[stevew]

not fans of affordable housing....

 

[Silver]

You're going to hear a lot of naked racism from people who consider themselves to good upstanding very liberal Democrats, I bet...

 

[stevew]

that's no moon, it's low income housing

 

[stoney]

I still laugh at the HOA every time I read one of these articles. That the HOA might not be legal is even funnier.

 

[jonKranked]

george wants to create a wretched hive of scum and villainy

 

[bean]

George Lucas sucks in nearly every conceivable way, but that is the greatest "**** you" to an HOA that I've ever heard of.

 

[JohnE]

You're going to hear a lot of naked racism from people who consider themselves to good upstanding very liberal Democrats, I bet...

"Hey, I love Blacks and Hispanics, I just want them working in my garden, not living in my neighborhood..."

On the other hand, an inlfux of minorities could up the quality of the local homegrown...

 

[stevew]

he can be my president...but fvck me me if he's going to be my neighbor.

 

[kidwoo]

George Lucas sucks in nearly every conceivable way, but that is the greatest "**** you" to an HOA that I've ever heard of.

Thought the exact same thing........

 

[Jim Mac]

That has created an atmosphere that one opponent, who asked not to be identified, saying she feared for her safety, described as “sheer terror” and likened to “Syria.”

Oh, please.....
"Don't tell me I don't know what Vietnam was like!!!!!"

 

[dante]

Reminds me of Massachusetts liberals bitching and moaning about offshore windmills....

 

[rockofullr]

george wants to create a wretched hive of scum and villainy

 

[Toshi]

he can be my president...but fvck me me if he's going to be my neighbor.

I don't think that's fair. Personally, I'd like to live in a community of people of similar educational background and interests. I'd have no objections to Barack Hussein being my neighbor, political career or not, and I bet the uppity Marin County residents eating their artisanal cheeses would feel the same way.

On the other hand, I have no desire to live near trashy people, whether they're white, black, or even Asian.

 

[sanjuro]

I don't think that's fair. Personally, I'd like to live in a community of people of similar educational background and interests. I'd have no objections to Barack Hussein being my neighbor, political career or not, and I bet the uppity Marin County residents eating their artisanal cheeses would feel the same way.

On the other hand, I have no desire to live near trashy people, whether they're white, black, or even Asian.

I didn't realize you thought of poor people as trash?

Of course, my thoughts is why didn't Lucas do this decades ago to help the poor, not as a F*** Y** to his NIMBY neighbors.

And there are plenty of spots, even in Marin, that he could put his studio, that would welcome improvement.

 

[the law]

I don't think that's fair. Personally, I'd like to live in a community of people of similar educational background and interests. I'd have no objections to Barack Hussein being my neighbor, political career or not, and I bet the uppity Marin County residents eating their artisanal cheeses would feel the same way.

On the other hand, I have no desire to live near trashy people, whether they're white, black, or even Asian.

Not sure Barrack would want you as a neighbor though. I doubt you are in his socio-economic class.

All kidding aside, this is obviously a big **** you by Spielberg. But, having low income housing in rich areas is not necessarily a bad thing. Segregating the rich from the poor (or grouping people by "interests" or "education") tends to facilitate misperceptions, including that poor people are "trashy". Personally, I found that I can relate pretty well to people of all kinds of different economic backgrounds. It may take a little more work, but it can be quite rewarding and offer experiences you would not have if you only hang out with "your own kind."

 

[sanjuro]

Not sure Barrack would want you as a neighbor though. I doubt you are in his socio-economic class.

All kidding aside, this is obviously a big **** you by Spielberg. But, having low income housing in rich areas is not necessarily a bad thing. Segregating the rich from the poor (or grouping people by "interests" or "education") tends to facilitate misperceptions, including that poor people are "trashy". Personally, I found that I can relate pretty well to people of all kinds of different economic backgrounds. It may take a little more work, but it can be quite rewarding and offer experiences you would not have if you only hang out with "your own kind."

I think the biggest problem with ghettos is the abandonment by the middle and upper class which helps to stabilize neighborhoods, both socially and economically.

If Lucas was to build his "low-income housing", I would hope it would be comprehensive in terms of long term management, not just a west coast Cabrini-Green.

 

[the law]

I think the biggest problem with ghettos is the abandonment by the middle and upper class which helps to stabilize neighborhoods, both socially and economically.

If Lucas was to build his "low-income housing", I would hope it would be comprehensive in terms of long term management, not just a west coast Cabrini-Green.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[Toshi]

I didn't realize you thought of poor people as trash?

I didn't mention money at all. That's your projection. Counterexamples to any proposed strong money-trashiness correlation:

- dirt poor grad students working on their PhDs or medical degrees, like my parents back in the day
- rich Long Islanders parking their leased S550s in the fire lane

I've lived in trashy neighborhoods, and I don't wish to do so in the future. It's fun for the locals to steal the tops off of dumpsters when it snows and ride them down the hill, but not so fun when it and the resulting PBR-laden detritus is right outside one's door.

 

[sanjuro]

I didn't mention money at all. That's your projection. Counterexamples to any proposed strong money-trashiness correlation:

- dirt poor grad students working on their PhDs or medical degrees, like my parents back in the day
- rich Long Islanders parking their leased S550s in the fire lane

I've lived in trashy neighborhoods, and I don't wish to do so in the future. It's fun for the locals to steal the tops off of dumpsters when it snows and ride them down the hill, but not so fun when it and the resulting PBR-laden detritus is right outside one's door.

So you are ok with poor people working on advanced degrees, like a college-aged Mitt Romney?

C'mon it was just too easy to knock you down on this one. Who wants to live next to aholes of any economic strata?

I live on a block which is a mix of middle to upper-middle class income that is the upside of gentrification. However, the rest of my neighborhood is lower to middle class.

