History Marincello

1 history

1.1 pre-marincello years
1.2 sale of land
1.3 green light
1.4 legal debate
1.5 marincello dies

history
pre-marincello years

the land making marin headlands purchased military in 1851, shortly after california became state, installation of coastal defense guns. other building forts barry, baker, , cronkhite, , planting trees , vegetation camouflage forts attack, marin headlands left in native form. unique topography helped serve purpose army.

by 1950s, military installations becoming obsolete , government started future plans land. environmentalists urged military give land department of parks , recreation preserve native , open quality. lobbied make forts historic area , part of marin headlands state park.

sale of land

by 1960s, rise of suburb in full effect in united states, , looked pristine land atop marin headlands (only minutes away san francisco) prove no different. developer bridgeport, connecticut named thomas frouge came across area , had grand visions land, writing “it beautiful location in united states new community. gulf oil, purchased 2,000 acres (8 km) of land , made immediate plans new planned community called marincello.

marincello conceived house 30,000 people in 50 apartment towers, hundreds of homes , townhouses. there mall , grand hotel @ highest point of headlands.

a 3d model , proposed drawings created start sales pitch houses , apartments in new city. these demonstrated how native land built upon in unprecedented scale marin county. however, frouge promised marincello planned city , not fall siege mistakes of other bloated suburbs around country. noted how houses , apartments built open-space architecture in mind , effortlessly blend unique landscape.

many preservationists , marin county leaders did not see way. worried diminishing quality of life , growing amount of development in county, marincello looked @ last straw lead endless amounts of development around area.

a small group of activists called golden gate headlands committee challenged pending approval of project. submitted 6,000-name petition board of supervisors. met blind eye. second submission of petition invalidated, county threw out 300 of signatures , moved on.

local newspapers supported grand project, writing articles promoting new city. believed frouge s development draw attention away other open spaces in marin other developers eyeing build upon, including untouched marin seashore area. in 1965 article, pacific sun wrote thomas frouge s city showcase, point way preservation of clear , open areas essential , unique in marin.”

the green light

in november 1965 county of marin officially approved frouge s plan , marincello got green light development. large gates built @ base of tennessee valley boldly marked entrance to-be-built city. bulldozers carved large boulevard mountain 1 of marincello s main streets in , out of community. these signs building of metropolis on way, , no 1 stop now.

legal debate

current map showing marincello built.

even before marin supervisors approved marincello plan in november 1965, legal red tape started encompass project. in june 1965, frouge sued misappropriation , false representation of proposed street entrance marincello trespassed upon private property of existing homeowners. entrance off wolfback ridge road (from spencer avenue exit), , important value of city since allowed easy access highway 101 , golden gate bridge marincello. obviously, small residential street served fewer ten houses deluged commuter traffic. preliminary injunction issued in favor of homeowners.

by 1966, budget marincello started balloon original 20 year/$250 million pricetag. executives of gulf oil started doubt thomas frouge , gulf oil land development division, funding project. infighting within company ensued, legal fallout between frouge , gulf oil. in 1967, construction on site came standstill.

this allowed douglas ferguson, bob praetzel, , marty rosen (three lawyers actively following development , enraged legal shortcuts taken frouge , associates accelerate construction) step in , file threatening lawsuit face marincello.

representing city of sausalito, filed lawsuit against marin county, frouge, , gulf oil, stating marincello improperly zoned in 1964 , allowed public 6 days review zoning instead legal ten days. insignificant technicality such huge project. however, lawsuit led discovery of many additional inaccuracies in zoning outlines (including hastily laid-out plan industrial zone within community) county of marin had approved in 1965.

by 1970, frouge , gulf oil made amends , overdue project on track. however, same year dealt crushing blow. court ruled entire project improperly zoned , have throw out plans , submit brand new ones scratch. finally, day after court s ruling, board of supervisors of marin announced no longer support project.

marincello dies

in late 1960s, government conducting study creating national park surrounding golden gate. conceived include alcatraz , presidio. soon, realized marin headlands crucial area complete national park. huey johnson, western director of nature conservancy, met gulf oil corporation selling valuable land park service in 1970. after gulf oil lost lawsuit, became attractive option. in 1972, land sold nature conservancy $6.5 million , transferred newly formed golden gate national recreation area. marincello project finished, before buildings put up. in 1976, marincello gates @ base of tennessee valley, remaining architectural evidence of development, torn down , removed.