Posted on 03/25/2005 12:48:50 PM PST by NormsRevenge
It's Clint Eastwood's half-billion-dollar baby -- a sweeping development plan for Monterey Peninsula's fabled Del Monte Forest.
So far the ``baby'' is garnering both jeers and plaudits. In one corner: environmental activists and the California Coastal Commission staff. In the other: the Pebble Beach Co. and Monterey County's elected officials. And both sides are digging in for the long haul.
The Pebble Beach Co., owned by Eastwood, golfer Arnold Palmer, ex-baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth and other investors, wants to build a championship 18-hole golf course and driving range in the area's signature Monterey pine forest. The 150-acre development would also include a new equestrian center, 33 luxury homes and 160 hotel rooms and suites.
In exchange, the company is offering to preserve more than 800 acres as permanent open space -- most of it in Pebble Beach, a 5,200-acre gated community that is home to the 17-Mile Drive, seven 18-hole courses and one nine-hole course.
But many environmentalists are saying no to the quid pro quo -- and urging California coastal commissioners to reject the plan when it reaches them later this year.
``They're taking the heart of one of California's last intact coastal forests,'' said Mark Massara, who directs the Sierra's Club's coastal programs. ``To chop down more than 17,000 Monterey pines for golf is akin to cutting down the Amazon forest for hamburger.''
The Pebble Beach Co. says it's being unfairly maligned by what it called environmental extremists who have never seen a golf course or hotel development they liked. Company officials also point out that the plan was overwhelmingly approved by Monterey County voters as Measure A in November 2000. Seventy percent of Pebble Beach residents voted yes.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
fyi
I wouldn't mind living in this neighborhood.
I hear ya, it's a beautiful area, but not cheap, not cheap at all.
"I wouldn't mind living in this neighborhood."
Yeah. It is upper crust, for sure. Isolated, too. Don't see much riff-raff around there.
For those that haven't been there, get a map. The road between Carmel and Cambria is one of the greatest scenic places, on God's little mudball.
You don't get to pick the weather. Best time is reported to be Sept./Oct. Chance of sunshine. But more often overcast.
I always thought the Del Monte Forest was a preserve.
Guess I was wrong. A lot of it is part of the Presidio. And then it goes on and on and on.
I think the forest should be preserved. Let Clint build his golf course at the corner of Highway 101 and 33.
Be good for the local economy.
Was there any report on the Caribou?
If they're only going to sell 33 homes in a half-billion
dollar investment I would guess the going price will be
20-25 million $$ to get a remote control that opens the gate.
Wow, what a concept.
L
Yeah, it's not like there's a golf course shortage down there...
The war of the titans. Grab a beer- find a comfortable place to sit-relax and enjoy the show.
My Uncle wanted me to go golfing with him and my Dad said he needed me to keep his Model A running...
I guess you do not believe in Zoning laws either.
I, for one, voted to protect the Hillsides from Development.
Here is what the developers wanted: sewers extended up the hills and throughout at taxpayer expense; power - same; fire/police service - same; road maintenance - same.....
They wanted to put the homes up, sell them for a tidy profit and pass all other development and maintenance cost to the community.
Look before you jump on a developer's bandwagon.
Protect Del Monte Forest!
Preserved for what? - The advancement of socialist tyranny?
You want to preserve it, you buy it at fair market value!
.
No, I don't believe in any unconstitutional interferance with property rights.
All land use planning should be done by land owners, not socialist tyrants. Preserve it if you own it.
You are in the wrong place, you belong at DU.
"You are in the wrong place, you belong at DU."
It is you who are the anarchist. People form governments so society can be orderly.
Or, I suppose, you believe if Clint has shoreline property, it would be ok for him to dump in the ocean as well.
Seems to me that John Steinbeck wrote some wonderful novels about Monterey - "Cannery Row" comes to mind...
Take your ignorant socialist strawman argument with you when you go, ok?
People planning for their own property is not anarchy. Unconstitutional government planners subverting property owners rights, and the rights of future home buyers is tyranny. Think home prices are high? - Want to know why? - Look in the mirror.
Wasn't Steinbeck a wee bit socialist?
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