Naples Development Dreams Evaporating; Global Preservation Group Awed by Stretch of Gaviota Coast
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Remember when the eventual McMansionization of Naples seemed like a foregone conclusion? Remember when pool houses, equestrian centers, and fortified luxury estates were all but guaranteed to be the future, albeit a publicly unpopular one, for that sublime and ever-endangered slice of mostly untouched coastal ranch land at the easternmost gate of Gaviota? Well, despite a controversial vote of approval from the Santa Barbara County supervisors nearly three years ago for his Naples-conquering dreams, Matt Osgood, the often-vilified Orange County-based developer who has spent the better part of the past 12 years on a plan to build out the historic property, now reckons his vision is all but dead.
Essentially relegated to the sidelines by a bank foreclosure last spring and kept there ever since by a growing sea of circumstances that are decidedly pro-conservation, Osgood summed up the situation this week with a frank assessment. “There is a very, very low probability that I, or anybody, for that matter, could actually execute on those approvals we got,” explained Osgood, before adding, “I would say, ‘advantage preservationists,’ and in a big way. It is prime time right now for [them] to figure out a play — there probably hasn’t been a better time [to try and protect Naples] in the last 50 years.”
Paul Wellman
Interestingly enough, Osgood’s temperature read on these current times, unbeknown to him, came just days after an informal visit to the Naples property by the executive board of Surfrider Foundation — one of the biggest and baddest ocean-user and beach protection advocacy groups in the world. Last Friday afternoon, just as June Gloom’s gray carpet began to roll back and reveal the bright blue above and the shine of the Pacific below, several members of Surfrider’s governing board hopped the barbed-wire fence along Dos Pueblos Canyon Road and embarked on a walking tour of the property. Joined on their adventure by Santa Barbara Surfrider chapter president Sandy Lejeune and the Environmental Defense Center’s Nathan Alley, the group was led by a cowboy poet with a camera named Reeve Woolpert.
For nearly as long as Osgood has been trying to put luxury homes at Naples, Woolpert — a key figure in the fight to save Montecito’s Hammonds Meadow from a similar fancy home pave-over in the 1970s — has been flying under the radar at Naples with camera in hand, simultaneously seeking out the moments of unbridled beauty that are the property’s calling card and working to covertly catalog the decades’ worth of public use of the private parcel as part of a still-building prescriptive-rights case. Woolpert, who proudly traces his ancestry back to José Francisco Ortega, is about as devout and entertainingly eloquent of a defender of the Gaviota Coast as you can find, and, as a former Surfrider executive boardmember from the latter half of the 1980s, was the ideal tour guide for the fact-finding mission.
As the group made its way out across the coastal terrace, a place that Osgood’s plan has pegged as the perfect landing spot for 16 homes roughly 10,000 square feet in size, the buzz from the Surfrider brass was undeniable — people stopped and gulped in the pristine 360-degree views, oohed and aahed over the power of the place, and gushed about the Gaviota Coast in general and the need to protect it. As one boardmember, Sean Ahlum, observed at the hike’s conclusion nearly two hours later, “I’ve visited the area before and heard this was a special spot, but wow, just beautiful.”
Paul Wellman
To be clear, Surfrider’s overarching governing body, headquartered in San Clemente, was in town simply to hold one of its three annual meetings, one of which is typically held on-location with a local chapter. This year, for the first time in many years, Surfrider — which boasts an international membership of more than 50,000 and has a track record of getting what it wants when it decides to throw its full weight behind a cause — decided to make the trip up the 101 and have its leadership powwow last Saturday along the Santa Barbara waterfront.
But before getting down to official business, Lejeune (who has been lobbying the executive board for the past two years to come up to Santa Barbara and see firsthand the Gaviota Coast — an area that the S.B. chapter has long made its number-one cause) had designs on getting the bigwigs out to Naples and, hopefully, planting the seed to consider making “Save Gaviota” or some similar sentiment a top priority of their own. “I just wanted to take them out there, show them what it is, and talk a bit about our work and the history of the land,” said Lejeune. “It’s not that we are looking for pots and pots of money. We just want their official support and the big push that that would provide.”
