Time To Resolve Palm Terrace

by Juliana Doms

It's a delicate balance, this thing called resolve	To some, resolve means to settle; to others it means determination. Either one is correct: resolve is both a verb and a noun. However, in researching the word, both meanings rely upon one another to fulfill its purpose. You can't settle something without having the determination to do so. Resolve applies to chemistry, music, optics, mathematics, politics, but its overall emphasis is to progress from discord to harmony. In music it applies to a combination of [discordant] tones considered as unrelieved tension, requiring resolution. And because the "re" in resolve means "again" and the "solve" means release, resolve can be considered a method in which one can go back to something that needs emancipation. Without such resolve, a nagging feeling that something is deficient plagues one until it is truly released and authenticated. Resolve is a tricky thing to secure. One reason is that the minutia of life just gets in the way -- you are able to resolve daily circumstances most of the time, but there are those crucial events which determine life's significance that sometimes get lost in the shuffle of life; they nag you periodically, but unless something triggers the necessity to activate resolve, they remain as unreleased tension. Another reason is that the necessary components just aren't understood because of blind differences of opinion, impeding true resolve. Both these reasons eventually catch up to you, but usually at a price. A more honorable reason is that all the puzzle pieces haven't been discovered to reach a true state of harmonious resolve; you take baby steps, partially settling things as you go, working towards complete resolve. It's a delicate balance, this thing called resolve.
Ongoing determination of citizens to protect this land	Now that we have had our lesson in linguistics, let me get to the point of this editorial... The article, "Requiem For The Land -- Can Palm Terrace Be Saved?" by Jude Kreissman, is what prompted me to center this editorial around the word "resolve." It speaks to the ongoing determination of citizens to protect the land behind Palm Drive Hospital, adjacent to the Laguna. It "capture[s] some of the rage and passion of a decade of response to the grinding wheels of bureaucracy [and] development pressure..." In the early 1980s an 80-unit development project was proposed for this location. It was denied -- as I recall, mainly because of its density, not to protect the Laguna. Several years went by without any activity to develop this land until July 1987. A project for 35 residential lots and some commercial was submitted to the City of Sebastopol. It was approved without the creation of a new EIR. By the time this development proposal was submitted, the Laguna was beginning to surface as an important ecosystem and a citizens group, Sebastopol Tomorrow, had formed. Those living close to the proposed development organized, and Sebastopol Tomorrow assisted them in better understanding their rights. And on August 8, 1988, a citizen's lawsuit was filed by "Laguna Today and Tomorrow" requiring a new EIR. On October 23, 1988 the judge required the city to set aside their decision and prepare an EIR. Resolve had begun its process. A new EIR was completed and by August 29, 1989 the applicant submitted an expanded project -- the Palm Terrace parcel plus annexation of 32 adjacent acres, for a total of 47 single family lots, 2-4 multifamily units and one office lot. However, by then, rumbles of protecting the Laguna had finally reached a pitch which heralded the recognition that the impact from the loss of its entire ecosystem, including its uplands, was a reason to control development. Laguna Is For Everyone was formed and gathered more than 1,200 signatures in opposition to the project. On June 11, 1991 the project was denied. Resolve was being honored.
If both projects aren't approved, the lawsuit will resume	Regardless of the clear dictum that resolve in this case meant no development, the developer kept pecking away with scaled down versions. Between the denial of the 47-unit project and late 1993, the City received another scaled down 19-unit project proposal. However, on March 15, 1994 it was also denied. Then on May 27, 1994, in retaliation, the developers filed a lawsuit against the city, impeding the momentum to attain resolve. Between November 1, 1994 and August 1995, the City attempted to get the Open Space District to match funds in purchasing Palm Terrace as well as seeking funds from other sources. However, the lawsuit and its price tag loomed over their heads and on August 8th, the city signed a settlement agreement. In a nutshell, the settlement agreement cleverly separates the project into two projects tied into a fast-track time schedule. One doesn't allow a public hearing; the other does. Both seek relief from affordable housing and growth management. If both aren't approved, the lawsuit will resume. This brings us to the present.
City Council will likely make a decision on September 19th, without a public hearing	By the time the 19 unit project was denied and the lawsuit filed, most citizens had gone back to their normal lives. They had done all they could do -- they achieved resolve at several points, but it was now out of their hands. The City Council will likely be making a decision on September 19th, without a public hearing. In the meantime "a remarkable" meeting took place. Native Americans met with some of the citizens involved in the ongoing Palm Terrace saga. The last puzzle piece that had been missing from past attempts at resolving this issue had been found. Jude captures it perfectly: "With the 'introduction' of Indian homeland issues to those of us who fought to preserve this land because of environmental, social, aesthetic reasons, the importance of the place becomes even more compelling, more urgent, more focused. How can we, with what we know now, say no to these people wanting their homeland back?" Palm Terrace is part of what was once the home of those whom the Spanish called Gallinomero, meaning people from Cloverdale to Sebastopol. They are known today as the southern Pomo Indians, many of which still live in Sonoma County. Known as Batiklectcawi, it stretched roughly beyond the north end of Morris street by the Community Center and southward to approximately where the old Vacu Dry plant is. The Palm Terrace land is the last remaining undeveloped area of what was considered the heart of the Pomo's culture.
All the ingredients to reach a true resolve are present	Is it too late? In honoring the true purpose of resolve, it shouldn't be. Too much has been uncovered and learned as this land has been up for grabs for the last 15 years. And the essence behind this decade and a half of citizen resolve to save this property from development has finally emerged: to honor the history of Native Americans. What it comes down to is this: The City can deny the project and pay court costs to defend themselves against the developers; the City can approve the project and citizens can file suit against the City; the developer can realize that their high-income homes next to a noisy heliport is really a boondoggle, and they should reopen negotiations with the Open Space District and other sources to purchase the land for the Native Americans. This is one of those times where the honorable reason for resolve is essential. The Palm Terrace saga represents a crucial event that uncovered the true substance of why that land should be protected. All the ingredients to reach a true resolve are present if we maintain the determination to do so. If not, we will be responsible for allowing a discordant atmosphere to remain unresolved -- if this land is developed, we all will pay a price that is not worthy of who we really are.

This editorial first appeared in EIR.

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