ABC 7/KGO News/Shopping/Janet O., 8/13/15, includes video 2:44 minutes. "30 new stores open at premium outlets in Livermore."
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| Pacifica could do this. |
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| Destination example: Quarry. |
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| Hang-out, have fun, look better, commute locally, spend money here. |
Dave Ackerman, with the outlet mall, says given the number of international shoppers, the name change, "really does help people understand where we are located and how close we are to San Francisco."
Formerly the Livermore Outlets, it not only got a new name, but also added 30 new stores in this second phase of a multi-million dollar project. .... An additional 20 news store will open later this year." Read more.
Related, news articles. Pleasanton Weekly/Jeb Bing, 8/13/15. "San Francisco Premium Outlets opens expanded center this morning." San Francisco Premium Outlets will open its 185,000 square-foot expansion on this morning, making it the largest outlet center in California. .... Representatives of Simon Property Group will celebrate today's grand opening with a breakfast for city and civic leaders followed by a public art dedication at 9:30 a.m. ahead of store openings. Simon, a global leader in retail real estate ownership, owns and operates both Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton and San Francisco Premium Outlets in Livermore. .... Livermore Police warned that opening day festivities could cause "a tremendous increase in traffic congestion to not only include the neighboring streets, but the I-580 freeway." NBC news/Staff, 8/13/15, video 1:34 minutes. "Bracing for trafic congestion with 30 new Livermore Premium Outlet Shops."
Reference - San Francisco Premium Outlets. Facebook. Related, comments - Yelp. TripAdvisor.
Note photographs from Foursquare. More photographs from Google map images, and San Francisco Premium Outlets TripAdvisor.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
104 comments:
Sonny's Pizza over by city hall closed up shop.
I am superficial enough to pave paradise to put up a Prada outlet (along with Armani, Max Mara, Etro, Hugo Boss, Barney's, Burberry, L'Occitane, and the other high-end stores that make the Livermore/"San Francisco" outlet a standout tourist attraction), but that's not what Pacifica would get because we do not have the infrastructure to support it and we wouldn't have it even if we widened the entire stretch of Highway 1 from Manor to the tunnel. Have you ever been to the Livermore outlet mall? It is surrounded by highway-width "city" streets, yet traffic often backs up onto the freeway itself. I have sat in traffic for more than 45 minutes, just to get to the parking lot where the hunt for spaces is on. The parking lot itself is probably the size of the quarry. SO, no, we can't have THAT kind of shopping in Pacifica (i.e., the kind that attracts the tourists who flock to Livermore with empty suitcases meant for beautiful things). At best, we would be clearing the Quarry for something that would resemble Westlake/Metro Center. Not worth it.
126, the quarry would be the strategic place for a Custom Outlet Mall, along with whatever else might be built there. And a Custom Outlet might be a very good fit for our region, and our City.
Again, clearly our City needs a structural boost to achieve financial stability and a balanced economy.
What will bring-in shoppers, generate tax revenue, and move this City toward becoming a destination, (rather than the current "poor city" pass-through)?
126, the "we can do nothing" NIMBY whining is a repeated hollow theme that plagues this City, and our entire Community. This City can do better, rather than fail (not that some of you may care).
The Livermore custom outlet is the largest of all custom outlets in Calfornia. No one is suggesting that this City attempt to compete with that. But, we could have a better presence in the region, and we could have a fair share of retail tax revenue.
As for traffic, "Livermore Police warned that opening day festivities could cause 'a tremendous increase in traffic congestion ..." Big deal!
Road/highway/freeway conditions in the East Bay, along that corridor of traffic are quite different from here.
Wonder how they'll do in Livermore's summer heat. Your car would literally be like an oven in the parking lot.
246, if you're there, you'll go into the air-conditioned Mall and shop, or hang-out. That's why you're there, remember?
Gee what a great idea. Build in a natural area, bringing a bunch of polluting cars to the area. Provide low paying jobs selling stuff that isn't necessary.
330 Is this a great country or what?
2:46 most modern cars these days have a/c as do houses and commercial buildings. Not everyone drives a 1976 Pinto. Hippie
3:30 you sound like an angry hippie.
Anonymous at 4:12pm -- What? Angry? Odd interpretation. DELIGHTED to know this will never happen in Pacifica. And P.S. Always get a laugh out of so many FixPacifica using Hippie as a derogatory word. Peace.
4:37
The last cool hippie was Manny the hippie.
