Healdsburg’s community center evolves with us
The space today
The Abel de Luna Community Center is full of life. Families bring their children for music classes, childcare, and summer camps, the fields fill up for youth sports, and adults gather for ESL programs, pickleball, and more. This rich shared life, already rooted here, is why the community chose this site as the home for what comes next. The building, the name, and the programs people already rely on are staying. What's growing is the space's capacity to serve everyone who walks through the door.
A long documented need
The need for a welcoming, multicultural space has been well documented for decades, from an American Institute of Architects study in 1982 to a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion report commissioned by the City of Healdsburg in 2023. The evidence has consistently pointed to the same conclusion: Healdsburg needs a center rooted in inclusion and belonging. This evolution of the community center finally answers that call.
A process shaped by community
Since 2024, Healdsburg residents with a wide range of lived experiences have contributed their perspective through surveys, listening sessions, and design workshops. This diverse, multigenerational group is calling for flexible spaces for events and celebrations, a community kitchen, areas for creative expression, and a commitment to a cooler, greener outdoor space with native plants. This is something the community is co-creating, with their voices and leadership showing the way.
How the design keeps evolving
This project is supported by our friends at the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Sonoma County and in partnership with the City of Healdsburg.
The project is organized in tiers, and with each tier, a new group of community members is nominated or self-nominated to join the Design Advisory Committee. As the project moves forward, new voices and lived experiences keep joining the process, so the center reflects a growing and changing community, not a single moment or perspective. There is always an opportunity to get involved! Email us at info@corazonhealdsburg.org at any time to find out more.
What’s next?
Beginning in the spring of 2026, Corazón and our partners hosted a new round of community design sessions to help bring the community’s vision to life. These gatherings shared what we had learned from earlier conversations and invited neighbors to help shape what came next, including the formation of a Design Advisory Committee to guide early improvements to the space, such as community-designed murals and other beautification projects. This work reflected what Corazón strives for in all of our programs: strengthening the social fabric of our community by creating spaces where residents themselves shape their own future.
In August, the walls of the community center were painted bright new community-chosen colors. In September, we anticipate two community murals to be added. The next area of focus will include landscaping and shade structures. Email us at info@corazonhealdsburg.org to find out more and get involved!
