Comments by Steven Hyman
March 27, 2007
Whether people like the architecture of the homes in Miramar is very subjective. Obviously, the property owners who paid architects a lot of money for the plans feel quite differently. While the County may try to preserve the views, the property owners have rights too. Its a balancing act. And quite frankly, the land owners should have a bigger say than someone who may come here a few times a year to go to the beach. Or some person who lives in a different town. If the public is so concerned about…
January 29, 2007
I agree with Tom Moore's comments. Since this is now a locally owned system, it makes sense that all the owners of the system express their opinion about whether or not these expensive improvements are worth the higher fees to them. The board should also contact all the vacant land owners as well since they may be forced to pay for part of these upgrades and will likely never be allowed to hook up to the system. I'm sure this is a hard call to make. On one hand, the system has been seriously neglected…
December 01, 2006
I don't think security guards were hired soley to prevent photographers. With high powered lenses, you could take detailed pictures from HWY 1. I sadly suspect that they are there to prevent tresspassers from either interferring with their farming operations or possibly planting frogs or wetland vegation. I have heard from reputable geologists that that has happenned here before. And don't forget that the Beach House was tortched during its construction. But if anyone is really interested in finding…
November 30, 2006
What's really amazing and reflects poorly on our community is the fact that property owners have to hire security guards to protect their property from over zealous people with questionable intentions.
Obviously this spineless photographer knew these pictures would create news but didn't have the guts to put their name to their work.
The guards were probably there because of people like this.
Steven Hyman
November 28, 2006
I hope our "endangered frogs and snakes" have enough smarts to move out of the way of the noisy farming equipment. Of course the City or Coastal Commission could enact legislation requiring special noise making devices on tractors to protect these helpless animals in the event that their senses aren't delicate enough to hear all the noise. If they are too dumb to move out of the way of a large vibrating tractor, perhaps they will go the way of other extinct species. Unless, of course, we support…
November 20, 2006
I would obviously never make it in politics. I don't have the patience to watch things drag on for years. 99% of all businesses couldn't operate this way either. Spending years developing a plan and then going way over budget. Most companies would be bankrupt wasting that much time talking about something. And by that time the information would probably be useless because its so dated. Of course for the bureaucrats, this is business as usual. And why do they care cause its only our money. But seriously,…
November 17, 2006
What we are seeing here is the combined result of ineffecient government at work plus the costly result of all the years of delays from appeals, etc. Pick any project on the Coast and you'll see the same thing, whether it be the new school, water pipeline, Boys & Girls club, etc. All the years of delays from red frog, wetland, traffic studies and what ever else have driven up the costs of these projects to incredible levels. And guess what, we all pay for it or get a scaled back project cause of…
October 20, 2006
Its true that the public used to be able to enjoy walking along the Strand by Nevada 30-40 years ago. Unfortunately the poor stewardship by SM County in protecting the public's land eliminated that option. That also allowed many of the reidents there to put up protective barriers to save their homes from the County's neglect. The harbor was also protected by a break water so the fishing industry could remain viable. While its true that it pushed water southward probably creating Surfers Beach and…
October 19, 2006
Kevin, Thanks for the compliment and I'll take it as such. For the most part, I think we do a lot of good for the public. And SAMCAR with our Legislative Affairs Director, does an outstanding job of protecting all of our rights. And as Mike said, we don't get a lot of credit for what we do. I wish SAMCAR could get the State Legislature to do more for us Realtors. I would love the law to mandate a 10% commission on our million dollar home sales. I would love to be able to charge every prospective…
October 19, 2006
As someone who has sold several homes in this area including the one with rip rap, I can tell you that I took my job very seriously and made sure each person was extremely well informed by real experts. I had my clients hire a well respected geologist and structural engineer. Not only did we walk the beach looking at the different type of ways people protected their properties but the actual plans were reviewed. And according to these experts, the rip rap is the best way of protecting a home over…
October 19, 2006