Hippies wrecked Pacifica.
Kathy, yes, I'm there to shop and enjoy and returning to a super-heated parked car in the Livermore sun will not stop me!
I think Outlet malls in the Quarry is a bad idea.
But I also it is well suited for highrise office buildings, conference center and hotels.
With some creative planning one could avoid paving the surface and have underground or above ground pathways between buildings. And it would meet the "commercial zoning" standard.
With the kind of commercial rents in SF, Quarry could be profitable in year one.
Finally a common sense idea regarding the quarry.
Ever since Peebles beautiful plan was rejected I have been pondering the next best use for the quarry.
The ridge should definitely be home to a 5 star luxury hotel with conference facilities, restaurants, spas, etc.
The lower plain could have 3-5 small footprint 10 story office buildings with parking built right into the structure on floors 2,3 of each building.
Upper and lower areas of the quarry could be connected via a large capacity funicular which would connect all the structures to a transit hub with discreet (possibly underground) parking located on a western frontage road along side Highway 1. Auto commuting could be greatly discouraged with frequent multi-passenger express vehicles to BART. Frequent shuttles to Sharp Park Country Club, popular beaches, pier and future downtown developments could also start at this junction, reducing local traffic congestion and preserving open space and habitat. The entire quarry would be very park-like with several trails meandering around thin, concentrated high rise buildings.
If done well this would be a beautiful destination resort and job center.
Silicon Valley is approaching peak capacity with huge segments of it's workforce preferring to live and work in San Francisco.
Pacifica is a natural.
Creative public and private partnering with the current owner (flexible zoning, tax holidays, etc.) could make this happen.
How about a Quarry Lands Festival like Outside Lands.
We can have Nancy Hall headline:
Playing with:
The nimby's
The Noobees's
The Hippies
The NoGrowthers
The incompetent city council
12:53
Do you want to see the noobees nimbys and hippies heads all explode?
Or do you want to hear them scream.... Too Mucccchh Trrrrafffic.
In Pacifica, there are detractors of every option (including me sometimes).
We need ideas, creativity and a lot of guts to yank Pacifica out of it's current death spiral. This is a beautiful place located within one of the strongest economies in the world. There's no good reason for our city to be in such bad shape.
We can build on our strengths and change it for the better if we want to.
Oh and by the way, a Quarry Lands Festival is a great idea too.
We could use an additional upgraded event to stir things up for Pacifica.
The FogFest is lot's-o-fun but it's gotten a little tired.
I agree with Mike Bell. Living in west Sharp Park I have witness a lot. Fog Fest organizers don't care about this neighborhood. They have never bought a planter box to help with the beautification of Palmetto Ave.
I heard from one of the organizer that after they are done with the "Fog Festival".
The organizer have a big party themselves. Sure they don't put up with the noise, nuisance and inconvenient of getting in and out of our houses. All they care is to look good themselves, making us believe that they are doing something beneficial to the city but in realty is not.
Many years ago we had 3 activities going on Palmetto Ave.One was the Rotary Club put something fun on a Sunday only. Next the antique show. Organized by the vendor on Palmetto ave. Third, during the holidays, they have Christmas night,with music and food. Each store provided food and music and their prices were very reasonable. That was so much fun. That was done to advertise their store and was through out the peninsula magazine. Stores have mention to me that all the outside vendors covers their front entrence that makes it difficult for people to see them.
The Fog Fest is boring as hell. It's just a giant flea market where the same people come back year after year selling the same garbage.
Agree with Steve. FF is where you go if you want some cheap-ass costume jewelry, a tie dyed hemp shirt, or are looking for a fight with a drunken motorcyle gang member wannabe. Lame to the extreme.
Music is mostly good.
Food is ridiculously overpriced.
Everything else is flea market.
No class event for a no class city.
4:52
Pacifica used to sponsor the summer wide Bass derby. The crab derby and back in the day, they had Frontier Days. A real sanctioned Pro Rodeo at the Park Mall Corral and Stables.
You know a reason for people to come to Pacifica and drop a few bucks.
Back then we had thinking men and business leaders on council. Then the council shifted to Fred Howard and Peter Loeb, who just wanted to tax and spend. That led the city to its present decline.
I had an out of town guest attend last year's Fogfest.
Their comment was, "I've never seen so many drunk people with missing teeth, big fat sunburned bellies and gross tattoos all over their bodies gathered in one spot."
We really need to class up the joint.
