52° CLOUDY, Developer brings vision to Occidental, Forestville
Orrin Thiessen -- best known for work in Windsor, Graton -- says latest projects may be his last as a builder
Last Modified: Thursday, September 4, 2008 at 5:27 a.m.
The man who developed the Windsor Town Green and remade Graton's main drag is about to transform the old elementary school in Occidental, likely one of his last building projects.
Builder and designer Orrin Thiessen has started work at the former Harmony School campus where an old multipurpose room could become an arts center that attracts audiences from throughout west Sonoma County.
Thiessen already has donated the building to the local arts group. He also plans to convert eight of the old classrooms into condominiums, as well as build 10 single-family homes and a four-plex condominium. Commercial space also would be added.
In a separate project in Forestville, Thiessen is proposing a town square, commercial space, an 18-room boutique hotel. There also would be 59 condominiums, 10 of which would be set aside for low- or moderate-income buyers. County planners are considering what environmental studies must be undertaken for the proposal.
Thiessen, 61, acknowledged that the Occidental and Forestville projects likely will be his last as a developer and builder.
"This business isn't getting any easier," he said.
He no longer plans to be a builder in an ambitious mixed-use project that has been under consideration in Cotati for years. He said he still may serve in some other role, possibly as an investor.
Leaders in slow-growing Occidental and Forestville speak of the two projects in terms of what Thiessen is adding to their communities. In Occidental, they point to his generosity in donating the building for the arts center.
"I think he cut about $2 million off of what we would have to raise," said Steve Fowler, president of the Occidental Center for the Arts.
In Forestville, the leader of a group that for years had opposed the 70-acre Crinella project called Thiessen's proposal a wise use of land that concentrates residential and commercial development near the town.
"This is an approach that really shows an inspired vision, and I congratulate him for it," said Sig Anderman, a director of Forestville Citizens for Sensible Growth.
Thiessen drew favorable attention more than a decade ago when he rescued some ramshackle but historic buildings along the main strip in Graton. His Windsor project, with its three-story mixed-use buildings, became the forefront of several new urbanism projects that have blossomed in the county from Healdsburg to Petaluma.
In Occidental, Thiessen got involved after the school board decided to close the elementary school campus because of declining enrollment. Harmony students now attend the district's Salmon Creek campus on Bohemian Highway on the way to Freestone.
Thiessen stepped forward to purchase the closed school campus on the edge of town and then proposed a project that left most of the campus in place and involved almost no grading on the hillside.
"I think the community was really pleased that we're leaving the school, not tearing it down," Thiessen said.
Barbara Gonnella, whose family has owned the Union Hotel in Occidental since 1924, said the school holds important memories for many of the town's residents, including her relatives.
"A lot of family members have celebrated the rites of passage on those grounds," she said. The proposed arts center promises to offer a "great collaboration" with the existing businesses, offering visitors venues for shopping, eating and art performances.
Thiessen's Forestville project has been delayed as the county and state consider placing a roundabout on state Highway 116 at Mirabel Road. No decision on the road has yet been made, but Thiessen's project can accommodate either the roundabout or a traditional intersection, said west county Supervisor Mike Reilly.
Reilly said residents will have a chance during public hearings to support or oppose the project.
"I think the big allure for local folks is to have a town square for community events," Reilly said. The square and adjacent outdoor cafes "give the town a heart and a central place to be."
You can reach Staff Writer Robert Digitale at 521-5285 or robert.digitale@pressdemocrat
.com.
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Comments
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September 4, 2008 7:55:51 am
RE: Link
Um... So where is the water going to come from for this great new development in Occidental? And how can the county approve this when the water table is so low? Great lets ruin another part of Sonoma County!
September 4, 2008 8:29:05 am
Oh, no, not him AGAIN!
More fake-looking buildings and another Disneyland-esque town.Why are the powers that be allowing this man to rob the charm of these towns/communities with his style of building.In 25 years people are going to come to the North Bay and West Co. and wonder what kind of nut was let loose to build these crazy communities.
September 4, 2008 8:42:25 am
I was also amazed when I visited the Windsor Town Green just after it was built and noticed the shotty workmanship knowing that the place would be a maint. nightmare. People get all exited but the bottom line is it's all about the money.
September 4, 2008 9:00:35 am
Somebody should start thinking about some road improvements out there before it's too late. All the extra vehicles are really going to congest things.
September 4, 2008 9:21:53 am
Is this for real? Talk about idiotic special interest thinking. Melvin Meeker is probably turning in his grave at the local cemetery. People live in and around Occidental for the very same reasons tourists like to go there, for its sleepy little hollow location known for its trees and quaint little shops of antiques and art. It is presently a really nice place to visit in the mornings with a full breakfast at Howards Cafe and a walk around the town. The population has probably not changed for decades, until now. And why? This is all about greed by special interests intending to jam as many people as they can into this little plot of land with little concern for existing residents or tourists that go there for its simple historic beauty. Occidental is not Disneyland or Windsor and does not need mauve-green buildings or a flood of new residents. Water is the major concern of existing residents since well water is all there is available but that is of no concern for developers who are here today and gone tomorrow. Many locals have no use for Windsor or the "towne green" thinking that is just another name for another sleazy mall seen everywhere in southern California. What's next, a 711 and gas station, then a sewage treatment plant, traffic signals, sewers, curbs and gutters? Then the condos and townhouses go in and on and on. This change is typical once again all about greed. Good-bye Howards Cafe and the Occidental we've known for the 20+ years we've lived in the area. Many are more than willing to drive further to find another sleepy little hollow the developers have not and are not about to destroy for the sake of a quick buck that most call "a sellout".
September 4, 2008 9:27:47 am
the title of this article is clearly special interest thinking likely paid for by the developer. it should read"
"Developer brings Nightmare Visions to Occidental and Forestville Residents".
September 4, 2008 9:31:25 am
BRILLIANT! Just like Northern California, let's drop the ills of the entire world and Occidental's very old failing infrastructure on Mr. Thiessen, whose generous caring about Sonoma County has offered this building to the community. You refer to Windsor; do you not remember what Windsor was/wasn't before these dreams were realized? It was a dilapidated reminder of what was and what could have been; a wide spot in the road with no sense of self or community and now there is pride and people come there because it makes their life better. Because of Orrin Thiessen, Windsor is now it is place of joy, pride and community, a destination.
Time to take the blinders off and appreciate when something good comes your way, before your narrow mindedness runs off people who genuinely want to make a positive difference (with reverence) for those to follow.
September 4, 2008 9:45:15 am
Last time I saw Orin (Toontown) Thiessen's work in Windsor, there were a lot of vacant businesses. Just because you build, doesn't mean they will come.
If any Windsor residants out there can enlighten me, I would appreciate it. Or is downtown Windsor like Mickey's Toontown?
September 4, 2008 10:25:50 am
the people who are wearing "blinders" are the same idiots wanting to force change on the existing rural towns in this county and where residents have enjoyed living with the trees and natural scenery for eons. it is compromised thinking of developers like this one who sell their ideas like mistletoe at Xmas, cute for some but deadly to the trees. Occidental is not Windsor, hopefully never will be. Besides if locals want to go to a sleazy mall they already have that choice with just a short drive north on 101 or a long drive to Sacramento or Fresno or further south to the SF Valley. Occidental is not now like any of those compromised places, but will be if developers have their way.
September 4, 2008 11:00:15 am
The reason Orin is getting out of the building buisness is because the money isn't as good as is was. You think he is doing this to be good to a community. Come on now, if he was he would be planning more. He is giving away the town green condos as we speak and is going to take his bucks and run.
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