Tuolumne County May Buy Miner’s Hotel, Apartments, Homes For Homeless Efforts

Sonora, CA — Government leaders in Tuolumne County are eying the acquisition of four properties that would be used for efforts to curb homelessness in the county.

The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on whether to publish a notice of intent to purchase a Jamestown Hotel, a Sonora apartment building, a commercial building, and some homes.

The vote is a legal step in the process of acquiring the properties. A memo to the Supervisors notes that the proposed purchases are in relation to developing “supportive transitional and permanent housing” in response to rising homelessness. The memo, from Homeless Services Coordinator Michael Roberson, Capital Projects Director Maureen Frank and Behavioral Health Director Rebecca Espino, notes that funding for the purchases would come from state grant revenue.

The proposed acquisitions are below:

-The Miner’s Hotel at 18740 Highway 108 in Jamestown. The agreed-upon price is $ 1.85 million. There is capacity for up to 46 people and it would often be used by people who transition from the Oak Terrace Navigation Center in Soulsbyville (which is limited to six-month stays).

-A six-unit apartment building is located at 165 South Shepherd Street in Sonora. The agreed-upon price is $815,000. It would be designed to enhance the continuum of care available to Behavioral Health clients who are homeless or in need of supportive housing. A public sale listing for the property notes that the spaces are currently being rented out.

-The former Satellite Health, Inc. commercial building at 136 Columbia Way in Sonora would be used for permanent and supportive housing for Veterans and as a support resource for Tuolumne County Health and Human Service Agency clients. The project would be in partnership with the Stanislaus Regional Housing Authority. The agreed upon price is $250,000.

-There are two homes on a property at 720 Snell Street in Sonora that would be used for transitional and permanent housing. They have a capacity for up to 12 people. The agreed-upon price is $585,000.

The Supervisors are scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to take the legal step of “publishing a notice of intent to purchase” all four properties. The meeting starts at 9 am on the fourth floor of 2 South Green Street.