120 COMMUNITY CALLS FOR RESTORING LANDSCAPING IN
GUALALA STREETSCAPE PROJECT AS PROMISED IN
CALTRANS’S ALT 5 PLAN AS APPRPOVED IN MAY 2023
PER THE GUALALA LCP. THESE COMMENTERS WANT TO SEE THE LANDSCAPING AGREEMENT SIGNED BUT MODIFY THE LANDSCAPE DESCRIPTION TO SUPPORT CALTRANS ALTERNATIVE 5 AS APPROVED BY THE COMMUNITY AND CALTRANS IN MAY 2023. THANK YOU!

SUPERVISORS:

We are forwarding copies of the 40 NEW comments to the Mendocino BOS that support the call to adopt the May 2023 Alt 5 Landscaping Plans. These are IN ADDITION TO OVER 80 comments received by PBS before the CPA decision currently under appeal. The earlier comments are already in the Staff Report, Attachment S.

In total, area residents have submitted 120 COMMENTS (as of 11/2/25) CALLING FOR RESTORATION OF LANDSCAPING PER THE ALT 5 PLAN WITH PLANTINGS ON ISLANDS AND CURBS STRIPS AS APPROVED BY THE COMMUNITY AND CALTRANS IN MAY 2023.

There have been ZERO COMMENTS supporting landscaping proposed in PBS’ Alternate Resolution.

Thank you! -- Save Gualala, SaveGualala@Gmail.com

__________
Gualala’s street plan; county maintenance agreement.
I Dustin G Smith, am a resident in Ocean View Estates in Gualala. I’ve been a resident on the south coast for over 50 years. The idea that you would not follow through with a maintenance plan for the Gualala Landscaping Street Plan is abhorrent! To deliberately turn our rural community into an urban strip mall is beyond disgusting! The entire reason people visit Gualala during Holidays and for vacations and coastal activities is essentially the rural character. To say nothing for the consideration of local residents such as myself. Having lived here for the many decades I have, and you’re going to pave it over in asphalt and concrete without considering the damages to the community is just not appropriate!
Although at the moment the Gualala Community Center is a primary agenda for the community the concerns for the entire community are going to quickly be focusing on the street landscaping plan. Doing the ‘right thing’ is an absolute necessity. And the ‘right thing’ is following through with the maintenance agreement so that Gualala can begin a difficult recovery after the arson attack on the Gualala Community Center. Rebuilding businesses following Covid, is a small part of your responsibility to the county at large.
We’re as far away from Ukiah as is possible given our location. But we’re definitely part of Mendocino County. Respect the south coast.
Dustin G Smith, Ocean View Estates, Gualala, CA 95445
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11/4/25 Gualala CDP 2024-0004 Appeal
I am writing in hopes that the Board of Supervisors will approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community in May 2023.
Gualala is the gateway to Mendocino's beautiful coastal roadways. It would be a shame to leave this entry to Mendocino's beauty left as simply a stretch of concrete and asphalt.
Respectfully, Michael Tilles
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11/4/25 Gualala CDP 2024-0004 Appeal
De Williams <dewms@mcn.org>
Please approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community in May 2023.
I am a resident of Gualala.
Deborah Denten, 38851 hwy 1, #32
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11/4/25 Gualala CDP 2024-0004 Appeal
Dear Mendocino County Government,
I am writing to ask you…really to plead with you…to approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community in May 2023.
This plan was promised and it is crucial to the lovely town of Gualala. Without landscaping, Gualala’s main street will become a 58-foot sea of asphalt and concrete with an urban environment. Local businesses and residents say that will hurt the already struggling restaurants, hotels, and retail businesses. By contrast, landscaping will make the town more attractive for residents and visitors alike. It will lift property values.
As I resident of Mendonoma I can urge your strongly enough to make good on your promises. This is good, civic planning.
Thank you, Jeanne C. Finley, 37037 Schooner Drive, The Sea Ranch
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Dear Mendocino County Board of Supervisors,
AAUGH!
Lucy's repeatedly pulling the football away from Charlie Brown demonstrates an ongoing humiliation and an unending capacity to be deceived... as well as the nature of a broken-trust dynamic. And so once again here we are, hat in hand, asking for what has been repeatedly planned for and promised over two decades by local officials and governmental agencies.
One among many documents that serves to underscore this issue is the Gualala Downtown Streetscape Project informational meeting of January 21, 2021. Attended by a county supervisor, MCOG executive, and multiple CalTrans folks, the meeting's powerpoint provided three bullet points in its "Project Purpose and Need" slide. A proper concern for safety was the focus of two while the third was "Improve visual character by incorporating landscape and hardscape features'. What became of this third "Purpose and Need"? Aaugh!
As I wrote in June 2024 to Ms. Krog of the Mendocino County Planning Department, on behalf of our 12 Gualala Cypress Village Homeowners Association property owners, "We urge you to collaborate with your Mendocino County counterparts and Caltrans to create the means whereby funding is available for this essential landscaping element of the Gualala Downtown Streetscape Plan". I really don't know what else to add.
On behalf of the numerous supportive stakeholders, I hope our Mendocino County Board of Supervisor serves to help restore common sense and integrity to the Gualala Streetscape Plan process.
Sincerely, Bill
Bill Merget, President, Board of Directors Gualala Cypress Village Homeowners Association P.O. Box 363, Gualala CA 94554 707.292.9706 cell
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Hello,
Please approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community in May 2023. The investment in beautifying the main thoroughfare of downtown Gualala will reap countless dividends for generations to come.
Sincerely, David Liebendorfer, 40763 Leeward Road, The Sea Ranch, CA
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Dear Board of Supervisors,
My name is Alan H Cohen, MD and my family and I live and work adjacent to Gualala in the neighboring community of The Sea Ranch. We do all of our shopping and depend upon Gualala for groceries, healthcare, clothing and restaurants as well as the arts and theatre activities we enjoy at the not for profit Gualala Arts Center as well. We have come to love the Mendocino and Sonoma coastal region, so much so we sold our home in Silicon Valley and have fully relocated here and we are building a home here as well!
Part of the beauty and charm of this coastal, small town community is the landscaping and natural beauty - which helps to get people driving through our area on Highway #1 to want to spend more time and money here by stopping and parking and visiting our shops and restaurants and galleries and beaches. Please support the natural beauty of our area and help us by continuing to invest our taxpayer dollars on landscaping and maintenance that our area was promised and has been expecting to help us maintain the beauty and attractiveness of our area.
Please help to invest and maintain the charm and natural beauty of Gualala with improved and long overdo landscaping and care. It is long overdo and it is something that would enhance the area and help us continue to grow and thrive!
Thank you for your continued support and service to our fair city !
Respectfully, Alan and family
Alan H Cohen, MD, 283 Solstice, The Sea Ranch, CA 95497-0518
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pmaclean@pacbell.net
Re: 11/4/25 Gualala CDP 2024-0004 Appeal
Supervisors:
Please, please, do what has long been promised and is long overdue. Approve the Gualala Streetscape plan that includes landscaping through the short stretch of downtown. It is called for in the town general plan. It was called for in citizen public meetings. It is called for by basic good design and good sense to make the core of Gualala attractive to locals and travelers.
The area needs business income and this will help. The downtown can be safer with this project completed without further delay. Please approve the Streetscape project NOW while money is still available to include the landscaping!
We want the plants. Thank you.
Pam MacLean, TSR

