Following is Richard Poe’s response to The Other Two Petitions, September 5, 2015. He did not respond to the city manager compensation initiative.

Regarding some of Poe’s statements:

·         Poe’s Richmond Riviera project never had the benefit of a public hearing at the Design Review Board or Planning Commission because he elected to remove it from consideration. He decided to place it on the ballot instead. What if every developer went directly to a ballot without a public hearing?
·         The FBI has never visited my office about architectural work for the WCCUSD, as Poe alleged, and my character is not being questioned.

Regarding the density of his project, while the General Plan 2030 allows a maximum height of 135 feet and a maximum density of 125 dwelling units/acre, a development on that site does not have to be either. The previous Toll Brothers project was 45 units/acre and about 75 feet high. It did not block any views, and the number of cumulative units was below the 1984 Marina Bay Master Plan and Tentative Development Plan (http://ca-richmond2.civicplus.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/193):

As proposed, the project is consistent with and would further the completion of the Marina Bay Master Plan community. The residential use and density would be within the residential build-out estimates planned for Marina Bay. Specifically, the Marina Bay Master Plan and Tentative Development Plan estimate a build-out of 3,102 residential units. With the approval and construction of the proposed project, the Marin Bay community would be developed with approximately 2,375 residential units over a 362 gross acre area. Lastly, the project site represents one of the few remaining undeveloped sites in the Marina Bay Master Plan community. Approval of the project would facilitate the completion of this planned community, which has been in the planning and development process since 1984.

This Toll Brothers project would have been about the same density as Brickyard Landing in Point Richmond (see below):

Poe’s response:

I hope everyone is having a great weekend with family and friends over this labor day . I'm sure by now many of you have read the creative writings of the mayor's e-mail forum concerning The Richmond Riveria project , city manager salary , extra. One thing the mayor's e-mail forum is short of over the years is honest facts , it contains known lies , manipulation and in my opinion is design to promote the business interest of Interactive Resources co-owned by the mayor and his family . It's been widedly known the FBI visted the mayor's architectual office concerning the millions in fee's recieved by the mayor's business in terms of architectural work for the WCCSD under the billion-dollar bond program, so the mayor's character is being questioned by others not just us. 

Let me comment only on the Petition I funded , The Richmond Riviera Petition received 9,391 signatures and once verified will quilify it for a special election . see attachment which was filed with the city clerk and stamped received , this was done in the open in the mayor's conferance room in city hall. August 27 , 2015. 
For design review comments and public meetings for the project held go to: http://www.marinabaydinner.com/page_costs%20to%20review.html

As many of you are keenly aware , after spending almost $ 1 million processing the project , staff at the last minute put in a staff report for our third design review meeting that the project wasn't consistent with the general plan. Our choices were to litigate , or file a Petition .

Thank you for your time , 

Richard Poe
Virtual Development Corporation
Tel (510) 233-5595 ~ Fax (510) 233-5595
1387 Marina Way S., Suite 200
Richmond, CA 94804
rpoe@virtualdevelopmentcorporation.com