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| Harbor District and community seek uses for Burnham Strip Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, February 21, 2001 10:00 PM PST Nicole Achs Freeling The fate of six acres of undeveloped land overlooking the coast in El Granada is up for grabs following a Harbor District decision not to renew KN Properties' exclusive development rights for the strip. The co-called Burnham strip, also known as the El Granada median strip, is an oblong stretch of grass across from Pillar Point Harbor and the RV park on the east side of Highway 1. The land has been zoned as Community Open Space Conservation, which allows low-density development on up to 10 percent of the parcel. The Harbor District granted KN Properties exclusive development rights to the strip in 1998, when the developer was the only one to submit a feasible proposal for what to do with the land, according to the district. The district voted Feb. 7 to end the exclusive agreement and open the process up to other proposals. "Enough time had lapsed and development wasn't proceeding," Harbor Commissioner Jim Tucker said. A combination of family matters and other business interests had prevented KN Properties owner Keet Nurhan from moving forward with the project, according to the company's legal counsel Greg Antone. The end of the exclusive with KN Properties has opened a window of opportunity for local community groups to propose alternative uses for the strip. "This is an opportunity to give us input," Harbor Commissioner Jim Tucker told members of the Midcoast Community Council at a meeting Feb. 14. Local neighborhood groups have lobbied to have the strip, which offers an expansive view of the bay's half moon, preserved as permanent open space. "This is an important cultural resource," El Granada resident Leni Schultz said. Schultz is leading a charge to gain community control of the space. But the Harbor District, which is $17 million in debt, is not in a position to give away land, according to General Manager Peter Grenell. The district is looking to generate income from the property, either from its use or its sale. "The district considers the strip as an asset that needs to be looked at for its revenue-generating capacity," Grenell said. "Unfortunately, for us right now it is an issue of money," Commissioner Tucker agreed. The district is not currently considering leaving the land as it is. "Right now it isn't serving anyone's interest," Grenell said. "It is just a vacant lot which costs us money." Commissioners have urged the public to come up with proposals for how the strip can be used in a way that would benefit the community and generate some income. The district will continue to pursue KN Properties' proposal to construct up to 8,000-square-feet of single-story space for the sale of agricultural and fishing products on an area of the property across from Avenue Portola. The proposal also calls for creating a public picnic area and leaving the remaining land as open space. The proposal calls for development on a fraction of the 10 percent allowable under the zoning regulations, KN's Antone noted. "We could put five times more building on that space, but that is not even being considered." Antone told MCC members that KN Properties bore no ill will for losing its exclusive, for which it paid $20,000, according to Tucker. "We are looking forward to seeing what the community comes up with and if we could be the ones to develop it." Some preservationist and neighborhood groups would like to see the land put to use as a park or other public land. Schultz has started a petition asking the district to preserve the median as open space. According to Grenell, however, the district needs more substantive proposals. "What does a petition do for us?" he said. "If people want to donate money to the harbor district (to keep the strip as open space), that would be great." To be seriously considered, Grenell said, such ideas would have to address financial considerations such as how to recover the insurance and building costs of running a park. The strip was deeded to the Harbor District in 1963 by the widows of Granada farmers. It wasn't until the late 1990s that the Harbor District began looking at how to capitalize on the strip as a financial asset. |