Local Eco Businesses being forced to shut down- march on city hall Wednesday at 5pm
Hello,
Please read the attached press release for the current situation with the Yurt run businesses in downtown Encinitas. They are currently being forced to shut due to code restrictions on their property. They will host a march on city hall at 5pm on Wednesday...
Carris
Read the press release here. (update: see it below)
CommUnity PEACE MARCH TO SAVE YOGA SWAMI YURT FROM DEMOLITION
Supporters peacefully march to Encinitas City Hall to “Save Our Space,”
Wednesday, December 8 at 5 p.m.
Who: Supporters of Yoga Swami and Lemongrass Aveda Concept Salon and Spa along with local community member.
WHAT: A peace march from Yoga Swami aka the Yoga Yurt to city hall will be organized so that residents, employees and business owners can present their case for why the yurts should stay up
When: Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at 5 p.m. – CommUnity Peace March begins. The march will end at Encinitas City Hall at about 5:45 p.m.
Where: Yoga Swami 912 S Coast Hwy 101
Two women owned environmentally proactive downtown Encinitas are being forced to shut their doors because their operation takes place in a Yurt which at the current moment the city deems illegal. The Lemongrass Aveda Concept Salon and Spa and Yoga Swami both use yurts as a vital part of their businesses. With the forced closure of both yurts on their prospective properties their businesses cannot proceed. 5 years ago both businesses had verbal agreement from the city of Encinitas engineering department to erect the structures because the city of Encinitas had no policy and procedures on yurts within the city. Now after 5 years of operation, both businesses are thriving and they are being asked to take them down. The City of Encinitas is requiring the owners of both businesses to meet current building codes or take the yurt down. If you do not know what a yurt is please visit the Colorado yurt company http://www.coloradoyurt.com/
Now supporters of both businesses, local community member, clients and students of Yoga Swami and Lemongrass in Encinitas will hold a CommUnity Peace March to try to prevent a beloved yoga yurt from being dismantled on Thursday. The “Save Our Space” march will begin at Yoga Swami and end at Encinitas City Hall prior to the City Council meeting where citizens will speak to council members, encouraging them to allow the yurts to stand possibly granting a variance on each of the structures.
For the past five years, the owner of Yoga Swami has operated a donation-based yoga studio in a yurt on Coast Highway in Encinitas. In an outpouring to save the yurt, in less than 4 days more than 1,000 people have signed a petition to encourage the Encinitas City Council to waive building codes to allow for the eco-friendly building to remain. For more information on Yoga Swami please visit http://www.yogaswami.com and for Lemongrass please visit http://www.lemongrasscenter.com/
Did the code change since 5 years ago?
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the problems of not having ambiguous code, giving power of case-by-case "interpretation" to staff, and not plugging holes as they develop.
It all turns into oral approvals and that means the bureaucrats have the power, not the people.
Hello?? I am not going to create a Google acct just to read your stupid press release. If you can't get it to use some other way, too bad.
ReplyDeleteComply with the city codes or leave. I had to comply and pay a fine.
Good Luck
Yoga Swami is an authentic part of an Encinitas culture and it sets us apart from anywhere USA. It is a defining feature of contemporary Encinitas.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I haven't read the EMC code related to this and would always suggest getting an approval in writing.
I wonder if the land the yurt is on is zoned exactly like the land under Pacific Station?
Verbal agreement with the city??? Just like the trees that were cut down to protect views? What is it with city staff and verbal agreements? There seems to be a pattern of this in Encinitas, though I'm sure staff will deny a verbal agreement in this case.
ReplyDeleteShouldn't all construction be done with a permit? If so, the plans would be approved, inspected, etc., and this would not have been an issue.
Go to Coast Law Group and ask for pro bono representation. They are your neighbor and should help you.
ReplyDeletenot all construction requires inspection and permitting, and it looks like these folks did ask if that was needed.
ReplyDeletethey just didn't know they shouldn't just take their spoken word as confirmation. Sometimes it pays to be aware of what is happening around town.
ReplyDeleteCheck many of the major hotels in San Diego. You will find extra large tents set up for meetings.
ReplyDeleteor home depot...