“The developers know there is nothing like this left and, to us, Naples is a very critical piece of that puzzle … We will oppose anybody and everybody who is looking to make a mess of it. Period,” opined Lejeune.
The word from both S.B. Surfrider and the Naples Coalition — the multifaceted grassroots group that was born specifically to combat Osgood’s plan and, more accurately, to preserve Naples as a natural space — is that no formal preservation plays are in the works, at least not now. Asked specifically about this, Lejeune responded by pointing out that the roughly 20 miles of coastline that make up the Gaviota Coast are basically the last 20 miles of largely unmolested coast anywhere in Southern California and, as such, should be of critical importance to anyone no matter where they call home. “The developers know there is nothing like this left and, to us, Naples is a very critical piece of that puzzle … We will oppose anybody and everybody who is looking to make a mess of it. Period,” opined Lejeune.
However, all that being said, Osgood’s observations about the current state of affairs are not to be easily dismissed, especially given the current state of both our state and national economies. First is the fact that he no longer is in control of the property save for his current house, on the mountain side of the highway, and two smaller parcels on the ocean mesa. After Osgood defaulted on his $63-million loan with First Bank last spring and failed to meet subsequent “first refusal” deadlines to buy it back in the months that followed, the Missouri-based financial institution assumed control of the controversial property.
Second, part-time Montecito resident Steve Posner, who many speculated might partner up with Osgood to re-buy Naples (there was a reported deal for just south of $50 million in place at one time) or perhaps spearhead an entirely separate group to buy it, died tragically this past winter in a high-speed boat crash in Miami.
Paul Wellman
TALKING PRESERVATION: Santa Barbara Surfrider chapter president Sandy Lejeune and photographer Reeve Woolpert (bottom image, from left of foreground), led the way last Friday out at the Naples property as the executive board of Surfrider traveled to find out more about the embattled yet beloved coastal property.
Third, the land deal that Osgood brokered with the neighboring Dos Pueblos Ranch that allowed for, among other things, the project’s large agricultural conservation easement (something that was considered one of the crucial “public benefits” of the project and thus helped mitigate certain unavoidable environmental impacts in such a way that the project became more appealing to county supervisors) has a sunset date that is fast approaching and, depending on whom you ask, probably will not be revisited should it expire.
Fourth is the fact that First Bank recently filed suit against Osgood over who exactly owns the development rights that the supes approved back in October 2008. This past February, the supervisors, looking to resolve the longstanding lawsuit-filled limbo that has plagued Naples ever since their approval, told First Bank and Osgood to figure out between themselves who the shot caller is on the development rights. While Osgood contends it is him, First Bank responded by simply filing a suit against him for said rights. (For the record, First Bank, in lockstep with its policy since first foreclosing on the property, has failed to return calls from The Independent.)
Lastly, and perhaps most important, is the judgment from the California Coastal Commission two weeks ago about a somewhat similar property in the cliffs of Malibu. With the Coastal Commission yet to have its regulatory bite at the Naples apple, the state agency’s outright denial on June 16 of the Sweetwater Mesa project (a small-scale luxury home development proposed by U2’s guitarist, The Edge) is of particular interest for anyone looking to get dozens of homes at the several-hundred-acre Naples property approved. In short, the Coastal Commission decided that the Sweetwater Mesa plan constituted a “unified development” despite the fact that the five proposed homes were all being pitched as having separate owners. As such, the commission decided that the project would need to match up with existing zoning and, well, that couldn’t logistically happen in such a way that the proposed homes could even be built. (The commission, it should be noted, also had issues with the houses themselves.)
This outcome is particularly relevant to the Naples debate because virtually every way to cut up the land and develop it with making money in mind in any large-scale sense would require rezones that would be nearly impossible to match up with the existing 100-acre zoning currently in place. Osgood, whose land-use attorney, Stanley Lamport, is a partner in the land-use firm that represented The Edge in the losing cause, said of the ruling this week, “It is certainly a game changer as far as Naples is concerned … It is only my opinion, but at this point, I’d say the logical buyers [for Naples] are no longer developers or speculators.”
