Walk Into Conservation History: MARINCELLO 9.29.18 Supplemental Historical Information and Resources Can Be Found Online
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Walk into Conservation History: MARINCELLO 9.29.18 Supplemental historical information and resources can be found online: www.conservationleague.org/events Marin Conservation League was founded in 1934 to preserve, protect and enhance the natural assets of Marin County. 415.485.6257 | [email protected] | marinconservationleague.org Marin Conservation League’s Walk Into Conservation History The Marincello That Might Have Been ifty three years ago this November, Marin Docents FCounty approved a master plan for “Marin- Route for Today’s Walk cello,” a planned community of between 25,000 Nona Dennis, Board Member, Former President of Marin Conservation League and 30,000 residents in the Marin Headlands Our walk begins at the Gerbode Valley Trail- west of Sausalito. Anticipating approval by a head and parking area. We will proceed a Roxi Farwell, Education Program Manager majority of the Board of Supervisors, the Marin half-mile west on Rodeo Valley Trail and then Marin Headlands, GGNRA IJ stated, in early November 1965: turn onto the Bobcat Trail for approximately Doug Ferguson, Attorney one mile to a grove of cypress, where we will “It would be wishful thinking to dream Former Director, Trust for Public Land turn back. The route anticipates six stops and forever of keeping these lands in their Robert Praetzel, Attorney primeval state, especially under private is highlighted in yellow on this booklet’s cover. ownership.” Terri Thomas, Director Natural Resources, Conservation Corps North Bay It took another five years and the determined opposition of dedicated citizens to prove that The original scale model of prophesy wrong. Marincello pictured here and throughout this booklet, Dairying and the Forts was cleaned, repaired and reassembled by documentary Much of the Marin Headlands was still open filmmakers Kelly + Yamamoto after several generations of cattle grazing and of Greenbrae, for the KRCB dairying on the former Rancho Saucelito Mexi- Channel 22 production can land grant. The United States government, MOMENTS IN TIME, a public in 1851, had purchased lands clustered around television documentary about the extraordinary efforts of the Golden Gate for strategic defense of the the ordinary people who Gateway. The Forts (Barry, Baker, and Cronkh- saved the lands of the Point ite) were installed, roads and artillery sites were Reyes National Seashore and built, Monterey pine and cypress trees (and the Golden Gate National later, eucalyptus) were planted, and for many Recreation Area from development. years the area was fenced off from the public. After World War II, the Forts were no longer The Marincello model is needed for defense. Efforts were underway to property of the National Park Service/Golden Gate National transfer some of the federal lands to the State Recreation Area (GGNRA) for parks and recreation. Set back from the Museum Collection. Golden Gate and north of the Forts, ranch lands © 2009 Kelly+Yamamoto Productions 2 were still in private hands. Stand- ers, with more open space and green- ing above a broad 2,138- acre valley ery among them than within any that descends to Rodeo Lagoon and existing development in the county, the Pacific Ocean, East Coast devel- Marincello will set higher standards oper Thomas Frouge said: “This is for future local development.” probably the most beautiful location At a time when educated forecasts in the United States for a new com- for the future (1980) population munity.” of Marin County ranged between The Visionary Plan 295,000 and 400,000, fueled by the new crop of ‘war babies’ coming into for Marincello adulthood, the idea of this complete With financial backing from Gulf community in the Headlands was Oil, Frouge introduced his vision- not as outrageous as it now seems. ary plan to the County in November As a consequence, the plan received 1964: “… a community of 50 apart- remarkably diverse support from ment towers, a sea of single-family community leaders, both conserva- homes, low rise apartments, and tive and liberal newspapers, and townhouses. .light industry, a mile- TOP: Map of the area slated for development. even from many conservationists long central mall with pools and BOTTOM: The high rise apartment buildings, as depicted in the Marincello scale who believed that the concentration elephant trains, a square bounded by model of development would relieve devel- churches called Brotherhood Plaza, opment pressure on other important and on the highest point in the Head- open areas that could now be pre- lands a signature hotel” (John Hart: served. Bay Nature, July-September 2003). Construction would go on for 20 Battles Before the Planning years and consume $285 million in Commission 1964 dollars. A marketing brochure Not everyone agreed, however. described the future Marincello thus: During the first half of 1965, the “A planning team composed of principal Marincello battles were professional planners and civic lead- fought before the County Planning ers has conceived this conservatively Commission. Two MCL board planned community with the deepest members, including Mary Sum- respect for Marin County’s true tradi- mers, former Marin County Planning tions, preserving the scenic beauties Director, represented the League at and natural resources of the site. public meetings concerning Marin- .When it is built as planned, with its cello plans. Most opposition focused lagoons, parkways, and slender tow- not on whether there should be any 3 posed density of the plan. The City of Sau- duction of the plan, the Board of Supervisors, salito resolved not to allow Spencer Avenue or on a three-two vote, approved the Marincello Wolfback Ridge to be widened as access routes Master Plan with a few minor adjustments. The map on the preceding page and its to serve Marincello. Concerns were expressed Protestors, including MCL, considered a refer- caption (below) are taken from the Marin over access through a future State Park. (See endum on the Plan and were told by Douglas Independent Journal, Friday April 15, 1966. map on preceding page and sidebar.) Local Maloney, County Counsel, that the Master Plan residents on Wolfback Ridge and in Sausalito was not subject to a referendum (the California MARIN HEADLANDS conducted informal tours into the site for Sierra Supreme Court later ruled that it was). Un- PARK VS. MARINCELLO Club, and many others from around the Bay deterred, they gathered some 6,000 signatures Area came to protest the plan. protesting the Master Plan and filed informal This map shows the fledging Marin petitions, but these were brushed aside. Sub- Headlands State Park and its future an- By March 1965, the MCL Board was ready to sequently, after a “precise development plan” ticipated boundaries, in relation to the go on record as opposing the plans “as present- was approved, petitions with over 6,700 sig- new community of Marincello, which ed.” Their reasons: Residential density was too natures again called for a referendum on the is rising to the north. The state al- high; high rise buildings would be out of char- plan. For various reasons, the Marin County ready owns 130 acres (shaded area at acter with other developments in Marin County; Clerk rejected these petitions, and this became the left and around Waldo Tunnel) and the community would set a precedent for other the subject of a later lawsuit. Some conserva- 183 acres at Tennessee Cove (shaded undeveloped areas in the county; the commu- tionists seemed relieved to have it “out of their area at extreme left.) In between these nity could not be as self-contained as prom- hair.” Beyond contributing to a protest ad two state-owned lands are the military ised, and traffic would cause congestion on the placed in the Marin IJ and discussing a recall reservations of Forts Baker, Berry and Golden Gate Bridge; and, finally, tax benefits move with others, MCL did not take further Cronkhite. The state is in the process claimed by the developer were not realistic. political action. They did, however, send letters of acquiring 320 acres (from Golden Mrs. Summers had no objection to rezoning the to Supervisors Peter Behr and Byron Leydecker Gate Bridge to Bonita Cove) to get land to Planned Community, but she also recog- thanking them for their leadership in opposing Marin Headlands State Park into op- nized that the Marincello land had been in- the plan, and to William Gnoss, Ernest Ketten- eration. The State Division of Beaches cluded in a proposed Headlands State Park, and hofen, and Thomas Storer expressing “complete and Parks hopes to eventually acquire that’s where it properly belonged. Ultimately, disappointment” with their approval. the rest of the military land so that the Planning Commission forced the developers Marin Headlands State Park will stretch to scale back from 5.9 dwelling units per acre to Lawyers Step In from Golden Gate Bridge to Tennessee 3.5 units, in effect, reducing the community to Cove...One of the problems of Marin- closer to 20,000 than the 30,000 population first More aggressive – and more effective – le- cello is access to the new Community. envisioned. The County Planning Commission gal action was taken by others. First, local State Park officials are reluctant to Chair called it a “. cancerous growth on the attorneys Robert Conn and Richard Breiner have the big subdivision pour its traffic face of Marin” and resigned. challenged the approval process by filing two into or over the future Marin Headlands lawsuits, the first to have a referendum on the State Park. It Only Takes Three Votes— Master Plan, i.e., bring it to a vote of the people, and the Aftermath and a second to overthrow the zoning process because it had been done illegally. Conn and Just one year from the date of Frouge’s intro- Breiner were forced to resign over allegations 5 Martin Rosen were substituted in their place.