Natu Tuatagaloa
231 Pt. San Pedro Rd
San Rafael, CA 94901
415-453-9696 4-19-01
Marge Kolar, Director
Cathi Osugi,
Public Relations
U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service
911 NE 11th Avenue
Portland, Org 97232-4181
Re: North Bay Refuge Mapping – East San Rafael’s
Canalways & St. Vincent’s Silveira properties
Dear Ms. Osugi:
My parents raised me
in San Rafael. Although my professional
football career exposed me to many wonderful areas of this country, I have
chosen to return here to raise my family.
I love the San Rafael community and the memories with which it has
blessed me.
Presently,
I am National Sales Manager for IDEX Global Services, Inc. We provide high technology information and
communications solutions in 48 of the 50 states that range from installation,
programming, and strategic consulting.
One of our main offices is in the North Bay region of California. The skilled and technologically innovative
North Bay area is a key area from which our company needs to operate. We are one of the top five regional companies
in our field, having grossed $42 million dollars last year.
Unfortunately,
this is a very difficult area in which to find reasonably priced office
space. Being active in my community and
actively pursuing a place to house our growing company has often taken me to
the East San Rafael business area in search of office/warehouse space. East San Rafael is an ideal place to house
my business. For your information,
there is little developable property left in San Rafael. San Rafael’s Main County has almost 85% of
its land in open space, agricultural reserve or park land. There is much to admire about having so much
undevelopable land. The flip side to
this plethora of open space is the difficulty and expense it forces us
entrepreneurs to hurdle in trying to grow and house our businesses. Another huge difficulty lies in the lack of
affordable housing such land use places upon our workers.
I
understand the Canalways and the St. Vincent’s Silveira parcels are being
included in a potential Baylands Refugee mapping area. Having been a long time resident of Marin, I
also understand how our county’s self-described environmental groups often use
such land designations to hinder the development of well designed and needed
housing and office projects.
A
good portion of the 100 acre Canalways property will go into a well enhanced
portion of open space. If the property
owners do not desire to be designated a potential refuge site, then I strongly
support allowing them to be removed from your list. The same applies to the landowners at St. Vincent’s Silveira
properties, who over the last 30 years have seem their land’s capacity to
address affordable housing and train needs decimated by NIMBY activists.
Marin
County has a shortage of affordable office and housing space. It does not need to burden land owners who
could supply housing and office space by labeling their lands as a “Baylands
Refuge site.” In Marin such terms are
too often twisted in the political process to deny land owners from delivering
what the people and the region truly need addressed – office space, affordable
housing and transit solutions.
Please
let me know how you will be addressing my concern and those like me that face
similar business problems each day in this region. Specifically, please answer in writing this question:
How
much weight will Fish and Wildlife give to Marin’s need for more workplace
housing and office space when you make your decision as to which lands need to
be added to a Baylands Refuge mapping boundary?
Should
the property owners object to being included in your mapping area, will their
lands be excluded from any reference to tha Baylands Refuge Zone?
I
look forward to replies from you and other officials.
Sincerely,
Natu Tuatagaloa