Supes OK purchase of hotel in Ukiah

County to pay $10.6M to house those in need on South Orchard Avenue

The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors this week approved the purchase of the Best Western motel on South Orchard Avenue for $10.6. million.

In his report out of closed session, Board chairman and Third District Supervisor John Haschak said the board had approved the acquisition of the business at 555 S. Orchard Avenue for a “purchase price of $10,640,000,” and that a sales agreement would be brought before the board at a later date.

Earlier this month, California Sen. Mike Mcguire (D-healdsburg) announced that Mendocino County was receiving $9.6 mil

lion from the state to buy a hotel and create 56 new units of housing for those without homes.

In a press release the following day, Mendocino County officials declared they were “in negotiations to purchase a motel on Orchard Avenue (that they intended) to utilize to provide transitional housing for individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. All rooms will remain in their initial configuration as studio-style units. While the initial purpose of the facility will be transitional housing, the county plans to upgrade at least 50-percent of the facility into permanent housing within ten years of acquisition.”

According to Sen. McGuire, the $9.6 million state grant for Mendocino County is just part of “the first round of state funding for Project Homekey — $76.4 million out of a total of $659 million.” His office described the program as “an innovative initiative from the State of California to assist local cities and counties in purchasing and rehabilitating hotels, skilled nursing facilities, apartment buildings and transition them to permanent supportive housing opportunities for homeless Californians.”

The Best Western is next-door to the headquarters of Redwood Community Services at 602 S. Orchard Avenue, the largest provider of homeless services in Mendocino County, and the county plans to build a crisis residential mental health treatment center on the lot immediately west of the RCS offices.