Neighbors around the former Windsor Creek Elementary campus say a massive new housing proposal could turn their quiet streets into a dangerous choke point when the next wildfire comes roaring through. With memories of the 2017 Tubbs Fire still close to the surface, residents warn that adding hundreds of apartments could make it harder to get out when every second counts.
The preliminary application filed this month calls for 368 to 384 four-story apartment flats on the roughly 12-acre parcel at 8955 Conde Lane, with about 20% of units reserved for very-low-income households under state density-bonus rules, according to town filings. Planning materials from the Town of Windsor show the developer is seeking a General Plan amendment, a rezoning from Public/Institutional to Compact Residential, a parcel merger and design review before any construction could move forward.
Neighbors say they have seen plans come and go but feel largely in the dark about the latest version, and they are zeroing in on traffic and emergency access. Melanie Markarian, who lives directly across from the site and evacuated during the Tubbs Fire, told CBS News the proposal is horrific. Another nearby resident, Tim Vallery, told the outlet, “There is really nowhere to go,” and said neighbors were organizing a Tuesday meeting to coordinate their response.
Adjacent Project and Access
Complicating the picture, a separate Gallaher-backed development next door is already greenlit. The town’s major projects list shows a Cora Creek project at 8975 Conde Lane with roughly 106 affordable apartments and a grading permit already in hand. The Town of Windsor listing also describes proposed driveways on Armando Renzullo Way and an emergency vehicle access tying into Oakfield and Conde lanes, details that neighbors say could become pressure points if everyone is trying to flee at once.
School District Deal and Legal Questions
The Windsor Unified School District has signed a purchase agreement with Gallaher for the former school property, a deal the district says would give its employees priority access to affordable rentals there for 55 years, subject to state and federal fair-housing law, according to what the district told CBS News. Earlier school board actions and a legal advisory from the state watchdog lay out how the district declared the land surplus and entered negotiations with the nonprofit developer…