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approve agreement
Carol Emory <emory@mcn.org>
Please approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community in May 2023. I shop and bank in Gualala often and the businesses there are very important to all of us. We need this plan.
Thank you, Carol Emory
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11/4/25 Gualala CDP 2024-0004 Appeal
I urge you approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan as promised to the Gualala community in May 2023. Don’t make our small town look like a 6 lane highway! Do what you promised you would do when all of this redo process started.
Thanks, Kathye Hitt
33000 S Highway 1, Gualala, CA 95445

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Gualala Streetscape Plan hall@hallkelley.biz
Mendocino Board of Supervisors,
20 or so years ago I was on the Gualala Municipal Advisory Council when the streetscape began to be discussed with the county and CalTrans. Meetings were held with presentations by different parties – all had landscaping, simple but adequate.
Now, finally, I’m hoping some forward motion will occur, but landscaping appears to have become an issue. I don’t know why, but imagine if you were a local resident and all you saw was pavement downtown … So, during your final deliberations, please approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community in May 2023.

Hall Kelley, PO Box 617, Gualala, CA 95445

_____Following Emails Support LMA, Rec’d Prior to Setting of Appeal Hearing ___

Gualala Streetscape -- John Bernstein <john@vrealms.com>
My wife and I live in The Sea Ranch. We do most of our shopping in Gualala, especially at the two markets, JR’s, the Gualala Nursery, and other smaller stores. Given the work that is going to be done along Highway 1, there will never be another opportunity to make the street scape beautiful and inviting.

Adding the landscaping will significantly help our local businesses attact visitors and travelers. Gualala relies on visitors and travelers stopping to shop. The more inviting, the better for the businesses and the community overall.
Sincerely, John Bernstein 360 Sea Stack, TSR
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Re: Gualala Streetscape maintenance
We have been residents of the Gualala area for some time now and want to emphatically encourage you to sign the maintenance agreement with Caltrans in order to bring back the landscaping plans for the Gualala streetscape project. We are grateful to GMAC for having unanimously voted to endorse such a plan and to ask that the Mendocino BoS approve the maintenance agreement required for this to move forward.
As you well know, Gualala is a small town with a good number of its businesses living on the edge economically speaking and they rely on the “draw” of the area to bring them customers. Such an improvement would help encourage visitors not just to drive through, but to stop, stay awhile, lingering to enjoy the town for what it is. It’s not just another project – it is a project that helps everyone associated with the town. Thank you for attention to this matter so important to Gualala.
Dominique and Diana Filloux, dom@filloux.net
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Gualala Streetscape Maintenance

