Demolition is scheduled to begin next week, on the city-owned Bennett Valley Senior Center and ArtStart buildings that have remained vacant for years. The structures are located at the corner of Bennett Valley Road and Rutledge Avenue. Since closing, the structures have been vandalized and extensively tagged with graffiti. A fire broke out inside the former senior center a few months back, further damaging the integrity of the building and expediting the demo work that was originally planned to begin this summer.

In preparation for next weeks’ demolition project, PG&E has removed the gas and electric infrastructure from the property. This week, EBA Environmental began removing environmental and hazardous materials from the site. 

The city is in a development agreement to sell the approximately 1.9-acre site to Freebird Development to build an affordable housing complex. Freebird Development plans to build a 64,000-square-foot building ranging in height from two to four stories containing 65 residential units. Construction on the affordable housing complex is anticipated to begin summer of 2023.