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Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Why The Outcry Over This?

More interesting, is look at the vocal opponents. Hmmmm. To tell you The Truth......seems a bit strange and quite revealing at the sametime. What were the motives of Tom O'Brien and Russell Harrison?

http://www.modbee.com/local/story/194505.html

Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008
Modesto planners OK Tivoli project
Council next for plan for homes, stores; critics claim 'bait, switch'
By GARTH STAPLEYgstapley@modbee.com
A vision for east Modesto's first big-box stores combined with a huge housing development narrowly squeaked by planning commissioners late Monday.
The 4-3 vote sends the Tivoli project to City Council members Feb. 26. They will decide whether to seek annexation for 454 acres northeast of Sylvan Avenue and Oakdale Road.
Tivoli's key feature is 67 acres of megastores, which are expected to draw shoppers from around the region. Plans include as many as 3,193 new homes ranging in size from apartments and condominiums to regular houses and ranchette-sized estates.
City to view long-planned Tivoli project
Proposed Final Tivoli Specific Plan - Acknowledgments
Proposed Final Tivoli Specific Plan - Chapter 1
Proposed Final Tivoli Specific Plan - Chapter 2
Proposed Final Tivoli Specific Plan - Chapter 3
Proposed Final Tivoli Specific Plan - Chapter 4
Proposed Final Tivoli Specific Plan - Chapter 5
Proposed Final Tivoli Specific Plan - Chapter 6
Proposed Final Tivoli Specific Plan - Chapter 7
Proposed Final Tivoli Specific Plan - Chapter 8
Proposed Final Tivoli Specific Plan - Chapter 9
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Table of Contents
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Chapter I Introduction
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Chapter II List of Commentors
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Chapter III Comments & Responses
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter A
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter B
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter C
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter D
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter E
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter F
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter G
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter H
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter I
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter J
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter K
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter L
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter M
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter N
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter N.1
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter O
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter P
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter Q
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter R
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter S
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter T
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter U
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter V
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter W
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter X
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter Y
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Letter Z
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Chapter III Letter AA
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Chapter III Letter BB
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Chapter III Letter CC
Environmental Impact Report Vol 2 - Chapter III Letter DD
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 - Table of Contents
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 - Chapter I
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 - Chapter II
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 - Chapter III
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 - Chapter IV
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 - Chapter V
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 - Chapter VI
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 - Chapter VII
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 - Appendix A
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 - Appendix B
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 - Appendix C
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 - Appendix D2
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 - Appendix D1
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1 - Appendix E
Environmental Impact Report Vol 1- Appendix F
On The Hive: Adam Ashton's After Deadline blog
PDF Graphic: Tivoli proposal
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Concept papers also show a 14-acre elementary school, with an adjacent park of comparable size doubling as a rainwater basin.
Favoring the project were commissioners Kent Newswander, Ted Brandvold, Patricia Gillum and Chris Tyler. Commissioners Tom Berglund, John Sanders and Carolina Bernal voted "no," mostly because the plans eventually could transform quiet, rural McReynolds Avenue into a busy street.

Tom O'Brien, who lives west of the area in the proposal, accused developers of pulling a "bait and switch" by changing the plan sold to Modestans in 2001. Voters at that time indicated support for 2,448 homes -- 793 fewer than the current estimated maximum of 3,241. Also, the 2001 concept showed only a few acres of small stores -- nothing like the 67 acres of big-box shopping on the current concept plan.
Proponents have said the changes reflect the wishes of city officials concerned about a dearth of shopping for east Modesto residents, and market preference toward homes on smaller lots.
Russell Harrison, a civil engineer whose home also is west of Tivoli, agreed with O'Brien.
"No wonder people are frustrated and don't vote for taxes on roads, because they don't believe it's going to happen," Harrison said, referring to the 2006 failure of a sales tax hike that would have provided millions of dollars for road projects. "People voted on a plan, and the plan was changed. You're doing it again. Please have a little more respect for the voters of Modesto."
Harrison and O'Brien said Tivoli's huge commercial component would make more sense to the north, close to Riverbank's Crossroads shopping center.
"I would only assume that somebody in Modesto said, 'We're going to lose sales tax dollars,' " Harrison said. "It didn't have anything to do with good planning; it had to do with dollars."
Jim Hurst, who has lived on a small street within the Tivoli area for 32 years, said he worries that people coming and going could affect his privacy.
"There will be all sorts of activities that are not compatible with the lifestyle we have," he said.
Tivoli developers calmed many of the fears of Mable Avenue residents, whose ranchettes eventually would be surrounded by the huge stores, by promising a buffer layer of estate-sized lots between the old ones and the stores. Perhaps more important, developers agreed to block off Mable at Oakdale, keeping shoppers from overrunning the quiet street.
Patty Lundy, of the League of Women Voters of Stanislaus County, said the league supports Tivoli because its stores would employ residents, and because the plans call for 924 housing units priced to be affordable for low and very-low-income families.
Al Gonzales, who farms nearby, said Tivoli's land is cursed with hardpan and would not support high-yield crops or orchards.
"This land is perfect for houses," he said. "It couldn't grow anything except grass for cows."
Monday's four-hour-plus hearing largely ignored the fact that the single largest landowner within the Tivoli area does not intend to develop anytime soon.
Tom Trombetta, who owns the area's northeast quadrant, has said he will go it alone when he's ready, though he won't fight the plan to build up the rest.
Bee staff writer Garth Stapley can be reached at gstapley@modbee.com or 578-2390.

Poor Tex In Modesto

Here you go fellow Hiver's. This is truthseekers aka Tex, and rumored to be first named Tom.....my source is working on this, doing what he likes....having post removed because his nickname, which he told me in person, is Tex. But do not make mention of it because he believes that when he attacks Modesto city council members, law enforcement officers and departments, and Stanislaus county employees, he will be outed and his real name will be attached to his lies.
I believe he is actively involved in one or more local council seat races to get his friends elected. I imagine to continue to protect his identity and thus being held responsible for his many fabrications, slander, and libels. Here is the post that had Tex riled....

T#X
Submitted by jheaton on Mon, 2009-06-01 13:55.
You know exactly what I was saying and what I meant. But that does not matter to you. And that's fine.
You are no better than your drunken monkey sidekick GM. At least you are good for a laugh once in awhile because other than that, lying and fabricating for Stanny is all you do.


I also have been told that the Modesto Bee has published letters from Tex and there may also be an article about him. If anyone knows of this article please foward it to me so a may post it.