Last night the council voted 4-0 against rezoning Pacific View to high density residential. EUSD could have sold off Pacific View and used the money for their general fund.
No worries. The EUSD won a vote in the election that allows them to float $44 million in bonds for a shopping spree. The payments won't be due until the next generation.
Read More at the UT
Bravo City Council and Encinitas Citizens.
ReplyDeleteThank you Danny Salzhandler, the 101 artists colony and DEMA.
Any future use or project on the Pacivic View site should have four giuiding principles.
1. Education and our children’s access to the site.
2. Historic preservation and adaptive reuse of the existing buildings, both the 1883 schoolhouse and the 1950s school buildings.
3. That it remain in a public use
4. That it provide revenue to the EUSD and/or Encinitas Educcation foundation for the benefit of our schools.
The concepts centered around a farmers market, a community garden and Artist cooperative/colony and the idea that that can generate 100k to 200k a year for EUSD while maintaining the intended ideals of the giver of the land to the public are the best plan.
The Encinitas Ed Foundation can be the conduit between the artist and the farmers and the desire for art curriculum and Nutritional curriculum in the classrooms.
Leucadia resident Sarah Garfield gave the most important and relevent testemony I have ever heard from the podium.
I hope the blog can find vidoe of her presentation and post it on the blog. She deserves a lot of credit.
All the speakers were awesome.
Mr. Saadat, the process has concluded and now do what the community wants.
From a previous NCTimes article;
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/encinitas/article_c5944251-d31e-58f6-ac5d-39911e4e0cde.html
"Earlier this year, the downtown association's board agreed to make the establishment of a downtown cultural center one of its key goals.
This proposal is in its earliest stages, but initial signs are that the 2.8-acre school property on Third Street could be the perfect location for a downtown cultural center, Norby said. He added that project participants might include the 101 Artists Colony and the backers of a proposed community garden. The cultural center also could offer a weekly farmers' market.
To make the center a reality, Norby said, he needs to obtain a land lease agreement with the school district. The district closed the school in 2003 after student enrollment declined, and there have been various developments proposals for the property in the years since.
Most recently, the district's plans have called for removing the old school buildings and putting homes on the land. District officials now are seeking a city zoning change that would allow this.
The district's board officially declared the old school as "surplus" district property in February. That action started the special surplus property process that's required under state law.
In mid-March, the district notified the city of Encinitas, the county of San Diego and the state of California that the property was available to them. They have 60 days to respond to that notice.
Until that period concludes, any talk about a lease agreement with Norby's community groups is premature, Saadat said Friday.”
Sorry charlie,
ReplyDeleteThe cultural center will be on Quail Gardens drive or the new heart of Encinitas, El Camino Real.It is not realistic to think our city can support three community destinations.
If that's what developers like David Mayer and Paul Ecke want. Voters saw thru the faux Proposition and voted to keep the land on Quail agricultural, as Ecke had promised. El Camino Real doesn't have anything except a plot of dirt near Target, and a faux Chamber.
ReplyDeleteHere in Encinitas we have people who can make this work, and it can be sustainable. I know that's a big threat to the Moneymen, but the council can see the vision, and it's for the Greater Good, not just a short term investment to line the pockets of people who don't give a damn about Encinitas.
There are many ways that this property could sustain itself when used as Art Center. There are great models in Sedona, Mendocino, Whitbey Island, Washington and others. These communities have had the vision and taken the steps to make it happen. Just having classrooms where world class artists can come here and teach is a huge source of revenue in addition to rents. We cannot and must not let this opportunity pass us by. Last night was the first step. We needed to encourage the school district to work with our community. The citizens of Encinitas gave the school its multi=million bond....now we want something back....we want Pacific View.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if the Encinitas City Council would encourage and support the establishment of an Art Center at Pacific View with the same enthusiasm that they support the Hall Property Sports Park that is being put forth for the professional sports businesses and their kids.
ReplyDeleteLast night's meeting was very important for the future of downtown Encinitas and the EUSD.
ReplyDeleteKristin Gaspar was not there. Tony Kranz was.
Speaking of Kristin Gaspar....why is she not at City Council Meetings. I would think she would show up for the simple fact that she needs to see how things are done. Maybe we will get really lucky and she won't show up at all.
ReplyDeleteWow. Kristin Gaspar is still not coming to city council meetings? Considering she got the highest number of votes, that is extremely disrespectful. I would say that sends a pretty strong message of disinterest. How many meetings can she miss and still be considered to be a council member?