Dear Board of Directors, Please vote YES on the maintenance agreement!I live and shop in the Gualala area and want the County and Caltrains to restore AND MAINTAIN.
Pinkerton Todhunter <pinkertodd@gmail.com>
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Dear Board of Supervisors:
I am writing to ask you to vote YES to sign the Gualala Landscape Maintenance Agreement with CalTrans. The traffic on highway 1 needs to be calmed for everyone’s safety, but beauty is needed with that calming too, because this very special place, the gateway to Mendocino county, is a place of stunning natural beauty. The landscaping element of the Streetscape plan will add to that beauty. It will help people slow down and mind their surroundings, will help visitors take note that they’ve entered a special new place and county, and perhaps even prompt visitors to park their cars and start adding to county tax revenues!
Gualala is my family’s “downtown,” where we visit our post office, medical clinic, grocery stores, hardware stores, restaurants, gym, and shops. Judging by the busyness of these places, many other people call Gualala their downtown, too. Gualala may not be a city, but we are proud of this place at the southern entrance to Mendocino county, and we want our Streetscape to match the lush beauty of our natural surroundings. Please vote YES to bring this project the landscaping it needs!
Sincerely, JJ Tarr, PO Box 1905, Gualala, CA. 95445
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Gualala Streetscape Project: Yes on Landscaping
Connie King <cking2020@icloud.com>
I have participated in meetings and followed agreements throughout years the Caltrans streetscape project for Gualala, CA. I have always supported the landscaping versions of the proposals. I will always support landscaping as part of the project for many reasons, including the following:
• its beauty (this is, after all, why we choose to live here in nature)
• its softening of the street improvement “hardscape”
• the importance of plants to the ecosystem
• the “draw” it will provide for visitors to stop and explore our “little gem” of a town, supporting its businesses
• the “draw” to locals to spend more time in town
• property values that will stay strong or increase with additional beauty vs the possibility they may decline with only hardscape as a visual marker
Landscape and beauty are always enriching, always a “draw," and an integral part of our locale. I strongly support the Mendocino Board of Supervisors to sign a landscape maintenance agreement with Caltrans, ensuring landscaping is included in the Gualala Streetscape project.
Thank you in advance, Connie King, 707-480-2623
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Gualala Streetscape Maintenance -- Summer Montacute <summeraardalmontacute@gmail.com>
Please vote YES on the maintenance agreement to help define the visual character of Gualala for the next half-century. I live near Gualala and go there all the time. Beautifying the streets will make a big difference to the town, for locals and visitors, alike, and will especially benefit local businesses. Thanks for your consideration.
Best regards, Summer Montacute
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Support Gualala Landscaping Sara Lautenbach <sara@lautenbachs.com>
This message is in support of having a landscape maintenance agreement between CalTrans and the Mendocino Board of Supervisors which will restore landscaping as part of the upcoming Gualala streetscape plans. We have a home at The Sea Ranch, neighbors of Gualala. It is very tough for businesses along this remote coast to be profitable. Having it easy and welcoming for locals and visitors alike to do business in Gualala is very important. Also, the landscaping is consistent with the local coastal plan. Please approve the request for a landscaping maintenance agreement at the September 23rd Mendocino Board of Supervisors meeting.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sara Lautenbach , Resident of The Sea Ranch, 925-378-5234

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Gualala Streetscape Maintenance <jcfinley55@gmail.com>
Dear Board of Supervisors
Please understand how important the Gualala Streetscape is to those of us who live here. So many reasons to make this happen. It will be beautiful, and that in itself is worth while. But it will make it much easier for people to stop and shop and create the character of Gualala for the next half century. Beauty is not simply a luxury. Everyone should have beauty in their life. It brings people together and makes them proud of their community. And it draws people to the community because people know that those who live there care and so…they should care too. Not just speed by. Please..
A resident who LOVES Gualala, Jeanne Montgomery, 37037 Schooner Drive.

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Gualala Streetscape Maintenance <copundyk@gmail.com>
I write to you today as a homeowner in the Gualala area and ask that you move to uphold the Gualala Streetscape project and complete the plan in compliance with the Town Plan and the Local Coastal Plan. Gualala is among the few coastal towns in Mendocino County--the first after the county line--and serves as a gateway to the beautiful Mendocino coastline, and beyond. The area is home to many--both full and part time residents--and a destination for hundreds of thousands annually.

