Key funding OK’d for Railroad Square
The North Bay and Santa Rosa in particular has been in need of a singular symbol of hope to counter the pervasive string of bad economic news. Funding just approved to jumpstart the visionary Railroad Square redevelopment project toward a real beginning may be it.
After an 11-hour meeting Monday with state officials, the project received $11.4 million in highly competitive state Proposition 1C bond funding for transit-oriented infill projects. The Railroad Square mixed-use project with San Francisco-based John Stewart Company the lead developer also stands to receive $3.65 million in federal stimulus funding.
Project developer John Stewart said today “we came out of nowhere to win this thing,” which was competing with nearly 80 other applicants.
The mixed-used project includes 279 housing units, including 68 that will be affordable, retail and a food and wine center.
“I have been on this project for 10 years and I have always liked it,” Mr. Stewart said. “It was depressing at times. But I feel this is really catalytic.” He said state officials, who approved the funding unanimously, agreed the project “is really transformative.”
Stewart will team with Burbank Housing on the affordable housing component in Phase 1 that also includes retail and a public garage. Then, for Phase 2, “when this market turns we want to be prepared to build market-rate housing,” Mr. Stewart said.
Once again we hear of money being wasted on a downtown area that the public has shun. From jamming high density apartments ,
combining public squares, denying permits to new businesses, and a sales tax that is ridiculous, what is clear is that most of our city officials were early brain donors with the inability to hear the will of the people.
Rather than have a market night downtown, why not have it in Coddingtown, or Mendocino near the JC? Oh, no money is donated by the businesses in that area to the politicians.!
by Zuma