ReplyDeleteDo they own the land? I heard that the land was being sold and that is the issue.
ReplyDeleteWho owns the land?
Who owns the land is a valid question? If it is not owned by the YURT group, then they have no choice if the landowner wants to rent to someone else. IF the land is owned by the City, do they want to do something else with it? It seems as if this has just come up because when I Googled it, there was nothing about it except the LB.
ReplyDeleteI think this man deserves a permit, provided he provides a traffic mitigation survey and pays the proper fees.
ReplyDeleteBig Yoga
ReplyDeleteLynn's on Mars,
rustling support
from meat market vegetarians
on behalf of Big Dirt.
Her circus tent skirt flirts
with Gerbil Dump Kadoodle
who whines around town
clothed in an adult diaper
during incoherent rambles
shambling toward
a
March to The Yurt.
March to The Yurt--
save culture.
March to The Yurt--
carnivore vultures.
March to The Yurt
because ancient ignorance--
pseudo-sacred
static blood
self-righteous floods
of special knowledge
speak to us
in mystical voices
which tell us
we need to save
failure.
Give me the keys
to your car.
I will drive the Volvo
to a
No Blood for Oil rally.
I will
carry the sign.
I will
Save The Yurt.
Jellystone Park
is
Holy Soil.
Lorenzo Garza
Encinitas
There must be a wierdo magnet buried somewhere in Encinitas.
ReplyDeleteYou can't make this stuff up.
Can I build a yurt to live in in my neighborhood. If it is good enough for them it should be good enough for me. Maybevwe can become a whole city of yurts. It would be novel and we can attract yurt people from around the world to stay in our yurt hotels.
ReplyDeleteSure. You should be able to build a yurt in your neighbor as long as you not infringing on your neighbors use of their property. Better check with the City. They will want some big fees from you. They need to feed the big pension fund thats in the red.
ReplyDeleteThe tenants of these properties asked the City if there were building codes related to the construction of fabric structures within the City.
ReplyDeleteThey did not ask, could I erect a 400 SF fabric structure on my rented property and use it to assemble occupants for a commercial use. Nor did they suggest they would be adding permanent additional footage on the property without providing / addressing additional parking, handicapped access, life safety issues, fire safety issues, etc.
If they had asked the full question, they might not be in their present situation.
There is no question that these businesses provide a positive and soulful purpose. The yurts should remain in place, but a solution to the City issues must be worked out.
ReplyDeleteOther businesses may want to add yurts in existing open space and we should find ways to allow that legally.
The City does have an obligation to enforce compliance of their codes and regulations. We asked as a society for that kind of order and regulation for our built environment long ago, and it has been provided in the form of building codes since that time.
These businesses simply need to provide solutions to the City to meet their obligations.
Really they just need to play by the rules. Give these businesses a year or so to solve the problems, or cease use of the structures.
These tents remain me of the sweat tent that was built in Az, where many people died.
ReplyDeleteAfter the fact everyone that used it said; "we didn't know better, it's you fault for not enforcing your own building codes.
It's very SIMPLE! Follow the rules that everyone else does!
ReplyDeleteSo many unanswered questions... Does the yurt exceed occupancy rates established by the fire department? Does it meet access codes for the handicapped? Are adequate parking spaces provided or do yurt-goers use parking for the other businesses? How "soulful" it is shouldn't be an issue. One person's "soulful place" is another person's cash cow. Meet the existing building codes - otherwise, these two businesses gain an unfair advantage over businesses that have played by the rules. And just out of curiosity, how do you calculate your taxes on a "donation" based business? Is it a legitimate 501-c3?
ReplyDeleteThe city should declare a state of emergency and burn it!!! Follow the lead of Escondido, burn it!! It is a danger to the health and well being of the community!!
ReplyDeleteThis kind of stuff drives me crazy. For three years I have been driving by the rat infested blight on Andrew and Sheridan, and the city has done nothing. Now this. I remember when Cindy Adams was the Encinitas code enforcerette, and some poor guy killed himself because he couldn't handle the stress. As usual, the city staff are exhibiting a stellar abuse of power.
