HEALSDBURG, CA — A long-vacant building that once housed a blacksmith shop and later a muffler shop moved closer to a new life Monday when the Healdsburg Planning Commission signed off on plans to transform the property into a live-work space.
The commission approved the major design review for 444 Healdsburg Ave., allowing owners Erin and Ken Werner to convert the deteriorating concrete building into 2,284 square feet of combined residential and work space, with two offices on the ground floor and a single living unit spanning the first and second floors.
The property has roots in Healdsburg's early automotive and industrial history. Records indicate the site contained an automotive repair shop or garage and a residence by at least the early 1920s.
Those structures were demolished before the current building went up in 1936 as a blacksmith shop. A muffler shop later operated there until sometime in the early 1970s. The Rafanelli family subsequently used the property primarily for overflow storage for the adjacent Healdsburg Machine Company.
Despite that history, the building is not a designated historic resource. A 2021 evaluation found the 1936 building and its associated landscape did not qualify for the California Register of Historical Resources and were not listed on national, state, or local historic registers.
The building has suffered after years of vacancy. The 1,653-square-foot, one-story board-formed concrete structure has boarded or missing windows, a fractured and uneven concrete floor, and a leaking roof with a failing structure, according to the city.
The property had been listed for $1.03 million. Coldwell Banker marketed the site as a potential Wine Country residence, art studio, coffee or bike shop, wine tasting room, or other commercial space, touting its location several blocks from Healdsburg Plaza and near restaurants, hotels, galleries, shops, and tasting rooms.
The listing also advertised a different design approved in 2024 that called for a ground-floor retail or art gallery, an approximately 510-square-foot accessory dwelling unit, and an approximately 2,700-square-foot residence on the second and third stories. Those earlier plans were developed for San Francisco artist Nilus DeMatran and his wife, Jennifer.
After buying the property, the Werners changed course, requiring the proposal to return to the city.
Their new plan keeps the existing 1,653-square-foot building footprint and adds a 631-square-foot upper level for a bedroom suite.
A living roof will top the addition. Along Healdsburg Avenue, the Werners plan a public garden with native plants, pathways, benches, landscape lighting, and rotating art installations. A semi-private garden will lead clients and guests into the work space, while the rear yard will provide private residential parking and recreation space.
Erin Werner, an established landscape designer who oversees projects in Marin and Sonoma counties, plans to use the property to showcase her work through the public garden and meet clients.
Ken Werner, who spent 30 years in finance and has experience developing properties according to records, plans to launch a real estate career from the site.
The couple has lived in Marin for more than 30 years and frequently visited Healdsburg, according to their project description.
The couple said after Monday's meeting that they intend to preserve the building's "rustic" appearance as much as possible, although some deteriorated elements will have to be replaced.
Their plans specifically call for preserving the board-formed concrete shell, steel windows, utilitarian ironwork, and steel doors.
Exterior materials for the new work include concrete, steel framing, weathered sheet metal, glass, and weathered wood.
Existing window and door openings will be repaired or replaced with glazing and profiles that match the historic steel windows and doors.
The project will retain the original concrete walls, structural steel, windows, doors, and other original elements except for the failing roof, chain-link fence, and large concrete parking area in front.
The project will also add solar power, battery backup, permeable paving, a high-efficiency heat pump, a tankless water heater, and landscaping designed to manage stormwater.
The Werners previously brought the project before the Planning Commission for a June 9 workshop. Commissioners largely supported the proposal but questioned a 9-foot-6-inch concrete wall separating the entry garden from the courtyard.
The Werners responded by cutting the wall to 8 feet, adding openings to the courtyard gate, and proposing vines and mature landscaping to soften the wall.
The project also removes the wide existing curb cut in front of the property, retains a narrower vehicle entrance along the north side, and replaces the large front concrete parking area with permeable landscaping and hardscape.
Commissioners called the plan a great addition to downtown Healdsburg.
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