Star Wars director George Lucas strikes back against nimby neighbours

[closeupready]

It is a case of the Star Wars director striking back.

After being denied planning approval for a film studio on his California property by wealthy nimby neighbours, George Lucas has come up with the perfect revenge: new plans for an affordable housing development right in their backyard.

The 70-year-old billionaire this week filed a proposal to the local authority to build 224 units on land next to his home in rural Marin - one of the richest counties in America - much to the shock of his disobliging neighbours.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11544147/Star-Wars-director-George-Lucas-strikes-back-against-nimby-neighbours.html

Several kinds of WTF going on here, but I applaud George Lucas for pushing forward with this project.

[NV Whino]

1. Ha! Good for him.

[MineralMan]

2. It's a time-honored strategy for getting what you want.

I'm betting it's just a threat to convince people to let him build his film studio. I've seen it happen before.

In San Luis Obispo, CA, a number of years ago, a wealthy landowner and developer wanted to develop some property for a commercial development, namely a big box store. The property was located across a main road from an existing shopping center, but was zoned for agriculture, not commercial use. That part of the city was becoming more and more commercial, and this particular property was at a main intersection, and near a freeway offramp. The city said no. It said that the property must remain agricultural in use, to act as a buffer against further commercial development in that part of town.

So, the property owner switched his plan to something agricultural. He decided to build a pig farm there, which was OK, according to the land-use regulations. A nice big pig farm, right across the street from a busy, large shopping center. He went as far as producing plans and artwork showing how the pig farm would look. The city, in fact, could not prohibit him from building his pig farm, because it was a conforming use of that land, which included livestock farming as an approved use.

Two years later, the big box store was opened. I suspect this is the sort of thing George Lucas has in mind. I predict that his wealthy neighbors will decide that a film studio would be more attractive to them than they originally though. The idea of low to moderate cost housing in their little enclave isn't going to be very appealing, I imagine, and Lucas well end up getting to build his original idea anyhow.

[AngryAmish]

4. He is retired.

Sold everything to Disney. This is just to stick it to his neighbors. I like it.

[Xithras]

7. Not really the case. Lucas is done with it.

Lucas sold LucasArts, ILM, and Lucasfilm to Disney, so he no longer wants or needs a studio on the property. He also doesn't actually live at Skywalker Ranch, so he has no qualms about low income residents moving in. After the beating he took from the Bay Area press and activist groups when he tried to build the studio AND when he was pummeled over his museum idea (which will now be built in Chicago), I don't think he's too worried about public opinion either.

[valerief]

3. How very Auntie Mame.

Pertinent footage is at 4 minutes in, although it's all funny.

[Vinca]

5. It's the first time I've ever heard of poor people being used for spite.

[closeupready]

6. That was one level on which I thought a lot of WTF to go around.

Who originally cast this development as 'revenge'?

Is Lucas Republican?

[Downwinder]

8. Sign me up for one of the 104 residences for pensioners

[cally]

9. Except it's a horrible location for affordable housing

Down a two lane highway with no public transportation, no sidewalks, no services for miles, and miles from schools and health care. Marin needs affordable housing desperately, but not this far away. Only would work if residents had cars or someone funded a shuttle. I have not seen any proposed funding for transportation in any plan for housing out there.

[closeupready]

10. "no public transportation, no sidewalks, no services for miles" - LA, anyone.

(Or Atlanta.)

[Hell Hath No Fury]

11. People who are jumping on this story --

have NO clue as to the reality of where the Lucas ranch is located. I have been to the ranch many times over the years and can see exactly why neighbors would not be interested in him expanding it any further. To add in housing to that area is NUTS without a serious overhaul of transit and roads.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

12. Uh, you have no idea what you are talking about.

The area in question is RURAL. I am talking cows, one 2 lane narrow road that wind for miles, NOTHING else for easily 20 minutes in either direction. Lucas' Ranch ranch already radically increased traffic through the area and a studio would have made it massively worse. I should know, I have been to the Ranch on many occasions over the years. To put multiple-unit housing out there -- for rich for poor for working class, doesn't matter -- is pretty fucking insane. The county infrastructure is NOT equipped to handle that kind of increase and would need tens, maybe hundreds of millions of dollars to accommodate the new development.

Lucas is is just being a dick on this one.

[closeupready]

13. This is not a communist country. He can use his property as he wishes.

I'd be first on the waiting list.