ReplyDeleteWell. Probably Gaspar is realizing how much she will need to be away from her babies and she is trying to spend time with them while she can.
ReplyDeleteHey. We all know babies want to spend time near their mom. Give her a break. Shes trying to have them remember her as she gos on to become super-politician!
As skeptical as I am about Gaspar's motives and ability to understand the issues, I really don't care for the attacks about "abandoning her babies."
ReplyDeleteLeaving the kids with dad during council meetings one night a week is not a problem.
And judging from Gaspar's inability to comment on any issues at the forums, she's obviously not spending any time away from the kids to learn about anything going on in Encinitas.
Mr. McPherson gave a riviting explanation of the numerous ambiguous loopholes and the other severly flawed aspects of the rezoniong proposal; it was obvious from watching the faces of the council members that he was talking beyond their comprehensions also. I suspect that even the draftors of this developer friendly document weren't as versed on the potential consequences as was McPherson. Kudos to a brilliant presentation by a community activist!
ReplyDeleteWhen people comment that Gaspar will sacrifice her time with her kids for city business, what gives you that impression? Remember Dalager - 8 years of nothing!
ReplyDeleteThe people elected the Valley Girl and can't expect too much.
$tock$ and Bond vetoed this measure as they knew it was dead in the water out of the gate - it was headed for a deadlock vote, therfore only symbolic of an attitude. With the overwhelming sentiment to save the property for community use, any favorable vote for it would have been political suicide ($tock$ is up for reelection in 2012).
ReplyDeleteThe School Board can still sell this property and may petition the Courts for a more favorable status leaning towards high density development. Superintendent of Schools Timothy B. Baird was the only voice in favor of rezoning - he should be reminded of the character and heritage of the community and not try for short term profits at the expense of long term benefits. He apparently forgot that Proposition P passed. If that is an elected position, vote him out next time.
Congratulations to the community activists - great job! Only when $tock$ and Bond propose permanent acquistion of this site for community use will I trust their motives.
Who needs a mom now anyway. Most kids don't have moms attention because they are off at work, and look how great all the teens are of today. Look at our own Great Darrick and all the other failures to launch.
ReplyDeleteA mothers love and time with her babies is highly overrated. who needs it anyways?
The most interesting thing on Wednesday night was that Jerome Stocks flipped and voted to deny the zoning change. He had repeatedly and adamantly refused to stop the school district from selling the property and letting his developer friends reap a big profit on a high-density development. Previously he voted against having an appraisal of the property and having a discussion of buying or leasing the property. He even said that the zoning change would increase the value of the property.
ReplyDeleteOn Wednesday night he could hardly wait to articulate his reversed opinion. The public had finished speaking (all supporting no zoning change), and presiding Mayor Maggie Houlihan wanted to take a 10 minute break. But he wanted to speak first and let the public (and the other council members) know that he didn't support a rezoning.
What caused the flip-flop? Only he knows for sure. One possibility is that he is making nicey nice and preparing for the 2012 election. Another possibility is that he is setting up his friends to buy the property at a deeply discounted price and then let them come back later to see what they can get from the Planning Commission. Still another possibility is that he hatched some other scheme.
Let's hope that Superintendent Tim Baird and the school board will bow to the public will and allow some sort of lease for public benefit to take place. After all the district is now cash rich after the passing of the $44 million bond.
$tock$ flip-flopped on the Pacific
ReplyDeleteView site because it was a dead issue from the start (no vote quorum possible). There are other angles they'll pursue to get this land into the developer's hands. If $tock$ had voted yea, 2012 would be looking like a Dalager year, as he would have acquired a large host of angry constituents. I doubt that he has hadf a conversion - he is just playing coy politically. Remember the "back room" deals.
For crying out loud! Why must you always harp on Kristin about not being with her children? She spend an enormous amount of time with them, and Paul is with them in the evenings when Kristin is not. Have you ever heard of working mothers before? Do you give all working mothers this kind of grief?
ReplyDeleteIt is obnoxious to think there is a problem with a council member holding office simply because they have children. Is it just a sense of sexism or is it real?
ReplyDeleteWhat I took away from this meeting is that the School District has all the cards.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't we organized a large group to attend their next board meeting?
If someone organizes it, I'll be there with 10 of my friends.