New plan for old Healdsburg fruit packing warehouse

Plans to repurpose an old fruit packing warehouse in downtown Healdsburg are again moving forward to make it a permanent home for the farmers market and venue for public events.

A design team is recommending preserving some parts of the 1920s building on North Street, known as the Cerri or Purity property, but also creating an event venue along with 55 parking spaces.

“It would have the old-timey feel of the building and get more space for parking,” said Mayor Shaun McCaffery, who called the tentative plan “a good compromise” that will retain some elements of the building without demolishing it entirely.

“Even though it’s not the prettiest thing, it is part of Healdsburg’s past,” McCaffery said.

The Cerri property is considered part of Healdsburg’s agricultural past but was in danger of being torn down after the city acquired it a dozen years ago with plans to turn it into a parking lot.

Preservationists rallied to save the old warehouse, and in 2010 a conceptual plan was developed to keep the facade but remove most of the building’s sides and back.

The intent was for the covered structure to be used for parking and as an “open-air event pavilion” hosting the farmers market, antiques and arts fairs and other festivals.

The project stalled because of the recession and the subsequent dissolution of the city’s redevelopment agency. The latest plan developed by consultants TLCD Architecture calls for tearing down roughly half the building, leaving covered space for events and activities, and an event space for events such as the twice weekly Healdsburg Certified Farmers Market.

In places where the roof is removed, some of the building’s trusses would be preserved with vining plants to help provide shade.

There also would be a catering kitchen and restrooms.

The latest design will be shown at a public workshop Monday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.

It includes a self-guided walk for the first hour at the Cerri building, located across the street.

The city envisions the site as a permanent venue for the farmers market, now held Wednesdays in the gravel parking lot and Saturdays in the West Plaza parking lot behind Bear Republic Brewing Co.

“It will be just what we need to re-establish the focus of food and farming at a market,” Lou Preston, co-chairman of the farmers market, said Thursday.

Even though Healdsburg is a tourist town that revolves around wine and restaurants, he said there hasn’t always been a “dynamic recognition” of the market and local agricultural products.

While the latest plan will keep some historical attributes of the building, Mayor McCaffery said “some people won’t be happy. Some people want the whole building kept. But what do you do with it?”

One of the challenges is the building’s raised foundation, which makes it inflexible for the multiple purposes envisioned there.

Another challenge is funding. The city has about $1.4 million set aside for the project, but it’s expected to cost more than $3.5 million, according to the mayor. He said it likely would be done in phases.

The industrial structure next to the railroad at Grove and West North streets was used for fruit packing when it was known as the “Cerri Brothers Produce Warehouse.”

In more recent years, it was the “Purity Chemical Supply Warehouse and Store” where herbicides, pesticides and pool chemicals were stored. Though touted as a symbol of the town’s agricultural heritage, not everyone has always appreciated the old structure.

“Some look at it and say ‘It’s an eyesore, tear it down.’ Others say ‘it’s an important part of our heritage,’?” said Community Services Director Mark Themig.

The Parks and Recreation Commission is scheduled to consider the schematic design April 12 before it goes to the City Council for a public hearing, likely in May.

You can reach Staff Writer Clark Mason at 707-521-5214 or clark.mason@pressdemocrat.com.