Branson’s plan comes at cost to neighbors

The announced plans by the North Coast developer of the former Baptist Theologial Seminary property in Strawberry include a new 1,000-student high school for the Branson School, to get Branson out from under the 320-student cap that Ross has imposed at its current campus.

The Ross regulations have tried to deal with the negative traffic, noise and other impacts of the private school in that town.

What a great idea, as glowingly described by the developer’s mouthpiece, Cavagnero & Associates. Branson would more than triple its enrollment, which at a per-student tuition of $41,055 comes out to a cool pile of additional cash for the millionaires’ private school: $27.9 million.

And all this at the expense of the entire Strawberry neighborhood that would have to put up with the traffic, noise and broken promises Ross has been dealing with, but at a much more intense level.

Clever business plan by North Coast, Cavagnero and Branson, but fortunately that would require the 180-degree revision of several adopted county planning documents and will come to naught, except to sully the reputation of Branson.

— Bob Reitherman, Mill Valley

http://www.marinij.com/article/NO/20151023/LOCAL1/151029921