LARKFIELD: Apartments for farm laborers planned

A proposal is in the works to build 30 units of affordable rental housing south of Windsor for agricultural workers and their families.

The California Human Development Corporation has asked Sonoma County to approve a mitigated negative declaration and design review for the parcel at 5352 Old Redwood Highway.

The project would be built on 1.75 acres zoned for affordable housing on the east side of the road, just north of the Airport Boulevard intersection in the Larkfield Urban Service Area.

Construction of two-story buildings with two bedroom apartments and a single-story community building would start this summer and take 12 to 18 months to complete, according to Chris Paige, the company’s chief administrative officer.

On-site services for residents would include computer lab, nutrition and behavioral health services. The project’s cost has not been finalized.

Each of the affordable rentals is for a family of not more than four residents, with at least one adult either employed in or retired from farm labor. The apartments will serve permanent residents and are not transitional housing.

“We have a lot of data that suggests affordable housing is critically needed in this county. We think this project will contribute to that need,” Paige said.

An estimated 4,000-5,000 people are employed as agricultural workers in Sonoma County, he said.

The first application for the Ortiz Plaza project was submitted to the county’s Permit and Resource Management Department in August 2013. It included three-story buildings, but county staff advised the California Human Development Corporation to eliminate the third story to make it more compatible with the neighborhood.

Neighbors were concerned the third stories would overlook their backyards, said Marian Parsons, the company’s housing and economic manager.

The surrounding neighborhood is suburban and rural in nature, with mixed land uses that include vacant parcels, one- and two-story single- and multiple-family homes, mobile home parks, warehouses and storage buildings.

Revised plans for the project were submitted in October and were reviewed the next month by the county’s Design Review Committee. Changes were made after a community meeting on Jan. 14.

The current plans include a six-foot wood fence along the project’s eastern boundary, separating the project from the neighboring single-family residential development. Water and public sewer services are available.

Parsons said neighbors also were concerned about crime and lower property values. She said the project would not have a significant impact on traffic, since tenants will access the project only from Old Redwood Highway.

“We have an excellent track record. When it’s managed well, there will not be any negative impacts on crime and property values,” Parsons said. “We’re in the process of accepting applications. There is a rigorous screening process and application submission.”

California Human Development is a nonprofit community based organization for low income residents that provides emergency services, family education programs, energy cost assistance and immigration and citizenship assistance.

The county’s Design Review Committee will meet within the next five weeks after a few minor changes are made. At that point, the public will have 10 days to make further comments.

Contact Windsor Towns Correspondent James Lanaras at WindsorTownNews@gmail.com.