• The public comment period for the RECIRCULATED DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR THE SALE OF THE FLANDERS MANSION PROPERTY (RDEIR) ends Wednesday, February 18, 2009, according to Leslie Fenton, Administrative Coordinator, Community Planning and Building Department. All comments must to submitted to the City’s Community Planning and Building Department, as follows:
Sean Conroy
City of Carmel-by-the-Sea
Community Planning & Building Department
P.O. Drawer G
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA. 93921
Email: sconroy@ci.carmel.ca.us
Phone: (831) 620-2010
Fax: (831) 620-2014
Note: Notice of Availability/Notice of Completion for the Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Sale of the Flanders Mansion Property (RDEIR)
• If a majority of City Council Members vote to sell the Flanders Mansion Property, then the City Council must adopt a statement of overriding considerations consisting of findings of alternative infeasibility supported by substantial evidence; findings of infeasibility must include “specific economic, legal, social, technical, or other considerations.” Given that the City has contracted with CBRE, Inc. for an economic feasibility analysis, it is anticipated that the City will cite evidence from the economic feasibility analysis to support their contention that the lease alternatives are infeasible compared to the sale alternative.
• The Sale of the Flanders Mansion Property, recognized in the Mission Trail Nature Preserve Master Plan as “an intrinsic part of the Mission Trail Nature Preserve,” would result not only in the permanent loss of parkland, but the sale would conflict with numerous goals, objectives and policies of the City’s General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan intended to minimize impacts to parkland and promote public use of publically owned parkland.
• The Amended Judgment Granting Petition for Writ of Mandamus for The Flanders Foundation vs. City of Carmel-by-the-Sea and City Council of the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea (Mont. Co. Super. Ct. Case No. M76728) recognized the City’s previous certification and resolutions “failed to recognize the Flanders Mansion parcel had historically been considered part of the park;” as such, the sale of the Flanders Mansion Property, resulting in the permanent loss of parkland, would destroy the integrity of Mission Trail Nature Preserve and therefore severely diminish park users enjoyment of the Preserve forever.
• The Flanders Mansion ("Outlands in the Eighty Acres") is a listed National Register of Historic Places historic resources under local significance for "architecture/engineering." The City's primary project objective in selling Flanders Mansion is to divest the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea of the Flanders Mansion because of the "need of significant short-term and long-term repair and rehabilitation." Given the financial condition of the City and the historic status of the Flanders Mansion as a historic resource and as an integral component of the Preserve, the City's stated reason for selling the Flanders Mansion should not persuade Carmelites to vote for the sale of the Flanders Mansion Property.
2 comments:
I agree with the comment of the blogger about the city's reason for selling the Flanders Mansion. I recall the city's earlier reason as being the sale of Flanders was called for in order to fund other capital projects. Apparently, that reason is not first and foremost anymore, rather the sale is necessary because the city does not want to pay for the cost of maintaining the historic building. Well, what has changed since the last EIR?
You know, it would have been nice it the city manager had made the public aware of the city's thinking on this subject. But, come to think of it, the city never does of anything important to the public.
Here we go again. Let us write letters opposed to the sale of the Flanders Mansion and kill this idea once and for all.
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