Seawall At Last Approved

In 1970 Apartments were developed along Del Monte Beach. In mid-1990 the apartments were converted to condominiums. Along the way, it was discovered that the waves were undermining the foundation of the complex. So, in 2002 the Homeowners Association tried to get approval and funding for a seawall to protect the complex.

The Sierra Club and other environmental groups opposed the seawall plan saying it would destroy the beaches. The Homeowners Association filed a $25 million lawsuit against Ocean Harbor House L.P. claiming the workmanship was poor and that the developers did not provide enough funding for a structure that would protect the housing i.e. a seawall. On March 9th this lawsuit was settled for $7 million.

On March 20, 2007 the Coastal Commission agreed with the court action taken earlier against the condominiums’ developers, Ocean Harbor House L.P. and issued the final permit. But wait, there is still one more hoop to jump through. The Homeowners Association is still waiting to hear if they will win their appeal of a $5.3 million fee levied by the commission for mitigation should the seawall damage the beach.

Finally, the $7 million settlement will help get the wall started but it looks like the homeowners will have to make up the difference to the seawall’s cost.

Sale of Flanders Mansion

Residents and visitors alike all agree that Carmel is a beautiful place to live and visit. One place that is especially lovely to visit is Flanders Mansion. The Flanders family built the home in 1920 and in 1972 Carmel-by-the-Sea purchased the house and its surrounding acreage.

The land around the Flanders house became part of the city’s Mission Trail Preserve. The Padres would walk this trail from the Carmel Mission to Monterey and this is just a part of the historic nature of this land. Walking this trail one will enjoy the meadow, forest and amazing views of the Mission and Point Lobos. Next to the Flanders Mansion is the Rowntree Native Plant garden which is also city-owned parkland.

According to the ruling by Superior Court Judge, Robert O’Farrell on February 21st, the historic Flanders Mansion cannot be sold by the City of Carmel unless it can prove it would be too expensive for the city to keep and that the sale is okayed in a public vote. A complete story on the halt of the sale of Flanders Mansion may be read in this weeks Pine Cone. For further information about the Flanders Mansion, visit Flanders Foundation.

This is a story that just keeps on going, but looks to be coming to an end.

Mystery Solved- It's Reggie Jackson

Can't say I blame the residents of Seaside for wanting to know who the developer is behind the proposed 5.7-acre development, which will border Canyon Del Rey and Del Monte boulevards. After all, the project will require 17 homes, four businesses and a church to relocate. While Reggie Jackson already owns a 20,000 square foot parcel (less than a half acre) in the area, more real estate is needed to attain his goal.

In November of 2005, Reggie Jackson, a New York Yankee baseball player and investor, created Amador 44 Hotel LLC, for the purpose of proposing a six story hotel, a 15,000 square foot conference center, a three to four story parking structure and up to three stories of accommodations for hotel works. It makes me wonder what the owners of Embassy Suites are thinking right now?

Jordana McVey

The past week was “catch up” week as the week before it was my privilege to help my daughter, Jordana at two tradeshows. For those who don’t know, my youngest daughter, Jordana, is the designer of the Knitter’s Purse™. Even if one doesn’t knit, her purse designs are every “organized” woman’s dream. The purse is both functional and stylish.

The first tradeshow was the gift show, which was held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. No sooner was that one over and we were off to the Stitches West tradeshow in Santa Clara. It was our fourth year at Stitches West and I wouldn’t miss it. Yes, I am a proud mother loving to hear the compliments of yet another satisfied customer and telling others about this wonderful purse and the young designer behind it. While Jordana started out as an aspiring entrepreneur in 2002, today she is a smart and savvy businesswoman.