Keep Homestead Valley 's Evergreen Ave. for-ever-green

From: charlessands@aol.com
Date: July 29, 2010 10:24:44 AM PDT
To: opinion@marinij.com
Cc: skinsey@co.marin.ca.us, fmansourian@co.marin.ca.us, bbeaumont@co.marin.ca.us, BCrawford@co.marin.ca.us
Subject: Keep Homestead Valley 's Evergreen Ave. for-ever-green

Keep Homestead Valley 's Evergreen Ave. for-ever-green.

The County is planning to spend approximately $200,000 to build a gray concretre sidewalk and curb on the south side of Evergreen Ave, in Homestead Valley to provide a concrete sidewalk to protect Marin Horzon School children from being injured by county aproved increased Marin Horizon School's traffic on Evergreen Ave.

At a DPW meetting on 14 July 200, fewer than 35 home owners of a total living on Evergreen Ave. attended this meeting and approximately only 20 voiced preliminary approval of DPWs propsal to build a gray concrete sidewalk and curb on the south side of Evergreen Ave. Most residents did not attend this meeting as an insuficient DPW public meeting notice of aproximately 7 days was given and the venue was not a public one as it was at Marin Horizon School, the beneficiary of DPW's Evergreen Ave. sidewalk and curb proposal.

Since 1993, Marin Horizon School's traffic and parking was already having a negative impact on Evergreen Ave. when it proposed its plans to expand in 2003.

In 2003, DPW's Mr. Nutt and Ms. Noheb failed to make negativ merit comments that Marin Horizon School's 2003 proposed expansion plans did not comply with all of the County traffic and parking Tittle 24 ordinances .

Marin Horizon School's 2005 Negative Environmental Declaration omitted to note Marin Horizon School's non-compliance with Title 24 ordinances and its 100% increase in traffic and parking.

The Tamalpais Area Community Plan Goal # 7 states "Limit commercial development or redevelopment to uses that primarily serve the Planning Area residents at a scale compatible with the semi-rural environment. Marin Horizon School is a multimillion dollar a year commercial eductional business.

Approximately .04 % of Marin Horizon School's students are from Homestead Valley. The remaining 99.96% of its student commute increasing traffic and on-street parking on Homestead Valley streets by 100% to satisy Marin Horizon School's traffic and parking demand. Source: R. Hamar

On 30 August 2005 the Board of Supervisors approved Marin Horizon School's expansion plans which are not consistent with the County's Pan, Tamalpais Area Plan Goal # 7 and all of Title 24's traffic and parking ordinances.

Evidently Marin Horizon School has "friends in very high" places as its expansion was approved it spite of its non-compliance with county ordinances so pehaps it is more appropriately named "Marin Haliburton School"

In lieum of espending approximatrely $200,000 tax payer dollars to solve a problem the County and Marin Horizon School have wrongly imposed on our community, why not simply require Marin Horizion School to bus all students not living in Homestead Valley and attendees at Marin Horizon School day and evening special events ?

This simple solution will save the County's budget and taxpayers approximately $200,000 and keeps Evergreen Ave. for-ever-green

Charles D. Sands, Architect and urban designer