I know SF neighborhoods are only going to go up in value, so I'm well off.

My friend owns a house in University City, a realtor term for the ok part of West Philly. This weekend, we witnessed a street confrontation with a bum and another home owner which was unpleasant but nonviolent.

Another friend owns a house in West Buffalo, a virtual no-man's land, but he has a nice turn-of-the-century home and he deals with the problems of the inner city.

Eventually, you will have the option to buy where ever you want, and that's great for you. I just admire the people who do live in lower-income areas.

 

[dump]

Families earning $88K can apply for assistance in Marin county.

Not sure what these folks are getting so upset over really. I used to work one exit down from there for a few years. There are plenty of lower income areas in Marin county, and even more people of lower income commute in daily. It seems like they just don't want them living on their highway exit.

I don't know what pictures people get in their minds when low(er) income is mentioned - sounds like it's pretty f'd up (drugs, guns, crime, etc.) but he's not proposing a project in their back yards - merely housing that's subsidized for those of lower income.

These attitudes are the same reason marin public transportation has been kept pretty crappy.

 

[sanjuro]

Families earning $88K can apply for assistance in Marin county.

Not sure what these folks are getting so upset over really. I used to work one exit down from there for a few years. There are plenty of lower income areas in Marin county, and even more people of lower income commute in daily. It seems like they just don't want them living on their highway exit.

I don't know what pictures people get in their minds when low(er) income is mentioned - sounds like it's pretty f'd up (drugs, guns, crime, etc.) but he's not proposing a project in their back yards - merely housing that's subsidized for those of lower income.

These attitudes are the same reason marin public transportation has been kept pretty crappy.

Take Orinda for how things could be.

They have a BART station, and residents depend on it. There isn't a flux of ganstas despite a quick train ride and the noise is not noticed because the planners put the line in between the highways.

But there is a strong sense of isolation in Marin. The inner city is separated to Marin City and San Rafael on the other side of 101. I think the end result is a stagnant community.

 

[$tinkle]

“What he told us is exactly what he built at Skywalker Ranch,” she said. Lucasfilm said about 5,000 acres were permanently preserved with an 11-mile hiking trail.

well, just as long as no bikes are allowed, marin co should take this in stride

 

[rockofullr]

well, just as long as no bikes are allowed, marin co should take this in stride

Zing!!

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

i like to live in a place were i dont know who my neighbors are.
thats my kinda hood.

 

[$tinkle]

so my aunt, who lives near the OP, had this to say:

A few of Lucas' "neighbors" (the developments are actually large ranches or properties set back from the highway in a picturesque rural area) didn't want property at Grady ranch developed because they thought it was going to be an entertainment park or such. They didn't realize that a work building containing a restaurant and 10 or 15 guest suites doesn't constitute an entertainment park for Lucas or anyone else who has wandered past their own front door in the past 40 years. Apparently they didn't read the article that Google has multiple restaurants on site for their staff with free food. Lucas was also going to provide over a million dollars in improvements to a stream and landscaping within the property to meet planning requirements. Skywalker Ranch Studios are just down the road (Lucas Valley Road) and it has never caused a heavy influx of traffic.

Anyway one of the homeowners and possibly a few others hired an attorney to fight approval of the project and the rest of the county became highly irate because the few were causing the county to lose millions in tax revenue. The issue has been the main topic in the Marin Independent Journal (www.marinij.com) for some time and the IJ is owned by the NY Times. Affordable housing in Marin is also an extremely hot topic since there is a requirement that new residential construction include a provision for homes for the "poor" with a sliding scale depending on how "poor". For several years there were up to 11 South Americans at a time living in the 4-5 person unit next to me because the HOA and the local housing folks thought they would be sued for discrimination if they asked them to adhere to the resident requirement. It seems everybody is called a "relative".

Anyway, Lucas got approval again from the Board of Supervisors, but the attorney for the few brought up additional federal requirements for the stream and Lucas finally said enough and said he was going to sell the property to developers for affordable low income housing development. This woke up the rest of the "neighbors", along with county residents upset at the huge financial loss and caused great angst on the Board of Supervisors who finally woke up also and frantically tried to expedite the needed permissions for the latest round. Lucas said no, because he needed to begin construction and it could still be held up by legal threats. There has been no decision announced yet about where he would build the project if not in Marin, but he is getting lots of offers. Meantime the Marin Housing Authority is deciding whether the property could serve as affordable housing, which would lower the value of the other properties around it and possibly bring in lots of "undesirables."

I think there are some major egos at play here which is stupid. Lucas can be generous and he has also provided for his neighbors in San Anselmo (one hill south of here) where he actually lives. He wanted the electric lines to his house put underground so it would not interfere with his view but PG & E said they couldn't do that for just one person. It is rumored he paid @ $900,000 for himself and his neighbors to get underground wiring. He basically saved the Presidio in San Francisco when he restored and built production studios ( ILM ) on the property, so the Presidio could be self-sufficient. If the property had not become self-sufficient within a finite period of time, it was going to be sold to developers for homes, condos, etc. The part where his studios are part of the old hospital complex and they blend nicely into the landscape.

 

[JohnE]

Really sounds like Marin Cty needs a new bunch of supervisors...

 

[dump]

Really sounds like Marin Cty needs a new bunch of supervisors...

Yes. It will happen soon enough... the current lot is about to croak.

 

[fortenndu]

Marin is so entertaining, I've always liked Lucas. I played soccer with his son when I was little and he was one of the few parents who wasn't extremely obnoxious about their kid being the best/not getting enough playing time blah blah blah. He's a good guy and this is an awesome **** you to the douchenozzles of MErin County.

 

[jimmydean]

Skywalker Projects does have a nice ring to it, though.