ABSTRACT: Over a seven day period, The Carmel-by-the-Sea WATCHDOG! will publish sections of the January 2009 RECIRCULATED DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR THE SALE OF THE FLANDERS MANSION PROPERTY (RDEIR); some sections in their entirety, some selected sub-sections in their entirety and highlights of some sections and sub-sections, with an emphasis on the two identified “significant and unavoidable” environmental impacts involving 1) Land Use and Planning and 2) Parks and Recreation, both specifically related to the permanent loss of parkland. An emphasis on the two “significant and unavoidable” environmental impacts involving 1) Land Use and Planning and 2) Parks and Recreation is because if a majority of the City Council Members vote to sell the Flanders Mansion Property then the City Council must adopt a statement of overriding concerns which states that the two “significant and unavoidable” impacts are acceptable due to overriding concerns. Overriding concerns may include specific economic, legal, social, technological, or other aspects of the project that outweigh the adverse environmental effects. The adoption of a statement of overriding considerations must have supportable findings of infeasibility of the alternatives and the findings of infeasibility must be supported by substantial evidence. Furthermore, based on the Superior Court’s findings, the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea has contracted for an economic feasibility analysis that evaluates the feasibility of potential project alternatives vis-à-vis the relevant project objectives and various economic considerations. Findings of feasibility will ultimately be up to the discretion of the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea as part of the project approval process required pursuant to CEQA Guidelines 15092. Therefore, if the City Council determines that the Lease Alternatives are infeasible for specific economic, legal, social, technical, or other considerations, then the Sale with Conservation Easements and Mitigations Alternative would be considered the environmentally superior alternative. And also based on the Superior Court’s findings, the proposed sale shall comply with the California Government Code Sections 38440-38462 (discontinuance of public parkland process, including an election) and 54220-54222 (“surplus land” process), including but not limited to the subjecting any proposed sale to a public vote. Postings will present Photographic Highlights of the Flanders Mansion Property from the RDEIR, then the SUMMARY (2.0), INTRODUCTION (1.0), PROJECT DESCRIPTION (3.0), ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING, IMPACTS, AND MITIGATION MEASURES (4.0), CEQA CONSIDERATIONS (5.0) and ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT (6.0).
With last week’s release of the RECIRCULATED DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR THE SALE OF THE FLANDERS MANSION PROPERTY (RDEIR) prepared by Denise Duffy and Associates, Inc. by the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, The Carmel-by-the-Sea WATCHDOG! will publish sections of the RDEIR; some sections in their entirety, some selected sub-sections in their entirety and highlights of some sections and sub-sections with an emphasis on the two identified “significant and unavoidable” environmental impacts. The two significant environmental impacts identified as “significant and unavoidable” are summarized, as follows:
4.4 Land Use
Sale of the Flanders Mansion Property would result in environmental impacts due to the permanent loss of parkland that have the potential to conflict with certain goals, objectives and policies identified in the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan intended on minimizing impacts parkland and promoting public use of publically owned parkland.
Mitigation Measure:
Mitigation measures have been incorporated into this EIR as part of each topical CEQA section. No additional measures have been identified.
Level of Significance After Mitigation:
Significant and Unavoidable
4.5 Parks and Recreation
Sale of the Flanders Mansion Property would result in the loss locally significant parkland that is considered an integral component of the Mission Trail Nature Preserve.
Mitigation Measure:
Mitigation measures have been incorporated into this EIR to minimize impacts due to the sale of parkland. No additional measures have been identified.
