Abe Vigoda's Ghost: As I said before: Lucas is just an asshole.

Given how things have played out, he's entirely justified.

CeroX: contued:

It would be no different than being a middleclass homeowner in an HOA and wanting to put up a kiddie pool for your kids for a weekend and the neighbors throwing a fit because "above ground pools" are not permitted, so you dig a hole in the yard and drop the kiddie pool in it... You've found a loophole and any public outrage can be countered with a "neighbors and HOA hate children" story in the paper...

beefoe: Yes, that will really show those f'ing homeowners associate asshats. I bet those farktards arre shaking in thier books. F'ing Republitards.

FAFU:

Liz Dale, president of the Lucas Valley Estates Homeowners Association, which is located near Grady Ranch, said the proposal by Lucas to build low-income housing on the property is "a strange, different vision for the valley." But she said that since the property is zoned for housing, "It seems as though that would be a logical alternative use for the site."

Dale said that the Rotary Valley Senior Village, an 80-apartment development for low-income seniors, is already located close by at 10 Jeannette Prandi Way.

She said, "I personally think it's a beautiful development."

Also FAFU:
Brian Crawford, director of Marin County's Community Development Agency, said under current zoning regulations, a maximum of 45 housing units could be built on the 240-acre property.


Marin - Obama 78%

Wow, so thats 1 house per 5 acres?

What hes saying is that hes got all the local govt on his side and that they have so many regulations on their side that Lucas might as well not own the property if he wants to do anything with it.

I hate HOAs and avoid them like the plague. Even if they leave you alone you have to give them money to make miachief with.

BTW since TFA doesn't mention it, Skywalker Ranch is over 4,700 acres. Even with the planned size of the studio it would take up a tiny fraction of the property, and given the layout of the land it's not like the neighbors would be looking at a studio building every day. Hell depending on exactly where Lucas wanted to put it on the property even he wouldn't see it from his own house.

Abe Vigoda's Ghost: AuBricker:
A Hollywood Liberal helping out poor people on his own dime? Destruction of all things American!

There are Hollywood Liberals that help poor people, and using their own money.

Lucas, however, is doing this just to be an asshole. It has nothing to do with compassion, or care for the poor or lower income population. I'm guessing he's hoping to get a good chunk of that housing filled with minorities. That will really fry the homeowners ass.

As I said before: Lucas is just an asshole.

despite my feelings for lucas, my hatred for all things HOA would make me the EXACT same kind of asshole and justified as well... It's like having your HOA deny you from having a yard sale because it's a "commercial/personal business" all the while having to hear your neighbors openly say that yard sales attract trashy people into the neighborhood... but then find out there's a stipulation that charity events are encouraged, so you have a charity rummage sale with all proceeds going to St. Mary's home for wayward fish... you still get to rid yourself of the extra crap and stick it to the neighbors for being douchebags in the first place...

Oh and next door to Skywalker Ranch is Big Rock Ranch, which contains 317,000 square feet of office space. Yeah Lucas has some rather expansive office space on his property already.

WhyteRaven74: Zukipilot: It is not zoned for commercial

Skywalker Sound is located at Skywalker Ranch. So zoning doesn't seem to be too much of a worry, given he's already got a commercial enterprise operating on his land.

I have a small tracking and mixing / editing suite in my basement so I'm getting a kick out of these replies.

cryinoutloud: The next time you guys start biatching about how the government farks everything up, and overreaches, and has too many regulations, and doesn't let anyone do anything they want to do, blah blah, blah--just remember, it's not only the government that does it. People is people.

And I think this is hilarious. Oh, and rich people generally suck, just so I can insult everyone.

This story is about local govt overregulating the use of a huge piece of land at the behest of rich people who happen to be almost all rich Democrats who probably are dismayed that the EPA is losing its battles against property owners nationwide in courts.


So I dont see your point, but let the progressiveclass warfare continue.

Animatronik: local govt overregulating

Actually if not for the development showing up Lucas would've probably been able to build the studio. The local government didn't object to him building a large office complex on his land or a large sound stage and recording facility on his land.

damn richers moven in

WhyteRaven74: snowshovel: houses that are merely valued at $350,000.

If I was Lucas I'd go looking for families that really would benefit from a new home and then sell each one for $100.

o long johnson

Empty Matchbook: So if he gave $50,000,000 to cancer research because he personally got cancer, that would be a terrible thing for you?

Yes. Our only hope against Lucas is that cancer wins.

As with almost any HOA, looks like just a few people with no lives of their own:

- The HOA had been inactive but was reformed just for this issue
- The board was elected via e-mail poll, which is not in their bylaws. That is, the homeowners never had a legal vote on the board members
- The board did not present the issue to the homeowners for any binding vote. THey did send out a questionare with anti-Lucas slanted questions.
- Wherever it says "homeowners" or "the people", we are really talking about a half dozen or less losers with nothing better to do.

