Columbia Inn Purchase Officially Called Off

Photo by: BJ Hansen

Sonora, CA — With the majority of the Board of Supervisors no longer in favor, Tuolumne County officials are scrapping plans to purchase the Columbia Inn for homelessness efforts.

The County’s Homeless Services Coordinator, Michael Roberson, has put out a statement through the CAO’s office this morning, noting, “Tuolumne County Homeless Services is announcing that the proposal to purchase the Columbia Inn Motel for use as a Homeless Services Navigation Center is no longer under development by staff and will not be brought before the Board of Supervisors for discussion and consideration. The Staff extends their gratitude to the sellers of the inn for their good faith negotiations and desire to support initiatives that aim to reduce homelessness in Tuolumne County.”

The plan to purchase it was discussed for over three hours at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, as reported here, with about 50 people speaking in opposition. It ended in a 2-2 vote, with Supervisor David Goldemberg absent. Supervisor Goldemberg later stated he is in favor of the purchase, which can be found here. Shortly after, Supervisor Anaiah Kirk, who initially voted in favor, wrote in a blog that he is no longer in support, leaving only two supervisors in favor, and three opposed.

The plan was to buy the 24-room property for $1.65-million utilizing state revenue sources. The county will now look at other ways to address rising homelessness.