Wednesday, May 02, 2007

More on the Witch Hunt..."This is not a NIMBY issue" WITH KHUM UPDATES

In a message dated 5/2/2007 salzman@inreach.com writes:
To: Humboldt neighbors re 17-unit subdivision in Manila...
"...This is NOT just a Manila issue - and NOT a NIMBY issue. it's about what kinds of development the residents of Humboldt Bay wish to allow in our communities in the future, and how these critical decisions should be made...."
"...This is not a NIMBY issue. No developer should be allowed to place a densely packed subdivision of large homes on top of a wild dune ecosystem adjacent to a healthy willow wetland in a rural neighborhood on a narrow road...

Uh huh.


It does happen elsewhere, and it looks kinda nice.

UPDATE:
Letters to the North Coast Journal, from Fennel, his tenant, and a guy from Trinidad - and a correction noted, But the facts still stand. Michael Fennel asserts, and Hank agrees, that Fennel did not BUILD three houses. One existed, One was built and another is planned. Nevertheless, Sims points out, the point of his comments last week was that Fennel wants to hold Riley to a half acre minimum standard that he himself did not - or was not allowed to - follow.

ANOTHER UPDATE:
Calling out all the stops and using the media - today, (Thursday) Michael Fennel is on KHUM decrying Scott Riley's project, saying it is not a "green development" - STILL says this project plans to bulldoze the dunes - says people should be honest - says they are trying to impose a dense new neighborhood - still upset about the scrub pines which were cut, wants to ask for a measuring of the stumps, says he has already measured the stumps - (isn't that trespassing?) Says he doesn't see cutting a new road into the dunes is fair to the protected environment, says the new development must fit in with the character of the existing homes (-?-), and that these 3 story homes just won't fit in with the existing character, in part becasue they have to be built to withstand a tsunami. Says, essentially that John Ash, the architect is lying. (Spin, he says, to call using recycled products and installing solar "green.") No mention of the trail access, nor the fact that Riley offered to donate land to the Community... Like I said, there's no appeasing these guys.

UPDATE to UPDATE (1:31):
Scott Riley called in to KHUM to set the record straight... Wow what a story! Basically, I'll stick to the order in which he spoke:

First he talked about the trees. He said it is illegal to cut anything over a foot in diameter. Then he talked about the trees he cut, He said, first of all, that he planted 150 native trees on the property (turns out he owns a tree farm), and said they had gotten to be about 15 to 20 feet tall. He said when trees grow to a certain height in the sand, they often get blown over, and that that had happened here. So he went in to clean up the dead and dying trees, cut them up for firewood.

Then the harassment begins...The next day, he said, he came to work on them and found a Stop Work' order posted. The County sent out a code enforcement unit to inspect his property, they told him they had gotten complaints from a couple of neighbors. He showed them the trees, explained what was going on. The code enforcement officers found that there was no violation.

A couple of weeks later he cut the trees up and stacked them up. Then another agency came to inspect, this time the Coastal Commission, again because of complaints from Fennel and company. The Coastal Commission representative also sees that this is not a violation.

Then another Federal agency showed up, because Fennel and his friends had complained about an illegal timber harvest.

All three agencies found that no violation had occurred. And, Riley said, he got three cords of wood finally.

Next, the radio host, Mike Dronkers, asked him about the three story houses that Fennel had complained so loudly about.

Riley said first that the house Fennel built was 6 feet from his own property line and that it is taller than any of the houses Riley plans to build, and that across the street Fennel had another 30 foot building. Riley said that his tallest house will be 35 feet in height, and that they will have underground garages.

Giving a background on the dispute, he said that in 1992 he talked to the property's then owners, the Shires, and asked if they would sell the property. they said the property was not for sale, but mentioned that Fennel and Aryay Kalaki had gotten the property appraised and made an offer to the Shires.

Noting that the property was not for sale, they then said that if someone offered them twice what Kalaki had offered, they would sell it. So Riley bought it, and made a lifelong enemy apparently. He said he himself had put the property up for sale, that for 15 years Kalaki and Fennel could have purchased the property and turned it into a dune sanctuary if they wanted to, but they did not.

