Friends of Mill Valley

Here are two letters from Burton Miller regarding Miller Avenue Streetscape Design.

• February 11, 2011
• May 2, 2011

These are both timely and relevant as we are now a day away from the Miller Avenue Design Advisory Committee Meeting, which will be held Tuesday May 3, 2011 from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM at the Mill Valley Community Center.

Please attend the meeting and make your voice heard!

- Friends of Mill Valley

Just a quick note honoring Charles' passing this weekend. I know there may be divided opinions of Charles' work as a Board Supervisor but his commitment to Marin County and bringing forth the best in the discussion of county needs cannot be assailed. He will be missed by folks who truly want a vibrant, sustainable community.

Dick Spotswood:
By Dick Spotswood
Special to the IJ

Posted: 11/07/2010 01:30:00 AM PST

THE GRASSROOTS furor over state requirements that Marin's 11 cities and county governments designate in their general plans provision for evermore housing is not going away.

While opposition to arbitrary housing mandates is widespread, the fight to reform these directives is disorganized.

If that statue is to be abolished or at least tamed, reformers need to develop a goal-oriented strategy.

Understand that housing mandates were created by the state Legislature. While the Association of Bay Area Governments is pictured as the bad guy, its job is to execute the state's demand for more residential construction.

That's not to say ABAG isn't a willing accomplice, but any effective strategy acknowledges that without state reform nothing will change.

Marin IJ
Saturday Readers' Forum
Staff Report
Posted: 09/11/2010 12:44:22 AM PDT

Who wants dense housing?

I've followed and participated in the affordable housing debate for more than a decade. And in all that time I find it interesting that every letter, position piece or study that I've seen that supports Association of Bay Area Government quotas and sees them as needed, has been written or backed by either for profit or nonprofit affordable housing developer interests who stand to gain financially, or politicians who are beholding to them or building a career on the issue.

It is curious to me that in all this time I've never read a single letter to the editor from an organization representing firemen, policemen or teachers demanding "workforce" housing projects.

Why is that?

And I've never seen a letter by a group representing low-income individuals demanding "high density" housing "projects" to warehouse their constituents in.

Why is that?

From the Marin IJ - Thursday August 12, 2010

The Marin Muncipal Water District's plan to build a $400 million desalination plant is based on the flawed premise that a drought could occur any time, replicating the 1976 drought that Marin suffered in 1976.

The following evidence-based facts indicate otherwise:

- Scientific tree ring studies show that droughts similar to the 1976 drought occur about once every 400 years.

- Climate change scientists agree that the ocean front and coast mountain range will be receiving more rain and that will fill MMWD reservoirs more frequently.

- There has been a 35 percent increase in the MMWD reservoir water capacity since 1976.

- With current conservation measures, MMWD consumers have recently reduced their water consumption by 25 percent.

June 25, 2010
To: Wallace, Roberts & Todd
1328 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103-2642

Dear WRT Design Team:

Having attended the Streetscape Workshop meeting on June 8th, I wanted to take this opportunity to offer some comments and provide some perspective in the hope that it might better inform what you’re about to do.

General Comments:

I think that if you want to achieve broad-based support from community members who have put in more than 10 years and countless hours working toward the best possible outcome for the planning of Miller Avenue, it’s important that you’re circumspect about the facts and the history of the public process.

Marin IJ: Thursday Readers' Forum 6/24/2010

In regard to Sunday's article on construction of affordable housing in Novato, the Association of Bay Area Governments needs to be reined in on its draconion estimates of low-cost housing needs in Marin and elsewhere.

In the past, this group has designated parkland, open space and community centers as possible spots for low-cost, high-density housing.

If Marin communities do not step forward and stop ABAG, the county will be inundated with mostly empty apartment buildings.

A perfect example is the Fireside housing in Tamalpais Valley. This complex is located a few feet off Highway 101, next to a freeway onramp. The cost to build on this undesirable site was astronomical , averaging about $500,000 for every 500-square- foot unit. The low-cost housing developer went bankrupt on the project, and it has taken well over a year to fill the units.

Please read our brief newsletter on Miller Avenue Planning, and get involved in upcoming City meetings.

The next meeting is Thursday, June 24th, 2010, from 6-8PM at the Mill Valley Library Creekside Room.

A fun party for all Friends of Mill Valley members, friends, and their guests.  

Taste wonderful wines, greet your friends, and meet new ones.

Buy wine for the summer, for presents, and for corporate gifts (all purchases benefit Friends of Mill Valley).