News Media
"I found a loophole"... and got it rezoned
Submitted by ken on Fri, 10/27/2006 - 12:26am. Peebles History | R. Donahue Peebles | Redevelopment Area | News MediaPeebles made a small fortune on the Bath Club, by exploiting a loophole that let him get the property rezoned.
"The owners were asking for $25 million to $30 million, but no one was willing to pay because it wasn't going to make money unless it got rezoned -- the building couldn't be taller than 40 feet. The rezoning would take two years. I found a loophole that would allow us to go up to 200 feet in height and offered $10 million, contingent on the rezoning.
...
After the Bath Club got rezoned, a brokerage firm offered me $42 million for the property."
South of the Slide
Submitted by ken on Wed, 10/25/2006 - 1:21am. The Traffic | Traffic | News MediaOne of the Peebles/Davies arguments is that the midcoast south of the slide is planning to double their population, and supposedly that means we should be happy to shoot ourselves in the foot by adding 355 houses to the two most congested intersections in Pacifica.
San Mateo Times says NO on L
Submitted by larry on Wed, 10/18/2006 - 2:08pm. Quarry In the Media | News MediaThe San Mateo Times editorial board recommends a NO vote on Measure L, saying:
What Measure L does is permit the construction of "up to" 355 homes at the quarry site, along with commercial development. Since housing is the cash crop of this development, there's little reason to believe that, if Pacificans approve L, the final project will come in with anything less than the maximum amount.
More Davies spin
Fact vs. Fiction | Astroturf | Davies Communications | Greenwashing | News MediaThe San Mateo Times' "Insider" also published a column about the Davies Communications insider who posed as Pacifica residents in favor of Measure L on the Pacifica-L mailing list. The details are basically the same as have been covered elsewhere (for example, here and here). The interesting part is the new spin by John Davies, CEO of Davies Communications:
Davies says list readers are "mostly negative thinkers"
Fact vs. Fiction | Astroturf | Davies Communications | Greenwashing | R. Donahue Peebles | News MediaBarry Parr, creator of Coastsider.com, published an article about "Jimmy/Susan" the person(s) who posted messages to the Pacifica-L mailing list, claiming to be long-time Pacifica residents, but who apparently were associated with Peebles' P.R. firm, Davies Communications.
"He's dead in the water"
The Traffic | Fact vs. Fiction | Quarry In the Media | News MediaOn March 6th, 2005, Tribune Editor Chris Hunter is quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle, warning:
"And if he [Peebles] comes here and says he wants to build 300 houses, he's dead in the water."
Pacifica's "Miami Beach" covered in Bay Guardian
Submitted by ken on Tue, 08/29/2006 - 10:43pm. The Traffic | The Economy | The Environment | Fact vs. Fiction | Measure L | Quarry In the Media | Petition | News MediaThis week's San Francisco Bay Guardian includes an article by G.W. Schulz about Measure L. The very thorough, well-researched report contains too much good information to excerpt here; by all means, read the whole thing.
"There is no project"
Submitted by ken on Wed, 07/26/2006 - 11:51pm. Fact vs. Fiction | Measure L | Greenwashing | Petition | Redevelopment Area | News MediaOn Monday night, July 24th, Pacifica Councilmember Cal Hinton said:
"There is no project here. There is nothing to evaluate for a report"
California Red Legged Frog
Submitted by SFGS on Fri, 07/07/2006 - 10:13pm. The Environment | ESHA | News MediaOn the front page of the July 7th, 2006 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, is an article about the manmade global epidemic that is rapidly changing the environmental world as we know it today. As the article states, "a strange new fungus disease that kills frogs and toads and every other species of amphibian is spreading around the globe and combined with pollution and overdevelopment, is driving more and more creatures to extinction."
Rising Oceans, Sinking Feeling
The Environment | News Media
A local environmental reporter recently wrote an article in the San Mateo County Times about the rising oceans and problems we will be facing in the future because of them. As you know the Quarry rests on the shores of the Pacific Ocean and will be threatened by the rising seas.