Pacifica has become a bay area embarrassment.
NIMBIES, NOBIES and faux-enviros are clueless.
Ahhh, nostalgia. Those were the days. Those old events died a natural death. Their time has passed. Agree the FF is tired and it's become very "down market". It's still an important source of funds for the non-profits and politicians aren't going to mess with that. Doesn't mean they couldn't upgrade the thing if they knew how. They don't, but this could be something with meat on it for the EconDevMgr. I fear she's going to be all ideas and her ideas will be shot down or buried by council and the next thing you know the job is eliminated because it didn't produce results. That's the Pacifica Syndrome. We're not the Peninsula but some of their festivals are a lot more fun and better PR for the communities. With respect to the "pioneers" for their very real contributions, FF needs a transfusion of new blood!
I don't believe anything tax producing will ever happen at the quarry - it will remain a dog and frog destination forever. That opportunity was lost a long, long time ago when a sewer plant was installed and redevelopment funds lost. As far as the FF, I don't agree with you Steve. Yes many of the same vendor's come back but that's a testament to the fact they are making money or they wouldn't show up again and if you don't think it's popular just drive by the golf course and checkout the cars parked all the way down almost to the Moose lodge. That only happens at FF time.
I don't understand all the hate for Fog Fest, the biggest, best and most popular event in Pacifica's history. In addition to bringing in thousands of people from out of town, the festival has donated over a million dollars to deserving groups. If you don't like the Fog Fest, then you probably just don't like street festivals.
I think the resistance to co-locating a business by a sewer plant is overrated. There are many high performing high-tech companies along CA-237 near Zanker Recycling in Milpitas. And this is a dump that actually puts out noxious odors on a fairly regular basis within its 2 mile radius.
Does Calera Creek Recycling emit odors? I don't think so. But feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Quarry would be an excellent location to handle overflow commercial demand from SF. With the kind of vista views it offers, it could easily rival commercial offerings in SoMA.
Have a look at the shore line of Lake Michigan in Chicago. Pacifica with the right kind of political will can achieve that.
Sharon nails it. Once Calera Creek WWTP was built, the regulatory obstacles for development of the quarry became even more formidable and prohibitively expensive. Not to mention the aesthetic issues that come with such a facility. That doesn't mean suckers and/or smart speculators won't bite, but that's often a business unto itself. That plant didn't land there by accident. Naive WSP residents (and some not so naive) who objected to the stench of the OWWTP joined forces with enviros who saw a chance to add more layers of protection for the quarry and shazaam! Like a booster for the old poison pill. The effect on future development was known and discussed at the time. So were other sites. Thank the WSP activists (some have become very high profile), naive or not, and the old-line enviro brain trust that has designed this city (no naivete there). Mike Bell's vision of an office complex is intriguing.
Well, 1:48, that's not exactly true. I love street festivals and hit most of the big ones in San Mateo, Canta Clara, and San Francisco counties. Los Altos is probably the best of the bunch, while Fog Fest is by far the worst in terms of caliber of vendors and overall tacky vibe. I find Fog Fest to be fun because it is so cheesy, but my out-of-town friends won't go near it. And I don't buy anything except the fog cutter in the commemorative glass (I like mermaids) but, last year, they ran out of glasses by Saturday morning, so I left without paying for anything more than parking. Yes, Fog Fest has an audience, but if you have been to any of the larger street festivals, then you know it is a relatively small audience (am guessing one of the smallest in the surrounding counties, if not THE smallest). It just looks big because it is confined to a pretty tiny area relative to other street festivals.
It is great that FF brings in money for the non-profits, but that money largely comes from getting people liquored up. Some street-festival crowds respond well to wine/beer, others do not. By afternoon, Fog Fest has kind of a dangerous vibe. To enjoy it, you want to go early and leave early. I will go again this year . . .but only to get a mermaid glass.
1:48-- attend the upcoming Kings Mountain Art Fair and the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival and see how low rent Pacifica's fest is.
Fog Fest is nothing more than a collection of outside vendors peddling kitchen knives, bathroom remodels, hot tubs, and chiropractic consultations. If you enjoy being sweated on by Pacifica's tattoo-weilding drunks, Fog Fest is for you.
There's nothing local about it anymore (except for the parade). RIP
Two words about Fog Fest: Hell's Angels
They're there every year with a large booth. That tells you everything you need to know about the vibe of our "home town" festival.
I won't take my children to this event.