Asked if he has been approached at all by either preservation or would-be development interests about his remaining parcels, two of which are on the beloved oceanfront mesa, Osgood said, “No, not really.” Then, in what may be the most ironic twist yet in the Naples saga, he added with a laugh, “Hey, if I’m not developing it, I’d just as soon keep it all open space.”
http://www.independent.com/news/2011/jun/30/broken-dreams-budding-promises/
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Crashing wave of trash
Crashing wave of trash
By Michael Miller, michael.miller@latimes.com
June 29, 2011 | 2:29 p.m.
Andre Faubert's float may not be the best-looking in Huntington Beach's 4th of July Parade. It may not smell very good, either.
But when Faubert's trash sculpture rolls down Main Street, he hopes viewers will agree that it belongs on a flat-bed truck instead of on the beach.
Faubert, a Huntington resident and volunteer for the Surfrider Foundation, spent a month earlier this year gathering trash for one hour a day along the city's shoreline. By the time he finished, he had more than 580 pounds of refuse, from bottle caps to plastic bags to Styrofoam and just about everything in between.
Now, with the help of a student and an alum from the Laguna College of Art & Design, Faubert is turning his discoveries into sculpture. The finished piece will look, from a distance, like a crashing wave, with a curving blue base and white foam at the end of the curl. It may take a closer look to realize that those colors come from pieces of trash sewn and stapled together.
"I said, 'What do you want to make?', basically," Faubert said. "Because they're the art students, you know. And they said, 'How about a wave?'"
The students, Tierney Moses and recent graduate Hannah Cosner, answered an ad Faubert posted on campus looking for assistants. For the last few weeks, they've worked outside Cosner's garage in San Clemente, sorting the trash into different colored piles and aiming to coat the entire plywood base that Faubert created.
It was dirty work, to say the least, and Cosner said the stench proved overwhelming at times. Still, she said, the artists intended to jolt onlookers with the piece, which Farmers & Merchants Bank sponsored for the parade.
"It should be really gross," she said. "But that's why we tried to make it beautiful. People will see it from a distance, and then they'll come up."
Floats are a longstanding tradition in the 4th of July Parade, which started even before the city's incorporation and will celebrate its 107th year Monday. According to city spokeswoman Laurie Frymire, the parade will feature more than a dozen floats this year, with a company or other group sponsoring each one.
Huntington Beach has a full day of activities planned for Monday, including a breakfast in Lake Park, a 5K run and fireworks in the evening. Actors Danny Trejo and Garrett Ryan, rock guitarist Dick Dale and Angels broadcaster Rex Hudler will serve as grand marshals for the parade.
For a full calendar of events, visit http://www.hb4thofjuly.org
If You Go
What: 107th annual 4th of July Parade
Where: The procession begins on Pacific Coast Highway and Ninth Street, turns left onto Main Street and ends just after Yorktown Avenue
When: 10 a.m. Monday
Cost: Free
Information: (714) 536-5486 or http://www.hb4thofjuly.org
By Michael Miller, michael.miller@latimes.com
June 29, 2011 | 2:29 p.m.
Andre Faubert's float may not be the best-looking in Huntington Beach's 4th of July Parade. It may not smell very good, either.
But when Faubert's trash sculpture rolls down Main Street, he hopes viewers will agree that it belongs on a flat-bed truck instead of on the beach.
Faubert, a Huntington resident and volunteer for the Surfrider Foundation, spent a month earlier this year gathering trash for one hour a day along the city's shoreline. By the time he finished, he had more than 580 pounds of refuse, from bottle caps to plastic bags to Styrofoam and just about everything in between.
Now, with the help of a student and an alum from the Laguna College of Art & Design, Faubert is turning his discoveries into sculpture. The finished piece will look, from a distance, like a crashing wave, with a curving blue base and white foam at the end of the curl. It may take a closer look to realize that those colors come from pieces of trash sewn and stapled together.
