West Gobbi housing approved
Proposal on consent calendar for tonight’s meeting
A new housing project proposed for West Gobbi Street will be considered for final approval by the Ukiah City Council today, as it is on the consent calendar for that meeting.
The project called Gobbi Commons includes eight single-family, market-rate homes being proposed in the 200 block of West Gobbi Street, just east of Yokayo Elementary School.
At the City Council’s previous meeting where the project was approved unanimously, one neighbor said she was pleased that the project was for houses, not apartments, but she did express concern about the increase in traffic it will bring.
“There is a traffic problem on West Gobbi already (because) we have a school down at the end and in the mornings it is like a freeway,” said Carrie Barnett, who
lives directly across the street from the proposed project. “People seem like they want to run over the children rather than drop them off, or both. We’ve asked a (Ukiah Police Department) officer to sit there, and have had (traffic) trailers literally clock people going 55 mph.
“And now we will have 16 more cars going in and out, with at least 32 trips a day,” continued Barnett. “So we need something — humps, bumps, or people. I don’t know. But we want our neighbors to be safe.”
When Council member Steve Scalmanini asked for clarification on which trees would be removed from the site, Planning Manager Michelle Irace said that the “large oak tree on the northwest side” will be removed for safety reasons at the recommendation of the city’s Electric Utility, but that “the remainder of the large oak trees on the perimeter will remain, while some smaller shrubs and trees within the center may be removed.”
Scalmanini said that another item people had expressed concern to him about was “light trespass,” asking “what is preventing lighting from the parking spaces,” especially from vehicle headlights, trespassing on the neighbors? Irace said her understanding was that there was existing fencing near the parking spaces, and that additional fencing was planned.
Now that the project has been approved by the city’s Design Review Board, Planning Commission and City Council, it is on the council’s consent calendar for final approval today at the meeting that begins at 6 p.m. in the council’s chambers at 300 Seminary Ave.