Comments by Kevin J. Lansing
May 15, 2006
That would put the total duration of the closure at around 180 days (April through September)--significantly longer than the 103-day consensus estimate in the contest sponsored by Coastsider:
https://coastsider.com/comments/1333_0_1_0_C/
May 11, 2006
Additional background on the history of development on the Coastside can be found in this December 14, 2000 HMB Review article by Dave Schnayerson: http://www.hmbreview.com/articles/2000/12/14/news/export17046.txt Aside: the Review has apparently lost interest in publishing well-researched historical articles in recent years. If haven't already seen them, it's also worth checking out these three excellent articles from the 2001 HMB Review that are linked on the Commmitee for Green Foothills website.…
May 10, 2006
The proposal for the Foothill bypass is inextricably connected the ultimate number of houses that could be built as part of the Pacific Ridge subdivision. For a bit more background, see the following article from the February 22, 2001 HMB Review.
http://www.hmbreview.com/articles/2001/02/22/export18472.txt
May 12, 2006
Leonard's point about growth rates is exactly right: these so-called "limits" do absolutely nothing to control the total number of cars that Highways 1 and 92 will ultimately have to handle, i.e., when every buildable lot on the Coastside has been built upon (a sure thing). Two other points are worth making about the growth rate "limits": 1. These limits do not apply to commercial development which can put a lot of cars on the road. Don't believe that? Then why does the Harbor Village Mall project…
May 09, 2006
"Infrastructure" is the new Coastside buzzword. The Devil's Slide closure has sparked much of this debate of course, but it's also worth noting that there is a huge $37 billion state infrastructure bond to appear on the November 2006 ballot. According to an article in today's SF Chronicle: "Real estate developers, general contractors and farmers made sizable contributions to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in recent weeks as legislative leaders and the administration finalized a landmark $37 billion bond…
May 04, 2006
I'm still hoping that one of the directors of CCF will provide us with some thoughts on the following: 1. Realistically, how much would this bypass cost, including all of the necessary permitting and environmental reviews? 2. How would the cost be shared between the City of Half Moon Bay (presumably the primary applicant for all permits, etc.), the County of San Mateo, and the developers? 3. How many new houses would have to be built to make the project worthwhile for developers to help pay for it?…
May 03, 2006
The mission statement says "Coastside Community First stands for a high-quality infrastructure sensitive to the environment" At tonight's City Council Meeting, the public heard that this new tax-exempt organizaton is advocating the building of a two lane bypass the would depart eastward from Highway 1 between Grandview and Terrace, go behind the HMB High School, and then finally emerge onto Hwy 92 via the path of "Foothill Blvd." According to the drawing passed out at the meeting, the plan would…
April 24, 2006
Before everybody jumps to conclusions that this event says something about our readiness for a "natural" disaster, it's worth noting that the mudslide took place "below the construction site at Skylawn Cemetary."
Did faulty construction work destabilize the hillside?
April 20, 2006
Sam Carrieri wrote "Can’t believe [they] didn’t stop the blasting on the slide cause it may disturb the sleep & sex life of the frog,s & snakes." It's good to hear concerns being raised about whether the Devil's Slide work done by Caltrans is abiding by both state and federal law when it comes the the protection of threatened or endangered species. Throughout the entire permitting process for the tunnel project, CalTrans has been a model for the identification and mitigation of impacts to environmentally…
April 19, 2006
Barry wrote:
"If you buy into `The Wisdom of Crowds,' that’s as good an estimate as any..."
As a counterpoint to the provided link to James Surowiecki's book of the same name, it's perhaps worth keeping in mind the alternative view, often associated with the classic book by Charles Mackay: "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds"
http://www.cashncarrion.co.uk/products/4406/208/
April 14, 2006
Darin and Barry:
Thanks for providing such a tremendous public service. After watching that video, I have to say that I think the criticism of CalTrans on the slow pace of repair work thus far might be a bit overdone. They are facing an incredibly complex (an expensive) task to rebuild a road in place where nature does want a road to be rebuilt. In the contest, I guessed it would take 96 days to re-open the road. Now I think I should have guessed higher.
April 06, 2006
Regarding the slip-out at Shamrock Ranch: Is there any chance that the slide there was precipitated by Caltrans' building of the contruction access road which leads away from highway at that point?
The access road is cut into the hillside below the level of the highway, which, when combined with the extra soil weight from the rain, may have de-stabilized the hillside.
See photo #'s 108, 112, 114, and 116 in the album.
April 06, 2006
chris clabaugh wrote "As a recent resident of Montara, I was concerned with the commute to my job and my children’s schools over the hill in Burlingame. I suppose that I, and other recent ‘coastsiders’, have been living in a fantasy land regarding the seriously under-planned, under-funded, and under-resourced transportation needs and realities of the coast in this new era." I agree. It is a fantasy to believe that one can live in a pristine, rural coastal area and at the same "enjoy" all the…
April 03, 2006
Great pictures! I drove North on Devil's slide at 1:30 pm Sunday, and the cracks at that time were noticable, but much smaller than they are now. (I decided to take 280 on my way home at about 5 pm).
April 03, 2006
The tunnel is projected to cost around $300 million. At current after-tax interest rates, Caltrans (and taxpayers) would still come out ahead financially if, instead of buiding the tunnel, they were to spend around $1 million per year in perpetuity by fixing/improving the existing road.
March 22, 2006
Calling this situation a meltdown seems like an understatement.
Interim Chief Bonano deserves tremendous credit for pulling back the curtain on a very troubled public agency.
Am I the only one who suspects that his abrupt decision to resign is somehow connected to the fallout from his extremely candid memo of March 21?
March 18, 2006
Darin:
I think that what Ken is saying is that nobody has officially verified what actually happened to the missing seniors---and that a similar number seems to go missing year after year, without ever being reflected in the official graduation statistics.
March 16, 2006
The purpose of the Midcoast LCP update is to formulate general plans and policies to ensure that growth and development over the next several decades is consistent with the California Coastal Act---The purpose is not to provide a means to insert special rule changes that will benefit somebody's pet project, i.e., Big Wave. The backers of Big Wave are seeking to exploit people's natural compassion and concern for those with disabilities in an effort to push through LCP changes that will facilitate…
March 09, 2006
The new recommendations for the Board of Supervisors ignore all of the detailed input provided by the California Coastal Commission staff in its most recent letter dated December 2, 2005. https://coastsider.com/comments/1060_0_1_0_C/ Rather than adhering to the principles set forth in the California Coastal Act, the Supervisors are pushing ahead with their own vision for the the Midcoast. That vision involves a doubling of the number of housing units from the current level of around 3700 units to…
March 09, 2006
Steve Skinner wrote:
"Enhance Ecotourism” is listed as as 2006 Priority for the Planning Dept..Translation please...?
Ecotourism one of many projects being advocated by the HMB Chamber of Commerce---a group that has considerable political influence with the current City Council majority, and the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.
http://www.halfmoonbaychamber.org/chamber_info/committees_gac.html
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