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CRA News January 2001
Selected articles from the newsletter of the Carmel Residents Association
Shirley Humann, right, thanks Carmelite Robin Kirby for her
contribution to the Salvation Army's annual Red Kettle Drive.
The state
of the County --
perspective of two land-use experts
| Thursday, January 25 -- CRA Meeting | |
| 4 p.m. -- Social Time 4:30 p.m. -- Gary Patton and Robert Kennedy Vista Lobos Meeting Room, Torres between 3rd & 4th Following the meeting, delicious hot and cold hors d'oeuvres |
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After two meetings on city issues, it seems fitting as we start the new year to take a broader look at what is happening in our county, especially in light of the county's efforts to update its General Plan. (See calendar for related public meetings.) Through their extensive knowledge of Monterey County, our two speakers, Gary Patton and Robert Kennedy, will bring us up to date on current issues.
Gary Patton is the Executive Director of LandWatch Monterey County, a nonprofit organization that advocates for land use reform at local and state levels. A County Supervisor in Santa Cruz from 1975 to 1995, he was responsible for Santa Cruz County's effective growth management system, and for many of the environmental protection ordinances still in effect. As a supervisor, he worked with many Monterey County agencies.
From 1995 to 1998, Gary Patton served as General Counsel to the Planning and Conservation League, the oldest environmental lobbying group in California. With undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford University, he has far too many publications and awards to list here. Gary and his wife, Marilyn, who teaches English at De Anza Community College, have two grown children.
Retired agriculture professor Robert Kennedy will focus on issues relating to the conversion of prime farmland into shopping centers and housing. He says it is a myth that housing developments use less water than agricultural land, because the schools, businesses and offices needed to service the residents have to be included in the equation.
Growing up on a cattle, wheat and alfalfa farm in Kansas, Mr. Kennedy has a B.S. in Agronomy from Kansas State University, attended the U.C. Davis Agriculture Education Program and later worked as an agronomist studying water use of crops. He has held agricultural teaching positions in Downey, Watsonville and at Hartnell College.
A forty year resident of California, mostly in Monterey County, Kennedy said that he and his wife looked for a lot to buy in Carmel in 1955 but didn't. "It was probably the biggest financial mistake of my career." Robert and his wife have three sons and eight grandchildren.
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Carmel loses one of its best: Bernard "Andy" Anderson, a great role model We join his family
and all Carmelites who knew him in mourning the passing of Bernard
Anderson. His influence still touches the lives of all who
live here, whether they were fortunate enough to know him or not. |
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Private mail delivery could be a slippery slope At its Jan. 9 meeting,
the Carmel City Council voted 4-1 (Councilwoman Barbara Livingston
dissenting) to hire a private courier service for $36,000 per year,
possibly moving up to $84,000, to deliver mail to those who wish
it. While we firmly believe that those who are physically unable
to get to the Post Office should have a reliable method of receiving
their mail, we are sorry that the City Council majority was not
willing to consider using the CRA volunteer service. Council members
Ely and Livingston both pushed for this. In light
of the city's critical financial needs, encumbering the budget with
this added expense, especially when other means are possible, does
not make fiscal sense and sets a bad precedent. It will be very
difficult to discontinue, should that become financially necessary.
The cost will ultimately be far more than Mr. Steinfeld's threatened
lawsuit which the council is trying to avoid. |
It's time for Citizen of the Year nominations
The 13th annual Citizen
of the Year Celebration will be held in the Scout House on Sunday, March
11, at 3 p.m. Please put it on your calendar. There will be more details
next month.
If you know a worthy recipient for this coveted award, please write a
letter to:
Citizen of the Year Committee
P.O. Box 13
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921
In making your nomination, please consider the following guidelines:
| 1. | The candidate has through his or her service enhanced the lives of citizens of Carmel-by-the-Sea. |
| 2. | The candidate has fostered the ideals of Ordinance 96, which states, in part, that Carmel should remain "primarily, essentially and predominately a residential city ..." |
| 3. | The candidate is a resident of Carmel-by-the-Sea or its sphere of influence. |
| 4. | Any person or organization may make a nomination. Nominees do not have to be members of the CRA. |
| 5. | Please include with your letter all related background material you can find on the nominee, including his or her activities and contributions to Carmel-by-the-Sea. |
Previous Citizens of the Year are Jim Wright, Joyce Stevens, Enid Sales,
Jack Billwiller, Skip Lloyd, Noel Mapstead, Clayton Anderson, Roy Thomas,
Jean White, Bob Kohn, Linda Anderson, John Hicks and Noel Van Bibber.