All concerned deserve to have the project completed. It will help sustain the local economy by ensuring the appeal of the area to outsiders and it will build pride of place among everyone who lives and works in the area. Thank you for doing the right thing for the people by ensuring that the Gualala Streetscape project moves ahead to completion.
Colleen Pundyk copundyk@gmail.com

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Gualala Streetscape Maintenance
Dear Mendocino Board of Supervisors:
I am asking you to vote YES on signing the maintenance agreement with Caltrans for the Gualala Streetscape project. When visitors drive up Highway 1 to experience the Mendocino coast, Gualala is the gateway to that experience. If we must lose its current quirky/quaint charm in the name of safety, at the very least, the new streetscape needs to incorporate landscaping. Local businesses must continue to attract summer visitor dollars or they can't stay open the rest of the year for residents. If it looks like a lifeless throughway, visitors will drive on by and miss the real charm of being here. This town is not a "pave paradise to put up a parking lot" kind of place. We have to show that in our streetscape.
Thank you for your time, Joan Wood, Gualala

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In strong favor of the Gualala Streetscape plan -- Naomi Glass <naomiglass16@gmail.com>
To whom it may Concern-
I have been a part time resident at The Sea Ranch for 40 years, since my 20s, using the town of Gualala’s retail shops daily when I am in residence. The town is very drab without landscaping I strongly support bringing landscaping to the town as planned, for its beautification, attraction of tourists to the area to improve tax revenue. And, to add beauty to reflect and enhance the natural beauty of this part of the California coastline.
Thank you, Naomi Glass naomiglass16@gmail.com
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Gualala Streetscape: Vote YES on Maintenance Agreement
Carrie Avery <carriedavery@gmail.com>
Dear Board of Supervisors,
I am writing to support the Gualala Municipal Council’s endorsement of landscape maintenance agreement for the Gualala Streetscape Project. As a homeowner who shops regularly in Gualala and brings guests to the region I would really like to see Gualala present itself better. It’s a wonderful town in a stunning setting but the pavement-heavy streetscape doesn’t show it off well to benefit residents and attract tourism. Thank you for considering this!

Caroline Avery
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Gualala Streetscape Maintenance - PLEASE SUPPORT & VOTE YES !!
Dear Board of Supervisors,
My name is Alan H Cohen, MD and my family and I live and work in The Sea Ranch, CA and regularly shop and visit nearby Gualala to get our daily mail, grocery shop and attend art and cultural events at the Gualala Arts Center. It is the life blood of this community and we need to preserve its beauty and return the streetscape to a more family friendly and community gathering place once again !

It has come to our attention that a vote is coming up regarding support for a Maintenance Agreement with CalTrain and I am writing on behalf of myself and my family to kindly ask all of you to PLEASE VOTE YES and sign off on this initiative. We moved to this area because of the beautiful natural environment it offers and with so few areas to shop and go to gather with others, eat a meal and attend a cultural activity in the area we have come to depend on Gualala for our everyday activities and quality of life.
Please vote YES and help to secure, maintain and improve the visual character of Gualala for the next half-century. We think this common sense request is critical to the survival of our cherished and few local businesses to attract customers. We also want and need all out-of-town visitors to enjoy the natural beauty that drew all of us to the area in the first place !
THANK YOU KINDLY !
Alan H Cohen, MD & Family, 283 Solstice, Box 518 The Sea Ranch, CA 95497-0518
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Subject: Gualala Streetscape Plan
Please approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the streetscape plan promised to the Gualala community in May 2023. Without landscaping downtown Gualala will be an asphalt and concrete wasteland.

Alan Reinke, The Sea Ranch, CA alanmreinke@gmail.com
----25--

Please Approve Gualala Streetscape Landscaping Plan!
Hello Mendocino County Board of Supervisors,
I’m writing to urge to urge you to approve (on Nov. 4th) the landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the town of Gualala community in May 2023.
Without landscaping our local town’s main street will be nothing but a 58-ft. sea of asphalt and concrete. Property values and county tax revenues will very likely be lower as a result of fewer patrons stopping to shop, or stay overnight, in town. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Debra Sharkey, Professor Emerita
___

Gualala CDP2025-0004 Appeal
Please vote to landscape Gualala, per “Save Gualala” citizens’ urgent, ongoing appeal.
Thank you. Marsha Sinetar POB 1 Stewarts Point,Ca 95480 iedit <iedit@mcn.org>
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11/4/25 Gualala CDP 2024-0004 Appeal mentwisl@pacbell.net
Dear Board of Supervisors,
Please approve a landscaping maintenance agreement for the Gualala Streetscape plan as promised to the community in May 2023. Please restore the plan to what was presented to the community. Without the landscaping, all the work will not be an improvement! Thank you.
Margery Entwisle 199 Wild Moor Reach The Sea Ranch
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Greetings Board of Supervisors,
I am writing to you asking that you approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community in May 2023. Without landscaping, Gualala’s main street will become a 58-foot sea of asphalt and concrete with an urban environment. Local businesses that are already struggling will be hurt. By contrast, landscaping will make the town more attractive for residents and visitors alike and will lift property values. Please approve. Thank you!
David DeBoer 410 Grey Whale Sea Ranch

