The following letter has been sent to the Corte Madera Town Council regarding the ongoing review of the proposal to redevelop the Corte Madera Inn.
Dear Corte Madera Town Council members:
As you know, the owner of the Corte Madera Inn recently revealed that they have listed the property for sale.
http://www.marinij.com/business/20160527/corte-madera-hotel-owner-puts-hotel-up-for-sale
This runs contrary to their repeated testimony before the Planning Commission, at which they professed their long term commitment to the project and the community. It has also been revealed that this has been in the works for several months.
In response, the Marin Post has run a series of articles about the ongoing history of the proposal to redevelop the Corte Madera Inn property. The articles also explain the significance of the evidence and notification by the Regional Water Board, that the pond has been misclassified during the project review process.
Adam Wolff, Corte Madera’s planning director, has stated that the evidence that the pond is, in fact, a special aquatic site, is “new” information, and therefore, the hearing about the proposal before the Town Council has been put off “indefinitely.”
Regrettably, it would seem then that the Town now finds itself in a situation where it may have wasted a considerable amount of everyone’s time and money, pursuing a project's approval that was not possible.
This is certainly unfortunate. However, contrary to public statements, Mr. Wolff and the developer were apprised of all of the information that is now being called “new,” months ago, and had every opportunity to act on it.
I personally met with Adam Wolff on February 25, 2016, prior to the March 22nd Planning Commission hearing, and discussed the evidence showing that the pond was misclassified, and that the approval of the developer’s preferred alternative was not possible, as proposed. I reminded him of what Dr. Baye explained in his comment letter. I asked Mr. Wolff to please reconsider the staff’s support of the preferred alternative, given these facts. And I informed him of the consequences if they proceeded.
Again, the email from Xavier Fernandez was not “new” information. Mr. Wolff was fully informed and made a conscious choice to disregard it.
I realize that to date, the Town Council has not even officially seen this project, so is therefore unable to comment or respond. However, if Mr. Wolff now finds himself having to backtrack, duplicate efforts, re-craft and recirculate an EIR, or otherwise spend more of the town’s and the public’s time and money, he has no one to look to but himself.
I would respectfully ask that you please take the time, if you have not already done so, to read the entire four part series published in the Marin Post, particularly Part IV, which touches on options, going forward.
I submit this for your consideration, for if and when the Corte Madera Inn redevelopment proposal should come before you. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.