ABSTRACT: On the 3 November 2009 General Election Ballot, there appears the following question: “Shall discontinuance and abandonment of the Flanders Mansion Property (APN 010-061-005) as public parkland, and authorization to sell the Flanders Mansion Property "with Conservation Easements and Mitigation" as passed on May 12, 2009 by the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea City Council by Resolutions No. 2009-30 through 2009-33, be approved.” A Summary of the SALIENT POINTS FOR THE SALE OF THE FLANDERS MANSION PROPERTY gleaned from Letters to the Editor and Editorial Commentaries between March 13, 2009 and October 23, 2009 are compiled and presented. REFERENCES consisting of links to the entire original letters and commentaries are provided.
SALIENT POINTS FOR THE SALE OF THE FLANDERS MANSION PROPERTY:
• “Selling Flanders is one way to raise important revenues when voters reject tax increases.” (October 23, 2009)
• Claims “Making the Flanders Mansion a convention center, or an arts center, or any kind of a public building just doesn't make good economic sense in today's economy.” (10/22/2009)
• “The money that would come from the sale of this property could fund other projects or lessen budget deficits.” (10/22/2009)
• “In this time of fiscal uncertainty, the city should recoup this money by selling the mansion—and using the rest of the proceeds for good causes, like more low-cost housing for elderly Carmelites, as well as for the city's ongoing expenses.” (10/21/2009)
• Urges sale of the Flanders Mansion Property “based on its dubious historic value, its awkward location, its cost for maintenance or refurbishment, its loss of tax revenue, and its very costly ADA requirements for a public use structure.” (October 16, 2009)
• “Sale of the Flanders Mansion would still leave Mission Trail Park with more than 96 percent of the current 32.4 acres and would not encroach on any trails.” (October 16, 2009)
• “The best plan is to sell the Flanders house to someone who will restore it to its original use as a single-family house. The property will then go back on the tax rolls and, finally, the house will be in use again as a home.” (October 9, 2009)
• “...the preserve does not have adequate traffic and circulation paved roads and paved parking for public or quasi-public use, as was reported in the EIR of January 2009…. Currently and historically, it only has capacity for single-family land use.” (October 9, 2009)
• “Selling Flanders Mansion to a private party will end the exposure of Carmel to the environmental legal actions associated.” (October 9, 2009)
• Claims “The city has examined many suggestions for use, but none — except sale — has merit.” (October 9, 2009)
• “Flanders Mansion was built as a single-family home in a neighborhood of single-family homes. There were no objections to it then and there should be no objections to it now.” (October 9, 2009)
• Claims “Narrow Hatton Road, which provides access to Flanders Mansion, cannot safely accommodate significantly increased traffic.” (October 9, 2009)
• Claims the Flanders Mansion “has been vacant for most of a 30-year period and has been cost-generating and non-revenue-producing throughout the entire period.” (10/05/2009)
• “Keep the unused asset and get little or no value, or sell the unused asset and use the interest income off the proceeds to fund important things for your family. Selling is the sensible thing to do.” (September 25, 2009)
• “There will still be lots of room for dogs, people and wild animals to roam around if we return the home to private use.” (September 18, 2009)
• Asks “How safe is it to have a building and its surrounding area continually exposed to people coming in to prepare for a public event with the extra traffic, water use, possibility of damage to the property and improper use of a narrow county road?” (September 11, 2009)
• Claims it is “very unlikely” that if Flanders Mansion were on Scenic Road instead of Hatton Road, the Flanders Foundation would not take the position that the property should be other than “a single family residence— perhaps a museum, or put to use for some other public purpose.” (September 11, 2009)
• “By not selling the house, the community risks a possible devastating fire or continuing acts of vandalism. New residents would not only restore the home, but would oversee the property. It could then return to its primary purpose — a lovely home in a welcoming residential neighborhood.” (09/05/2009)
