The proposal to build a single-family residence at 135 Balboa in Inverness Park, the site of a Russian Orthodox Hermitage that was dismantled and abandoned some time ago, has triggered a wide-ranging protest.
Locals have objected to various aspects of the proposed more than 8,000-square-foot development, including its total size, compatibility with the surrounding community, riparian impacts and legality. (The proposed principal dwelling is over 5,000 square feet, a caretakers unit and adjacent three-bedroom structure is more than 2,000 square feet and there is an 80-foot swimming pool. In total the plan includes 17 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms.)
Among the project’s critics are residents who don’t live on Balboa but who fear the project will set a precedent for large-scale homes that could dramatically change the character of the West Marin.
The Inverness Association’s design review committee and the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin have submitted detailed critiques to planner Heidi Scoble, who is overseeing the project for the Marin County Community Development Agency (which has the initial responsibility for review and approval).
The property is owned by the immensely wealthy Tim Westergren, a co-founder of Pandora, and his wife, Smita Singh, the founding director of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation’s Global Development Program. Although they claim construction will be complete by 2016, one can guess there will be a more lengthy review process by the county and the California Coastal Commission.
Last week, as part of the KWMR radio series, Politics 101, I talked with Supervisor Steve Kinsey about the controversy over 135 Balboa. Though I was careful not to put Mr. Kinsey on the spot, since he will be called on to review and vote on the plans, I was surprised when he spontaneously volunteered his dissatisfaction with the proposal. He disparagingly described it as “… the small village that is being built up there for lots of people to use the bathroom and many visitors to come by and say hi.” He said the Westergrens invited him to discuss the project about a year ago, but he instead recommended they work with the community and county planners.
He has since changed his point of view, he said, and plans to meet with the family; he wants to tell them that “…what makes West Marin special is not the interior of anyone’s home or the size of it for sure; it’s the ability to live in an amazing community surrounded predominately by nature and to live in it in a respectful and conservation-oriented way.”
Supervisor Kinsey offered a primer on what will be required to approve the project. Because of its exceptional size and the controversy it has created, there will be many steps and various sets of regulations will come into play. The property’s location makes it subject to the Local Coastal Program, which will be applied by the county’s Community Development Agency staff. If the county staff’s determinations do not satisfy the applicants or protesters, the planning commission will hear the matter and make a decision.
If the plans are then appealed to the coastal commission, which seems likely, that agency’s staff will review the county’s decision to make sure it conforms to the L.C.P. The next level of appeal is to the coastal commission itself, which applies a different set of standards set out in the California Coastal Act. Supervisor Kinsey, who has been a member of the commission for many years, warned the commission has often approved dwellings, mostly in southern California, that are far larger than what is proposed for 135 Balboa.
Westergren is scheduled to appear at the Inverness Association’s next regular meeting, on Dec. 3, at the Inverness Yacht Club. Those who have opinions about the project may send comments to Ms. Scoble at [email protected].
Herb Kutchins is a resident of Inverness Park and who appears regularly on KWMR and is a contributor to the Light. His interview with Supervisor Kinsey is available at kwmr.org; search for Epicenter for a list of Epicenter archives.