Regarding the houses, he said he has posted the plans on a bulletin board and that people can see them at the Planning Dept. When he decided to develop it, the County suggested that he do a planned unit development, where you cluster the houses and leave the rest for natural habitat, the new wave of the future.

He said most of Manila is zoned for 5,000 sq. ft lots which is 8 houses to an acre, and some allow 16 per acre, and he pointed out that his property is 8.5 acres, and he is only building 17 homes, much better than the rest of Manila.

He said his homes will be set well back from the wetlands, while Fennel's house is only 7 feet from the wetlands, and that one of Fennel's buildings is in the wetland, something Fennel had requested a variance to hbe allowed to do so.

In fact, he said, Fennel has requested a variance each time he has done something, while he, Riley had not asked for any zoning variances.

The homes he is proposing have sod roofs, passive solar, solar panels, thermal mass, with recycled and organic materials. The building cost is substantially more than a "normal" house. They'll cost $400,000 to $500,000 to build, but they represent a new wave in sustainable development. Riley said he is willing to take the risk, but that it is a gamble, whether or not he will be able to sell them. "Green" housing is more expensive. Like organic produce. But worth it.

It's an ambitious project, and one people should be excited about, especially the so-called enviros.

To Mike Dronkers - like Hank Sims - you deserve thanks for allowing both sides to be told. Very interesting.

It is quite a story. Not a pretty story, though.

Footnote and disclaimer: I was scribbling as fast as I could as the two men were talking. I believe I got all the points correctly. But, given the interest this is generating, and given the fact that Fennel's side looks like they are the nitpicky ones who are probably looking for any little thing I might have gotten wrong that they can use against Riley, I am very thankful to have been given an mp3 copy of both appearances. I'm trying to figure out how to upload the file if I can't link to it at the station, so you can all hear it verbatim for yourselves. So, if I got any number wrong - my apologies.

MORE:
Though Fennel derided Riley's architect, John Ash, Ash is no lightweight. John Ash Group Architects received the Los Angeles Conservancy’s prestigious Preservation Award for 2005. John Ash Group Architects, with offices in both Eureka and Los Angeles, worked as the historic preservation architect on the winning Infomart-Los Angeles Terminal Annex project.

He also writes a column on building design for the Eureka Reporter:
(A new column: Design for Life)
Creating spaces, building fences
The life style brand: Bringing meaning to your life
The lighted path on the search for enlightenment
Doors — our humble guardians should give us more
The continuing story of the door
Defining your home's character
Imagining a better space
My Space, Chapter 2: Building the perfect shower
A brief plan for the 'me space'
A Deck For All Seasons Part 2
Clients come first, real or not

38 comments:

  1. You can do better than that.

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  2. Where's that house in the picture located?

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  3. Let me get this right - these groups (like health humboldt) want massive infill, but is that only in the places they approve of? Or is it that they want only to mouth that policy and really keep all building from going on altogether? Seems to me they are really doing two contradictory things at a time. Build massive land fill and don't build massive landfill.

    Well - well! and 10:25 pm, you are obviously R.Trent and need to go back under your little rock again!

    Boo!

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  4. Rose ,you couldn't do better if you gaged them with a spoon. Healthy Humb. is just as phony as this anti-in-my-back-yard group. BECAUSE they are the same people. This is not about anything but the age old forces that control. Physical power,political power, and self rightousness used to over run every one that is not on your side. Who's denomination of Enviromentilism is pure and who's is sacrilegous? The congregation is swinging to and fro seeking the higher truth. The High Priests are smiling through ever conflict.

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  5. I very confused by this. The nimby's are crying about a small amount of sand work being done to make this subdivision. Yet they were reciently singing the glory of moving millions of yards of sand all around below the 101 over look at Clam Beach. They said it was OK because they were creating a dune swell. Good,I think this development is swell.

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  6. There's just something terribly tragic about what our generation has become. It makes me very sad.

    All the great bright promise has been reduced to nitpicky activism.

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  7. Activism? It sure has changed over the years.

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  8. Who goes out and gets someone elses's property appraised? Who goes onto someone else's property and measures the stumps of their trees?

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  9. Well it looks like the coastal commission has put the kabosh on this one for awile,like the project or not.

