City Reports – Page 118

Yesterday in Beaverland…

heidi08 Beaver News, Beavers or Social Ambasadors, City Reports September 10, 2009

We had some nice surprises. I started the morning with a visit to the dam and saw a few yearlings mudding about. At one point there looked to piece of dark hard debris on the secondary dam- right in the gap the beavers use to cross over. How surprised was I when the trash sprung legs, a head and a tail and proceeded to crawl over the dam, using the depression the beavers provided. It was a western pond turtle! He musta’ been moving fast or I would be able to share a picture of my walking waste.

Later a couple of very nice emails arrived, sent to the beavers (care of me), one from a supporter in Oakland and one from the Orange County couple we met at the dam last week. The woman from the EPA that included our beaver photos in the curriculum of every first grader in the state wrote to get updates and addresses. And we heard from Worth A Dam member Lory (on vacation in alaska) that she was in Denali park excitedly watching beavers swim around.

At the meeting there were more beaver supporters in one place than I have seen since the festival. Robert Rust (the kayaking creek cleaner) was there, along with a bunch of beaver supporters I had never met but who wanted to thank me. Ken Dothee came to tell me that his performing son (Nick Dothee) was wearing one of our 2008 beaver t-shirts on a youtube video and we should check it out. Of course I came straight home to investigate.

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=96lnu7q3yOI]

Oh, and what happened at the meeting last night? Here’s the short version:

Sometimes Goliath wins.

Once Upon A Time…

heidi08 City Reports, Environmental September 6, 2009

In a town by the river, there was a bitter man with a great deal of money, who was allowed to make decisions that affected the lives of a many residents. Whatever he wanted done, was done — whether it meant installing an entire wall of sheetpile through the homes of beloved vegetarians, or building a massive 4 story structure on a site filled with toxic waste to block the view of an historic neighborhood.

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=O4ne13Zft9Q]

The wealthy man was very powerful, and very accustomed to getting what he wanted. Whenever a council member or ordinary citizen dared to oppose them, he would use his persuasive financial powers to quickly move them back into accord with their goals. In these private meetings great things were promised, and Faustian deals were made. Political campaigns got funded and stubborn roadblocks got nudged surprisingly out of the way.

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=hGYTqwzJt6w]

Maybe you’re familiar with this story. I mention it because this wednesday night the city council will consider the appeal to the planning commission’s decision to allow the Berrellesa Palm’s project. In case you aren’t familiar with this senior housing complex, it will allow 50 section 8 units to be built in a four-story building downtown. The project will produce no property tax revenue, no sales revenue and will significantly change the feel of the neighborhood. It will also put roughly a million dollars in “Mr. Potter’s” pocket.

Can you be there wednesday night to support a better vision for our city? Maybe the wheels of justice in Martinez are too rusty to be exercised, but we need at least to see the faces of our representatives when they continue to lie to us. They’re spending our money to pay their attorneys to misrepresent the downtown specific plan they already used our money to pay for. They had to pay their staff to write a 28 page response. So its the least we can do.

Here is a fantastic summary of the issues put forth by Harlan Stricklan.

I would ask that you reconsider the approval for this project. I view a vote for this project, as it stands, as a vote against the downtown.

· It violates the Downtown Specific Plan as regards height, setbacks, lot coverage, massing, usable open space and parking. This not only produces negative impacts by itself, but also sets a bad precedent for future projects. The fact that in the memo to the Planning Commission (Corey Simon, 8-11-09), the 231 Main St (Aiello) project that likewise violated a number of aspects of the Downtown Specific Plan, is cited as a precedent for this project, exactly makes this point. Do we still have a Downtown Specific Plan?

· The violations are severe enough that a Project EIR would seem to be in order.

· It is closer to the railroad tracks than the railroad itself recommends for residential use. Leaving the area adjacent to the tracks as light industrial makes more sense in terms of a safety buffer, where a smaller and more mobile population would be present, and only during part of the day. This would provide other benefits as well (more on this later).

· The authoritative Martinez Historic Resources Survey by Knapp, Kelley and Verplank was not referenced, calling into question conclusions regarding historic and cultural resources and impacts in the documentation for this project.

· Property tax #1: This project will pay no property tax. Assuming that such a prime piece of real estate, relatively close to the downtown and waterfront would ultimately be developed with some other project of similar value (residential or otherwise), this project represents a loss of General Fund revenue, in perpetuity, of approximately $30,000 a year. Assuming some sort of commercial development, if split-roll assessment ever were to come in, that figure would continue to climb.

· Property tax #2: The inappropriate height of this project – what some have called a Taj Mahal with Late Victorian/Neoclassical surface vocabulary (how many Victorians covered an entire city block?) – will block the views of neighboring dwellings, ultimately reducing their market value, and hence property tax revenue to the General Fund. Not only will the project take up an entire city block and not pay property taxes itself, but also will reduce income from surrounding properties that do pay.

· Property values – additional comment: By making adjacent properties less desirable, the typical resident or landlord will be less likely from an investment point of view, or from the standpoint of personal resources, to invest in property upkeep and improvement.

· Sales Tax #1: Much has been made of the aggregate personal income of 49 (50 with manager) residential units being added to the downtown. It should be made clear: this is not a retirement community – it is a Section 8 housing project for indigent seniors. The average weekly allocation per unit for groceries is $42. Parking may actually not be a problem – because many of the residents will be too poor to own vehicles. The small amount of shopping they will do will overwhelmingly be for necessities – something the downtown does not now, nor in the foreseeable future, offer. Downtown business sales depend on disposable income for either professional services or specialty shopping. Similar to the comments regarding property taxes above, an entire city block, close to the downtown, will be taken up with a use that won’t contribute to downtown businesses or the General Fund.

