George Lucas pushes low-income housing option

[alp227]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Filmmaker George Lucas is pushing forward with plans to build low income housing at Marin County's picturesque Grady Ranch, a vow of his that was widely dismissed as an insincere attempt by the billionaire to thumb his nose at complaining neighbors.

The Marin Community Foundation announced Tuesday that it is working with Lucasfilm to "explore options" for building affordable housing in the location where the movie mogul wanted to build a film studio until residents in an adjacent subdivision protested.

"We don't know yet what might be able to be developed there, but the notion of being able to explore his property and see if some beautifully designed family or senior housing can be developed there is too wonderful to pass up," said Thomas Peters, president and CEO of the foundation. "One of the incredible offers that Mr. Lucas made is that he would make available the extensive technical studies that have been done on that land, including water, topography, creek access and other engineering data that would give us a head start and help us determine whether senior or affordable housing can be built there."

Lucas, whose "Star Wars" films ushered in the digital arts age, withdrew his plans last month to build a large mission-style movie-making studio on Grady Ranch, blaming the Lucas Valley Estates Homeowners Association for being NIMBY's and torpedoing it.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/08/BAFP1OF38Q.DTL

[bluestateguy]

1. Let's see how the Marin County limousine liberals handle this

They talk and vote a good game about progressivism and social justice. Now let's see if they are willing to live by those same words---in their own back yard.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

2. He already backed out of putting the movie studio in that location

...along with mixed housing. He withdrew about 3 weeks or a month back, because of the nonstop problems he had for years and years trying to get county approval for the project. It took everyone by surprise when he made the announcement, and I think they wanted to come back to the table, but it was too late by then. So yes, it will be interesting to see if they ultimately build low-income housing in that area.

[XemaSab]

4. There's low-income housing all over Marin

I lived down the block from a project in Mill Valley.

I would guess that this might be less objectionable than you would think.

[Merlot]

7. Is it written anywhere that the people opposing the studio are liberals?

Especially those liberals that ride around in limos...

If they oppose the studio, does it follow that they would oppose low income/senior housing?

[Ian David]

3. He should make it look like Mos Eisley. I'd live there. n/t

[DonCoquixote]

5. Gee

Nice to know that the same people that bash southern liberals gte some of their own medicine. Also, if Lucas did not buy that property, how much you want to bet they would not mind building retail goliaths on it; funny that people never mind those. Also, these folks can thank themselves when that studio goes to Canada or Australia, though perhaps Lucas can consider somewhere that would wlecome him and the JOBS it would bring.

[KamaAina]

8. Retail goliaths aren't going way out there

the place is so remote that Lucasfilm has to fund a special fire protection district for the existing Skywalker Ranch.

[DonCoquixote]

12. as some whose area has gone

from a 2 lane dirt road to a 4 lane strip mall, I offer you the following warning: many people thought the same thing you did.

[DCKit]

6. Will there be access to public transportation and jobs?

Sounds to me as if it's going to turn out to be a desert island for poor folks... and the neighbors are going to ensure that's exactly what happens.

[KamaAina]

9. DING DING DING!

The only bus up there goes to SF twice a day in the eaerly morning and comes back twice in the evening. Nothing on weekends.

[Archae]

10. It'll look like this...

[Arkana]

14. This would unironically be the best thing and I would live in that.

[Left Coast2020]

11. I hope someone could talk him into developing a homeless facility in

the Sacramento area. I'll tell ya. We need it. I volunteer with a homeless organization. Would be a big help for this community.

[Arkana]

13. Yes, but what you DON'T know

is that Lucas will be installing hidden speakers throughout the complex that blast Jar Jar Binks' voice at 100 decibels. "YOUSA FOLLOW ME NOW, OKEDAY?!"

[Javaman]

15. In other news: Lucas starts actor colony for next installment of star wars.

my god have mercy on their souls.

[randome]

16. Not the prequel-prequel! Noooooooo!

[MrScorpio]

17. Maybe he should send in Obi Wan Kenobi to talk his neighbors down:

"These are the low income housing units that you were looking for."

"These are the low income housing units that we were looking for."