Willits Bypass & Marina Center
A letter to the editor to the Willits News points out something I'd noticed myself. I read the letter the writer refers to and thought the same thing: They claim all the hold ups to the Willits bypass project are the fault of CalTrans, then use their web page to take credit for all the hold ups.
This strikes me as similar to comments I read on the Tuluwat Examiner some time ago where Rob Arkley was blamed for the lack of progress with the Marina Center project. Environmentalists came up with every angle they could to stop the project and succeeded, at least for the time being. Now that things are at a stand still they claim it's Arkley's fault.
I'm also curious if it's the same with the Richardson Grove realignment? I know I've heard any number of lies and distortions about the realignment including pointing the finger at CalTrans for screwing it up. I can't recall specifically reading of the enviros taking credit for putting the brakes on the project, but seems to me I've heard something close to it.
Let the flaming begin!
posted by Fred Mangels @ 2:12 PM
14 comments
14 Comments:
I got my lighter in my pocket...
Here's the deal with the Marina Center. Us commie lefties did the best we could to derail the Marina Center.
And we didn't come anywhere near close to our goal.
Then... A MIRACLE happened. Mr. Arkley took his little project to the Coastal Commission and not surprisingly... they had something to say about about his plans.
Mr. Arkley refused to cooperate... let loose his own lawsuit and then blamed everyone but himself that the project was not moving forward.
Then the recession... Home Depot no longer wanted to deal with him...etc. ect. ect.
So, as much as I would like to claim my little tiny bit of the glory... I can't. Due process got Mr. Arkley... and Mr. Arkley's grand ego finished himself off.
Meanwhile Walmart got them there store in Eureka with hardly a mention (despite heated previous opposition). This is because Walmart decided to cooperate with the due processes involved.
Despite Mr. Arkley's claim otherwise... you can get what you want in these situations as long as you don't shoot yourself in the foot first.
The environmentalists certainly played a role in delaying the Richardson Grove project. It was their litigation. That case has been settled/dismissed, but the significance and legal mumbo/jumbo is as follows. CALTRANS claimed that the project would have No significant impact on the environment. As a direct result of the EPIC litigation, they withdrew that claim, which mandatorily requires them to do more environmental impact analysis and reporting. EPIC claims that CALTRANS screwed this up by not checking that box, but that begs the point. They did not check that box to not do that stuff in the hopes that no one would notice and complain. Someone did, they did, and now they are having to go back to the drawing board. That action and change of course was as a DIRECT result of the EPIC litigation.
MOLA nailed it
Developers must obey the law. If there's a dispute as to what's legal, it goes to court and we find out the answer. If a developer decides to stop development, don't blame the law.
Everyone knew the soil was contaminated. It's been known for decades before the project was dreamed up.
Clean the soil and build the damn shopping center. Nobody is stopping anybody. Just do the cleanup. Quit complaining and pointing fingers everywhere else.
As for Richardson Grove, yeah, CalTrans will ultimately win that battle. It's a big fuss over very little.
I will be a happy person when the Richardsons realignment is completed.
So many wrecks have happened there and to make it a safer highway is the
best option. No old growth will be cut, Cal-trans have marked every small tree that they will remove. Yes, because of the lawsuits filed by
environmental groups this project just like every one the Cal-trans does, is delayed and costs US 10 TIMES more than the original estimates.
I'm Yogi-nonymous, and Mola said what I wished I could have...CalTrans famous for the same BigFooted response as Arkley, failed to comply and was held to it.
Not too hard..they want what they want, there is negotiation, legal maneuverings, a process, permits, and all of that...yet they still try to cut corners, haha, and cheat the process.
One hardly ever hears about those projects which get done with none of this fuss because the project managers negotiated and acted in good faith.
My understanding of what transpired with the Marina Center not happening is exactly how Mola put it. I followed the events and twists and turns closely over time.
His ego and arrogance got in the way big time. And all the "Build the Marina Center Now" and Sweatshirted Arkley Army folks held their signs and did what they were told to do but it was all for naught in the end because the Big Man couldn't yield and compromise to do what he could and should have done. Letting them down in the end, you hear nary a peep from his former shills.
He's gone on to bigger fish to fry. Supposedly in favor of smaller government, he'd like to have a fantasy choo-choo railroad built to his property as long as the gov't chips in the big federal transportation dollars to pay for it. He's smart enough not to use his own dough, but maybe there is a sucker born every minute.
That will happen just like how the Marina Center happened-- When pigs fly.
Never underestimate someone's recalcitrant alter-ego to torpedo even the best-laid plans. Or, shooting oneself in the foot.
I believe Fred was anti Marina Center because their renderings included street trees
All the pontificators except for the comment above ignore the role of EPIC and Baykeeper et al. Coastal Commission is a bunch of overpaid bureaucrats sucking taxpayer money.
Lawsuits is all libtards know how to do. Get a job commies.
Anonymous 4:01;
"I will be a happy person when the Richardsons realignment is completed.
So many wrecks have happened there and to make it a safer highway is the
best option."
FYI, there have been more wrecks and FATALITIES on the Benbow grade just south of Garberville than anything that has happened through Richardson Grove in the past 15 years or more. There was a fatal motorcycle accident in RG in 1987 or 8 caused by an impatient biker who crossed the double yellow line to pass a bunch of other bikers on biker weekend and hit another biker coming in the opposite direction head on.Both died as a result of shear stupidity.
Also in the late '80s there was a child who eventually died as a result of a speeding Porsche heading north going in excess of 80MPH which became airborne and crashed into the vehicle that that child was in heading south. The Porsche was driven by a rich kid.
Neither of those three fatalities would have been avoided by any "realignment" of RG. Full stop. Period.
The Richardson Grove myth has been a rural legend for years. Just like Bigfoot, who, BTW, has been sighted just north of RG and has a tourist trap named after him/her.
I want to see a "realignment" of the Benbow Grade which has a proven record of more wrecks and fatalities than RG ever has had. Fat chance of that happening.
As I understand it, Arkley had to go to the CCC for clearance of the project. He might not have had to at first, but the opposition made it happen.
"Developers must obey the law.
Everyone knew the soil was contaminated. It's been known for decades before the project was dreamed up."
Yep, and his plan was to do what had been routinely done with many bayfront projects since God knows how long: Cap the surface of the property, just as has been done pretty much everywhere else along the bay. But that wasn't good enough for environmentalists this time. In part because Arkley was involved, Home Depot was involved, or both.
It never got built because Rob never submitted the plans to the Coastal Commission. That's not on anybody's head but his own.
The project is located within the Coastal Zone, so there is no way to bypass the Coastal Commission. Without approval from the CCC, you have no project.
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