President's Message
Major victories for
Carmel and its character
by Melanie Billig, President, Carmel Residents Association
The last three California Coastal Commission
meetings have been extremely important for our village and its efforts
to preserve its character and historic structures. At the CRA Board's
direction, I have been monitoring these events. The following comments
reflect the theme of my correspondence and comments to the Coastal Commission.
The issues of demolitions, mansionization and lot size reduction have
been of great concern for the last several years. Because of the economic
boom, changes to the quaint character of our neighborhoods are accelerating
at a pace which is extremely alarming. In the past, most Carmelites had
some confidence that the city's review process would protect our neighborhoods
and community character. Not so today.
- At its September meeting, the City
Council majority indicated that it would make several major changes
to the recommendations of the broad-based nineteen-member steering committee
of the Design Traditions Project that would effectively ensure this
four-year effort was in vain. This project had been overwhelmingly supported
by the Planning Commission as well as the steering committee.
- The memberships of the Forest and
Beach and Planning Commissions have been dropped from 7 to 5, thus reducing
the depth of community input and volunteer involvement.
- The design review function of the
Planning Commission has been placed in the hands of a new board to be
made up of members of the construction industry and allied professionals.
Others will not be sought out to serve on this important advisory body,
which will review new construction and remodels.
- Our community's historic preservation program has suffered greatly since this spring, when it was virtually eliminated by the council majority. The outstanding Draft Historic Element for the General Plan, prepared by professional preservation consultants, has been replaced by an exceedingly weak Planning Department rewrite.
In light of the above, we respectfully
requested that the Coastal Commission greatly increase its level of scrutiny
for all Carmel-by-the-Sea applications and pass a moratorium on
all demolitions until after the Local Coastal Plan (LCP) is adopted. Individual
decisions, one seemingly harmless vote at a time, have cumulatively become
very erosive. If this continues, we may have lost forever many of those
cherished aspects of Carmel we are trying so hard to protect.
December's California Coastal Commission meeting in San Francisco was
critical. Nine demolitions were agendized--the Sea Urchin and Periwinkle
cottages being of greatest significance. Eight demolitions were moved
at the last minute to the consent calendar and approved. Sea Urchin and
Periwinkle were saved from demolition and the owners were asked to make
sensitive additions using the Secretary of Interior Guidelines for rehabilitation.
City officials were likewise reminded that the Coastal Commission will
be watching over their shoulders on all subsequent applications for demolitions.
Fourteen Carmelites attended the meeting out of concern for the demolitions,
loss of character and very weak city review process which is permitting
these losses. The Carmel contingent consisted of Barbara Livingston, Marshall
Hydorn, Pope Coleman, Enid Sales, Marge Adams, Lois Roberts, Melanie Billig,
Allan Paterson, Larry Rodocker, Anne Bell, Cecil Wahle, Connie Wright
and Kate and Clive Rayne. In its deliberations, the Coastal Commissioners
showed by their final resolution that they clearly understood and unanimously
supported the Carmel-by-the-Sea representatives.
At their January meeting, Coastal Commissioners reaffirmed their support
for Carmel preservation and listened again to local pleas for a halt to
demolitions until the city has an approved LCP, an approved preservation
plan and the Design Traditions Program ready for implementation. It's
been a busy three months for preservation and this year promises to be
another active and important one.
Planning efforts for City facilities
Last month we brought you up to date on recent efforts to master plan the Scout House and the Forest Theater. Following, as promised, are reports on the Sunset Center Project and the Fire House master plan.
Sunset Theater Project
The Sunset Theater Project
currently underway is by far the most ambitious undertaking in the city's
history. The $16.65 million public/private partnership is being overseen
by a project building committee composed of four representatives of
the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea and four members of Sunset Center for
the Arts, the non-profit fund-raising organization.
In 1999 the City Council contracted for a project team including an
architectural firm experienced in historic preservation, a cost consulting
firm and a project manager. The San Francisco firm, Architectural Resources
Group, has provided an accomplished technical team, including an acoustical
consultant, a theater consultant and a local landscape architect.
Project Manager Bill Camille is responsible for the detailed
daily management and cost accounting activities for the renovation project.
