Point Reyes Light - October 4, 2001
Monastery confab in Tomales
By Patrik Jorgensen
Supervisor Steve Kinsey in conjunction with Concerned Citizens of Marin will hold a public meeting at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6, in Tomales Town Hall to discuss the proposed St. Antony Monastery in Dillon Beach.
Saint Antony Copts want to build a 20,000-to-30,000-square-foot building complex (including massive lodgings, a print shop, and a retail shop) on the 464-acre Christopher ranch, which is zoned for agriculture.
The ranch lies within the Coastal Agricultural Production Zone, C-APZ-60, which does not allow activities such as the Copts propose.
Although St. Antony has yet to formally apply for a development permit, Tom Lai of the county Planning Division earlier said the Copts’ proposal is "appropriate for the Christopher ranch" – if the site were rezoned.
The plan’s ‘evolved’
However, Lai said, "I understand that the project has evolved since the pre-application was filed two years ago. There would now be more intense land use, and we have to look at it differently now."
Many Dillon Beach neighbors resent the Copts’ desire to break the coast’s agricultural zoning, which prevents subdividing and other non-agricultural development.
Father Anthony of the Coptic Monastery in Barstow, however, has claimed, "The reaction in Marin County falls under religious discrimination."
Lai said county planning staff want to avoid stepping on anyone’s civil rights, which is why they felt that a religious retreat would be a proper use, as long as the Copts followed their initial plans. "We can’t and won’t treat them differently than anyone else, but when activities expand, we need to look at it closer," Lai said.
He noted that the original proposal mentioned housing for only 10 monks, but this number has expanded to 21 plus business facilities. "We are now dealing with a different animal," he said.
A ‘dangerous precedent’
Dillon Beach resident Jaqueline Janssen from the Concerned Citizens group said that "many of the county’s ranchers and residents firmly believe that rezoning C-APZ-60 land would set a dangerous precedent in Marin County."
She added that "any permits or special procedures that change current zoning is the first step toward collapsing longterm protections for coastal agriculture. Also, the proposed activities at St. Antony, including a commercial printing operation and a retail store, would be very disruptive to agricultural production on surrounding ranchlands."