and to provide something people are willing to lose,” Tibbetts said. “Obviously there’s a very quick stigma about the homeless; they’re people who tend to behave poorly because they often have nothing to lose. But once you provide the dignity a home provides, they now have something they don’t want to lose.”

The homes within Gravenstein Commons will be 400-square foot studio apartments, each with a living space, full kitchen and bathroom. Front doors to the studios, which will be divided among four separate buildings, will face a community courtyard. The courtyard will offer shade structures, greenery and seating to create a welcome space for community members. The development will also include 20 parking spaces and a secure bicycle parking space for each studio.

As part of its condition of approval, St. Paul de Vincent is required to update the sidewalk in front of the property. It will also add fire-resistant plants throughout and retain mature oaks on the perimeter.

To address the well-being of the residents, one manager will live on site to provide general support, like collecting rent. Full-time and part-time case managers will work with residents to provide support services.

“They’re there to help people become more successful,” Tibbetts said.

Those support services vary, based on the type of residents who may live in Gravenstein Commons. People qualify for the housing project through the Sonoma County Continuum of Care system. Tibbetts said it is very likely that individuals who were living in Horizon Shine Village will be able to access housing at Gravenstein Commons, “but again, they have to go through coordinated entry,” he said.

Amie Windsor is the Community Journalism Team Lead with The Press Democrat. She can be reached at amie.windsor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5218.