As Realtors, we represent the entire public and try to protect their property rights. Over the years there have been many attacks through proposed zoning changes to reduce peoples' property rights and the value of their assets. SAMCAR and other real estate boards throughout the state look at all the proposed ordinances, both local and state, and try to make sure that the peoples' rights are protected from over zealous legislation. I know the Coast has become anti-growth, at least in terms of noise.…
October 18, 2006
One of the problems on Nevada Street is that some owners don't have or don't want any protection for their property. In this case, there's actually a seperate piece of property in between the "moved" red house and the home with the rip rap. What's happenning is that this land is being eroded which in turn is undermining the home with the rip rap. I know the owner of the red house has spent years trying to fix the problem with not much to show other than big legal and engineering bills. Part of the…
October 17, 2006
There's only a few homes in the Marine Reserve that don't have some sort of protection. I take the position that the County is damaging the public by not protecting the remainder of the bluff which involves both individual homes and a County street. If everybody had protection by rip rap or whatever, then who would be harmed? To the contrary, the present situation puts the public and enviroment at risk. Its inappropriate to call people stupid or selfish for protecting their property. You could also…
October 05, 2006
Cheri, I'd be delighted to see that video and tell you what I think. I'm very much in favor of using rip rap or other type of retaining walls to protect personal property and for erosion control. One of the benefits of the rip rap is that it keeps falling debris or land from going on other property. Here it prevents land from falling on the beach which would otherwise block access to the public. I'm very familar with the homes on Nevada and the history of the rip rap with the County. I think what…
October 05, 2006
The rip rap on the house in question was built with permits in the 1980's by a long-time coastal resident. The little red house has already been moved from its original location because the County wouldn't let the owner protect his property by putting in rip rap like so many other people have in that area. I'm sure all the protesters on the coast will be happy to see one day a historic home sitting on the beach poisioning the tide pools. The rip rap is to protect both the beach and the land. Without…
June 21, 2006
I have known David professionally for many years. He is extremely thorough and dilligent. Anything he gets involved in is completely researched. In fact, I have teased him several times about how thick his files are on his projects. I can also tell you that what was described about a conversation with a staff person is consistent with my own experience. And this is true whether you are dealing with SM County or HMB. You can talk to one person one day about a specific property and get one answer.…
June 23, 2006
Barry,
There could easily be double counting going on with new construction. Some new homes are built for spec and may go through the MLS while others that are owner occupied will probably never be included in the data I use.
Also, if you are looking at permits issued, it could be a long time from when someone gets a permit till they start construction and actually complete the home. For a non-professional that could take at least 1 year if not more.
Steven Hyman
June 23, 2006
Hi Barry, I'm not sure what figures you are quoting as far as growth goes in HMB. Here's the data that comes from our MLS for both the Coast and HMB covering 2004 - 2006 that I have reporting on in the HMB Review over the years. HMB sold 189 homes in 2004, up 13% while the entire Coast sold 402 homes, up 9%. HMB sold 155 homes in 2005, down 18% while the entire Coast sold 328, also down 18%. With the first half of 2006 unit volume being off so much, it is highly unlikely that we will sell over 275…
June 09, 2006
As a local business owner for over 10 years, I can tell you no one has asked me personally about the light at 92 & Main. I remember a few years ago when CALTRANS came to address our weekly Raltors meeting, I specificially asked them about turning off the main street left turn light on 92 durning the evening commute so the light would stay green longer. I said that all main street traffic could go to Kelly Ave and then get to Main St. Their response was that they needed a several month traffic study…
June 09, 2006
This past Sunday afternoon, my wife and I walked down Main St after going to the festival at the IDES Hall. I was really surprised how little foot traffic there was considering that it was a beautiful sunny day. I also spoke with several shop owners and their feelings reflected what I saw both then and throughout the week. Despite what many people think about HMB City Council and the traffic light at 92 & 1, these are our neighbors and friends. They do need our local support. Steven Hyman
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