Construction of the 387-unit Vintage Oaks apartment project in downtown Windsor is anticipated to start in early 2022. The project developer, Pebble Creek Development, will build the housing in several phases. The first phase will involve construction of approximately 120 units at the south end of the property, across from the Bell Village Shopping Center and along Old Redwood Highway. The remaining phases will take two to three years to complete.
 
The Vintage Oaks project advances the Town’s long-standing goal of providing higher density housing in a walkable environment close to shopping and transit.  As a condition of project approval, the developer will provide $2 million to the Town to develop more affordable housing. That money is on top of another $1.2 million the developer had contributed for affordable housing, part of which helped to fund the recently completed 60-unit Windsor Veterans Village for low-income, disabled, and formerly homeless veterans.

Winners of Home Holiday Decorating Contest

On Tuesday, Town of Windsor Recreation Staff accompanied by judging elves toured the participating homes of the second annual Home Holiday Decorating Contest. They enjoyed every home and were impressed with the creativity, ingenuity, and hard work to produce the festive decorations.
 
Drumroll, please: Staff and judges have identified the top four winners. The most festive homes in Windsor this holiday season are:

• 9511 Lazy Creek Drive
• 923 Robbie Way
• 246 Grove Street
• 7718 Foppiano Way

Videos of Holiday-Decorated Homes: Check out livestream videos of all the homes in the contest on the Parks and Recreation Instagram page. Thank you to everyone who participated. You've made the season very merry and very, very bright!

Town Council Extends Agreement on
Windsor Civic Center Redevelopment Project

On December 1, after much discussion and public feedback, the Windsor Town Council extended the exclusive negotiating agreement (ENA) on the proposed Windsor Civic Center Redevelopment Project with the Robert Green Company to June 30, 2022. The Town Council approved this seven-month extension so a fifth member of the Town Council may weigh in on this project. A special election for this councilmember seat will be held on April 12, 2022.

The ENA extension allows a full five-member Town Council to decide the future of this proposed project, which includes a hotel, residential housing, community spaces, as well as Town, police, school district, and public library facilities. If the Town Council had not approved the extension, the project would have expired at the end of the year.

Learn more about the project by visiting the Town’s Civic Center website or Robert Green’s project website. You may also contact Tim Ricard at tricard@townofwindsor.com. 

“Green Charlie Brown” and Christmas Tree Grove

We introduced the Green Charlie Brown statue to Windsor this summer and since then, he has been a fixture on the Town Green. Artist Amber Rankin, who painted the statue, shares this time-lapse video of transforming a blank canvas to a multi-colored Peanuts character: 

Charlie Brown is also the inspiration for our annual, beloved Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Grove. In the TV special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Charlie Brown is depressed at the commercialism and materialism around the holidays, so Lucy suggests he direct a Christmas pageant. As a centerpiece for the play, he chooses a small, scrawny, and forlorn Christmas tree because he thinks it needs some tender loving care.

The other kids mock him, but then Linus speaks of the true meaning of Christmas – of peace and goodwill to men. The small tree symbolizes the kindness, charity and generosity we should foster not just over the holidays, but all year long. We hope you visit our Christmas tree grove, which will be open through December 31. 

State Water Board to Consider
New Emergency Drought Regulations 

Despite recent rains, we’re still in a drought. For two years in a row, average rainfall in our region fell under 40 percent, so the precipitation we’ve had recently -- while very welcome -- falls far short of making up for many consecutive months of dry weather. Lake Sonoma is still under half of water-storage volume and Lake Mendocino has even less water at 36 percent of storage volume. 

Statewide, the water picture doesn’t look any prettier. So, on January 4, the State Water Resources Control Board will vote whether to adopt emergency regulations to help further mitigate the impacts of the drought. If adopted, these regulations would take effect in Windsor on a schedule set by the state water board.

Most of the proposed water use prohibitions have been in effect in Windsor for months. However, a few will be new:

• The turf of public street medians or along sidewalks may not be irrigated with potable water.
• Potable water may not be used for decorative fountains or the filling or topping-off of decorative lakes or ponds, with exceptions for those that use pumps to recirculate water and only require refilling to replace evaporative loss.
• HOAs cannot penalize homeowners for replacing turf for landscaping that uses less water.

If you’d like to read the proposed regulations or provide comments to the state water board, click here. Sonoma Water, by the way, operates and maintains a network of gauges that provides real-time data on rainfall, stream levels and reservoir levels. Check out the data here: Sonoma.Onerain.com 

Meanwhile, Windsor has been crushing it when it comes to water conservation! In October and November, water use was down by over 30 percent when compared to the same months in 2020. And over the past summer, the Town averaged a 20 percent reduction in water use in comparison to the summer of 2020. Keep up the good work, Windsor!  

Windsor Veterans Village Opening Celebration

A cold rain blew in on the opening celebration of the Windsor Veterans Village, but it didn’t dampen the smiles of the many veterans’ advocates, developers, local officials and Vets Village residents who attended on December 6.

Located near Keiser Park, the 60-unit veterans housing project (9500 Oak Park Street) provides homes and counseling and other supportive services to low-income or disabled veterans, as well as veterans who had experienced homelessness. Construction began in July 2019 and residents moved  in earlier this year.

