Preserve Fairfax

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The buyer & developer of the property, Marshal Rothman, is putting together a conceptual proposal for development.  Once there is something to review, he plans to share it with the Town of Fairfax and have discussions.  Mr. Rothman recently attended a Fairfax Open Space Committee meeting and has met with several neighbors to discuss concerns about development.  We are working with Mr. Rothman in an attempt to maintain public access to the area via a trail, either near the current trail or potentially a new route.  There has also been discussion of ‘clustering’ development so that houses are kept away from sight lines and from ridgelines (and from the stone spiral / spirit circle).  Lastly, we are hoping to be able to protect and preserve the land that is not part of a lot.  There are many options at this point, and there will be many steps in this process going forward.  We are hopeful that a cooperative relationship will yield the best results, and will provide updates whenever there is news to report.  Thanks for your support!

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On July 8, we received the following from Director of Planning & Building Services Jim Moore.  Unfortunately, Mr. Moore notified us of this after the 10 day appeal period was over.  We are currently finding out more information about what this means and next steps.  In the meantime, you may reach him at (415) 453-1584 or jmoore@townoffairfax.org to ask him questions about the below and what it means to Fairfax.  More to come…

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After approx. 6 months of legal and engineering review, we issued and recorded (on Friday June 19) six (6) conditional certificates of compliance for the Wall property. This will bring the total to 10 conditional certificates of compliance issued for the property.

Please note: All of the conditional certificates indicate that the parcels are illegal and will require the owner to meet the Subdivision Map Act and all Town Codes before a parcel can be legalized.

As a reminder, when an application is filed for a certificate of compliance, the Town is required to issue either a certificate of compliance or a conditional certificate of compliance which states how a parcel can be legalized.

We expect that in the near future the owner of the property will want to meet with Town staff – and then meet with neighbors and interested parties.

Please inform your neighbors that we have issued the “conditional” certificates.

Cheers,

Jim

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If you are concerned about the development of the Wall Property, please show up and speak up at the Fairfax Town Council meeting tomorrow night, Wednesday March 4.  The Wall Property is not on the official agenda, but there is an opportunity for public expression at the beginning of the meeting (7pm).  Any attendee who wishes to speak has 3 minutes to express themselves to the council on any topic.  Please let the town council know that you care and that this is a priority.  You don’t have to stay for the whole meeting!

We are not sure how the council will proceed with the development of this property.  Your voice – and the fact that there are many people with concerns – is the best way for the council to know what the residents of Fairfax want.  Please attend and show your support!

Fairfax Town Council Meeting
Women’s Club, 46 Park Road (map)
7pm

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The Wall Property will be an agenda item at the Fairfax Open Space Committee meeting on Tuesday, Feb 24 at 7:30pm. Please join if you would like to learn more about the current status of the property and find out what you can do to help.  Full agenda here:

http://fairfaxopenspace.com/sites/default/files/fosc_agenda_022415.pdf​ 

Fairfax Open Space Committee Meeting
16 Park Road, Fairfax
Tuesday, February 24, 2015, 7:30 PM ​

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The new owner of the property, Marshal Rothman, has applied for 10 Certificates of Compliance in order to divide the property into 10 lots.  There are still several steps to go before development actually occurs, and there is time to influence the process, but we need you to attend Fairfax Town Council* meetings, Open Space Committee** meetings, and other meetings and SPEAK UP if you care about this issue.  Showing up in numbers and stating our position is the single best way to get town officials to listen to our concerns. A new version of the one-page printable Wall Property Fact Sheet has been posted including the latest information.  Please print and / or email to share with your neighbors and spread the word. Make sure to sign up for email updates and we will let you know when there are meetings to attend or other updates.  THANK YOU!!

*Fairfax Town Council meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Women’s Club, 46 Park Rd., Fairfax (map).  For details, see the Town of Fairfax events calendar.

** Fairfax Open Space Committee meetings are held the 4th Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m.  For location & details, see the Town of Fairfax events calendar.

FYI, there is a separate Yahoo discussion group that has been around for a few years that also provides updates on the Wall Property.  Please visit the link below to request access from the owner.  You are, of course, welcome to post comments on this site as well.  Thank you!

http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/Wall_Property_Preservation/join

The event posted earlier on this site (Protecting Open Space through Priority Conservation Areas Workshop, Sat. 1/24/15, 12-3pm) has been cancelled, as the guest speaker had a minor injury and cannot attend.  Apologies for any inconvenience and here’s to a speedy recovery.

The Fairfax and San Anselmo Open Space Committees will be hosting a workshop on Saturday 1/17/15 from 12-3pm at the Women’s Club.  The workshop will provide information about preserving land through tax assessment districts, something that was recently done successfully in Novato.  This could be applicable for the “Wall Property”; that is, there may be an option in the future to to raise money to preserve some of the property by creating a tax assessment district.

Please feel free to join on Saturday to learn more!

Announcement below, from http://fairfaxopenspace.com:

FOSC and the San Anselmo Open Space Committees will co-host an Open Space Tax Assessment Districts Workshop in the Fairfax Women’s Club (46 Park Road, Fairfax).  Bill Long, Chair of the Marin Open Space Trust’s (MOST’s) Board of Directors, will speak about their recent experience partnering with residents and the Novato City Council to acquire 3 properties in Pacheco Valle Meadow.. In a special election held in April 2014, Novato citizens voted overwhelmingly to create a tax assessment district that ensures preservation of the 3 open space properties.Members of the public are invited to attend the Saturday afternoon workshop and explore the possibility of establishment of similar open space tax assessment districts in Fairfax and San Anselmo. 

This is a helpful June 2013 document from Jim Moore, Director of Planning & Building Services in Fairfax about the “Wall Property”.  It includes a brief overview of the current land use “entitlements” and the permit application process necessary to develop the 4 parcels, totaling 99 acres.  Of note is the ‘estimated time frame of major actions’ on page 3.  It adds up to 20 months to 40 months, though some activities may be done concurrently.  In any case, the good news is that nothing will be done ‘overnight’.

Link to document:  https://fairfaxwallproperty.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/wall-property-fyi-letter.pdf