"If you don't like the Fog Fest, then you probably just don't like street festivals."
It doesn't feel like a festival. It feels like a flea market or swap meet. All you do is walk up and down the street looking at the same booths that have been there for 10 years.
@ 5:33p.m.: Perhaps I'm geographically challenged, but is Chicago a part of the Rustbelt? If so, I can readily see the possibilities of such developments in Pacifica.
Maybe we should go the Sister Cities route.
Here's what the upcoming Fog Fest will offer:
- Hells Angels booth
- marijuana booth (outside of the pot shop)
- toe rings
- Santa Cruz hemp clothing
- alcohol everywhere including that peddled by city leaders
- vinyl window sales
- bathroom remodel sales
- coastside dems/gop booth
- jackie spier booth
- San Mateo vector control
- shill for the new library booth
- the same food you get at low-end fairs because they're owned by a single corporation (operated by local groups for the weekend then packed up and sent off to the next podunk town)
Here's what you WON'T get:
- local food from local restaurants
- any art from local artists (where the heck does Sanchez Art Center disappear to during this weekend?)
- local crafts
- local shops
- demonstrations and "how-to's"
- games
YOU WILL NOT COME AWAY HAVING EXPERIENCED A SINGLE UNIQUE THING ABOUT THIS EVENT AND NOT ONE THING--NOT A SINGLE THING--IS GEARED TOWARDS MARKETING TO OR REMINDING VISITORS OF PACIFICA.
Booths upon booths of schlock and not one iota of coastal branding.
Fog Fest is a massive fail.
The FF participants reflect the area. If we want something more upscale then that type of area has to be evident. All the stinky businesses should move to the quarry along with the poop tank and make way on Palmetto for some real renovation. Palmetto is our only hope for some kind of interesting downtown but who would want to move in next to Recology or auto body shops?
Nobody goes to the FogFest any more, it's too crowded!
Last time the Fog Fest was interesting was when a women was walking around in a frog costume accusing people of feeling her up.
Sorry, Loebster, it's an illusion. It only seems crowded cuz it's on a narrow street and there's no parking anywhere. Why isn't there any branding? It's Pacifica Fog Fest fer crying out loud, but except for a shirt from John the Sign Guy, there's zilch that people can take home to remind them of Pacifica. This should be the premier opportunity to market the clubs, groups, schools, arts, restaurants, and local businesses of this city, but instead it's dominated by generic booths run by vendors from outside the Bay Area.
I agree with the above poster that there is nothing unique about the event which is an absolutely mind-blowing oversight.
Fogfest administration has the been the stage for the mutual admiration society of Pacifica's NOBY royalty for decades. Hence it's devolution into irrelevancy.
This is where the misguided and self promotional actions of this group always leads.
They think they are always right.
They think they know everything.
They think they are the only ones who matter.
They have no concept of reality.
They breed mistrust, strife, bankruptcy and failure at every opportunity.
They expect Pacificans to pick up the bill and kiss their asses.
Fogfest is them.
One addition that might make a real impact on local business would be for the Chamber of Commerce to do The Taste of Pacifica at the Fog Fest but instead of a flat fee for the event pay by what you eat. A couple of bucks for a small taste of a restaurant's signature dish, profits & advertising all in one.
FogFest ought to be a festive celebration of Pacifica, but there isn't a single aspect of the town represented there.
@ 9 pm Oh quit it there's plenty of Pacifica there. The Mermaid, the local school bands, plenty of local political booths and local musicians and Todd on the Shark mobile. What more do you want? Name another street fair with a great family fun fest like the one presented at IBL during FF.
7:27 exposed the real reason for all the hate, an impulsive loathing for anything "NOBY", probably stemming from Peter Loeb's tenure as president of Fog Fest. If you don't like the Fog Fest volunteer and help improve it, or better yet start your own and show us all how much better you can do. Unfortunately that would require getting off your computers and actually doing something, rather than criticizing the hard volunteer work of others.
SHARK CAR!!!! YEAAAA!!!! Thank you Sharon. Used mobility scooter and recycled cardboard from Recology.
The parade is pure Pacifica, food and beverage booths are staffed by members of the community groups who share in the proceeds, there are the booths from Pacifica organizations, Pacifica musicians perform, hotel rooms are full, local businesses say their best weekend is FF weekend. Hating on the FF loses all credibility when anon 9:00 says "there isn't a single aspect of the town represented there." Sounds like someone who doesn't go to the Fog Fest.
