Mill Valley Patch article re: Evergreen Ave. Sidewalk. July 28, 2010

From: charlessands@aol.com
Date: August 7, 2010 4:21:13 PM PDT
To: jimw@Patch.com
Subject: Mill Valley Patch article re: Evergreen Ave. Sidewalk. July 28, 2010


bcc: Homestead Valley Concerned Citizens, Madrone Park Circle Group and Keep Evergreen Ave. 4 Evergreen

Jim,

FYI your article published DPW and Marin Horizon School's Roz Hamar's misleading propaganda re: DPW and Marin Horizon School's proposal to destroy Evergreen Ave. with a concrete sidewalk on now required because the County imposed a multimillion dollar a year commercial educational business on our community which has increased traffic on our streets by 100%.

Your article failed to state that the County will spend $200,000 in addition to the $900,000 federal grant. Source DPW.

In addition we have membership of Homestead Valley Concerned Citizens, Madrone Park Circle Group and Keep Evergreen Ave. 4 Evergreen in excess of 400 families.

We opposed imposing Marin Horizon School on our community in 2005 due to the negative impact its traffic would have on our streets and were ignored . Now that traffic is destroying the tranquility and character of our community and will result in the construction of a sidewalk as a result of Marin Horizon Schools 100% increase in traffic.

In lieu of destroying our community's semi rural character we ask that Marin Horizon School be require to bus all of its commuting students thereby reducing traffic on Evergreen Ave. by 100%, save the County DPW budget/taxpayer's $200,000 and eliminate the cause for proposing a sidewalk on Evergreen Ave.

I sent the following letter to the IJ on 29 July 2010 which has been redacted for accuracy purposes. It has yet to be published. Perhasps censorship in favor of Marin Horizon School who rents its Marin County owned site from the Mill Valley School District ?

--- On Thu, 7/29/10, charlessands@aol.com wrote:

From: charlessands@aol.com
Subject: Keep Homestead Valley 's Evergreen Ave. for-ever-green
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
Date: Thursday, July 29, 2010, 10:24 AM

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

The County is planning to spend approximately $200,000 of 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 of 70 home owners 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 Homestead Valley residents did not attend this meeting as an insuficient DPW public meeting notice of aproximately 7 days in the Homestead Valley Headlines 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, does not primarily serve Planning Area residents and its imposition on our community is in violation of the County Wide Plan and the Tamalpais Area Community Plan.

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
Sandsconsult Architects
12 Madrone Park Circle'
Mill Valley, CA 94941
Tel 415 381 6804





-----Original Message-----
From: Navigator, a vehicle for change
To: Karlyn Ward
Cc: charlessands, saveevergreenave, others
Sent: Sat, Aug 7, 2010 12:34 pm
Subject: SIDEWALK: Please comment after the Mill Valley Patch article.

http://millvalley.patch.com/articles/county-backs-evergreen-ave-project

thanks.