When a longstanding lumber mill opted to relocate, a 9.6-acre property in downtown Healdsburg became a prime location for an ambitious infill development. 

The Mill District, led by Replay Destinations and Eden Housing and master planned by Olson Kundig, will include affordable and market-rate housing, a hotel, and accessible open spaces all designed to tie into and extend downtown Healdsburg and its unique rural Sonoma Valley character.

On July 19, following extensive coordination with local organizations and stakeholder groups, Mill District’s first housing project broke ground with a small ceremony. With 41 one-to-three-bedroom flats and townhomes, The Exchange will offer much-needed affordable housing for area residents and families at risk of displacement amid a converging housing and climate crisis. The project will be Healdsburg’s first new affordable housing in twelve years.

The all-electric four-story project’s design embraces the rural and industrial vernacular, incorporating corten steel and natural wood textures and celebrating a mechanical pragmatism. Large ground floor flats and second floor townhomes facilitate access for families to outdoor amenities that include a vegetable garden and seating area shaded by a sculptural remnant of the lumber mill. Solar panels positioned along the roof edge create a contemporary cornice that elevate a respect for machinery familiar to agricultural regions.  

The Exchange is scheduled to open in Fall 2022.