UPDATE: Clothing Boutique to Open at Former Prohibition Site

UPDATE: This article was updated at 11:45 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24 to add newly received information: A new clothing boutique is soon to open at 340 Healdsburg Ave., says Eric Drew, the Realtor handling the lease arrangements.

Drew also says the rent is much less than the $7,000 per month from three years ago, and he said that there is some air conditioning.

"It is amazing the way rumors and old facts get stuck in a time warp," Drew wrote in an email.

"Your readers should note that the space at 340 Healdsburg Ave. now has paper on the windows and will soon be re-opening as a clothing boutique," Drew added.

"Rental rate is more than 20 percent off three year old prices that you quoted in your article, and the air conditioning was always adequate for prior tenants such as Tahir Eke's Turkish rugs, etc."

Great to see that the longstanding vacancy will soon be filled. In the meantime, it was interesting to read all the ideas that people had for the space -- both in comments on this article and on Facebook. --KB

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A glaring vacant storefront on the corner of one of Healdsburg's most charming and busy intersections -- North Street and Healdsburg Avenue -- is an eyesore, most observers agree.

"It's the most bothersome vacancy in town," said Healdsburg Senior Planner Lynn Goldberg. "It's such a great location."

A former site of Prohibition beer and wine bar, the 2,000-square-foot storefront at 340 Healdsburg Ave. has been empty for more than a year.

"We're really frustrated because it's been vacant so long," Goldberg said. "We'd love to see something active in there."

The 3,000-square-foot property is zoned for Downtown Commercial and has an existing conditional use permit for a beer and wine bar, Goldberg said.

However, on March 19, Healdsburg officials will vote on an amendment to the city code that would allow the city to revoke a conditional use permit if it hasn't been used for awhile.

Goldberg said the site likely would not be attracting either a new wine bar or a wine tasting room, since the Healdsburg Planning Commission last year a new wine bar on the same block. Bergamot Alley was (it opened on New Year's Day), but Goldberg said it's clear that city leaders are not eager to raise the population of wine tasting rooms.

Goldberg said there's been interest in putting a restaurant there, but the building, owned by Siamak Akhavan of Emeryville, does not have the required grease interceptor to remove kitchen grease before it goes down the drain.

An interceptor would have to be installed outside the building, but the adjacent alley is part of a different property, Goldberg said.

The building also lacks air conditioning -- a big problem for Prohibition when they were in there.

"They were just roasting," Goldberg said.

Lease arrangements were at one time said to be as high as $7,000 per month, but it was not immediately clear if that were still the case. Healdsburg Realtor is the listing agent on the rental, Goldberg said.

Tell us in the comments what you would like to see there, if you had your way.

Or, you can send an email to keri.brenner@patch.com. I'll be happy to publish your submission as a letter to the editor.