2008 Woodie Awards
Proposed Manila houses cause a stir in the dunes
Bek Brochtrup
Issue date: 4/25/07 Section: Community
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A proposed development of 17 "green" houses adjacent to the Manila dunes has community members taking action.
On April 7th, there was an organized "Dune Walk-about," where people were invited to take a tour of the property, and see the location of the planned development, then on April 11th, there was a community meeting giving details about the development.
Jesse Buffington, a member of the development's engineering team at Omsberg & Preston, was at the meeting to answer questions about the proposed project. He said Robert Riley, the developer of the project, didn't feel the need to attend the meeting.
"Riley thought his project was solid enough that he didn't have to be here to defend it," Buffington said.
He said at the start of the meeting that the Omsberg & Preston office will not be directly involved in the project from that point on.
Attendees asked heated questions and agreed throughout the meeting that the development was not what the Manila community wanted and they would do what they could to stop it.
The potential development is in a large dune area. Buffington described the green design as cutting edge. The design has permeable asphalt; the houses are modern and off-set the use of energy with passive solar. The houses incorporate photovoltaic roofing tiles and are to be built with recycled materials. Though this was emphasized in the meeting, Buffington made it clear that this was only a plan and that if the floor plan was approved, any type of houses could be put in, including track houses.
Community members were also concerned about the impact that putting in a development would have on the plants and wildlife. Buffington said that what would be lost was a lot of non-native grassland, beach pine, and huckleberry, although the property is primarily sand.
Rick Storre of Freshwater Farms, plant grower and consultant, is planning to rehabilitate the dunes after 6,500 cubic yards of dunes (about 650 dump truck loads) come through to make space for the proposed development.
On April 7th, there was an organized "Dune Walk-about," where people were invited to take a tour of the property, and see the location of the planned development, then on April 11th, there was a community meeting giving details about the development.
Jesse Buffington, a member of the development's engineering team at Omsberg & Preston, was at the meeting to answer questions about the proposed project. He said Robert Riley, the developer of the project, didn't feel the need to attend the meeting.
"Riley thought his project was solid enough that he didn't have to be here to defend it," Buffington said.
He said at the start of the meeting that the Omsberg & Preston office will not be directly involved in the project from that point on.
Attendees asked heated questions and agreed throughout the meeting that the development was not what the Manila community wanted and they would do what they could to stop it.
The potential development is in a large dune area. Buffington described the green design as cutting edge. The design has permeable asphalt; the houses are modern and off-set the use of energy with passive solar. The houses incorporate photovoltaic roofing tiles and are to be built with recycled materials. Though this was emphasized in the meeting, Buffington made it clear that this was only a plan and that if the floor plan was approved, any type of houses could be put in, including track houses.
Community members were also concerned about the impact that putting in a development would have on the plants and wildlife. Buffington said that what would be lost was a lot of non-native grassland, beach pine, and huckleberry, although the property is primarily sand.
Rick Storre of Freshwater Farms, plant grower and consultant, is planning to rehabilitate the dunes after 6,500 cubic yards of dunes (about 650 dump truck loads) come through to make space for the proposed development.
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Jesse Buffington
posted 4/27/07 @ 2:13 PM PST
I feel the need to correct this statement "He said at the start of the meeting that the Omsberg & Preston office will not be directly involved in the project from that point on. (Continued…)
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