204 Calera Creek WWTP still stinks. It's never been all the time, but often enough to be an unpleasant nuisance depending which way the wind blows. Vallemar is a frequent recipient. Probably quite compatible with enclosed offices, not so much with homes, restaurants. Of course we can pretend it doesn't smell and at the same time pretend Pacifica can become anything like the Chicago shoreline of Lake Michigan. Seems to me that if our precious quarry really is a desirable and do-able solution to commercial crowding in SF that someone would have discovered it. Hey, hey, hey, we're here, over here.
748 Ha! 727 exposed a lot more than that! Beyond that, the FF is very Pacifica although not as much as it could be and certainly not the Pacifica some of us want to advertise. Probably many reasons for that--tired blood at the top, an "older" vision, low-end vendors for a low-end crowd. Going from a "flea market" to something "tonier" wouldn't be easy and it would have to start at the top. Finding volunteers who work well with others and are willing to make an intense and long term commitment are hard to come by.
Do the Hell's Angels have a booth at HMB and Peninsula festivals and events? They're about as low-end an image as you're ever going to find. Good job FF!
I like Tom Clifford's idea. It would instantly infuse the FF with some local identity and advertise restaurants that can only be found in Pacifica. Brought to you by the CofC of course. Baby steps. Clifford scores again!
209 Fog Fest is looking tired, that's fair criticism, but a lot of the venom on here is of the "hate you, hate your dog" variety. FF suffers from the Loeb Effect.
Over many years, I've worked at several Fog Fest booths for Pacifica non-profits. Many friends have done the same. From that vantage point the change in the attendees in the last five years is very noticeable. It's become a harder, tougher crowd. Fewer locals every year. By afternoon it's just about getting drunk and it's ugly. Pacificans come early and leave early. Many of us no longer volunteer at the event.
I'm told that the Hell's Angels set up on private property. The property owner is either willing or intimidated. The Fog Fest and the police would like them gone but they can't do anything about it. If there was a way to get rid of them, they'd do it.
I would love to see Fog Fest get a makeover and think Tom Clifford's idea is fab. (The Fog Fest food options are worse than all other festivals except, maybe, Foster City's (which has also declined over the years)).
High-end vendors will attract a higher-end crowd, but the vendors need to be assured the right people will be there to buy their goods. This is a job for the new Economic Developer. Perhaps new vendors or vendors who have not appeared for X-number of years can be given a pass on the vendor fee as an incentive to give Fog Fest a try, and commercial vendors (the lawn services, shutter companies, window replacement companies, etc.) could be kept at bay. She could also do specific outreach to local artists/shops in order to give Fog Fest a truly authentic feel
I actually don't even recall a Hells Angels both (what are they selling?), but if we don't want them, we could presumably ask them not to return.
Several years ago, we did have some good local artists selling paintings/art at Fog Fest. I have one such painting hanging in our guest room. But that was a long time ago and Fog Fest gets worse each year. Again, if the new ED wants to make a splash, she should try her hand at organizing and advertising a new and improved Fog Fest. It may be too late for 2015, but there is always next year.
429 Offer the property owner a better deal. It would be worth it in positive PR alone.
"Seems to me that if our precious quarry really is a desirable and do-able solution to commercial crowding in SF that someone would have discovered it."
I'm sure plenty of people know about it. They also know about Pacifica's business-hostile reputation and tendency to block anything bigger than a bird house.
Steve: Most developer give the quarry a pass because of the number or agencies that have a say in what happens there.
Seems to me it's gotta be Team Clifford on that one. And let it be noted that the scope of regulation increased when the WWTP landed in the quarry. Kerplop! From the Pacifica Enviro Playbook...when land could be headed for development and all else fails, just poop on it! Really, any public facility would do, but poop is big in Pacifica.
Tom, it hasn't been government agencies that have stopped development in the quarry. It's been NIMBY campaigns and threats of lawsuits.
Claiming it's government agencies and regulations that prevent development in the quarry, or for that matter anywhere else in the city, is done because it allows NIMBYS to deflect responsibility for the economic damage they've done to Pacifica.
Interesting that the two serious, as in on a ballot, proposals were from out of state developers. Certainly they were large enough companies to know the pitfalls and conduct they're own campaign, and yet, nada. This is CA and the nimbys aren't going anywhere--look around--they run the state. And they make the environmental and land use regulations. So when someone cites the regulatory obstacles they're not excusing the nimbies at any level. Hey, isn't the current quarry owner from Michigan? Good luck, pilgrim!
