A TOWN THAT HAS had a notoriously difficult time building affordable housing is celebrating a big win.
Families are set to move into Gamble Grove, a new 10-unit housing project on Pope Street in St. Helena. It was a collaboration between the nonprofits Our Town St. Helena and Napa Valley Community Housing, which held a ribbon-cutting Thursday to thank donors and officials who helped with the project.
“Ten units doesn’t sound like a lot, but for a small town like St. Helena it’s a big deal,” said Jim Gamble. He and his wife Stephanie donated the money used to buy one of the site’s two parcels.
Gamble said the project contains “43 pillows” among its 10 units, giving 43 people a chance to live close to where they work or attend school. Tenants started moving in on Monday.
This is “just the tip of the iceberg” for what St. Helena needs, but it’s still worth celebrating before affordable housing supporters get back to work, Gamble said. He called for more public-private partnerships and for permit streamlining to make projects like Gamble Grove quicker and simpler to build.