Link

HakunaMatata: Its as if hundreds of spoiled douchebags whined out in smugness, and were suddenly pwned

This should be on a T-shirt.... I'd buy it :P

I'm on the neighbor's side. They're making it harder for George Lucas to make movies.

So George Lucas tried to build something on his land that his neighbors didn't want and was not allowed under the area's zoning rules, his neighbors fought him for 25 years and he lost.....

In retaliation George Lucas threatens to build something that the neighbors don't want and is not allowed under the area's zoning rules........

One definition of insanity is repeating the same action over and over and expecting different results.

Bigjohn3592: As with almost any HOA, looks like just a few people with no lives of their own:

- The HOA had been inactive but was reformed just for this issue
- The board was elected via e-mail poll, which is not in their bylaws. That is, the homeowners never had a legal vote on the board members
- The board did not present the issue to the homeowners for any binding vote. THey did send out a questionare with anti-Lucas slanted questions.
- Wherever it says "homeowners" or "the people", we are really talking about a half dozen or less losers with nothing better to do.

Link

Take a look at the political landscape that is extant because we give the job to people who desperately want the job. Now look at HOAs.

Mugato: cman: Downvoted because George Lucas licked the sweaty balls of Gene Roddenberry

fark Gene Roddenberry. He was a hack. Prying Star Trek out of his cold dead hands was the best thing to happen to the franchise.

Had awesome taste in women tho. Ate great foods, good choice in is drinks. Got laid more than you.

I think Gene Roddenberry is above your weight class in all categories. He'd probably be a higher class of troll than you as well.

Will he call it Jar Jar Villas?

Virulency: just sayin... even if they live there, where would they work and how would they commute out to work?
it doesn't seem like an ideal location unless he turns it into a mini community...

There will be a strip mall, 7-11 and crack house set up within weeks of the first tenants. That's the way Cali rolls.

So the HOA gets pissed off, there's bickering and a no confidence vote for the current HOA president...
Why do I feel I know how this ends?

darklingscribe: There are no greater asholes than those who try to stop any sort of development in their area.

I understand wanting to protect nature and beauty, but that is almost never their true reasons. it is all about being selfish and worrying about the value of your property. Good for Lucas, hit them where it hurts.

I really think there should be some law passed giving those who were in the area the longest more power to do what they want on their own land. Usually they moved to the middle of nowhere for a reason and the success of their business is why new homes are built in the area. Then when they want to expand their business the new homeowners do everything in their power to stop it, certain that any move will demolish their property value.

I don't know for sure, but TFA says this is "Lucas Valley", so, I'm thinking he probably sold them the land in the first place.

gmoney101: [libraryrenewal.org image 300x176]

Came for a reference to Robot Chicken.

Leaving Satisfied.

Infernalist: Lemme see if I got this straight:

1) George "NOOOOOOO" Lucas tries to get a massive studio built in a residential area.

2) Fails miserably.

3) Now decides to build LOW RENT HOUSING as a 'fark you' to the neighbors.

Is that what we're cheering over? Rich farkers screwing with other rich farkers and using 'contact' with POOR PEOPLE as a way of showing your displeasure?

Fark you all.

Ooooh.


Get this.

Carefully build the low-rent housing with some medium rent housing mixed in. Nice but small stuff.
Leave nice wide front lawns on some streets.
Fill the community by operating a local rent-supported bus line into the cities.
Build the studio on the rest of the land anyway based on a local population in need of employment.
Film in the town as needed! Pay people slightly less to work for you!

You thing George is stupid now?

I joined my HOA 10 years ago because I got a violation for where I put my trash can. I went to a meeting to complain, and found four people on the board who were there voluntarily, trying to keep my neighborhood looking nice, property values high, and listening to butt-hurt people like me whine because we don't like getting letters in the mail saying "Please put your nasty-ass trash can out of sight when it's not pick-up day".

So I stopped being an asshole, and volunteered. I still vote down every due increase, just on general principle, but for the people saying HOAs only care about keeping property values high, I'm thinking.....yeah, so? These are investments after all. Who wants their property values to go DOWN?

OH DEAR! POOR PEOPLE WITHIN OUR VICINITY! I need a drink.



(imo, this is all just a bluff played by George to scare the sh*t out of the elites.)

darklingscribe: There are no greater asholes than those who try to stop any sort of development in their area.


What's that Jedi saying about those who deal only in absolutes?


Exhibit A: My house has an undeveloped creek bed behind it. The creek goes behind several houses on my street, and there are some condos and more houses on the other side of it. Everything in residential. The city wanted to buy the property to install a sewage collection tank and pumping station. We opposed it, showed the city how they would end up paying us hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages, and the city moved the project.

If that makes me an asshole, fine by me. I'm an asshole with a creek behind my house instead of a sewage storage tank and pumping station.

Jon iz teh kewl 2012-05-14 09:05:38 AM

WhyteRaven74: snowshovel: houses that are merely valued at $350,000.

