Write and Speak to Our Planning Commission August 17th
Stop SunCal’s Land Grab of Our Public Land, Pt Molate
Write and speak to our Planning Commission Aug 17th
Dear Pt Molate Supporter,
We need your help. Please write and speak to our Planning Commission Aug 17th.
On Aug 17th at 6:30 pm, our Planning Commission will consider certifying the terribly inadequate Pt Molate Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and recommending SunCal’s plan to our City Council.
If the Planning Commission support’s SunCal’s plan, the City could sell Pt Molate to SunCal in September. We can’t let this happen!
Talking Points:
Speak about what matters to you. You have about 2 mins to speak.
(1) Going forward with SunCal’s plan, a project with conditions that cannot be mitigated, is illegal and irresponsible.
This is especially true when the City has an alternative plan, the Community Plan (Option D in the Environmental Impact Report, see plan below), that is proposed and analyzed.
See the letter from our attorney to the Planning Commission: https://tinyurl.com/y3kberqb.
—Significant fire danger cannot be mitigated (Environmental Impact Report, p. 2-52 through 2-600). (Pt Molate has been categorized by our fire marshal as a “very high fire severity zone.”)
—Significant traffic impacts cannot be mitigated (Environmental Impact Reprot, p. 2-58 through 2-60)
(2) SunCal’s plan violates federal, state, regional and city regulations and guidance for protecting habitat and limiting Green House Gas (GHG) emission increases.
SunCal has a retainer of $900,000 for Downy Brand, LLC a law firm that prides itself on successfully fighting and finding ways around state and federal law to defend their Environmental Impact Report. This, instead of investing in an adequate Environmental Impact Report and a project that respects and protects human and environmental health.
(3) SunCal’s plan violates the General Plan and City planning documents that guide the development of Pt Molate.
SunCal’s plan does not have 70% open space, active recreation and protection of biodiversity and sacred/cultural heritage sites, and these are core elements in our General Plan and city documents that guide the development of Pt Molate.
The above 3 problems with the plan are enough to disqualify the project. Approving the SunCal plan invites legal liability and all of the financial risks to the city that this entails. But the Planning Commission is under pressure to approve the plan. We have to speak on the 17th.
If the SunCal Plan is approved, SunCal’s stated plan is to flip the property to many developers. SunCal will profit. Richmond residents and taxpayers will pay the price.
The SunCal plan is a terrible plan for Richmond:
(1) SunCal’s plan does not provide the promised 70% open space, at best 60% if you count, as they do, the spaces between buildings, around water tanks, utilities and sewerage infrastructure, and a roadway. Open space includes areas too steep and/or toxic to build on.
The SunCal plan will grade 60% of the property. This, and the planned construction in rare habitat areas will destroy Pt Molate’s rare ecosystems.
(2) The SunCal plan has no real public access outside of the Bay Trail that was planned and funded before the SunCal plan was proposed and a small surrounding park that is already public and eroding a foot a year. The “public area” between the condo high-rises and ridge line on SunCal’s maps is exaggerated in size, is extremely steep and will be owned by the home owners associations.
(3) The SunCal Plan has no active recreation. Active recreation is included in all the planning documents for Pt Molate. Richmond has incredible athletic talent and an urgent need for soccer and other sports fields to train and compete.
(4) SunCal’s plan will destroy sacred Ohlone Shellmounds. See letter from Corrina Gould, Traditional Tribal Spokesperson, https://tinyurl.com/y6cxx4ec.
(5) SunCal’s plan will destroy extremely rare CA native habitats that are already 97% destroyed on the CA coast and over 100 acres of the healthiest eelgrass beds in the SF Bay which will impact SF Bay marine life and our commercial fisheries.
(6) SunCal’s plan will cost Richmond taxpayers millions of dollars each year, and if their plan fails, it could bankrupt the city. See a financial analysis of SunCal’s plan, https://tinyurl.com/yxkk8qnf.
The timeline pressure is a tactic SunCal and the city are using to gain project approvals. The settlement deadlines have already been changed. They can be changed by mutual agreement by the parties to the settlement and by the judge who certified the agreement between the parties.
Ask the Planning Commission to take the time it needs to review all the necessary documents and request any additional documents it needs to make an informed decision.
See letter from our attorney to the Commission about the settlement deadlines:
Support the Community Plan: Respect Richmond and the Environment
http://ptmolatealliance.org/community-plan-slide-show/
It is time for the City Council to base its decisions for Point Molate on what makes sense for Richmond, what the people of Richmond want, and what will provide tax-dollar revenue.
Develop the Winehaven Historic District through a truly public process to meet community needs for employment and wealth building opportunities, education, recreation and cultural opportunities for Richmond’s youth and families. Surround it with a world-class regional park that protects rare native habitat and Ohlone sacred sites, the remaining Chinese Shrimp Camp artifacts, provides needed sports fields, biking and other outdoor recreation and education opportunities for Richmond’s youth and families and the region, and revenue for Richmond’s General Fund.
Pt Molate is in the East Bay Regional Park District’s Master Plan, and they have $4.2 million designated for Pt Molate. This plan keeps public land and decision making in Richmond’s hands.
The Community Plan grew out of years of public input, the overwhelming majority of public input at the City’s Pt Molate Public Planning meetings, and surveys done by UC Berkeley graduate students in City planning and the Pt Molate Community Advisory Committee.
Here’s how to write and join the meeting:
Write to the Planning Commission using this link:
https://addup.sierraclub.org/campaigns/save-point-molate/petition
Email the commissioners on Aug 17th at this address pccomments@ci.richmond.ca.us between 3:00 and 6:30 pm for your letter to be included in the public record.
Your email must contain in this subject line:
Public Comments – Agenda Item #2.
To participate by computer:
https://zoom.us/join Webinar ID: 826 3900 7218 Password: pcaug6
To participate by phone:
United States Toll: +1-669-900-6833 or 1-253-215-8782 or 1-346-248-7799 Webinar ID: 826 3900 7218
Password: 180950
Get updates on facebook, twitter, instagram and tumblr. Follow ptmolate4all on facebook. (Don’t follow pointmolate4all. That’s SunCal’s PR page.)
Questions? Comments? Want to volunteer? info@ptmolatealliance.org
Together we can stop SunCal and save Pt Molate for Richmond and future generations!
Thank you for your help!
PMA Steering Committee
Pam Stello, Courtney Cummings, David Helvarg, Andres Soto