udjar@ukiahdj.com Representatives from Village Town Stewards and Co. were on hand Thursday night at the University of California Hopland Research and Extension Center to present “MendoVito,” a housing project that could deliver 3,000 to 4,000 new homes, and possibly an additional 10,000 new county residents, in the McDowell Valley.
The community meeting was held in part to present the information of a new self-sustaining village, and to answer questions from community members. There were at least 150 people in attendance, with many others who had to stand in the back due to a lack of room. By the end of the night, it was clear that some backed the project, some disliked it and some were still skeptical.
The proposed Village Town, deemed MendoVito, would be a small city with surrounding villages, and would be constructed over 423 acres in the valley. MendoVito”s self-sustainability means it would have its own police, fire department, schools and stores, for example. The 423 acres would be divided, with 200 acres being devoted to the urban core of the village, 35 for an industrial park, and the rest devoted to green space.
Claude Lewenz, executive director for Village Town Stewards and Co., said MendoVito would have a series of villages branching off from the center of the urban core, which would house between 200 to 750 people. He said that would be a big enough number so people could know each other. The proposed industrial park within MendoVito would house jobs for the community, with Lewenz envisioning those to be green technology related.
Of the concerns brought up Thursday, water was at the top of the list, followed by feasibility and development rights of the area.
“We don”t want anything to happen here to make the quality of life any less, but this idea is something that should be considered,” said Mendocino County 5th District Supervisor Dan Hamburg.
One of the current land owners of the McDowell area, said he and his partner weren”t actively trying to sell the land, are not in escrow nor are they pushing the current proposal, but would support the idea if the community wanted it. “The focus here is creating a self-sustaining local economy,” Lewenz said. “I am not a developer, or in real estate, but I am a fast learner.”
Lewenz said he holds degrees in history and education. He said research has shown there will be an increase in the United States population by year 2049, which is expected to top 50 million.
“How are we improving life and what are we leaving behind for the next generation?” Lewenz asked. “Where are we going to put them, and how are we going to feed them?”
To help with this prospective issue, Lewenz said every home in MendoVito would have a rooftop greenhouse capable of providing that househol with food.
WATER
“The No. 1 question has been ”how are you going to solve the water issue?”” Lewenz said.
Besides a 340 acre-foot reservoir on the property, Lewenz said the issue can be solved by using a multi-pipe structure in buildings that would help reuse water, and by utilizing and collecting rainwater.
Lewenz said the different pipes would be doing different things with the water. The multi-pipe plan calls to have four pipes coming in, and four going out of each home.
“Separate pipes would go to the shower, and closed loop systems are available for washing so it”s not wasted,” Lewenz said.
In MendoVito, re-used water would be divided at point of capture, so the different water uses would not be mixed together, like toilet water and dishwasher usage.
Lewenz said that each rooftop would have the capability of collecting 100 acre feet of water in a year, which would be regarded as one of the main water sources for residents. He said the rain water could be collected and also diverted into a water storage for drinking, which would be clean and filtered.
FEASIBILITY
Building a new village like MendoVito could have a positive impact on the county, according to Lewenz. He said, for example, the thousands of new windows that would be needed for MendoVito buildings could be manufactured at the former Masonite plant site instead of buying outsourced materials from other countries.
Responding to a question about fire services, Lewenz said MendoVito would have its own, but didn”t rule out the possibility of contracting the Hopland Fire Department for things like woodland fires.
DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS
“From experience in the building trade, once you let one person do it, then you have to let another,” a resident commented about probable development rights in the McDowell Valley. The resident believed some would see it as unfair for only MendoVito to develop in the area, and not allow any others to do so.
Lewenz disagreed and said that buying the total development rights would protect from others trying to establish any further developments in that area.
Toward the end of the meeting, Lewenz said if the project were to get off the ground, he would expect an estimated construction time of three to five years. However, he pointed out it would be a long process before even getting to that point, including probable environmental studies that would likely be conducted by the California Public Utilities Commission, and the state”s fish and game commission, or the fish and wildlife division.
“I”m in favor of big ideas, and I think this could be a big idea,” said Pete Passoff, a Ukiah resident.