With a strong educational background in both architecture and business
administration, he has over 20 years of experience in all areas of planning,
design, bidding, construction and historic renovation. Mr. Camille gives
council members an update on recent progress at most monthly meetings.
According to the building committee, design for the renovation is nearing
completion. Construction documents are approaching seventy-five percent
completion and the bidding process is expected to start in April. With
the bid award anticipated for late May, building is expected to commence
in June. The construction time is estimated at twenty to twenty-four
months. Relocation of some of the tenants affected by the project has
begun, and the Carmel Bach Festival has already moved into its new home
in one of the cottages at the south end of Sunset Center.
Fund raising for the project has reached eighty-five percent of the
goal. The City of Carmel-by-the-Sea has made the largest contribution
with a $5 million pledge. The campaign has completed the $2 million
challenge portion of the Packard Foundation's $3 million grant and continues
its one-on-one solicitations. The public phase of the campaign is expected
to begin in mid-March.
Final performances in the theater are scheduled for late April. Performance
Carmel will present Phillip Glass and Foday Musa Suso on Saturday, April
28. Plans are being made to have closing events soon thereafter.
If you are interested in making a financial contribution to the project,
please contact the Campaign for Sunset office, located on San
Carlos Street between Ocean and Sixth Avenues in the former location
of the Carmel Pine Cone. It is accessed by a stairway next to
the Silver Lights Gallery and is upstairs in Suite 1, or call 831-625-2486.
All contributions are tax deductible and may be mailed to
Campaign for Sunset
P.O. Box 400
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921
Fire Station Master Plan
In the last few years,
particularly around budget time, the adequacy of our fire station has
been discussed. In 1995, an engineering firm was hired to evaluate the
seismic situation and report on whether the facility was in compliance
with current standards. The report did not deal with Americans with
Disabilities Act compliance, plumbing and electrical repairs or operational
efficiencies. It did identify specific structural systems which needed
upgrading. Firehouses as well as hospitals are considered "critical
structures" and therefore held to a higher standard of seismic strength
than buildings used for office or retail space.
In 1999, the City Council hired RRM, consultants, to look at the safety
and practical issues of the existing station and to do a master plan
for the building. The goal of this study was to develop a conceptual
plan for a remodel and a retrofit of the current station as well as
to make suggestions for a new station on other city-owned property and
to provide cost comparisons for both scenarios.
The city will probably look further at two of the alternatives in RRM's
Executive Summary: 1) the retrofit of the current station, which has
the lowest gross cost and preserves a historical aspect of our village;
and 2) a new facility at Vista Lobos, working with the current building
footprint. This option may be lower in cost if the city decides to rent
or lease out the space at the old station. A new facility may better
meet the operational needs of the department.
Armed with the information from the seismic study and the Master Plan,
staff will soon begin discussing possible recommendations to the City
Council for the best way to proceed. No doubt future discussions will
be centered around an analysis of the alternatives, project costs, the
highest and best use of the current facility if a new structure is decided
upon, incomes from the current facility and funding mechanisms.
Beach Cleanup
Saturday, January 27
10 a.m. - noon (weather permitting)
* Volunteers meet at
foot of Ocean Avenue
* Please bring gloves
* Coffee and pastries served
Carmel beach is definitely showing wear and tear from the large holiday
crowds, so please make a special effort to attend on the 27th. Bring
along a friend !
Council vote on Flanders
Please note that the February 6 City
Council agenda is expected to include a decision on whether the Flanders
Mansion and surrounding property should be sold or leased.
CRA welcomes new board member
Larry Rodocker has been elected
to the Carmel Residents Association Board. He replaces Paul Eastman,
whose maximum number of terms is up. Watch for a special profile on Larry
next month. Thanks to Paul for his many years of dedicated service!
Frank Wasko new chair of Planning Commission
CRA member Frank Wasko, beginning
his fifth year of service on the Planning Commission, was recently elected
chairman of that important body. Frank has received good marks for his
skill in running the meetings. According to CRA member Monte Miller,
a frequent audience member, "Frank is doing a good job of mixing seriousness
with humor at these long, sometimes tense meetings. He shows great compassion
for the public, and fellow commission members seem to be responding well
to his style."
County planning issues take front stage as year opens
Last year the county held a number of
workshops on General Plan issues and is now scheduling new ones to ask
citizens, "How would you prioritize the issues and concerns that need
to be resolved?" This is your chance to help prevent Monterey County from
becoming another Santa Clara County.