"I said, 'What do you want to make?', basically," Faubert said. "Because they're the art students, you know. And they said, 'How about a wave?'"
The students, Tierney Moses and recent graduate Hannah Cosner, answered an ad Faubert posted on campus looking for assistants. For the last few weeks, they've worked outside Cosner's garage in San Clemente, sorting the trash into different colored piles and aiming to coat the entire plywood base that Faubert created.
It was dirty work, to say the least, and Cosner said the stench proved overwhelming at times. Still, she said, the artists intended to jolt onlookers with the piece, which Farmers & Merchants Bank sponsored for the parade.
"It should be really gross," she said. "But that's why we tried to make it beautiful. People will see it from a distance, and then they'll come up."
Floats are a longstanding tradition in the 4th of July Parade, which started even before the city's incorporation and will celebrate its 107th year Monday. According to city spokeswoman Laurie Frymire, the parade will feature more than a dozen floats this year, with a company or other group sponsoring each one.
Huntington Beach has a full day of activities planned for Monday, including a breakfast in Lake Park, a 5K run and fireworks in the evening. Actors Danny Trejo and Garrett Ryan, rock guitarist Dick Dale and Angels broadcaster Rex Hudler will serve as grand marshals for the parade.
For a full calendar of events, visit http://www.hb4thofjuly.org
If You Go
What: 107th annual 4th of July Parade
Where: The procession begins on Pacific Coast Highway and Ninth Street, turns left onto Main Street and ends just after Yorktown Avenue
When: 10 a.m. Monday
Cost: Free
Information: (714) 536-5486 or http://www.hb4thofjuly.org
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Cali Bamboo + Surfrider Collab For National Greenscape Challenge | TransWorld Business
Cali Bamboo + Surfrider Collab For National Greenscape Challenge | TransWorld Business
Cali Bamboo and Surfrider Foundation have launched the National Greenscape Challenge to promote eco-friendly landscape and garden designs.
By Sara Fruman
Cali Bamboo and Surfrider Foundation have launched the National Greenscape Challenge to promote eco-friendly landscape and garden designs.
Homeowners, commercial landscapers, and builders are encouraged to submit their sustainable landscaping project that includes photos and a description on the contest page by July 9.
To learn more about the contest, check out the press release below:
SAN DIEGO - June 28, 2011 - Cali Bamboo, a premier manufacturer of green building materials made primarily from bamboo, and the Surfrider Foundation today launched the National Greenscape Challenge to promote eco-friendly landscape and garden designs.
Inspired by Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Gardens campaign, homeowners, commercial landscapers and builders are encouraged to submit their sustainable landscaping project that includes photos and a brief description on the contest page by July 31.
“This challenge is a great opportunity for people across the U.S. to showcase their landscape or garden projects that were designed with conservation, permeability and retention in mind,” says Jeff Goldberg, CEO and President of Cali Bamboo.
“We’re excited to see the creative entries from different geographic regions and hope it provides individuals everywhere with eco-friendly examples of what they can do with their yards.”
Once a project is submitted, it will be added to the contest interactive map that will display all the entries from across the U.S. After the submission deadline, a panel of judges will review the entries and the winner will be announced on August 8.
The grand prize winner and guest will receive round-trip airfare to Los Angeles on Friday, September 9, and enjoy an all-expense paid weekend, including a 30-minute surf session with a celebrity following the Celebrity Expression Session event, an eco-friendly surfboard for use during the surf session, access to the VIP party on Friday evening, transportation and accommodations, departing on Sunday, September 11.
“Urban runoff is a number one source of ocean pollution no matter where someone lives. Not only is our Ocean Friendly Gardens campaign raising awareness of those issues, but the Greenscape Challenge is a fun way for people to get involved and show how they’re creating eco-friendly gardens and eliminating excessive watering,” said Matt McClain, Surfrider Foundation’s Director of Marketing and Communications.