___25___

Gualala CDP 2024-0004 Appeal
I am writing to ask that you approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community in May 2023. Even though we live in Sonoma County, we, at The Sea Ranch, depend on the good folks and quality merchants of Gualala to make this area as attractive as possible. It is, after all, our sales tax money which funds a lot of Gualala and Mendocino County activities. This is not only for us but also for tourists who bring in huge amounts of capital in their rental of our area’s homes as well as spending in motels, restaurants, markets and shops. Thank you for your attention.
Larry Jacobs PO Box 261 The Sea Ranch, CA 95497 (707)785-2390 larry@larryjacobs.net
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GualalaCDP 2024-0004 Appeal
Penny Gardner <jogardner@aol.com>
As a Sea Rancher I request approval of a landscaping maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala Community in Many 2024. This action is important to keep Gualala an attractive and thriving community.
Penny Gardner
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11/4/25 Gualala CDP 2024-0004 Appeal
Nate Rosenthal <naterosenthal@gmail.com>
Please approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community in May 2023. Gualala's beauty is highlighted by the natural landscape. Investing in streetscape landscaping will create a more welcoming and thriving environment which will underscore Gualala as a beautiful destination for locals and visitors alike.
Thank you. Regards, Nate Rosenthal
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Gualala CDP 2024-0004 Appeal
Dear Board of Supervisors:
I am writing to ask you to please approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community in May of 2023. As a resident of The Sea Ranch, Gualala is THE place for me and my family to shop and visit. Without landscaping, Gualala’s main street will become a sea of asphalt and concrete with the feel of an urban environment. Landscaping will help benefit the already struggling restaurants, hotels, and retail businesses in Gualala, and make the town more attractive for residents as well as visitors.
Thank you, Valerie Haak
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CDP 2024-0004 Appeal
Dear Board of Supervisors:
I’m a part-time resident of the Gualala area. I shop and dine in Gualala when I’m on the Mendonoma coast. I urge the board to approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community back in May of 2023.
Gualala needs this landscaping plan to enhance our “downtown” for both residents and tourists. It will help our existing businesses, and attract new ones—raising tax revenue to the county— and creating curb appeal that is currently lacking. We love our little town, and need your support to enhance it.
Thank you and Best Regards, Trina Turk
35429 Fly Cloud Road The Sea Ranch, CA 95497
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Gualala Landscape Maintenance
Dear Mendocino County Board of Supervisors:
We live a quarter mile south of the Mendocino County line in The Sea Ranch and are in spirit and with our dollars a part of the Gualala/Mendonoma community. It is vital to that community that we do our best to attract visitors and their money to Gualala. Local businesses and jobs are on the line. The current state of our roadway and landscaping in Gualala is pathetic. We are not a third world community and deserve better.

Please approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community in May 2023. This issue has been “kicked down the road” long enough!

Thank You, Geoff and Wendy Beaty P.O. Box 1687 Gualala, CA 95445
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Dear Board of Supervisors,
Please vote YES on the maintenance agreement! I live and shop in the Gualala area and want the County and Caltrans to restore AND MAINTAIN the landscaping of the Streetscape project. Landscaping is required in our Coastal Plan, and it’s critical for both aesthetic and economic reasons. Without landscaping, Gualala’s main street will become a 58-foot sea of asphalt and concrete with an urban environment. Local businesses and residents say that will hurt the already struggling restaurants, hotels, and retail businesses. By contrast, landscaping will make the town more attractive for residents and visitors alike. It will lift property values.
Please approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community in May 2023. It’s the right thing to do!
Thank you!
Diana Souverbielle, The Sea Ranch
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Dear Supervisors,
As a third generation Gualalan who grew up here raising my children, with fourth and fifth generations now living locally, I care deeply about the future of our town. Landscaping is essential to preserving Gualala’s small-town character, supporting local businesses, and making Main Street a welcoming place for both residents and visitors.
I urge you to approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the community in May 2023. Please help ensure Gualala continues to thrive for generations to come. Without landscaping, Gualala risks losing its heart. With it, Main Street can embody the beauty, vitality, and spirit of our community.

Sincerely, Lucienne Allen OLD STAGE STUDIOS
44780 Tan Bark Rd Gualala, CA 95445 ridgetop@saber.net
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Dear Mendocino County Government,
I am writing to ask you…really to plead with you…to approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community in May 2023.
This plan was promised and it is crucial to the lovely town of Gualala. Without landscaping, Gualala’s main street will become a 58-foot sea of asphalt and concrete with an urban environment. Local businesses and residents say that will hurt the already struggling restaurants, hotels, and retail businesses. By contrast, landscaping will make the town more attractive for residents and visitors alike. It will lift property values. As I resident of Mendonoma I can urge your strongly enough to make good on your promises. This is good, civic planning.