• Claims “If the mansion is not sold and becomes some kind of public institution, increased traffic and pedestrians will be at risk.” (09/05/2009)
• ”...the sale can become a shot in our economic arm and our wallet.” (09/04/2009)
• States that the “Carmel City Council and the previous mayor voted to sell the Flanders Mansion property in December 1999.” (08/26/2009)
• “Selling 2 percent leaves 98 percent total parkland for Carmel.” (August 14, 2009)
• Claims using Flanders Mansion “as a quasi-public institution would disrupt the tranquility of the area, with traffic and service vehicles, and even unsettling to flora and fauna.” (August 14, 2009)
• Claims the Flanders Mansion is “unsuitable” for any “worthy public use” “due to its location in a quiet, residential neighborhood.” (7/03/2009)
• Wants “objectors” to purchase Flanders Mansion Property and pay for restoration rather that waste “taxpayers money with legal obstructions.” (5/08/2009)
• Claims, if polled, neighbors want private residence “compatible with the area.” (5/08/2009)
• Claims “no public use that’s suitable” for the Flanders Mansion; cites committee proposal for use as a culinary academy voted down by City Council under Mayor Ken White. (3/27/2009)
REFERENCES:
The Carmel Pine Cone, LETTERS, (Too big to fail? Chris Tescher, Carmel), October 23, 2009, 21A
The Monterey County Herald, Letters to the Editor, (Public-owned Flanders Mansion, Jon Kannegaard and Pat Sandoval, Carmel), 10/22/2009
The Monterey County Herald, Letters to the Editor, (Vote for sale of Flanders Mansion, Riane Eisler, Carmel), 10/21/2009
Editorial: Flanders Mansion sale makes sense, THE HERALD'S VIEW, The Monterey County Herald, 10/20/2009
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, (Flanders issue should be non-partisan, Clay Berling, Carmel), October 16, 2009, 28A & 25A
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, (How park was created, William Doolittle, Carmel), October 16, 2009, 25A
The Monterey County Herald, Letters to the Editor, (Yes vote on Measure I helps sell Flanders, Dale Hekhuis, Carmel), 10/14/2009
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, October 9, 2009 (‘Best plan is to sell,’ Pat Sippel, Carmel), 22 A
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, October 9, 2009 (Hatton Road inadequate, Robert G. Morris, Carmel) 15IYD
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, October 9, 2009 (‘End the exposure to litigation,’Pamela Heisinger, Carmel) 15IYD
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, October 9, 2009 (‘Abandon the myth,’ Jeffrey Lehr, M.D., Carmel) 15IYD
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, October 9, 2009 (Thank the Doolittles, Erling Lagerholm, Carmel) 15IYD
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, October 9, 2009 (Hatton Road too narrow, Laura Newmark, Carmel) 15IYD
The Monterey County Herald, Letters to the Editor, 10/05/2009, (It's time to sell Flanders, Dale Hekhuis, Carmel)
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, September 25, 2009 (A Useful Analogy, Mike Cunningham, Carmel) pg. 36A
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, September 18, 2009 (A ‘mistake’ to buy it, Carolyn S. Akcan, Carmel) pg. 28A-29A
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, September 11, 2009 (How safe? J. Daniel Tibbitts, Carmel) 20A
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, September 11, 2009 (Flanders ‘fiasco,’ William J.Woska, Carmel) 20A-21A
The Carmel Pine Cone, Editorial: Through the looking glass, September 4, 2009
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, September 4, 2009 (Vote Aye on Measure “I,” Patricia Sandoval, Carmel)
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, September 4, 2009 (‘A lovely private home,’ Suzanne Lehr, Carmel)
The Monterey County Herald, Letters to the Editor, 09/04/2009 (Proceeds from Flanders Mansion would help city, Jon Kannegaard Carmel)
The Monterey County Herald, Letters to the Editor, 08/26/2009 (Flanders options to be studied, Sue McCloud, Mayor of Carmel)
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, August 14, 2009 (Flanders ‘myth,’ Marikay Morris, Carmel) 26A
The Carmel Pine Cone July 3, 2009 (Editorial: The power of one)
The Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, May 8, 2009 (‘Get rid of Flanders now,’ P. S. Chase, Carmel) 26A
Carmel Pine Cone, Letters to the Editor, March 27, 2009 (‘Here we go again,’ Rita Holloway, Carmel Valley) 22A
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