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  10. Mr Robert "Scott" Riley has shown the Manila community his delusional side before common sense, once again. When he first purchased this property he turned it into a squatters camp. Went down to Clam Beach and offered the illegal campers a free home. Sheriff and County shut that down, but he showed his true colors and concerns for the neighborhood.
    The people who could afford a home like this are not in this area, nor will they be relocating here anytime soon. This is a big fat white elephant in the invitro stage. Looks like the coastal commision is leaning towards giving it a well needed abortion.

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  11. Really? Or it might make the cover of Fine Homebuilding, or Coastal Living.

    Riley comes across as a nice reasonable guy.

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  12. Rose said..."Riley comes across as a nice reasonable guy."

    How long have you known him? Ever crossed paths with him in disagreement? did you attend the meeting last night?
    Nice guy, no, only when it benefits him.
    Reasonable, No. Delusional, yes. Scott's actions and criminal records speak louder than words.

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  13. Dune lover - why don't you call yourself "Rile Hater"? Projects like this are supported by groups like Healthy Humboldt.

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  14. Healthy Humboldt should research what they stand behind then. If the larger community of Manila residents are opposed to such a project,how could that maintain a Healthy Humboldt?
    I'm not a hater of anyone. Only stating the facts Trent~

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  15. It shouldnt matter if the guy is an asshole, or the greatest, nicest person in the world.

    As long as he is complying with the law then he should be allowed to build, no matter what organized opposition wants; btw, it only seems to be Fennell who is tossing out falsehoods - debunked both in the NCJ, KHum and here...

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  16. County, State and Federal agencies called on you? I guess you'd be a little angry, too. He sounded exasperated, but reasonable, desiring to set the record straight.

    From what I read, Riley offered to give the property to Manila, they turned it down. He is setting aside FIVE acres for wetland/wildlife. He is allowing beach access through his property (as anyone with beach property should do). he isn't just building cracker boxes and future slums, he has a project designed by an architect. He has incorporated "green" elements into his design and his architect is no lightweight.

    The "larger community of Manila resident" you speak of have been subjected to a blitz of anti-Riley propaganda, directed by seasoned activists who know how to do it. Have they heard the other side?

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  17. You have a forum here, Dune Lover. Put your case out here. Do not be afraid. But is has to be more than propaganda, or it will not stand up against the facts.

    That's what happened with the "illegal timber harvest" accusations. It ran into the facts.

    The accusations of ultra-density? Ran into the facts.

    Would you let him spread the 17 houses out over the 8.5 acres?

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  18. so - healthy humboldt is pushing this type of development county wide and Manila disagrees with the concept. Perhaps Manila residents need to contact Wooley who is also pushing for this high density infill projects county wide. Perhaps these Manila residents need to go to the general plan update meetings and tell the planning commission how they feel. Healthy Humboldt is saying it is speaking for everyone and that this is what everyone in the county who is "progressive" wants for the future.

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  19. I think these lot sizes are too big for "Healthy Humboldt" to approve of. No apartment complexes built in, either. Higher density and infill is what they want. Just not for themselves.

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  20. I took a walk today. Polled everyone I saw. Started at 1401 Penisula and ended at Seirra Pacific mill. Only 1 person (who rents from Scott) spoke in favor of his West Dunes project. Talked to I woud guess 50+ residents.
    No one in the recidency of Manila want s to see this kind of development. I think his plan is better served in the Cutten area? They have a huge lot to develope.
    Scott's plan will never fly here....He needs to take this out of the area where no one knowes him by ANY name he uses..

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  21. OK. How many of those were influenced by Cienfuegos and Fennel's 'get the word out' neighborhood walk? How many have actually seen the project and/or talked to Riley? Did any of them have any concerns about Fennel's own additions? Do any of them know that the trees were not an "illegal timber harvest"? Do any of them know who John Ash is? Do any of them want ANY houses built there at all?

    You know, they're just questions. 'Course, for all I know, you are Fennel or Cienfuegos.

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  22. So when Scott's name is mentioned......well I got a negative reaction from all but one. Never even got address the issues with most.
    His name seems sonominous with slum lord, drug houses, and the land he bought with drug monies...
    Only one person spoke in favor of him, but she was probably scared as she is behind on rent with him as she shared with me...
    How do you know him????sounds almost like you are Scott/Trent?????

