If a beat up 1900 home  with 12′ ceilings is your idea of a great project, call me.

• close to Healdsburg
• more than an acre
• grapes, fruit trees, and  wonderful cactus

 

This sun-drenched valley extends north-west from Healdsburg, roughly parallel to Highway 101, but one range of hills to the west. The valley follows the path of Dry Creek from Lake Sonoma (the largest recreational lake in Sonoma County) to the Russian River. The valley floor is dotted with small vineyards and wineries that include Ferrari-Carano Winery, Dry Creek Vineyard, Lake Sonoma Winery, Lambert Bridge Winery, and many others (also here). The most famed varietal from this appellation is Zinfandel, but a wide variety of varietals are harvested and made into award winning wines.

The hills on either side of the valley are a mix of different forest types. In some areas, valley oaks dominate the habitat. In other spots, redwoods are the primary tree species that cover the hillsides and keep them green. Small roads wind into the hills and provide access to the ridges and the residences above the valley floor that are typically sized from five to hundreds of acres. Views of the valley are treasured and add to the value of the land. Forested valleys without views are more affordable and provide privacy to those who prefer a quiet retreat.

The Dry Creek Valley Appellation extends eastward to Healdsburg where it is separated from Alexander Valley by Healdsburg Avenue. It is separated from the Russian River Valley at Foreman Lane and along Felta Creek.

 

Dry Creek Valley Listings

• Dry Creek Valley Land
• Dry Creek Valley Homes

West Dry Creek Road is one of the most coveted addresses in Healdsburg. It’s quieter than Dry Creek Road with more bicycles than cars a lot of the time. The real reward of living here is the vineyard views. From the primary building site a hundred feet above W. Dry Creek you can see straight across the valley to the vineyards hidden from view by the hills fronting Dry Creek Road. Those vineyards extend back at least a mile from Dry Creek Road and most people have never seen them. This site gives you a great view.

Continuing the visual treat, the view north west up the valley towards Warm Springs Dam includes the lovely vineyards of Pasterick next door and middle range and distant views extending miles up the valley. In the far distance are the eastern hills bordering Alexander Valley and the Geysers area. The beauty of this location is that you can see the full scope of vineyards, from the fields next door to the valley floor and more distant plantings.

The site itself is forested with classic Sonoma County vegetation. There are dozens of big redwoods and douglas fir trees. The understory is bay, tan bark oak, hazelnuts, and a variety of ground hugging vegetation. Invasive plants that need to be controlled would include Scotch Broome and poison oak. The main building site has been temporarily cleared, but a long term plan to create a park like environment here would include an active program of brush control. This could be a beautiful park-like setting. The massive redwoods give you the anchor trees for a park site and some of the older logging roads could be opened into hiking trails that would give walking access to the full site.

It’s hard to understand acres if you are used to the sizes of city lots. 3210 W Dry Creek is 20.44 acres according to the county records, but it’s an irregular lot that follows the access road to Pezzi King winery. Basically, everything on the right side of the road as you drive up the hill belongs to this lot. The parcel is not that wide, but it is quite long. At the narrowest, the site is about .05 of a mile wide, or just under 100 yards or 300 feet. The straightest boundary running from W. Dry Creek to the top of the property is about .4 of a mile. A walking trail that circumnavigated the property would be approximately a mile long.

There is a 13.5 gallon per minute well, a five bedroom perc test, and a schematic design of a 3,000 square foot contemporary homes that takes advantage of the spectacular views. The site is available now for $1,349,000.