Received: from hplms26.hpl.hp.com by opus.hpl.hp.com with SMTP (1.37.109.8/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA08020; Thu, 15 Sep 1994 00:37:07 -0700 Return-Path: <westes@usc.com-DeleteThis> Received: from netcomsv.netcom.com by hplms26.hpl.hp.com with SMTP (1.36.108.4/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1S) id AA04874; Thu, 15 Sep 1994 00:37:33 -0700 Received: from localhost by netcomsv.netcom.com with UUCP (8.6.4/SMI-4.1) id AAA09411; Thu, 15 Sep 1994 00:26:12 -0700 Received: by usc.com (NX5.67d/NX3.0M) id AA03743; Wed, 14 Sep 94 23:27:13 -0700 From: Will Estes <westes@usc.com-DeleteThis> Message-Id: <9409150627.AA03743@usc.com-DeleteThis> Subject: Re: 3rd ave To: wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis Date: Wed, 14 Sep 1994 23:27:13 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: <199409142245.PAA25146@gigantor.nas.nasa.gov-DeleteThis> from "Jonathan Hahn" at Sep 14, 94 03:49:46 pm X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL23] Content-Type: text Content-Length: 2276
'Jonathan Hahn says:'
> I wrote letters during
> some of the problems with the current 3rd site and actually got
> responses from FC & the BCDC. FC's letter was a joke which as I
> remember deflected attention from the issue at hand (access to the Bay)
> and raised some spurious issues about how windsurfers should conduct
> themselves at the area.
I think what is becoming clear out of this is that Foster City, like many
underfunded bureaucracies, only cares about things that bring additional
funding. In their eyes, this site represents a potential source of income
from something other than windsurfing (it may not be true, but it is their
perception). The windsurfers are basically fleas on the dog's back; they
are annoyed by us, and they view us as obstacles to their plans to
ultimately develop that site and collect money from the leasor/buyer.
To the extent that they have a legal obligation to provide access, they
will do the absolute minimum necessary to comply with the strict letter of
the law. And under such an economic environment, Third Avenue is always
going to remain a relatively underdeveloped, primitive-access site. And
if we cannot find a way to bring Foster City the kind of income it wants to
make from this site, then I'm afraid relations between them and the
windsurfers are always going to be poor.
While we should be prepared to wage war with them as a last resort, to
preserve access, I think that we should at least run some quick numbers to
determine if a business could make it developing this site. That way we
create a win-win situation for the windsurfers and for the city. The city
gets its money, and we get someone interested in commercial development of
a first-class windsurfing park.
If Vela is not interested in helping to develop the site, another good
candidate might be Spinnaker Sailing. They have always lacked a good
high-wind site for their intermediate/advanced classes. And anyone with
two eyes can see that a totally undeveloped Third Avenue site routinely
gets four-to-five times as many cars as Spinnaker's site at Shoreline gets.
Imagine what a well-developed Third Avenue site could draw in.
-- Thanks, Will Estes Internet: westes@usc.com-DeleteThis U.S. Computer Saratoga, CA 95070
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Dec 10 2001 - 02:28:06 PST