If I was Lucas I'd go looking for families that really would benefit from a new home and then sell each one for $100.

o long johnson
[singing cat.jpg]

faved plus Farky

/I'm easily entertained

HK-MP5-SD: So George Lucas tried to build something on his land that his neighbors didn't want and was not allowed under the area's zoning rules, his neighbors fought him for 25 years and he lost.....

In retaliation George Lucas threatens to build something that the neighbors don't want and is not allowed under the area's zoning rules........

One definition of insanity is repeating the same action over and over and expecting different results.

Or repeating one statement after another that do not bear on reality

SockMonkeyHolocaust: I am just trying this out, so bear with me...

HEY, HEY internet! All you badass anonymous posters. Let's see all of YOUR blockbuster trilogies that became cultural milestones and then your land deals in Marin County before you criticize George Lucas. C'mon everyone- post 'em or else shut up.

Well I, for one, certainly feel somewhat the underachiever.

0/10

secularsage: Ah, it's always fun to cheer on the dickish when they're being dicks to someone else for a change.

Seriously, though. This helps no one. He puts in low income housing, and then what? The community can't support them, and it's probably too expensive to commute (since buses or other public transit have to be added in). Maybe the people don't want a movie studio in the area because they don't want their small community becoming a larger one to support the industry. Maybe they've moved there to get away from that nonsense.

What has been gained here, other than George Lucas getting the last laugh on his peers, and using the poor like pawns in the process? I'd be much more impressed if he were doing this out of benevolence than out of sheer Superman-level dickery.

Agreed, although I don't think he's actually going to build the housing for the very reasons you indicate. Bedroom communities can't support low income housing.

In a barbaric society, when people don't give you what you want, you take a sword to them. In a civilized society, hen people don't give you what you want, you throw money at them. But the people with the money and the swords still end up running the show.

If you ever want to watch what the prequels could have been
They still aren't perfect movies, but when you can eliminate 9 out of 10 mistakes and still maintain the story, they become good films
There are many very professional fan edits of the prequels. This one below is my personal favorite of the prequel edits. I can not watch the original film. It is that bad, but this fan edit has become one of my favorite films

01. Added a new title crawl
02. Major cuts/edits to the Anakin, Padme, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Mace, General Grievous, and Palpatine characters
03. Tried to edit the Obi-Wan/Anakin relationship to be more akin to a elder brother or friend relationship (much less of this constant "my young padawan" or "yes Master" crap)
04. Count Dooku is no longer "Darth Tyranous" and has absolutely NO connection to the Sith - he is still a Jedi (abit a rebel Jedi) in my Prequel fanedits
05. Dooku's lightsaber has been rotoscoped purple instead of "Sith red"
06. Removed the subplots of "Jedi not being able to marry" and "Anakin keeping his marriage to Padme is a secret"
07. Re-edited Anakin's post-nightmare talk with Padme to heighten their relationship and remove poor acting
08. Removed scene of General Grevious arriving on Utopa and speaking with Sidious
09. Edited the "Jedi spying on Palpatine" subplot to better reflect the Jedis' suspicions of Palpatine, increase Anakin's anger toward the Council, and remove any mention of the "Chosen One" prophecy
10. Added the deleted "Plot to Destroy the Jedi?" scene back into the film
11. Trimmed the "Opera House" scenes a bit to remove Anakin being caught about spying on Palaptine and to remove the dialogue regarding midiclorians
12. Added the deleted "A Stirring in the Senate - Bail's Office" scene back into the film
13. Re-edited the "Mace VS Palpatine" duel (along with the following "Anakin's choice" scenes) to remove redundant elements and increase drama
14. Re-edited the "Order 66″ sequence to include the Clonetroopers attack on the Jedi Temple and Anakin's encounter with the younglings
15. Rotoscoped Yoda's lightsaber to be purple
16. Removed Obi-Wan/Yoda's attack on the clonetroopers outside the Temple
17. Added additional children screams to the audio during the hologram playback of Anakin attacking the Jedi Temple
18. Completely removed the "Yoda VS Sidious" duel from the film
19. Re-edited the final battle into a single duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin
20. Removes Padme "losing the will to live" reference
21. Padme now gives birth to only Luke
22. Cut and re-edited the "Birth of Darth Vader" sequence to remove overtly 'stupid' plotpoints
23. Replaced the shots of the WIP Death Star from Vader's final scenes and replaced it with the planet Coruscant
24. Film now ends with Padme, Darth Vader, and Obi-Wan/Luke sequences
25. Added "Faneditor's credit" to the end credits

cman: Downvoted because George Lucas licked the sweaty balls of Gene Roddenberry

Get help little man.

I absolutely love how this man handles people he doesn't like. When you have just enough money that you no longer care about consequences, you can make epic moves like this one.

This all happened months ago.

SockMonkeyHolocaust: I am just trying this out, so bear with me...

HEY, HEY internet! All you badass anonymous posters. Let's see all of YOUR blockbuster trilogies that became cultural milestones and then your land deals in Marin County before you criticize George Lucas. C'mon everyone- post 'em or else shut up.

No, you shut up.