Both Trammell Crow and Peebles were sophisticated enough developers to have done their due diligence when it came to building and environmental regulations. If they didn't think it was manageable, they wouldn't have made proposals to build.
On the other hand, I don't think either Trammell Crow or Peebles understood what kind of NIMBY opposition they would face regarding their proposals, or how to deal with it. That's what stopped development.
Tom, it hasn't been government agencies that have stopped development in the quarry. It's been NIMBY campaigns and threats of lawsuits.
There was also that pesky "will of the people" thing that you conveniently forget about when you wove your conspiracy narrative. A majority of Pacificans voted against the project.
Hold on to your hats, because here comes some spin...
If that last comment was directed at me, I never implied anything as a conspiracy. NIMBY campaigns and threats of lawsuits are open and obvious.
If there's any dishonest spin, it's that developers avoid Pacifica primarily because of government regulations. Any developer who spends more than five minutes studying the history of past development efforts in town can see how they will be obstructed by our "Gang of No." That's what keeps them away.
Peebles made the mistake of hiring the PR team from Washington DC to do his local work. That lady chased away more people then she helped. Plus she was nasty, had an unprofessional attitude, and had the holier than thou mentality.
Tom,
Your's is a plausible explanation but I don't think it's really the problem with quarry development. After all, a sewage treatment plant was put in there, followed by a cement pad for a Coastal Commission approved bio-diesel plant all under the watchful eye of so called Environmental Agencies.
The real problem is two fold....
1. Extreme obstruction tactics by people who want no development in Pacifica.
2. No political knowhow or will by our elected officials to make it happen.
Pacifica is being short-changed by a narrow radical ideology that labels all development as bad. Developers tire of the shrill and expensive gauntlet and decide to move on. The anti-development group calls this a victory but in reality it is killing Pacifica. We have no viable source of revenue, other than taxes, and we can't afford to pay for the very basic requirements a city of 40,000 people needs to function.
We are moving slowly but surely towards bankruptcy and possible disincorporation.
What little development we do get is generally poorly thought out or doesn't strategically mesh with anything. In order for a project to survive, it's top priority must always be to endure the attacks by the anti-everything group and to slip in through the narrowest definitions possible in our General Plan.
The constant assault by this same group is pushing creative, visionary and sometimes revolutionary development to other cities leaving us with bare minimum schlock. Our future is in jeopardy because of these misguided people.
146, you are the spin, as evidenced in 2003 and 2006 when quarry mixed-use developments were proposed. At that time, your regional friends descended upon this City to bring in that twisted, mob influence, which you consider "democracy".
Unfortunately, against all logic, there was also anti-development, anti-progress, anti-quarry project support from those City Councils (2003, 2006). Literally thanks nothing, (deep City debt (long term), deep City deficit (annual), more people commuting (fewer local jobs), continued City deterioration (roads, buildings, service funding, etc.).
From the "No on L, 2006" website: Look at all those regional friends (right), and those "top issues" (left):
1. Traffic. Solution: widen the highway.
2. The economy. Strategically building the quarry will bring-in needed City revenue. Empty space does not pay City bills.
3. The environment. With development, land-use care will be improved and maintained.
4. Fact vs. fiction. 146, the merit of your "facts" are fiction, (we have this inadequate City as proof for that).
With the current improved City management, hopefully this City will be able to advance the economic structure needed.
Peebles made the mistake of hiring the PR team from Washington DC to do his local work. That lady chased away more people then she helped. Plus she was nasty, had an unprofessional attitude, and had the holier than thou mentality.
I think the PR team they hired was from Santa Barbara. But yeah, they were awful. The first time I went to one of their meetings I knew Peebles was in trouble. The two fake posters on Pacifica List whose posts were traced back to Santa Barbara (Jimmy and Susan?) didn't help.
Yes, a sewage treatment plant and the start of a bio-diesel facility were allowed in the quarry. Both championed by nimbys and enviros and approved by other nimbys and enviros. That tells you exactly what kind of development will be allowed on that land. And the sewage treatment plant also increased the regulations for the surrounding land. These two public facility projects should definitely not encourage anyone to think that the regulatory obstacles to commercial or residential development are anything but formidable. Another part of the problem is the quarry seems to be catnip for out-of-staters and they are sold a bill of goods by consultant experts in this state. Caveat emptor applies to the big guys, too, but they tend to be better protected from financial loss than some small-time outfit.
