Seminary Project Questions
Jim Wood’s “Conversation” (March 2016) with Mark Cavagnero was described as “What you need to know about the Seminary project.” A more accurate title would have been “What Fasken Oil and Ranch Ltd. — the Texas oil-andgas enterprise that now owns the Seminary — wants you to think about its project.” It is simply a platform for Cavagnero to present a one-sided argument in favor of his immensely wealthy client’s financial interests. The most serious claims should be corrected. Cavagnero claims that the county has said that the developer’s application “appears complete.” That is false; the county has in fact decided the exact opposite: on January 15 the county told the applicant that the planning division and other agencies “have examined your application and determined that it is incomplete.” One of the reasons for the county’s decision was that “the proposed project is a substantial departure from the uses identified for the property in the Strawberry Community Plan.” The county told the applicant to apply for an amendment to the community plan. It has refused to do so, instead filing an appeal challenging that requirement. So much for Fasken Oil and Ranch’s concern for the Strawberry community. RAY MCDEVITT, MILL VALLEY
Mark Cavagnero presented North Coast’s design for Strawberry and the Branson School project to the Strawberry Design Review Board on December 7. Speaking in opposition to the proposal were representatives of every Strawberry homeowners’ association and dozens of neighbors, including more than a few Branson alumni. Hundreds of neighbors packed the Strawberry Rec Center to also voice their opposition to this project, which is far outside the scope of Strawberry’s master plan. Not one supported the project. This photo is representative of the seemingly scores of signs that have popped up all along Seminary and East Strawberry drives and on virtually all of the other streets on the Strawberry Peninsula. STEVE DISENHOF, PAST PRESIDENT, STRAWBERRY POINT HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION
I am writing to ask why you would choose to write a four-page article on a man, Mark Cavagnero, glamorizing him and his architectural plan for the Seminary, which will negatively change Strawberry, as we know it, forever? He is a person who says one thing to appease his listeners and, in reality, does just the opposite. I live on Reed Boulevard, which is the alternate route into the Seminary and a shortcut. The idea of 1,000 students, carpooling or not, and busy moms, who are always late, racing up and down this street when I am trying to back out of my driveway or walking with my 3-year-old grandson, where there are no sidewalks, is beyond my comprehension. MEME HURD, MILL VALLEY
Consignment Conscious
About your recent Currents (“Consignment Quest,” February) piece: the wealthy in Marin may donate or consign their gently worn Hermès, Valentino, Fendi, Prada, etc., but likely are not frequent purchasers at these higher-end “boutique” shops. How about an article listing other local consignment shops where the not-as-wealthy might consign and/ or purchase more affordable known name brands? KATHY TICHENOR, MILL VALLEY, VIA ONLINE
Are there any consignment boutiques that don’t cater to the wealthy in Marin? We live here too, you know. LAUREL WEBSTER, VIA ONLINE
Tiburon Thrift Store near the Main Street parking lot has wonderful bargains. Owned by four local churches and the Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society, it is over 90 years old and a real treasure. Also check out Hodgepodge in San Rafael and Novato, which benefits Hospice by the Bay. Very reasonable. THERESE HENNESSY, VIA ONLINE
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