Many agencies and organizations were instrumental in making the Windsor Veterans Village a reality. They include the Veterans Housing Development Corporation, Nation’s Finest, Cal Vet, County of Sonoma, Home Depot Foundation, SBI Builders, the Town of Windsor, and many more. Learn about the Windsor Vets Village by clicking here. You can also read this Press Democrat article of the opening celebration.

Special Election for Town Council At-Large Seat

Mark your calendars: The Town of Windsor will hold a special election on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, to fill the Town Council at-large seat vacated by the appointment of Councilmember Sam Salmon to mayor. Voting by mail opens on March 14, 2022.

Candidates are required to file official nomination petitions. These may be obtained by appointment only from the Office of the Town Clerk, 9291 Old Redwood Hwy., Building 400, from December 20 through January 14, 2022. The issuance and acceptance of nomination papers are available by appointment and only during this nomination period.

The term of this at-large seat expires in December 2022. For more information on the special election and to schedule an appointment, please call the Town Clerk’s Office at (707) 838-5315 or email Town Clerk Irene Camacho-Werby at iwerby@townofwindosr.com or townclerk@townofwindsor.com. 

Police Department Holiday Toy Drive a Success

The Windsor Police Department would like to thank the community for making our annual holiday toy drive, held in partnership with the Windsor Kiwanis Club, a resounding success. Over the past few weeks, community members dropped off toys at the tree lighting event and at the Windsor Police Department.

SBI also generously donated $500, which allowed Sgt. Fong, Community Services Officer Koch and WPD administrative staff to add many more gifts to the toy drive. We are grateful for all the donors! Your thoughtful gifts will help Windsor children in need have a more joyful holiday. 
. 

Dec. 14-21: Traffic Enforcement on Hembree Lane

The Windsor Police Department is currently conducting traffic enforcement on Hembree Lane between Old Redwood Highway and Shiloh Road through Tuesday, December 21.

Windsor Police are watching for seat belt violations, distracted driving, red light violations, and speeding. Please obey posted speed limits and drive safely and responsibly.  

Tree Removal and New Patio at Hembree House Museum 

On Monday, December 20, the Windsor Historical Society will remove a large black walnut tree on the back side of the Hembree House Museum so a new concrete patio can be installed in January. During the scheduled work, bike and pedestrian traffic on the Windsor Creek Trail may be redirected around the Senior Center to connect to the bridge.

This work is the first phase in the implementation of the master plan for Clara’s Garden (pictured). This patio project will help create a larger event space for the museum’s educational programs, fundraising and special events. Please direct any questions to Parks and Facilities Manager Olivia Lemen at olemen@townofwindsor.com or the Windsor Historical Society at Windsor.History@yahoo.com.

Update on Roundabout Construction

The rainy weather has intermittently impacted roundabout construction, but work continues. PG&E completed re-lowering its gas-service lines to accommodate the storm drainpipe and in the upcoming week, the contractor is scheduled to install the aggregate base for concrete as well as install curb, curb ramps and sidewalks.

Flashing beacons have also been placed at the temporary crosswalk east of the construction site on Windsor River Road to help pedestrians cross safely. If you're interested in the progress of this construction project, we provide monthly updates here.

What Do You Think of the Windsor Resilience Plan?

We heard from many of you about your values, vision, and priority strategies for the Windsor Resilience Plan – now let us know if we got it right. Visit windsorready.com to comment from December 17, 2021, to January 10, 2022.

The Windsor Resilience Plan, which has been underway for the last 18 months, will help our community prepare for extreme weather events magnified by climate change. The plan identifies how we can invest in the health, vitality, prosperity, and resilience of our community over the coming decades. Learn more at windsorready.com. 

Cardboard Recycling Locations in Windsor

Do you have too much cardboard from all the holiday gift orders you’ve placed? Recycle those boxes for free at seven drop-off locations in Windsor.

Cardboard-recycling locations include the Town parking lots at the corner of Windsor Road and Windsor River Road and at Huerta Gym and four public schools: Brooks Elementary, Mattie Washburn Elementary, Cali Calmecac, and Brooks Middle School.

Please flatten and break down your boxes before placing them in the blue dumpsters to maximize usable space. If a dumpster is full, please help keep Windsor litter free by dropping it off at another location. For more information on cardboard recycling locations, visit https://www.townofwindsor.com/1150/Cardboard-Recycling

Are Your Xmas Trees, Lights and Candles Fire-Safe?

Your Sonoma County Fire District wishes you a happy holiday season and reminds you to take safety precautions regarding Christmas trees, holiday decorations, and candles.

U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 160 residential Christmas-tree fires each year from 2015 to 2019. Nearly one in five of those fires were started by decorative lights. These fires caused an average of two deaths, 12 injuries, and $10 million in property damage annually. Candles are also a potential hazard and Christmas is the peak day for candle fires, with roughly 2.5 times the daily average, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Check out these safety tips:

Christmas Tree & Holiday Decorations

• Some lights are only for indoor or for outdoor use, but not both.
• Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections. Read manufacturer’s instructions for number of light strands to connect.
• Use clips, not nails, to hang lights so the cords do not get damaged.
• Keep decorations away from windows and doors.
• Turn off all light strings and decorations before leaving home or going to bed

Candles

• Never use lit candles to decorate a Christmas tree!
• Keep lit candles away from decorations and other things that can burn.
• Blow out lit candles when you leave the room or go to bed.

All public Windsor parks and park restroom facilities will remain open and maintained for the community during the Town of Windsor holiday closure of December 20 -24.

Happy Holidays!