Thank you, Jeanne C. Finley 37037 Schooner Drive, The Sea Ranch

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11/4/2024 Gualala CDP 2024-2004 Appeal
Dear Mendocino Supervisors,
I lived in the Gualala area for 25 years and always wished its commercial area was more appealing to visitors as we’ll as residents. The more attractive the ‘downtown’ district is, the more likely travelers will stop to explore and shop, lifting the local and county economies.
Please approve a landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community in May 2023. Thank you for your consideration in this appeal. Your vote impacts all of us who care about Mendocino’s South Coast.
Sincerely, Juliet
Juliet W. Dantin, PhD 874 Gravenstein Hwy S, Suite 7, Sebastopol, CA 95472
707.829.5355 Jwdantin@sonic.net

______
Dear Board of Supervisors:
I am writing to ask you to APPROVE the landscape maintenance agreement for the landscaping plan promised to the Gualala community over two years ago. Please do not turn Gualala, the southern gateway to Mendocino county, into a wide, overpaved, urban STRODE (that’s neither a street nor a road!)
Gualala is a place of stunning natural beauty! It’s also a place filled with struggling businesses. The landscaping element of the Streetscape plan will add to the beauty, slow traffic, and entice visitors to stop, walk, and spend some time and money. Gualala is home to my post office, medical clinic, grocery stores, hardware stores, restaurants, gym, and shops. I am proud of this beautiful place, and I want our Streetscape to match the lush beauty of our natural surroundings.
Please APPROVE the landscape maintenance agreement!
Sincerely, Jesakka Tarr PO Box 1905 Gualala, CA 95445

__40__

AN ADDITIONAL 80 COMMENTS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE APPEAL PACKET UNDER ATTACHMENT S.
(We cannot attach them here due to limitations of Granicus.)

_____END

IMPORTANT: A FORMATTED COPY OF THIS STATEMENT WITH IMPORTANT ILLUSTRATIONS HAS BEEN SENT TO THE CLERK BOS on 11/2/25. PLEASE FORWARD THAT COPY TO THE BOARD MEMBERS. THANK YOU!

To: Mendocino County Board of Supervisors
From: Save Gualala (Submitted by Tom Murphy)
Re: Recommended Action on Appeal of CDP 2024-0040 (Gualala Streetscape Project)
Date: November 04, 2025

We write on behalf of the 1,737 supporters of Save Gualala, including hundreds of residents of the Gualala Streetscape Project’s service area and hundreds of others who are from (or recreational visitors to) the Gualala community. Save Gualala’s sole mission is to make sure this project conforms to the 2002 Gualala Town Plan, which is our Local Coastal Plan (LCP). We write in hope of avoiding further appeals and delays in this project.

We support execution of a Landscape Maintenance Agreement (LMA) WITH MINOR CHANGES to bring the proposed remedy into compliance with the LCP as in Caltrans Plan Alt 5, which was approved by the community in May 2023. Save Gualala is committed to seeing this long-awaited and much-needed project completed as soon as possible in full compliance with the LCP, including required landscaping.

The project is urgently needed to improve safety, aesthetic, and economic conditions. These are critical to the quality of life in Gualala and to the struggling retail and hospitality sectors at Gualala’s economic core. These needs were first identified in the mid-1990s and conditions have deteriorated ever since.
Some 21 years after the LCP was adopted, the community, Caltrans, and MCOG staff all agreed on May 18, 2023, on Alternative 5 (Alt 5), which included the extensive native landscaping required in the LCP. At a Town Hall co-hosted by Caltrans and the Gualala MAC (GMAC), Caltrans personnel won over the large crowd with slides that showed low-maintenance, native landscaping on pedestrian islands and curb strips (See Attached - illustrations sent to Clerk BOS).
Caltrans’s engineering and landscaping experts worked tirelessly with GMAC’s Streetscape Committee and two GMAC consultants to assure the drought-tolerant landscaping would not block sightlines, interfere with traffic, or require significant maintenance. As required by the LCP, the plants chosen by the Caltrans landscape architect are native, low-lying, and require little water. Most grow wild with no maintenance at all. Per the LCP, Alt 5 required a landscape maintenance agreement (LMA) with the county [LCP: G3.4-23]. The LCP suggests maintenance could be funded with TOT funds, which PBS staff wrongly found do not yet exist.
Details of Alt 5, including the landscaping, were itemized in the CEQA document approved by Caltrans District 1 on Nov. 20, 2023 (Attachment R), and in amended final plans subsequently approved by the California Transportation Commission. All landscaping was well-funded. Funds remain available for this purpose.
Still lacking a signed LMA with the county, Caltrans quietly removed all landscaping plans from the plan in its CDP application. Today, the BOS finally can adopt an LMA and instruct staff to restore the landscaping plan that Caltrans developed with the community in Alt 5. We urge the Board to do so.
Save Gualala strongly encourages the BOS instruct staff to negotiate an LMA and to restore all landscape elements of Alt 5 in compliance with the LCP and the expectations of our community.
Save Gualala has a strong position in the appeal before the Board of Supervisors (BOS) today because we believe staff erred significantly in June by concluding the project would comply with the LCP without landscaping, even after written protests by at least 83 residents and a detailed report by Save Gualala (Staff Attachment F). The comments included an HOA located on the roadway and letters from prominent downtown business people. We’ve attached excerpts from some of those comments. (Nobody supported reducing landscaping.)
While staff today offered a plan to restore two small, off-highway areas of the landscaping, this “alternate resolution” falls far short of what the LCP requires, what the community was promised in May 2023, what GMAC advised, what the CEQA document described (Staff Attachment R), and what was ultimately approved by the California Transportation Commission (CTC). We ask the Board to restore ALL Alt 5 landscaping.
Without minor changes by the BOS today, either resolution presented by staff would trigger an appeal to the California Coastal Commission (CCC), risking delays in awarding contracts and still-higher costs.
Save Gualala is confident the CCC would ultimately order restoration of the full landscaping plan, however this review would take at least two months. That delay would run against the best interests of the County, the community, and the supporters of Save Gualala.
Even with the plants in staff’s alternative resolution, the project would create an unattractive 58-foot wide sea of concrete and pavement through the middle of scenic Gualala. That is not only grossly inappropriate for this rural setting, but it is in direct conflict with the over-arching goal of the LCP “to preserve and enhance the rural, coastal character of the town of Gualala, to better integrate future development with the natural surroundings.” [G2.1-1] The LCP further states “improvements to the Highway 1 corridor shall be required to help make Highway 1 a scenic element of the Gualala townscape [G3.6-1]. (See attached “Gualala Town Plan Excerpts”)