The closest workshop to Carmel will be held on Thursday, Feb. 15, from
6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom at California State
University Monterey, 29 Sixth Avenue, Seaside.
LandWatch Monterey County is encouraging its members and all those who
are interested in future land use in Monterey County to attend a workshop
and suggest to the County's planning staff that the General Plan should:
| 1. | Encourage the efficient use of land and the conservation of valuable natural resources through the designation of urban growth boundaries. |
| 2. | Improve the economic vitality of our local communities by directing new growth within urban growth boundaries and away from open space and productive farmlands. |
| 3. | Ensure social and economic opportunities through the integration of affordable housing within mixed-income neighborhoods. |
| 4. | Require that adequate public facilities and services, including police, fire, schools, parks, transportation facilities and reliable water supplies, be in place prior to, or concurrently with, new development. |
| 5. | Improve the regulatory system by making it more effective, efficient and accountable, providing increased certainty for developers, landowners and the public, and eliminating unnecessary regulations and delay. |
If you are interested in joining LandWatch
Monterey County, call 831-375-3752, or download a membership form from
their website at www.landwatch.org.
Special
presentation by county to Carmel,
Pacific Grove and Monterey
On Jan 24, at 7 p.m. in the Monterey
City Council Chambers, the City Councils and Planning Commissions of Carmel,
Pacific Grove and Monterey will meet with county planners to hear about
the County General Plan and the effect it will have on Monterey Peninsula
cities. Other cities will also have a similar meeting. The public is welcome.
Sudden Oak Death Syndrome
As if pitch canker weren't enough, a
new threat to local trees, Sudden Oak Death Fungus, is closing in on Carmel.
In October, the Carmel City Council voted to ask Mayor Sue McCloud
to send a letter to Senator Barbara Boxer supporting her efforts
to seek federal funding through the Department of Agriculture to finance
research and the formation of a Federal Oak Death Task Force.
According to Councilwoman Barbara Livingston, who asked to have
this item placed on the agenda, "Infected oaks have been found in Santa
Cruz County and in several coastal areas, including Monterey County's
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. To lose these valued trees, along with our
Monterey Pines, would be a devastating loss for our quality of life, our
renowned aesthetics, and our tourist industry."
Scientists don't know much about the Sudden Oak Death Fungus, which is
killing thousands of trees. Related to the fungus that caused the Irish
potato famine in the 1840's, the local fungus was first found in 1995
in Marin County, where it has reached epidemic proportions.
The fungus first targets the bark of oak trunks and branches. Most active
during the rainy season, its spores are moved by soil, wind, water and,
perhaps, insects. The oaks die so quickly that their leaves never have
time to fall, therefore the name "sudden oak death."
The California Oak Foundation lists guidelines for dealing with this threat:
Protect Tree Health
- Prune dead and dying branches.
- Protect root systems by leaving topsoil undisturbed beyond the crown, and mulching with 4 to 6 inches of chips.
- Don't over-water. Use drought-tolerant plants with oaks.
Watch for Symptoms
- Wine-red to black tar-like sap bleeding near the tree's base
- Leaf droop and yellow or brown leaves
- Small piles of sawdust at base of trunk from beetles
- Small, black, dome-like fungi on the bark
If Your Tree Has Symptoms
- Contact the city or a local arborist
- If a tree is diagnosed with sudden oak death, it should be cut down (with a permit), the wood and stump tightly covered
Long-Term Concerns
- Increased danger of wildfires and increased erosion from tree loss that jeopardizes waterways and watersheds
- Loss of nesting and shelter spaces for wildlife species, as well as acorns used for food
- Potential loss of property value. Oak trees can add as much as $10,000 to $50,000 to the value of properties
Donald Teague is first local history subject
The Henry Meade Willliams Local History
Lecture Series launches its season on Jan. 29 with a talk by Linda
Biro on her famous father, watercolorist Donald Teague. Biro
will share memories of her father, who died in 1991. A well-known Carmel
artist, Teague was awarded many credits and exhibited extensively.
Lectures will be held at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at the Library's Park
Branch, at the corner of 6th and Mission streets.
See council live on t.v.
At long last, interested residents will
be able to watch their City Council in action from their homes. From January
to June, all Tuesday council meetings will be rebroadcast the following
Sunday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon on KMST, Channel 26.
Don't forget, however, that if you attend the actual meeting, you have
the opportunity to give the council your suggestions and ideas.
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