ReplyDeleteYes good 'ol Cindy Adams. She retired on a disability pension. 100% TAX FREE
ReplyDeleteWhile we may sympathize with these people, if they city were to allow these Yurts with our permits, etc., other's could do the same. It would be yet another way to increase density. Build your house to meet FAR, and add a Yurt - kind of a density bonus...
ReplyDeleteDoes a yurt count for low-income housing?
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm also interested to know how a "donation based" scheme works. Sounds like a little golden nugget -- pack 'em in, rake it in.
ReplyDeleteThe yurt is a blight. Play by the rules. Everyone else who wants to build something has to; just because you've skated by until now doesn't mean a variance is deserved.
Hopefully no yurt will mean less weak minded faux peaceniks flocking to Encinitas and pretending to be locals.
On the far-away Island of Sala-ma -Sond (Leucadia) Yertle (COE)the turtle was king of the pond. A nice little pond. It was clean. It was neat. The water was warm. There was plenty to eat.The turtles had everything turtles might need. And they were all quite happy. Quite happy indeed. They were... until Yertle (COE or any council member that you despise), the king of them all, Decided the kingdom he ruled was too small. "I'm ruler," said Yertle "of all that I see. But I don't see enough. That's the trouble with me... Dr. Seuss.
ReplyDeleteRome is burning...
ReplyDeleteonce people realize that the size of the american pie is limited, and shrinking even, the people will revolt against tax and pension scams as they are a much bigger resource vacuum than most people realize. Save the yurt? How about save our future?
ReplyDeleteDid Bruce Lee get the Code Enforcer?
ReplyDeleteCindy Adams is a killer??
ReplyDeleteGet Dalager to save the Yert!
ReplyDeleteI am with 7:34-
ReplyDeleteWhy is the Encinitas citizens storming city hall to throw the council in a hot burning jail cell for selling the public out by giving all our tax money to employee pensions.
Jail the councils responsible these huge pensions.
10:24
ReplyDeleteBut Mary, his wall wasn't up to code.
9:04-
ReplyDeleteI think you meant to say--- Why "aren't" citizens storming City Hall to throw council in jail for stealing our tax money and giving it to the huge employee pensions approved by Jerome Stocks et al in 2005?
We are a society of laws or there is anarchy. Why do these people think they get to bypass the building permit process because its Swami Yoga?
ReplyDeleteBut then again Code Enforcement uses arbitrary judgements to allow non-permited additions willy-nilly all the time.
It mostly depends on how well you know those at Code Enforcement and how well they "like" you as to whether you get your way or not. Sometimes I think the DA should investigate City Hall for the shenanigans they get away with.
A neighbor torn down a structure and began to rebuild it exactly as it existed prior - Code Enforcement stopped him and hasseled with him for 2 years because he talked back to them. It cost him $20K in attorney's fees to get the city to allow him to rebuild. The observation that it is who you know is quite accurate - the "codes" are really "attitudes" of the city employees.
ReplyDeleteLorenzo Garza - the reason dope is illegal.
ReplyDeleteDan Dalager cheated the system and still gets pension benefits - who says crime dosen't pay?
ReplyDeleteI question whether the yurt is even part of the Lemongrass Salon business. The salon is at the front of the property near 2nd street. The yurt is back by the alley occupying what would otherwise be the property's backyard. I doubt anyone getting a haircut even knows about the yurt.
ReplyDeletePlus, I may be mistaken, but I think that I saw a "yurt" offered up as a North County rental unit on Craigslist several weeks ago.
"Progressive renter arrangements" might be the source of the problems with the City.
Does anyone know of an available yurt for two weeks this July for my wife and our two kids, aged 8 and 4? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt is possible, through concentrated meditation and advanced yoga techniques, to free oneself from the need to defecate (flatulence excluded).
ReplyDeleteTherefore, these accomodations might be quite appropriate for a highly enlightened individual.
I want to support the yurt, but tattoo kung fu guy is too dooshey. Burn the yurt.
ReplyDeleteI love the kung fu Yurt boy.
ReplyDeleteSave the yurt!
What is this place - a meeting place for wannabe Bruce Lees? You likee maybe opium den??
ReplyDeleteWho filed the complaint with the City about the yurt? Some of you may be surprised with the answer.
ReplyDelete