The only landscaping included in staff’s alternate resolution today would be on two embankments behind the sidewalk -- two areas that are already covered by vegetation. The attractive landscaped islands and curb strips promised in Alt 5 and documented in CEQA documents would be filled with concrete, according to Caltrans. That is unacceptable to Save Gualala because it conflicts with the LCP and defeats the goals of good government.

MINOR ADJUSTMENTS REQUIRED
We respectfully request minor changes in the drafts of the alternative BOS Resolution (Part 11), the draft LMA (attachment V), and the “Landscaping Plan and Plant Mix” (attachment T) to conform with Alt 5. These changes would restore all required LCP elements as well as those promised in Alt 5 to, and expected by, the Gualala community, which is the Southern Gateway to the Mendocino County Coast.

Crosswalk Issues: We also urge the BOS to restore the crosswalk between the Surf Center and Sundstrom Mall, which was eliminated by Caltrans apparently due to its proximity with four driveways. This is the most-used crossing within the project zone. Its elimination would create an undue safety hazard. Instead, we suggest moving the driveways, three of which are believed to be owned by the appellant.

Finally, we ask for the restoration of stamped-concrete crosswalks as shown in the Alt 5 illustrations in lieu of zebra stripes, which are far too urban for this area. Stamped concrete is used safely throughout California.

Addenda
We supplement this memo with answers to common questions and a series of attachments. We greatly appreciate the time and care the Board members have dedicated to this project, which will shape the social, aesthetic, and economic life of Gualala for at least a half-century. We are happy to answer any other questions. Please refer those to Tom Murphy, Murphy@RedwoodAge.com, 415.924.3364.

Questions and Answers

What reason(s) did Caltrans offer for removing plantings on islands and curb strips?
Caltrans has offered different answers. Unofficially, they first said Caltrans “doesn’t like” to build them, but these elements are present on highways throughout the state. Caltrans later said they are barred by the Highway Design Manual, but they aren’t; see below. At this point, only the lack of an LMA appears to stand in the way.
Will plantings on islands or curb strips require lane closures? Why or why not?
NO. The 2-foot-wide curb strips could be maintained easily from the sidewalk side, which is separated from autos by 6 feet (including bike lane and curb). For the islands, if necessary, a “buffer” of up to 6 feet could be “coned-off” beside these short islands if/when maintenance is needed, leaving a 10-foot wide lane open for traffic. Keep in mind, we are discussing low-lying native plants requiring little maintenance on short islands amid a 0.4-mile-long project on a lightly used country road where the crosswalks are marked by flashing lights.
Are landscaped islands barred by the Caltrans Highway Design Manual (HDM)?
NO. The HDM fosters uniform standards for Caltrans projects. Section 405.5 describes best practices for islands, but doesn’t mention landscaping. Even if there were a rule, the HDM clearly states “special situations may call for deviation from policies and procedures” and “this manual is not a textbook or a substitute for engineering knowledge, experience, or judgment.” Gualala’s Alt 5 was repeatedly reviewed by Caltrans engineers to ensure the landscaped islands would conform with best engineering practices under Caltrans rules. If an exception were needed, this case would certainly qualify. e.g.: Caltrans already made an exception for sidewalk width, reducing the standard from 8 feet to 5 feet. The need for landscaping is a very high priority in Gualala community.
Does the project have room for curb strips?

