Land Use Insanity
..coupled with a budget bust and inability of our legislators to get us out of the corner that we have painted ourselves into. I am referring to the 275 acres of bayfront, sun-drenched coastline that is probably the most poorly utilized piece of property in Marin County.
If you have been reading Cursed, you know that the old prison, a grandfathered land use from the 1850's, has been nagging at me for a long time.
The legislature approved $220K per cell in 2002. We are now told the price has doubled. I am cursed by knowing the numbers, and the numbers seemed funny a year ago. For a land use that is wrong. On a spot with incredible potential...
Is this game over? Or a wake up call? The corner we are in is because this is the only spot in California authorized by the Legislature to house condemned male inmates [the women are housed in Chowchilla]. The state auditor questioned the location.
We can start to fix this by changing the law...giving ourselves more options. Now may be the last chance to recycle this site for a use that will make a difference--to California and to us here in Marin. There is movement in Sacramento to solve the prison problem. Now is the time to press for another location--let's change the law and get on with it. Nothing can happen until the legislators change the law regarding death row and San Quentin.
This Glamour Slammer is running $440,000 a door, $1,100 PSF, just because it has always been there..
There is an alternative.
A transit village linking ferry, car, SMART with homes for anywhere from 4 to 10,000 Marinites. The State Auditor said from gains in prison operating efficiencies alone, the payback would be less than 30 years.
ABAG says we need the land for housing. I understand that prisons are the third rail of State politics. Not sufficient reason to continue this land use insanity. This needs to stop. Now.
Print out this letter [.pdf]and fax it to our State Senator, Carole Migden.
Print out this letter [.pdf] and fax it to our State Assemblyman, Jared Huffman. Email Assemblyman Huffman.