Council may lack practical know-how in many things. That's why they have professional staff. What they don't lack, however, is the know how to get elected and re-elected and in this town that means keeping the nimbys (also known as just regular voters) happy. That's the source of all political will. How many votes does Fix Pacifica represent?
A sewage treatment plant and a bio-diesel plant being championed by NIMBY's and enviros on ocean fronting land and cliffs should tell you a lot.
This is their vision and the reason why Pacifica is withering away when it should be flourishing as a beautiful northern California visitor serving mecca located in the world famous San Francisco bay area.
I remember the sewage treatment plant being sold as a tourist attraction in its own right. People from around the world were going to come to visit the world's most advanced tertiary treatment plant.
That's an example of what "tourist serving economy" means to those who buy into the "Environment is our Economy" sloganeering.
Sinai
Do not forget.
The Waste Water Treatment Plant was, State Of The Art.
More like State of the Fart. Pee yew.
852 I get what you're trying to say but neither the bio-diesel flop nor Calera Creek WWTP are actually ocean front or on a cliff, are they? Close enough I s'pose for your purpose. The OWWTP on Beach Blvd is ocean front, but was that a nimby idea or just the standard solution for the times? Moving it to Calera Creek was definitely the work of nimbys and WSP activists (usually one and the same). They cleaned WSP of the stench and saved the quarry from development in one maneuver. Quite a coup! Add it to the quarry poison pill and the damage to Pacifica is considerable and probably permanent.
IMHO we are lucky as hell that the Beach Blvd site was not used to build a grand new city hall. We wasted about $500,000 on the Taj Mahal-by-the-sea plans about 10 years ago. Maybe we'll get lucky again and no grand new library will be built. Of course, we've wasted another half-million on plans and shit, but, by Pacifica standards, this is a victory. In a perfect theatre of the absurd finish, after several city councils blow a million bucks on plans over a span of 15 years, El Nino returns to grab the real estate.
Speaking of El Nino, is Pacifica prepared?
Any emergency cash or lines of credit to try and save hundreds of structures being pounded by giant waves?
Any evacuation alternatives if Highway 1 in Linda Mar ends up underwater?
Any sewage mitigation plans if the "state of the art" plant is overwhelmed?
C'mon NIMBY's, NOBIES and faux-enviros please tell us what to do.
You're all so smart and experts at running a city and you know how much you love to tell everyone what to do.
Funny if you drive by the Old Waste Water Sewage Plant on Palmetto there are picnic tables in front of the place that have been there many years. That's what happens when you have a bunch of Dustheads as architectural designers. What ever happened to parades down Linda Mar Blvd??? It seems like all the fun of things has been taken out events.
Oh, I dunno 919. Council's disaster plan is code named Noah.
I think the PR team they hired was from Santa Barbara. But yeah, they were awful. The first time I went to one of their meetings I knew Peebles was in trouble. The two fake posters on Pacifica List whose posts were traced back to Santa Barbara (Jimmy and Susan?) didn't help.
August 19, 2015 at 5:32 PM
It was Jimmy and Julie Lancelle who met with Peebles
The ladies name was Sara or Sarah and she was Peebles PR firm from Washington DC.
I remember telling Peebles, she is rubbing people the wrong way, maybe you should have got someone locally.
In the end Vreeland and Lancelle blew up negotiations with Peebles and drove the stake through Quarry development.
This makes them the biggest heroes in the history of Pacifica.
It was Pacifica's own version of "The Out-of-Towners".
Peebles was using Davies Public Affairs out of Santa Barbara.
http://www.daviespublicaffairs.com/
9:29
Regardless of where they were from that lady Sara or Sarah was abrasive and chased many supporters away.
I never found her abrasive. I thought she was incompetent, though.
If he'd served up a little more tri-tip, sides and beer in Linda Mar, Peebles could have put up oil derricks on the beach and covered the hills with asphalt.
11:25
What a stupid statement.
It's people like you who couldn't see a fantastic opportunity staring you right in the face and instead chose to chant Loeb's inane "350 houses" mantra.
If Peebles had delivered on just one of his empty promises, he probably could have persuaded enough voters to buy the snake oil he was selling. When he lost the vote, he tried to get the city to approve a commercial-only non-plan that was a few square boxes drawn on a piece of paper. The planning department said no way, you've got to submit an actual plan. He never intended to build anything anyway. He was going to flip the property after he got the entitlement which would have increased the value 10 fold at least. He still got away with a healthy profit. He never invested any of his own money. He left the lender holding the bag and walked away.