YES. The illustrations developed by Caltrans for Alt 5 show how they would fit. Caltrans has since said that without an LMA, its builders would fill these areas with concrete and provided additional illustrations showing that.
The draft LMA mentions “pruning” and “regular maintenance.” How much would be required?
VERY LITTLE. Since the earliest drafts of the LCP, there’s been broad agreement that plantings on the highway should be naturally low-lying, low-maintenance, and drought-tolerant. The Caltrans landscape architect chose such plants from a list provided by local native plant experts. The experts chose the plants from a list attached to the LCP itself. If the proper soil is provided when planting, there should be little need to maintain them.
Have the agencies involved consistently reflected community concerns on this?
NO. Before Alt 5, at least four town halls and a Caltrans survey were conducted. Even so, SIX other alternatives were developed by Caltrans between 2019 and 2022, only to be scrapped as non-compliant. It wasn’t until a new project manager arrived in 2023 that Alt 5 was developed and, within months, embraced by the community. She simply followed the LCP. This delay was enormously expensive. The project was originally projected at about $6 million to be completed by 2022. The costs have doubled since then, with a projected completion in 2027.
Save Gualala speaks for many people. Why isn’t it mentioned in Caltrans or Staff reports?
GOOD QUESTION. Neither the Caltrans CDP application nor the Staff Report on this project contain any significant mention of Save Gualala, which has been deeply involved in assuring this project meets requirements of the LCP for five years. We even advised as consultants on Alt. 5. Despite repeated requests, Save Gualala was excluded from recent decisions and announcements about landscaping or terms of the LMA.
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Gualala Town Plan Excerpts – The LCP Requirements (emphasis added)

The Gualala Town Plan was developed by hundreds of residents and county staff to provide a framework for all development. It was adopted in 2002 by County Supervisors in the County General Plan (GP) and also was approved as the Local Coastal Plan (LCP) by the California Coastal Commission. It is intended to serve the community through 2030.

GOAL No. 1: To preserve and enhance the rural, coastal character of the town of Gualala, to better integrate future development with the natural surroundings, to protect and restore coastal views, and to improve public access to the coast. (G2.1-1)

G3.6-1: Hwy 1 improvements “shall be required to help make Hwy 1 a scenic element” of Gualala townscape.
G3.6-2: “… a planted median shall be provided.”

G3.6-3: “Parking areas … shall be located outside of the corridor preservation setback.” [Translation: No parking on the highway.]
G3.4-26: Landscaping along “Highway 1 and local roadways shall provide an aesthetic complement” to the pedestrian walkways and partial screening of parking areas and/or buildings.
G3.4-27: Rather than developing a linear tree planting program, cluster landscapes … can be integrated with existing landscaping and native vegetation; they can help maintain a more "natural" appearance in the town...
G3.4-30: Highway 1 medians and embankments should be landscaped with ground level shrubs and herbaceous plants. Plant materials with seasonal foliage and flower changes are encouraged. Plant materials shall be selected, in part, based on low maintenance and irrigation requirements. Landscaping within the Highway 1 right-of-way requires an encroachment permit from Caltrans.
“Exceptions to the strict application of these standards may be granted by the County, with the prior approval of the Caltrans District Director, where existing development, site topography or physical constraints mandate a greater or lesser right-of-way width.” G3.6-4
(Note: As the Caltrans drawings show, there are no such physical limits affecting landscaping.)

More than 120 Community Members Asked PBS to Restore Landscaping.
None Supported Deletion. (Comments were submitted separately to the Board)

(These are brief excerpts. Full letters and all comments are included at https://tinyurl.com/StreetscapeNotes
under CPA section for 6/16/25) An additional 80 comments have been submitted to the BOS this week.

“…I have been involved since the very first public meeting, and I remember that the landscaping was an important aspect from the very beginning...The Gualala Community approved a plan to do that in May 2023. Without landscaping, it would be a sea of asphalt and concrete. Consequently, it would bring property values down as the entire town would look like a big, hot parking lot.”

-- Kristine Thomure, Realtor (Kennedy & Assoc.)

“…For over 20 years various design plans have included this mandated component for practical and aesthetic reasons. To have it suddenly removed, when construction is planned for next year, is truly disheartening and seemingly deceitful.”
--Bill Merget, President, Cypress Village HOA

“The Forager pre-school believes Gualala’s natural environment is a blessing ... You can only imagine how deeply concerned we were to hear that Mendocino Co. and Caltrans are proposing to eliminate the native plantings that have long been a required and highly anticipated element of the Gualala Streetscape, a project that literally runs within feet of our school. The county wants to fill our curb strips and traffic islands with concrete ... That would be the antithesis of our philosophy and a direct violation of our Town Plan.”
-- Ron Das, Forager School property owner

“…Landscaping is a required element under our Local Coastal Plan and is critical to both the aesthetic integrity and economic vitality of our coastal community. Delaying this essential element any further undermines the long-promised vision of a walkable, welcoming, and visually cohesive town center.”
-- Brian Zita, Gualala resident

“…As former Chair of the local Chamber of Commerce, I understand … The landscaping especially, is vital to help our retail stores, restaurants, and hotels attract customers. Landscaping is also essential to the quality of life for our residents … The Town Plan does not allow exceptions for fiscal constraints … That would be Non-Compliant with the Local Coastal Plan.
– Robert Juengling, Resident and Downtown Businessman