Martinez Tribune The website of the Martinez Tribune.
From my perspective, the machination reportedly being carried out by city officials in cahoots with a “wannabe” building code manipulator in order to excavate, black top and build a hundred (or so) homes on the Pine Meadows Open Space recreation area smacks of pure conspiracy. And, if carried out, will likely generate about the same value-added benefits to our community as would allowing, “gangsta” graffiti artists to deface the John Muir Home by using it as a tag board for outlaw spray painters.
Bear in mind, it’s not just a simple matter of land usage. Pine Meadows, with an entry location at Center and Vine Hill, had for decades been a popular golf course and, therefore, will have to be rezoned for opportunistic investors to unlock and mine the calculable millions of dollars of public trust equity which can only be realized by completing the infamous “bait and switch” maneuver.
An act where the intentions are clear – to allow land originally purchased at cursory open space pricing to now suddenly be pulled away from recreational use, rezoned, redeveloped and resold at inflated prices that would greatly enrich the profiteers while facilitating what some will likely view as outright scandalous.
Opposition to this proposed open space/recreation area take away is being mounted by Friends of Pine Meadows (FPPC ID No.1374781, Facebook: Friends of Pine Meadow, website: www.friendsofpinemeadow.org, email: friendsofpinemeadow@outlook.com).
Anxious to exploit city zoning laws for their own gain and squelch further efforts by conservationists to preserve Pine Meadows as open space, stake holders in the proposed housing venture have now brought suit against Friends of Pine Meadows. This according to Tim Platt and Mark Thompson, spokespersons for Friends of Pine Meadows.
An action they characterize as being without merit, but rather with a clear intent to intimidate.
So what have we learned from it all? Probably what you already knew. And, that is, what the sight of Martinez’ treasured open space does to profit driven developers like what the sight of cocaine does to crack addicts. They know better – it’s just that they can’t help themselves!
– MC O’Bryant