· Sales Tax #2: To the extent that the value and attractiveness of adjacent housing (owner occupied or rental) is diminished by this project, the typical resident will have lower socioeconomic status, lower disposable income, and will contribute less to the downtown in terms of sales and sales tax revenue to the General Fund.

Oh, and if you know three George Bailey types, maybe you could start convincing them to run for city council?

Access & Ambivalence

heidi08 City Reports, Creative Solutions September 4, 2009

UPDATE:

Go here to find out what happened at the meeting.

The question of access to the beaver dam will be considered by the newly formed Parks, Recreation, Marina, and Cultural Commission Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm in City Hall (525 Henrietta St). This kinder, gentler civic body counts several beaver friends as members, so we are more likely to get an outcome that is good for both the beavers and the city than when the ominous but ineffective chain was hung across the path with a warning from the Police Department.

To be truthful, Worth A Dam is rather ambivalent about the access issue. On the one hand we want to keep visitors from approaching the beavers, climbing on the dam, or visiting the lodge. We don’t want homeless sleeping or drinking down there, and we don’t want pets to come sniffing either. But on the other hand we can see the immediate softening of hearts that comes with standing on the bank and seeing beavers so close. Families and children and groups of all ages are mesmerized by the experience, and we all know we protect the things we care about. Our photographer could never have taken the pictures she has without access. I didn’t actually use the bank to watch beavers until the sheetpile-palooza left me worried about their safety and wanting to closely check each one. Before that all of my videos were filmed from bridges or street side. That is until I felt I was worried about mom’s eye and wanted to see it regularly.

Ambivalence is a developmental accomplishment. Having mixed feelings is something you are incapable of doing when you are three or five or a member of the Bush administration. To be able to hold both sides of an issue in your heart, to see gray area, and to really feel two ways at once is the sign of a more mature mind trying to figure out the complexities of the world. Our mixed feelings about access center on the fact that we want the beavers to be safe, and we want people to have an opportunity to be moved by their closeness.

Separate from either of these goals is the need the city has to not be sued if someone falls in or breaks an ankle. We think that issue can be easily solved by signs saying “Enter at your own risk” or some such language to indicate that the city doesn’t maintain liability for the area. We have suggested “Sensitive habitat” signs warning people not to approach the wildlife, bring pets, or climb on beaver structures and Worth A Dam has offered to pay for these. We generally feel that any fencing built should be gated and that Worth A Dam members and docents should be able to provide access, so that if a docent is on sight you can come down if you wish. Certainly we feel that any fencing that prevents access from the dam should prevent access to the lodge as well. And finally that nothing built to block access should interfere with the habitat or the trees in any way.

It’s a tall order, and maybe a few supporters in the audience would help guide the process. Come by tomorrow if you can and support compassionate decision-making that will keep our beavers safe and valued for years to come.

Turtle Rescue

heidi08 City Reports, Educational, Environmental August 24, 2009

Sent to the Gazette for publication:

Lucky for this little fellow, Worth A Dam member Cheryl Reynolds was standing by when a young man fishing near the beaver dam accidentally caught this Western Pond Turtle. Reynolds is a volunteer at the International Bird Rescue and Research Center, and once managed the Lindsay Wildlife Hospital, After the turtle was safely released back into the water, she was able to explain that pond turtles are considered a “species of special concern” and their numbers are carefully watched around the state.

The young man hadn’t intended to catch anything but carp, but Reynolds explained there are unintended and dangerous consequences to fishing in such a sensitive habitat area. “We find fishing tackle and tangled line all over the banks and dams, and this creates a significant risk for birds and other wildlife.” Although the mayor has been approached regarding an ordinance prohibiting fishing in the area, no action has yet been taken. “In the mean time its up to us to explain the risks and encourage youngsters to take their fishing somewhere else.” Reynolds observed, “It’s a big creek and if the beavers are left undisturbed to do their restorative work, they’ll be lots to fish for in the future.”

Autumn Approaches…

heidi08 City Reports August 21, 2009

Years of heading back to school in the fall have left me imprinted with an instinct to buy new pencils and crisp binder paper around this time–maybe even a new pair of shoes. I can’t remember how old I was when I finally realized that September was the End (not the beginning) of the year, but I’m still confused by it.

I actually dislike summer, and August particularly. By this time I’m usually craving cool evenings and long sleeves. I always get a little excited as we start the countdown to September, but this year, I’m also getting a little nervous.

it was September 15 last year that I got the seemingly innocuous email from the city engineer that they were going to “take down the dam a bit” to lower the water level so they could check for holes in the bank. Within a month they had issued a report to allow emergency exception to the standards of CEQA and voted to install a wall of metal through the beavers living room. I was just coming home from my birthday vacation to the coast when I saw our brave city manager and city engineer gathered at the dam and plotting their next moves. I blogged about it here:

I will tell you the most striking finding of the day: staff had not considered the impact of the tides. They were so high that no one would have been able to “drain” off that water. I was asked, “is this because of the secondary dam?” No, I explained.

This is because of the moon.

Is it just me or are you getting a little apprehensive about what “emergency party” the city might decide to suddenly throw before the October 30th deadline? Councilman Ross may have been showing his hand a little when he cautioned that “because of EL NIÑO this year, we might need to make some compromises”. I shudder to think what they imagine we have left to compromise on, but I guess we should all pay very careful attention.