BIG Rio Nido meeting! Judd not, lest ye be judded ...

BIG RIO NIDO MEETING,
Saturday December 12th at 2:00pm
Rio Nido Lodge

Dennis Judd and the Rio Nido Home Owners Association have organized a town meeting to discuss plans and ideas for the Rio Nido Lodge property (recently purchased by Mr. Judd). The meeting will be facilitated by Rio Nido's unofficial mayor, Domenic Farnocchia. Panelists will include major local players, such as Mark Krug, community development manager of the Community Development Commission; 5th District Supervisor Efren Carrillo, RNHOA board member Doug Meisner, Planning Commission member Tom Lynch, local resident, Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee (RRROC) candidate Chris Auzten, and others.

Guess what? Some folks out here in Rio Nido -- including yours truly -- have tentatively decided to drink the Dennis Judd Koolaid. As improbable as it may seem, big things may be in the works for our poor, beautiful, eclectic and neglected little town. An unidentified source of mine believes that Mr. Judd is serious about building his healing retreat for cancer sufferers on the Rio Nido Inn property, and gotten the above-listed big kahunas' attention. There even appears to be some consideration being given to yours truly's fantasy about sprucing up the drab parking lot at Rio Nido's entrance and restoring "boulder beach" (which was destroyed years back during the landslides). Though that sounds like a major undertaking.

So it seems that many of us have made unfair assumptions about Mr. Judd's intentions, and we need to start being constructive, giving him the benefit of the doubt and working with him. We're danged lucky that this venerable but recently distressed property has been purchased by someone who actually cares about our community and what we think of him. Because, when push comes to shove, Mr. Judd's the 500-pound gorilla who can do whatever he wants.

New Rio Nido Lodge owner meets with neighbors

November 7 2009, Rio Nido -- 25 Rio Nido residents gathered on the site of the former Rio Nido Lodge (also known as the Rio Nido Inn) at 11:30am to meet with the new property owner, Dennis Judd. After a series of informal conversations with board members from RNHOA, the Sebastopol-based developer and owner of Cipora Properties invited everyone to a meeting so he could introduce himself and address concerns about his plans for the site.

This was definitely a good move on Mr. Judd's part, considering recent problems with the Rio Nido Lodge property itself; ongoing drug, crime and quality of life issues associated with other multi-unit dwellings in the area; and the fact that Mr. Judd's company specializes in affordable housing and recently obtained Russian River Redevelopment Oversight Committee (RRROC) approval for redevelopment funds for a nearby complex on River Road. For indeed, some neighbors did come with metaphorical torches and pitchforks in hand.

As people arrived, Mr. Judd and Stephen Radeljik (also from Cipora Properties) passed out fliers with an endorsement from local activist and West County Gazette publisher Vesta Copestakes vouching for Mr. Judd's care for the communities in which he builds on one side and yours truly's Top 10 possible uses for the Rio Nido Inn on the other side. (Flattery will get you everywhere!)

Mr. Judd described how he has worked with communities towards "transforming properties" and has been brainstorming with the Community Development Commission about possible uses. Many Rio Nido residents assumed that Mr. Judd intends to build another low-income housing complex. Instead, Mr. Judd stated that he really doesn't know "where to go with this property," and that he wants to work with us on "not just this property, but the whole community." He pointed out that since purchasing the property -- which has caused major problems due to neglect by the previous owner -- things have already gotten better. Mr. Judd also mentioned that the squatters are gone and "now it's cleaned up." He added that "this sends a message that we're a beautiful community & we're not going to put up with this crap any more."

With apparent sincerity, Mr. Judd restated that he hasn't made a decision on what do do with the Rio Nido Lodge and is open to suggestions. He even mentioned that his first choice would be to build a "healing retreat" for people suffering from cancer. Mr. Judd mentioned that he has also discussed the possibility of a specialty grocery store with the owner of a small, local chain. Amazingly enough, it appears that even real estate developers are capable of idealistic dreams.

Ironically, previous Rio Nido Inn owner Jim Friedman had also purchased the now-notorious Faerie Ring Campground in Guerneville back in 2001 with the intention of transforming it into "a healing retreat." Matthew Hagan wrote a flattering article, "Lord of the Faerie Ring", in the December 2004 issue of the North Bay Bohemian. Quel ironie. Then again, Mr. Friedman is a prison psychologist at San Quentin who rented out his various local properties to people just getting out of prison and recovering (or NOT recovering) methamphetamine addicts. So what would you expect?

Following Mr. Judd's presentation, a heated discussion followed. Rio Nido resident and writer Justin Raimondo (whose vituperative response to a conciliatory piece Mr. Judd wrote for the the West County Gazette will appear in next week's issue) adamantly warned Mr. Judd that "We WILL oppose affordable housing." (Not River Rattina -- the way things are going, she might actually need one of those units soon!) Others expressed similar levels of skepticism.

"I don't think you know what we're going through. We have three section eight houses which are drug houses," exclaimed second-generation resident Amy Merkel Rose. A discussion of problem properties throughout Rio Nido ensued, with one neighbor adding, "When the roach motel closed, the roaches scattered but they didn't go away." and another chiming in, "Some of them live next door to me." Dennis Judd responded, "You're fighting an issue that isn't real. I'm not saying we're going to do low income housing. We're still investigating." Justin Raimondo shot back, "You mean you bought a building for $250K without knowing what you'd do with it?" Another neighbor agreed, "That seems suspect."

Sonoma County Planning Commission member, Tom Lynch came to Mr. Judd's defense, explaining that the previous two owners did not have sufficient resources to maintain the Rio Nido Inn. "Dennis Judd has resources to wrok with the community. He fixes up and cleans up neighborhoods. You can't stereotype the tenants ... Can't we get some more positive energy to move forward?" Tom Lynch is also a local resident, member of RRROC, and the owner of a construction company. He is also a long-time friend of Mr. Judd who has worked on projects for him.

Domenic Farnocchia, RNHOA board member, Russian River Parks & Recreation board member, and unofficial Mayor of Rio Nido, inquired of Mr. Judd, "Are you willing to be part of this neighborhood and do a neighborhood watch with us?" The meeting wound down as local resident Randie Johnson asked, "How can we -- as your neighbors -- help you to come to a decision?" Tom Lynch stated that the next steps would be to hav a larger neighborhood meeting with more advance notice and someone from the Community Development Commission present. A tour of the vandalized and gutted -- but now clean -- interior followed.

The next meeting will be held Saturday December 12 2009, 2:00pm at the Rio Nido Lodge and facilitated by Mr. Farnocchia. Panelists are to include: Mark Krug, executive director of the Community Development Commission; 5th District Supervisor Efren Carrillo, RNHOA board member Doug Meisner, local resident and RRROC candidate Chris Auzten, and others.

RRROC approves $400K loan for affordable housing complex in Rio Nido

The man who recently purchased the Rio Nido Inn for $250K recently received approval for a $400K loan from RRROC to develop a previously purchased Rio Nido property as an affordable rental housing complex. According to Frank Robertson's October 28 article in the Sonoma West Times & News, RRROC's approval of this loan to Sebastopol developer Dennis Judd "raised some eyebrows."

Although the Board of Supervisors hasn't written any checks yet, the County rarely -- if ever -- denies funding for an RRROC-recommended project.

Folks here in Rio Nido have already started grumbling about the "Ruska Rika Dacha rental housing compound" on River Road and Mr. Judd's intentions for the Rio Nido Inn. But I'm still on the fence. After all, if the job market doesn't improve soon, some of us might need to live there. (Psst, Tom Lynch ... can you please send me an application?)

SO ... gee, now that we know the identity of the developer formerly known as "Mr. X", I wonder what Mr. Judd wants to do with the Rio Nido Inn?

I'm still crossing my fingers & hoping we can persuade Mr. Judd, RRROC, & other People With Money to restore the Inn & turn it into some fabulous, historic high-end hotel. They could even buy the enormous & adjacent parking lot fronting River Road (also for sale), restore the old fountain, & landscape a lush garden like the one at the Coronado Hotel in San Diego.

Didn't I once hear something about Mike Reilly and others floating around the possibility of a luxury resort at the entrance to Rio Nido? This would have the advantage of providing jobs within walking distance to all those folks living down the street.

Rio Nido Inn's new owner wants your ideas!

It's a pretty good zoo, said young Gerald McGrew,
and the fellow who runs it seems proud of it, too.
But if I ran the zoo, said young Gerald McGrew,
I'd make a few changes, that's just what I'd do ....
-- If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss.

But seriously, what would you do if you owned the zoo? Or, the Rio Nido Inn? After the requisite fumigation, exorcism, & burning of sage, the possibilities of this charming, historic site are endless. The new owner -- whom we can henceforth refer to as "Mr. X" in order to add a dash of mystery & excitement to our dull lives while saving me the inconvenience of typing extra letters -- wants to hear our ideas.

Mr. X (of whom we know nothing other than his Sebastopudlian ties) recently approached Doug Meisner of the Rio Nido Home Owners Association to help gather input & ideas for developing the property. His envoys proclaim that he is willing to consider anything as long as it is agreeable to the community & has the potential to be reasonably successful from a business standpoint. Perhaps Mr. X is amongst the new breed of entrepreneurs seeking to do good while doing well. Perhaps he less ambitiously hopes to avoid previous owner Jim Friedman's unfortunate fate, which has included bankruptcy, jail time, & bad juju in Rio Nido.

Regardless, we should take Mr. X up on his kind offer, think about what to do with the Rio Nido Inn, & ALSO start thinking B-I-G with a capital B. What do we want for the future of Rio Nido? Right now, the sky's the limit. Redevelopment funds are still available for the unlikely combination of property owners & community organizations who work together & share a vision.

Please post your thoughts & ideas as comments below, or, email them to the RNHOA/Doug Meisner at dmc @ rionido . org (sorry, I can't make this email address a link, or they'll get tons of SPAM -- please just delete the spaces after copying & pasting). Actually, I'd prefer that you simply post them below as comments so we can all enjoy reading them, but it's your choice!

There will soon be a public meeting.

Top 10 possible uses for the Rio Nido Inn

Now that the Rio Nido Inn has been shut down & boarded up, & the sales price is dropping daily, we can start speculating on all the exciting possibilities for this unique & historic site:

1. Rio Nido House of Horrors: A year-round roadside attraction
2. Ecologically sustainable termite farm
3. Utopian experiment in communal living for drug addicts & ex-convicts (oh, wait, that's been done)
   
4. Future site of the world-famous Methamphetamine Museum
   
5. Rio Nido Home Owners Association Country Club with spa, fine dining, & valet parking
   
6. RRROC-funded Rio Nido Community Grow-Op/Friendly Neighborhood Dispensary
7. Sanctuary for feral cats and off-leash pit bulls
8. Tattoo/"Massage" parlor (oh wait, we already have one by the Hacienda Bridge)
9. Coffee shop (we'll need stimulants now that we've lost our biggest meth lab)
10. Skateboard park

But seriously, what would YOU propose for the site of the Rio Nido Inn now that it's going, going, gone! Please use the COMMENTS link to post your suggestions! You're also welcome to post suggestions for my previous top-10 list, see You know you're a river rat when ...

I look forward to hearing from you!

The latest on the Rio Nido Inn

I received the following email from my neighbor, Justin Raimondo, about what's going on with the Rio Nido Inn. For those who don't know, this long-neglected property has become a magnet for noise, drug dealing, littering, crime and other problems in this community. For more information, read my posting -- along with lots of comments from readers -- "Rio Nido Inn for Sale ... Thank Gawd!" from March 2008.


From: Justin Raimondo
To: Russian River Rattina

Here's the latest on the Rio Inn:

I called the real estate agency that is handling the "sale" of the inn, and got the name of the Santa Rosa bank that is going to foreclose on the loser owner of the property, and the woman in charge of properties gave me the name of the court-appointed receiver, one Jim Severii. I spoke to him, and he told me: 1) The residents have been issued a 60-day notice, 2) MAYBE half of them will move out by that time, 3) it will take another few months to get them evicted, and 4) the filth, crime, and general disorder at the Inn is going to get a lot WORSE fairly soon.

He also made a comment that I thought revealed his attitude toward the whole matter: when I complained that the Inn is lowering my property value and the value of all the property in Rio Nido, he said, and I quote: "You know what's lowering the value of your property? Rio Nido itself."

I have seen wild pit bulls roaming free on that property, and I recently rounded the corner of Willow coming back from the post office to witness a cop arresting one of the encampment "residents." You may have noticed that the number of vehicles, especially RVs, has increased dramatically: the "management" is actively encouraging people to come and camp out since they will get sixty days of free rent. I live relatively far from the Inn, but you are right there: with your children running around I would think that you would be concerned about the pit bulls running loose. Maybe you just haven't noticed.

In any case, I have called the animal control division of the county government and reported the pit bull situation. (The other day, while round that same corner of Willow, I was confronted by a shirtless denizen of the Inn, who asked me: "Have you see two pit bulls running around here? They got loose!" Yikes!)

Since I am relatively new to this community, and hardly know anyone, I'm wondering if the other residents are going to stand idly by while a bank destroys their investment and their community.

Rio Nido Inn for sale ... THANK GAWD!!!

Hooray! The Rio Nido Inn on Canyon 2 Rd. in Rio Nido is on the market, for $1,018,000. Naturally, I discovered this while browsing Craig's List (for more information, the ad is located at: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/rfs/608118107.html). This once-beautiful, historical treasure -- which hearks to Rio Nido's swankier days as a major resort which attracted tourists & major musical acts every weekend -- has been trashed & abused by its scum-lord (oops, I mean, slum-lord) owner, Jim Friedman.

Mr. Friedman rents out the rooms to ex-convicts & meth-heads who apparently don't inconvenience him with complaints about the mold, broken windows, & lack of heat & hot water. Ugh, this total sleaze bag works as a psychologist for San Quentin, & also owns the infamous Faerie Ring campground on Armstrong Woods Road, which is on the verge of being shut down by the county due to septic system violations. The only reason that the County hasn't shut down the campground entirely is because its year-round, low-income residents (who, by most accounts, are decent, law-abiding folks who simply can't afford market rents) would be forced into homelessness.

I would be totally THRILLED to see the Rio Nido Inn in new hands. The Inn has huge potential for a buyer who appreciates the architecture, wants to restore it with loving care, & who has VERY deep pockets. The place is also stuffed with beautiful antiques which have somehow survived the traumas inflicted by the current owner. Even in its current, lamentable state, the upstairs rooms & common area are comfortable & utterly charming. As recently as three years ago, the place was shabby, but still fairly nice. Then the place flooded & I think the owner totally gave up.

The Inn is also next door to the Rio Nido Road House, which features a well-run restaurant, bar, & public pool & which are undergoing major improvements courtesy of the new owners, Brad & LeeAnne. Meanwhile, Rio Nido is a beautiful & close-knit up-&-coming community with increasing numbers of year-round residents, including some young-ish & active retirees & families with young children. We also have an active homeowners association which hosts huge barbecues with music & children's activities throughout the summer.

Since I live in Rio Nido & love my little town, despite its little pockets of urban blight (um, rural blight?), seeing this place up for sale thrills me beyond belief. I'm also hoping that the folks who buy it will actually LIVE in this community.