If you’ve been following the various attempts to redevelop the Seminary property over the last decade or so, you’ll recognize that the presence of a school on the site is the common theme.  The Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary and later Olivet were allowed to operate because of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) issued by the County back in 1953.  The CUP runs with the land, so when North Coast Land Holdings (NCLH) purchased the property, they inherited the CUP.

The existence of the CUP is how NCLH bootstrapped their proposed 1,000 student college (and previously Branson) into their plans.  Of course they didn’t stop with the school but proceeded to add a continuous care facility, market-rate and affordable housing, a fitness center, childcare center, etc, etc.

Everybody (the community, NCLH, the County) all took the validity of the CUP as a given.

However, our attorney spent the last several months digging through the dusty files at the County and has determined that the 1953 CUP is in fact null and void!  If you take a little time and read the attached letter, you’ll learn that the CUP was replaced by the (now expired) 1984 Master Plan.

If the County takes the time to review and act on this information, then this will be a game changer.  NCLH’s key entitlement, the basis of their current (and all previous) applications will vanish.