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  23. I do know who Fennell is, but I don't know who the Cienfuegos is? is that a board member???

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  24. I do know John Ash the chef. Is that who you are referring to?

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  25. Were u impressed with the uneek charm of Peninsula Drive?

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  26. I'm guessing they want to buy up all the cheap land and build something, or keep it for themselves. Paul C, however you spell his name, has just built a little shithole out there, but he will be damned if anyone else can. Any bets on when the other "favorite greens" are allowed to buy up land out there and do their own project with it? This is nothing more then a back door business deal in the making. Toe the line, or you don't get it.

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  27. The more I find out, Anon.R, the more I think you are right on the mark there. Riley isn't part of the club.

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  28. Dune lover may just be the communist Kalacki. Not his real name so spell it any way you want. Like a commie types he is a lier. He and his bud Fennell tried to buy this property to make money. Sub-divide or sell it to the coastal conservancy. To say Riely is a druggie is funny. Why do you think all the opposition leaders smell like pot? How many grow houses do you think are in the area? The property directly south of Riely's sub was a speed/meth house for years. One of the MCSD had to resign after a 10 yr conviction on drugs. Kind of like the pot calling the kettle black. There were a lot of residents in support at planning hearing and you good neighbors heckled the one who got to speak. All the working folks out there call you guys the beach nazzie's. You are the worst of NIMBY's. You have to take your share of county development. Riely's project will fly. You and Komielackie need to crawl back into your hole.

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  29. As I understand it some of the heckling was because these people pointed out that Riley's project would bring property values UP for the entire area.

    A short drive in Manila, past derelict houses, broken down trailers with grass growing through them, wrecked cars and 3rd world shacks tells you they're right. Probably going to scare potential buyers, though.

    "It's not all about money." No, it certainly is not. But if it is not, then Fennel himself would not be adding homes to his parcel, or renting them out. Riley's project will definitely benefit him.

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  30. Personally,I think Riley should back out and sell his proposal elsewhere if its that great,as other communities may bend over backwards to work with him on it. The folks in Manilla who don't want the project would be the ones who benefit the most from having it,so he should stick it to them and hightail it outta their,and move on to perhaps Fieldbrook,or somewhere else where the project won't run cross paths with the coastal commission or unwilling neighbors,yet still needs some"affordable housing".

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  31. Riely should do what he wants to as it is his property, not the neighbors. The community has every right to be involved in a legal manner through the legitimate planning process. The witch hunt that has been going on for several years prior to the development plan is not. It is the way a select group in Manila have strong armed their way for quite a while but it is a very destruvtive and mean spirited approach. It's an us aganist them,take no prisioners under belly that spills from them into every facit of the counties mainstream politics. For this group what is good for the goose is not good for the gander. Look at the huge house in a huge dune they just let you and I buy for them. I think a lot of sand was disturbed there. They want it so its OK. To be true to their own propaganda ,they should have purchased the property and removed the structure. Likewise it is legitimate for a neighbor to want some adjacent property to stay a certain way. To accomplish that goal you don't try to ruin the current owner,you buy the property. I'm not sure these on again off again socialists can grasp that idea.

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  32. Bravo, 10:12, BRAVISIMO...

    (not in any way shape or form to be confused with the blogosphere's own Ryan Fenster, aka Nicholas Bravo).

    You have hit the proverbial nail on the head with this.

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  33. Wow! 10:12 must be a union carpenter. Hit the nail on the head with a framing hammer.

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  34. Reading all this, and watching with dismay - It's a sad thing that these may be very nice men - and in a better time they would have been helping each other, the entire community would have been involved in the house raising, but in today's time too many men have been reduced to nit-picky obstructionists, seeking to destroy their opponent with carefully selected sections of law and code.

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  35. Funny how Manila is being described. The idyllic little seaside community. Walking down Peninsula Drive and chatting with the neighbors. Did you step on any needles? See any crank deals? Smell pot wafting out of trailers with windows that are blacked out? Give me a break. What time was this walk, middle of the day when all the normal people were working? Let somebody clean it up.

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  36. These shitheads decrying their great community lifestyles are a bunch of 60 yr old pot heads still puffing away their life. Grow up and let the next generation at least try to clean up your garbage.

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