City hears plan for senior housing
The
Buellton City Council heard from Santa Ynez Valley Senior Citizens’ Foundation
Executive Director Colleen Klein at its May 22 meeting on a partnership
proposed between the foundation and the city for a thrift store annex and
senior housing at the corner of Central and 1st Streets in Buellton.
The
proposal would allow the foundation to acquire the piece of property that
currently houses a thrift shop and two adjacent pieces of property that are
identified in the housing element of the city’s general plan as
“underdeveloped.”
The
property recently was rezoned to residential multi-family with an allowance of
up to 16 units per acre. The proposed
use would allow up to 11 senior apartments on the property that is 30,000
square feet.
The
Senior Foundation has already entered into an escrow with the property owner
but requires a partnership with the city to make the purchase financially
possible.
Council
members discussed the positive aspects of the project with Buellton Mayor Russ
Hicks commenting that it was a “great concept.”
The
council voted to bring the issue back in June with directions to staff to come
up with options available to the city on viable options for financing.
City Awards
Scholarships
In
other business, the city awarded scholarships to Casey Joe Howard and Lindsay
Wolf. The Norman and Gale Williams
Buellton Education Scholarship provides the
scholarship to deserving students allowing the continuation of their
educations.
Lindsay
Wolf will be attending UCLA to study nursing, and Casey Howard plans to attend
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, to study environmental horticulture.