Pubdate: Mon, 02 May 2016
Source: Ukiah Daily Journal, The (CA)
Copyright: 2016 The Ukiah Daily Journal
Contact: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/feedback
Website: http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/581
Author: Michael Toivonen

USE IT OR LOSE IT

To the Editor:

First let me get off my chest a bit of family lore before I segue 
into the marijuana economy.

This is a story with a Ukiah Valley historical twist that should be 
shared before it is lost: Background: I grew up in Mill Valley, in 
the 60's and 70's. Next door was a vacant lot and just beyond that 
lived a gay couple.

Good neighbors. One of these two guys, Bob, really came through when 
my mother was terminally ill with cancer in 1970 and my dad needed 
help transporting her to San Francisco for radiation.

The bottom line: By the 80's my dad had remarried.

He and my stepmother told Bob that they had bought property near 
Ukiah where they planned to retire.

Bob, a California Department of Highways (now Caltrans) engineer told 
them that Ukiah was the place where they really had fun with the 
numerous freeway interchange designs.

Since there was very little traffic up that way they could try 
different things as it would really make little difference if they 
ended up being less than ideal.

Bob and his partner Jack are gone now. I never got a chance to tell 
Bob that one of those on-ramps is so bad (North State Street, north 
bound) that I will never use it, having seen so many close calls and 
wrecks there.

Often as I drive north and am following the advice of the signs that 
say "Through Traffic Use Left Lanes Next Three Miles" this story comes to mind.

In my dreams that ramp will get a total redo and I will feel good 
about using it again.

Even though a recent article mentioned that funds for doing the work 
were not available due to the drop in gas tax revenues, I will 
continue to hope. When we were faced with the possibility of a 
shopping center on the Masonite property the only upside I could see 
was that at least the developer might be forced to fund improvements like that.

Ross Liberty's purchase of the entire property has got it back on 
track for industrial use. Thanks Ross! One thing we should consider 
is this: In February Santa Rosa City Council voted to allow 
commercial marijuana cultivation in industrial areas.

This is just the tip of an iceberg.

Right now we are facing, or not facing, a major danger to our local 
economy: legalization of marijuana will deal a heavy blow to what is 
the biggest industry we have.

If we do not start moving, and quickly, to prepare our county for big 
changes, especially in regards to competition from other areas where 
marijuana has not been grown in the past our economy could be dealt a 
potentially crippling blow. Government needs to do all it can to work 
with the marijuana and related industries as well as service 
businesses so we can position ourselves to maintain Mendocino's 
existing reputation in the marijuana economy in what will be an 
entirely new day. My worst nightmare is that we lose the marijuana 
money machine to other areas where production costs are lower and we 
end up like the Appalachian's after the coal mines began to close.

Taking full advantage of legalization will entail much more than 
measures like allowing production in industrially zoned areas.

Prices are likely to drop too and so we will need to exploit the 
marijuana industry in new ways to maintain and enhance its economic 
impact. Mendocino is a beautiful place and so marijuana tourism has 
great potential. If we can combine our proximity to the Bay Area and 
our existing tourist draws of the coast, parks and wineries with 
marijuana tourism based on our reputation as the premier marijuana 
growing region in the USA we are well positioned to see a very 
significant increase in tourism.

I have read Ukiah residents' indignation at the spending of city 
funds on a hotel study.

My feeling is that what is really needed is a broader study and a 
resulting plan, funded by both county and city governments, for all 
the towns and cities of Mendocino county, especially the inland 
areas, that helps us move quickly to take advantage of the tourism 
potential of marijuana legalization.

We have a number of assets that can be retooled to take advantage of 
marijuana tourism.

When thinking of a hotel in downtown Ukiah the Palace Hotel does come 
to mind. A significant uptick in tourism is just what could make the 
Palace a viable hotel again.

The other big asset in downtown Ukiah that will need to be repurposed 
is the courthouse. I don't agree with those who are against building 
a new courthouse. Funded by court fees, not income or property taxes, 
Mendocino, not some other county, will get a modern and much safer 
facility, our economy will receive a temporary boost during 
construction, the former rail yard will be cleaned up and repurposed 
and last but not least we will be left with an empty but solid 
building, the old courthouse, owned by state government, not an 
underfunded out of towner or a running in the red Postal Service. 
What about turning it into a center for all of the products we 
produce from foods, beer and wine, to crafts and art and last but not 
least marijuana that might appeal to tourists?

I am thinking something like the Ferry Building in San Francisco.

Marijuana tourism can have a significant impact on the county north 
of Ukiah. Willits is a natural marijuana mecca.

It could be time to change the wording on the arch over the highway 
to "Willits, Heart of the Emerald Triangle." Besides appropriate 
shops along Main Street an expanded county museum that educates and 
entertains tourists on the history of marijuana in Mendocino could 
also be very popular with visitors. The Hotel Van could become 
Willits version of the Palace in Ukiah.

Another type of lodging that is becoming an increasingly important 
part of the tourism industry is AirBNB and its like. Increased 
tourism would inevitably result in more demand for this type of 
lodging. It often flies under the radar resulting in a loss of occupancy taxes.

Other areas have seen that this type of lodging has resulted in a 
loss of rental housing and we don't want that to happen here. The 
small stock of rentals is already a problem.

The county and the cities could look at existing zoning rules to see 
if changes can be made to encourage the construction of extra units 
specifically for this purpose on parcels where adverse impacts can be 
avoided or minimized. Visitors might be especially intrigued by the 
idea of a stay on properties with "old school" outdoor marijuana 
grows combined with rural charm and scenic beauty.

I started off relaying a bit of lore about our local transportation 
system. Focusing on transportation, marijuana tourism could also help 
us utilize another one of our "white elephants" : the North Western 
Pacific Rail line. What if we could end up with a "Pot Train" that 
ran from Cloverdale to Willits?

In Cloverdale the completion of the Sonoma-Marin SMART rail system 
would allow a tourist in San Francisco to get on the Larkspur Ferry 
in SF to begin what could be a multi day journey that would end in 
Willits. There would be stops in Hopland and Ukiah, maybe Calpella 
and Redwood Valley, that would be within walking distance of downtown 
areas and in Willits passengers could even transfer to the Skunk and 
continue to the coast.

Getting tourists out of their cars would have help control 
congestion, reduce air pollution, lessen climate change impacts and 
keep impaired drivers off the road and from generating bad publicity.

Another type of tourism could be developed along the difficult to 
repair and maintain for rail service portion of the NWP line north of 
Willits: do a "rails to trails" conversion of the balance of the line 
all the way to Eureka. What with the existing businesses along parts 
of the route, if lodging and food businesses were developed in the 
section that goes along the Eel River far from the 101 highway the 
result would be the most spectacular rail trail in the nation for 
cyclists and hikers.

An Emerald Triangle Bike race could be an annual event that would 
help promote it. Bicycle rentals at appropriate locations would 
encourage day trips by casual cyclists.

This trail could become a very serious magnet for tourists in both 
Mendocino and Humboldt.

I am sure what I have mentioned is just the beginning.

The thing is that to avoid a real local economic downturn from the 
inevitable shake up in the marijuana industry we are going to have to 
make the best of it, not let it make the worse for it for our county.

If we can plan, make some changes and seize the day I think some 
really good things could be coming our way.

- -- Michael Toivonen, Redwood Valley
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom