In a stunner, director George Lucas has decided to walk away from his years-long efforts to develop a cutting-edge digital media production facility for film and television at the old Grady Ranch property in Marin County. Neighbors who bitterly opposed it are jubilant. But the Marin IJ’s Nels Johnson says business leaders and county officials are devastated.
Add: Lucasfilm’s official statement is more than a little chippy. It says the property, in which the company has sank millions of dollars, will now be sold and expresses hope that “low-income housing” ends up there. (That’s an artist’s conception of what the digital media facility was pitched to look like.) Excerpts from the statement:
"We have several opportunities to build the production stages in communities that see us as a creative asset, not as an evil empire, and if we are to stay on schedule we must act on those opportunities.”
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"The level of bitterness and anger expressed by the homeowners in Lucas Valley has convinced us that, even if we were to spend more time and acquire the necessary approvals, we would not be able to maintain a constructive relationship with our neighbors."
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"We hope we will be able to find a developer who will be interested in low-income housing since it is scarce in Marin. If everyone feels that housing is less impactful on the land, then we are hoping that people who need it the most will benefit."