“The Celebrity Expression Session is a fun, well-attended event and it’s not often you get to surf with a celebrity; the winner and guest are in for a treat!”
Visit http://www.calibamboo.com/greenscapechallenge.html for more information.
About Cali Bamboo, LLC.
San Diego-based Cali Bamboo manufactures green building products for residential and commercial projects made primarily from bamboo; one of the world’s most durable, sustainable and renewable materials. Founded in 2004 by Jeff Goldberg and Tanner Haigwood, the company is fast becoming one of the shining examples of how individuals, businesses and communities can implement stylish architectural and interior designs without impacting the environment. Cali Bamboo’s wide range of bamboo offerings includes fencing, flooring, decking, plywood and more. For more information, visit www.CaliBamboo.com.
About The Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches through a powerful activist network. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 60,000 members and 100 chapters worldwide. For more information on the Surfrider Foundation, visit www.surfrider.org.
A Group Effort to Keep Beaches Clean
Local environmental groups brace for busy July 4th weekend
By Jill Duran | Wednesday, Jun 29, 2011
Ruth Tuchler
As the Fourth of July weekend approaches, local environmental groups are preparing for what’s often San Diego’s messiest holiday.
The San Diego Clean Beach Coalition announced Wednesday morning that it had raised close to $15,000 from local businesses and governments to help prevent excess trash this weekend.
The SDCBC, composed of I Love a Clean San Diego, San Diego Coastkeeper, FreePB.org, San Diego Parks & Recreation Department, and the Surfrider Foundation, will roll out 110 temporary trash bins and 90 recycling bins for Fourth of July festivities.
“Last year, there were 440,00 pounds of debris in the trash cans, and all of that was able to be properly disposed of because of the trash bins that were placed on the beach” said Natalie Roberts of I Love a Clean San Diego.
The coalition has also made a list of do’s and don’ts to help beachgoers plan ahead for ways to avoid trashing the beaches.
Roberts suggested easy swaps such as “putting snacks in Tupperware rather than bags, reusable coolers as opposed to one-time-use Styrofoam coolers, and bringing reusable water bottles.”
As much as the SDCBC prefers no trash be left behind, a morning-after clean up is organized every year at five locations throughout San Diego County.
This year, the cleanups will take place at the pier in Ocean Beach, Belmont Park in Mission Beach, PB Drive in Pacific Beach, Ponto Beach in South Carlsbad and the South Harbor Jetty in Oceanside.
Posted Wednesday, Jun 29, 2011 - 1:57 PM PDT
By Jill Duran | Wednesday, Jun 29, 2011
Ruth Tuchler
As the Fourth of July weekend approaches, local environmental groups are preparing for what’s often San Diego’s messiest holiday.
The San Diego Clean Beach Coalition announced Wednesday morning that it had raised close to $15,000 from local businesses and governments to help prevent excess trash this weekend.
The SDCBC, composed of I Love a Clean San Diego, San Diego Coastkeeper, FreePB.org, San Diego Parks & Recreation Department, and the Surfrider Foundation, will roll out 110 temporary trash bins and 90 recycling bins for Fourth of July festivities.
“Last year, there were 440,00 pounds of debris in the trash cans, and all of that was able to be properly disposed of because of the trash bins that were placed on the beach” said Natalie Roberts of I Love a Clean San Diego.
The coalition has also made a list of do’s and don’ts to help beachgoers plan ahead for ways to avoid trashing the beaches.
Roberts suggested easy swaps such as “putting snacks in Tupperware rather than bags, reusable coolers as opposed to one-time-use Styrofoam coolers, and bringing reusable water bottles.”
As much as the SDCBC prefers no trash be left behind, a morning-after clean up is organized every year at five locations throughout San Diego County.
This year, the cleanups will take place at the pier in Ocean Beach, Belmont Park in Mission Beach, PB Drive in Pacific Beach, Ponto Beach in South Carlsbad and the South Harbor Jetty in Oceanside.
Posted Wednesday, Jun 29, 2011 - 1:57 PM PDT
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