Level of Significance After Mitigation:
Significant and Unavoidable
An emphasis on the two “significant and unavoidable” environmental impacts involving 1) Land Use and Planning and 2) Parks and Recreation is because if a majority of the City Council Members vote to sell the Flanders Mansion Property then the City Council must adopt a statement of overriding concerns which states that the two “significant and unavoidable” impacts are acceptable due to overriding concerns. Overriding concerns may include specific economic, legal, social, technological, or other aspects of the project that outweigh the adverse environmental effects. The adoption of a statement of overriding considerations must have supportable findings of infeasibility of the alternatives and the findings of infeasibility must be supported by substantial evidence. Furthermore, based on the Superior Court’s findings, the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea is in the process of preparing an economic feasibility analysis that evaluates the feasibility of potential project alternatives vis-à-vis a the relevant project objectives and various economic considerations. Findings of feasibility will ultimately be up to the discretion of the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea as part of the project approval process required pursuant to CEQA Guidelines 15092. Therefore, if the City Council determines that the Lease Alternatives are infeasible for specific economic, legal, social, technical, or other considerations, then the Sale with Conservation Easements and Mitigations Alternative would be considered the environmentally superior alternative. And also based on the Superior Court’s findings, the proposed sale shall comply with the California Government Code Sections 38440-38462 (discontinuance of public parkland process, including an election) and 54220-54222 (“surplus land” process), including but not limited to the subjecting any proposed sale to a public vote.
Postings will present Photographic Highlights of the Flanders Mansion Property from the RDEIR, the SUMMARY (2.0), then INTRODUCTION (1.0), PROJECT DESCRIPTION (3.0), ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING, IMPACTS, AND MITIGATION MEASURES (4.0), CEQA CONSIDERATIONS (5.0) and ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT (6.0), as follows:
Photographic Highlights of the Flanders Mansion Property
2.0 SUMMARY
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Summary of Project Description
2.3 Alternatives Evaluated in this RDEIR
2.4 Environmentally Superior Alternative
2.5 Summary of Project Impacts
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Authorization and Purpose
1.5 Flanders Mansion Project Summary
1.6 Environmental Review Process for the RDEIR
3.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION
3.1 Project Location and Area
3.2 Project Background
Chronological History
3.3 Project Objectives
4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING, IMPACTS, AND MITIGATION MEASURES
4.4 Land Use and Planning
4.5 Parks and Recreation
5.0 CEQA CONSIDERATIONS
5.1 Significant Unavoidable Impacts
6.0 ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED PROJECT
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Summary of Project Objectives and Significant Impacts
6.3 No Project Alternative
6.4 Lease Alternatives
6.5 Sale with Conservation Easements and Mitigation
6.6 Discussion of Alternative Findings
6.7 Environmentally Superior Alternative
5 comments:
This is a tremendous public service. Keep up the watchdog work!
Even after the city's humiliation in court, the city continues its misguided course of working to sell the Flanders Mansion. Now the new story line is divestment because the city doesn't want to pay for the costs associated with short-term and long-term maintenance. All these years, the city could well affford to spend taxpayer dollars to maintain the historic building and even find a low intensity use for it. But no, with Sue McCloud as mayor, we have to sell it, even if it means abdicating responsibility to the public by failing to ensure the historic treasure in kept in public ownership and accessable to the public, and even if it means destroying the integrity of the park.
I do not know of any city in the good financial shape like Carmel which has even contemplated selling off a National Register of Historic Places resource, let alone done it. Shame on Sue McCloud and all the councilmen and women who go along with this misguided, shortsighted attempt at taking Flanders away from the public forever. Shame, shame, shame.
The day councilman Ken Talmage and councilwoman Karen Sharp vote not to sell the Flanders Mansion is the day I believe they see themselves and their role as council members to be good stewards of city owned property and not beholden to the agenda of Mayor Sue.
In recent years, the city has spent more money towards the proposed sale of the Flanders Mansion than an entire year's budget of the forest, parks and beach department.
The city should sell the Sunset Center before it thinks of selling Flanders Mansion. For a fraction of the money to rehabilitate and maintain and operate, Flanders Mansion should be looked upon as an extraordinary bargin.
Both Sunset and Flanders are listed on the National Register as historic buildings, and both deserve to remain public buildings.
And if the current people in power in Carmel do not have the foresight or vision to see Flanders Mansion as a public asset, they should abstain from selling it now and let another council implement the necessary vision to make it achieve its potential for us, the park and future generations.
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