3:06, Peebles' promises were contingent upon him being able to build in the Quarry. He was under no obligation to do anything before then.
There was never the slightest bit of evidence that Peebles was going to flip the property. That was just the same dishonest nonsense the hippies always pull out of their butts whenever they want to rile up the masses and convince themselves that someone they disagree with is evil. The guy had a long history of actually building things.
If Pacifica would have engaged with Peebles we would have a win-win-win by now.
He was not an unreasonable man and has a proven track record of successful iconic developments.
Andres Duany is a renowned architect and planner who knows how to create high quality spaces for humans to live and work in. He also has a proven track record of successful and iconic developments.
On top of everything else the actual resources were there to make this happen.
Pacifica blew a fantastic opportunity.
Saying Peebles would have cut and run anyway is a pathetic display of sour grapes.
Livermore aka San Francisco Premium Outlets, have had more visitors on a yearly basis than Disneyland and Disney world.
Wealthy Asian shoppers fly into Los Angeles for shopping then charter Leer Jets and fly up to Livermore to do shopping.
Pacifica, can't even stop the mooch surfers from parking in Pedro Point Shopping Center. Oh and mention how Mary Ann was so proud of her self when she had to beg for scraps in order to pave 1/3rd of Linda Mar Blvd. Oh wait we won't do the strip in front of the Shopping Center.
Who cares about the appearance of the town, everyone wishes they lived in Pacifica. Just ask Julie Lancelle, who is itching to get back on city council.
Julie Lancelle back on council......MAJOR FAIL !
What the heck let's bring back deJarnutt, Ritzma and Tanner too.
We can conjure up the ghost of Vreeland to be the chief liar then we can all celebrate the final days of Pacifica with a NOBY dance.
Don't beaugard that joint.
Was down in HMB this afternoon, and the gas station at the south end of town on Hwy 1 is selling 87 for $2.89. That's up to 60c per gallon less than stations here in Pacifica. Can't beat thirty bucks to fill up!
Oh, are those the same wealthy Asians who were supposed to snap up homes at Harmony? Coldwell Banker sent their top team to China more than a year ago to land some Chinese buyers. Nada. Snap, snap, how's that Chinese economy doing? Still no shortage of smart and rich Chinese, but if they're smart and rich they wouldn't buy here.
@1037 Good grief. There's no need to bring back all those re-treds. We're going to be able to celebrate the final days of Pacifica without them. Year or two, three max, and it's PARTEEEE.
No you need to be "in the know"
Barry Zito
Bruce Bochy
Buster Posey
Don Johnson
Have the first 4 houses up at Harmony @ 1 locked up.
Oh and Taiten Cowen has #5 in Escrow.
I hope you're right, but it sounds a little too much like fantasy baseball.
Care to fill in with some facts?
Warning: Keep the know-it-all greenies away from this project.
If they're given even one inch of rope, they'll fuck it all up.
You know how they all have wealth envy and a love for rotten teeth and smelly armpits.
8:11
Every house in town selling over a million has been rumored to be purchased by Barry Zito. Just feeding off the hysteria in town.
847 Don't you wonder who starts all these rumors? Who could possibly benefit from such stories about Harmony@1?
I know 6:41 is being facetious, but someone did tell me -- with all sincerity -- that a number of Giants had gotten together to purchase the Harmony homes, so there are people who believe this stuff.
BTW, this was posted to the Harmony website on August 20:
Harmony At One
August 20 at 3:47pm ·
We now have the Final Public Report from the California BRE for Harmony at One and can start to close escrows.
Grocery Outlet is a magnet to these guys...Zito, Bochy, Posey, Don Johnson... and I hear reps for Charlize Theron and Jake Gyllenhal have been sighted in town. Where Grocery Outlet goes, the elite follow. We're just lucky F&E failed.
The developers of Harmony @ 1.
I heard Lady Gaga is moving here to set up a snake and frog skin apparel manufacturer.
Penn & Teller are going to move to Pacifica.
Maybe they can make our all star bozo city council disappear.
Wanna class up Pacifica? Close Fix Pacifica!
^^ Haha. Angry hippie.
Speaking of angry hippies, the lead hippie Peter Loeb is all wound up over on Riptide. The owners of the Pacifica Quarry are doing soil testing.
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