So what can go at Masonite site?
There is still ts of discussion wherever I go about what will happen at the old Masonite site. Here are two suggestions. The first is mine. If we're going to prohibit a shopping mall there and keep the land industrial I say let's encourage the animal processing plant we've talked about before at that site. It can be done humanely, environmentally correctly and it would produce exactly the kind of value added agricultural product that would keep this county's ag and ranch lands viable, which is what everyone I talk to who is opposed to the retail center and the proposed new housing on Lover's Lane say they want most. We could have locally grown and packaged beef, buffalo, goat's meat, rabbit, jerky, hides, leather goods and animal feeds. Here's another idea someone presented to me: let's put the asphalt plant that needs building in this area there. We use a lot of aggregate in this area and rather than have it trucked in from miles around, let's make it right here. We know it's needed. Here are some other ideas: Why not find some wine company that would like to make wine in Mendocino County to build a winery on that spot. The county's grapes are gaining in reputation and it seems like it wouldn't take much to convince a company eager to have a Mendocino label to invest the dough.
Now that DDR is demolishing everything on the Masonite site, it can sell the land to the next guy in condition for just about anything - assuming it doesn't get its way with the supervisors, which is still a big question. I'm told that DDR has hired a PR firm to try to shore up support for its project. I am told this by anti-DDR folks as if that's some backhanded and sneaky low down thing to do. I say why wouldn't they? Of course they want to convince people to accept their project. They've already sunk some money into it and they have a determined and outspoken opposition. They'd be bad business people and pretty stupid not to fight back with a public relations campaign.
Of course no matter what we may talk about for that site, as I said in a previous blog, water supply is going to be an issue for our future. The more I talk to folks the more it seems that both the county and the city of Ukiah might was well just fork out and do a thorough water study before contemplating what our future holds, whether it's industry and jobs, housing or retail.